York Minster, Lord Rockingham monument (28907058007)

Hon. Thomas Watson, later known as Thomas Watson-Wentworth (17 June 1665 – 6 October 1723), of

Wentworth Woodhouse Wentworth Woodhouse is a Grade I listed country house in the village of Wentworth, in the Metropolitan Borough of Rotherham in South Yorkshire, England. It is currently owned by the Wentworth Woodhouse Preservation Trust. The building has m ...

in Yorkshire, was an English landowner and 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 1701 and 1723.

Origins

He was the third son of

Edward Watson, 2nd Baron Rockingham {{Infobox noble , name = Edward Watson , title = Baron Rockingham , image = , caption = , alt = , CoA = , more = no , succession = , reig ...

(1630-1689) by his wife Anne Wentworth, only daughter of

Thomas Wentworth, 1st Earl of Strafford Thomas Wentworth, 1st Earl of Strafford, (13 April 1593 ( N.S.)12 May 1641), was an English statesman and a major figure in the period leading up to the English Civil War. He served in Parliament and was a supporter of King Charles I. From 1 ...

(1593-1641) and heiress of her childless brother

William Wentworth, 2nd Earl of Strafford William Wentworth, 2nd Earl of Strafford (8 June 1626 – 16 October 1695), KG, of Wentworth Woodhouse in Yorkshire, was a prominent landowner. Origins He was born at Wentworth Woodhouse, the only surviving son of Thomas Wentworth, 1st Ea ...

(1626-1695) of Wentworth Woodhouse. His eldest brother was Lewis Watson, 1st Earl of Rockingham, 3rd Baron Rockingham (1655-1724), who in 1714 was created

Earl of Rockingham Earl () is a rank of the nobility in the United Kingdom. The title originates in the Old English word ''eorl'', meaning "a man of noble birth or rank". The word is cognate with the Scandinavian form ''jarl'', and meant "chieftain", particular ...

Early life

He matriculated at

Christ Church, Oxford Christ Church ( la, Ædes Christi, the temple or house, '' ædēs'', of Christ, and thus sometimes known as "The House") is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. Founded in 1546 by King Henry VIII, the college is uniqu ...

in 1683.

Marriage and children

By licence dated 18 July 1689 he married Alice Proby, a daughter and heiress of Sir Thomas Proby, 1st Baronet, by whom he had children including: *

Thomas Watson-Wentworth, 1st Marquess of Rockingham Thomas Watson-Wentworth, 1st Marquess of Rockingham, KB, PC (I) (13 November 1693 – 14 December 1750) of Wentworth Woodhouse, Yorkshire was a British Whig politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1715 until 1728 when he was raised t ...

(13 November 1693 – 14 December 1750), KB,

Privy Council of Ireland His or Her Majesty's Privy Council in Ireland, commonly called the Privy Council of Ireland, Irish Privy Council, or in earlier centuries the Irish Council, was the institution within the Dublin Castle administration which exercised formal executi ...

, a Whig politician who in 1725 rebuilt Wentworth Woodhouse as the palatial building surviving today.

Wentworth inheritance

In 1695 Watson inherited the fortune of his maternal uncle

, including the vast estate of

in Yorkshire, with others in Northamptonshire and Ireland. This was in preference to the Earl's first cousin once-removed Thomas Wentworth (later created

Earl of Strafford Earl of Strafford is a title that has been created three times in English and British history. The first creation was in the Peerage of England in January 1640 for Thomas Wentworth, the close advisor of King Charles I. He had already succe ...

), who shared with him common ancestry in the male line, and it led to a fierce rivalry between the two men and their families. In accordance with the terms of the bequest, Watson adopted the additional surname of Wentworth, becoming Thomas Watson-Wentworth.

Career

Watson-Wentworth was returned unopposed as Whig

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 Bossiney at a by-election on 21 March 1701. He was only returned as a stop-gap and at the general election later that year he sought a seat elsewhere but in the end decided not to stand. At the 1702 general election, he stood at

Higham Ferrers Higham Ferrers is a market town and civil parish in the Nene Valley in North Northamptonshire, England, close to the Cambridgeshire and Bedfordshire borders. It forms a single built-up area with Rushden to the south and has an estimated popula ...

but was defeated. However his opponent died within a year and Watson-Wentworth was returned unopposed for Higham Ferrers at a by-election on 22 November 1703. He acquired the electoral interest at Higham Ferrers and was returned unopposed at the general elections of 1705, 1708 and 1710. He made little impression in his first parliaments, but being a church supporter moved progressively towards the Tories culminating in opposing the impeachment of Dr Sacheverell and being considered a worthy patriot. At the 1713 general election he was returned at Malton as well as Higham Ferrers and decided to sit for Malton. Now being considered whimsical or a Whig that voted with the Tories he supported the Whigs against the expulsion of Richard Steele and in other divisions. After the 1715 general election, when he and his son were elected in a contest at Malton, he was classified as a Whig, but voted against the government on almost every occasion. At the 1722 general election he was returned unopposed again for Higham Ferrers.

Death and burial

Watson-Wentworth died at Harrowden on 6 October 1723 and was buried in

York Minster The Cathedral and Metropolitical Church of Saint Peter in York, commonly known as York Minster, is the cathedral of York, North Yorkshire, England, and is one of the largest of its kind in Northern Europe. The minster is the seat of the Archbis ...

where his elaborate monument with standing marble effigy survives. It was sculpted by

Giovanni Battista Guelphi Giovanni Battista Guelphi or Guelfi (1690–1736) was an Italian sculptor who worked in England in the early 18th century. Life He was born in Italy in the late 17th century. He trained under sculptor Camillo Rusconi in Rome and in 1714 was ...

.Dictionary of British Sculptors 1660-1851 by Rupert Gunnis p.183

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Watson-Wentworth, Thomas 1665 births 1723 deaths Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for English constituencies British MPs 1713–1715 British MPs 1715–1722 British MPs 1722–1727