Thomas Smith or Smyth (June 1609 – 2 October 1642) was an English politician who sat in the

House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of parliament. T ...

at various times between 1628 and 1642. He fought for the

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cause in the

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. Smith, of Long Ashton in

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, was the eldest son of Sir Hugh Smith (1574–1627) and his wife Elizabeth Gorges, a daughter of Thomas Gorges of Lanford and

Helena Snakenborg, Marchioness of Northampton Elin Ulfsdotter Snakenborg, Marchioness of Northampton, also known as Helena, and Helena the Red for her red hair, (1548/1549 – 10 April 1635) was a Swedish-born noblewoman, Maid of Honour of Queen Elizabeth I of England, and Marchiones ...

. He was head of wealthy Somerset family, descended from a 16th-century Mayor of

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. In 1628, Smith was elected

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for Bridgwater and sat until 1629 when King Charles decided to rule without parliament for eleven years. In April 1640, he was elected MP for

in the Short Parliament. He was elected MP for Bridgwater again in the

Long Parliament The Long Parliament was an English Parliament which lasted from 1640 until 1660. It followed the fiasco of the Short Parliament, which had convened for only three weeks during the spring of 1640 after an 11-year parliamentary absence. In Septem ...

from February 1641 until August 1642, when he was disabled from sitting for his sympathies. He joined the Marquess of Hertford's royal army, and was serving with that force when he died at

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in October 1642. Smith married Florence Poulett (died 1677), daughter of Lord Poulett, on 12 April 1627. After the

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their son, Hugh (1632–1680), was created a baronet.

References

* Edward Kimber and Richard Johnson, ''The Baronetage of England'' (London, 1771

* *D Brunton & D H Pennington, ''Members of the Long Parliament'' (London: George Allen & Unwin, 1954) * John Burke, ''A Genealogical and Heraldic History of the Extinct and Dormant Baronetcies of England'' (London: 1838) 1609 births 1642 deaths Cavaliers English MPs 1628–1629 English MPs 1640 (April) English MPs 1640–1648 {{17thC-England-MP-stub