Thomas Saunders (by 1513 – 18 August 1565) was an English politician.

Family

Thomas Saunders was the third but eldest surviving son of Nicholas Saunders of Charlwood,

Surrey Surrey () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South East England, bordering Greater London to the south west. Surrey has a large rural area, and several significant urban areas which form part of the Greater London Built-up Area. ...

, by Alice Hungate, the daughter of John Hungate.Saunders,Thomas (by 1513-65), of London and Charlwood, Surrey, History of Parliament
Retrieved 15 June 2013.

Career

Saunders entered the

Inner Temple The Honourable Society of the Inner Temple, commonly known as the Inner Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court and is a professional associations for barristers and judges. To be called to the Bar and practise as a barrister in England and Wal ...

in 1527. He was solicitor for the households of Queens

Anne of Cleves Anne of Cleves (german: Anna von Kleve; 1515 – 16 July 1557) was Queen of England from 6 January to 12 July 1540 as the fourth wife of King Henry VIII. Not much is known about Anne before 1527, when she became betrothed to Francis, Duke of ...

and Catherine Howard in 1540. He sat on the bench as a

Justice of the Peace A justice of the peace (JP) is a judicial officer of a lower or ''puisne'' court, elected or appointed by means of a commission ( letters patent) to keep the peace. In past centuries the term commissioner of the peace was often used with the sa ...

for Surrey from 1541 until his death, and was appointed High Sheriff of Surrey and

Sussex Sussex (), from the Old English (), is a historic county in South East England that was formerly an independent medieval Anglo-Saxon kingdom. It is bounded to the west by Hampshire, north by Surrey, northeast by Kent, south by the English ...

for 1553–54. He was elected a

Member Member may refer to: * Military jury, referred to as "Members" in military jargon * Element (mathematics), an object that belongs to a mathematical set * In object-oriented programming, a member of a class ** Field (computer science), entries in ...

(MP) of the

Parliament of England The Parliament of England was the legislature of the Kingdom of England from the 13th century until 1707 when it was replaced by the Parliament of Great Britain. Parliament evolved from the great council of bishops and peers that advised t ...

for Gatton in 1542,

in March 1553 and 1558, and Reigate in October 1553. Saunders died 18 August 1565. His will, dated 7 March 1563, was proved 7 July 1566.

Marriage and issue

Saunders married Alice Walsingham (d. 21 May 1558), the daughter of Sir Edmund Walsingham of Scadbury,

Chislehurst Chislehurst () is a suburban district of south-east London, England, in the London Borough of Bromley. It lies east of Bromley, south-west of Sidcup and north-west of Orpington, south-east of Charing Cross. Before the creation of Greater L ...

Kent Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...

, by his first wife, Katherine Gounter or Gunter; they had 3 sons and 2 daughters.

Notes

References

External links

Will of Sir Thomas Saunders of Charlwood, Surrey, proved 7 July 1566, PROB 11/48/525, National Archives
Retrieved 15 June 2013 1513 births 1565 deaths Members of the Inner Temple High Sheriffs of Surrey High Sheriffs of Sussex English MPs 1542–1544 English MPs 1553 (Edward VI) English MPs 1553 (Mary I) English MPs 1558 {{16thC-England-MP-stub