Thomas Turgis (baptised 7 October 1623 – 11 June 1704) 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. ...

between 1659 and 1704, eventually in 1701 becoming the

Father of the House Father of the House is a title that has been traditionally bestowed, unofficially, on certain members of some legislatures, most notably the House of Commons in the United Kingdom. In some legislatures the title refers to the longest continuously- ...

, as the member with the longest unbroken service. Turgis was the eldest surviving son of Thomas Turgis, grocer of London and his first wife Ebbot Urry, daughter of Thomas Urry of

Gatcombe, Isle of Wight Gatcombe is a village in the civil parish of Chillerton and Gatcombe, on the Isle of Wight, England. It is located about two and a half miles south of Newport, in the centre of the island. The parish, which includes Chillerton, had a population ...

. He was baptised on 7 October 1623. In 1648 he was made freeman of the

Worshipful Company of Grocers The Worshipful Company of Grocers is one of the 110 Livery Companies of the City of London and ranks second in order of precedence. The Grocers' Company was established in 1345 for merchants occupied in the trade of grocer and is one of the Gr ...

and was assistant to the Company to 1687. He succeeded to the property of his wealthy father in 1651 and purchased Lower Gatton in

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. ...

in 1654. He acquired a number of other manors in Surrey, and was considered one of the wealthiest commoners in England. History of Parliament Online - Thomas Turgis
/ref> In 1659, Turgis was elected

Member of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members of ...

for Gatton in the

Third Protectorate Parliament The Third Protectorate Parliament sat for one session, from 27 January 1659 until 22 April 1659, with Chaloner Chute and Thomas Bampfylde as the Speakers of the House of Commons. It was a bicameral Parliament, with an Upper House having a powe ...

. He was commissioner for militia for Surrey in March 1660. In April 1660, Turgis was re-elected MP for Gatton, when he was opposed for the only time in his career. He was commissioner for sewers in August 1660 and commissioner for assessment for Surrey from August 1660 to 1680. He became an alderman for

Farringdon Without __NOTOC__ Farringdon Without is the most westerly Ward of the City of London, its suffix ''Without'' reflects its origin as lying beyond the City's former defensive walls. It was first established in 1394 to administer the suburbs west of Ludgat ...

ward in the City of London from 1 to 23 July 1661. 'Chronological list of aldermen: 1651-1700', The Aldermen of the City of London: Temp. Henry III - 1912 (1908), pp. 75-119. Date accessed: 22 October 2011
/ref> In 1661 he was re-elected MP for Gatton in the

Cavalier Parliament The Cavalier Parliament of England lasted from 8 May 1661 until 24 January 1679. It was the longest English Parliament, and longer than any Great British or UK Parliament to date, enduring for nearly 18 years of the quarter-century reign of C ...

. He was commissioner for recusants for Surrey in 1675 and commissioner for rebuilding of

Southwark Southwark ( ) is a district of Central London situated on the south bank of the River Thames, forming the north-western part of the wider modern London Borough of Southwark. The district, which is the oldest part of South London, developed ...

in 1677. He was returned for Gatton in both elections in 1679 and in 1681 and 1685. In 1687 he was removed as assistant of the Grocers’ Company. He was commissioner for assessment for London and Surrey from 1689 to 1690, He was re-elected MP for Gatton in 1689, 1690, 1695, 1698 and both elections in 1701. Turgis died at the age of 80 and was buried at St. Dionis Backchurch, leaving ‘an estate of above £100,000’. Gatton was inherited by William Newland, who was elected for Gatton at the age of 21 and sat for the rest of his life. Turgis married Mary Beake, daughter of William Beake, Merchant Taylor of London by 1655. They had three sons and a daughter.

References

, - {{DEFAULTSORT:Turgis, Thomas 1623 births 1704 deaths Politicians from Surrey Politicians from London English MPs 1659 English MPs 1660 English MPs 1661–1679 English MPs 1679 English MPs 1680–1681 English MPs 1681 English MPs 1685–1687 English MPs 1689–1690 English MPs 1690–1695 English MPs 1695–1698 English MPs 1698–1700 English MPs 1701 English MPs 1701–1702 Aldermen of the City of London Commissioners for sewers