Thomas Wenman (c. 1548 – 23 July 1577) (also Waynman or Weynman) was an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

country gentleman who briefly sat in the

House of Commons of England The House of Commons of England was the lower house of the Parliament of England (which incorporated Wales) from its development in the 14th century to the union of England and Scotland in 1707, when it was replaced by the House of Commons of ...

, representing

Buckingham Buckingham ( ) is a market town in north Buckinghamshire, England, close to the borders of Northamptonshire and Oxfordshire, which had a population of 12,890 at the 2011 Census. The town lies approximately west of Central Milton Keynes, sou ...

. He was the eldest son of Sir Richard Wenman, a Buckinghamshire landowner, by his marriage to Isabel, daughter and coheiress of

John Williams, 1st Baron Williams of Thame John Williams, 1st Baron Williams of Thame (c. 1500 – 14 October 1559) was Master of the Jewels and Lord President of the Council of the Welsh Marches. He was summoned to parliament as Lord Williams of Thame on 17 February 1554. Life Will ...

, who on her father's death in 1559 inherited the manor of

Thame Thame is a market town and civil parish in Oxfordshire, about east of the city of Oxford and southwest of Aylesbury. It derives its name from the River Thame which flows along the north side of the town and forms part of the county border wi ...

. Wenman was briefly one of the members of parliament for Buckingham in the parliament of 1571. On his father's death in 1573 he succeeded to estates in Twyford,

Beaconsfield Beaconsfield ( ) is a market town and civil parish within the unitary authority of Buckinghamshire, England, west-northwest of central London and south-southeast of Aylesbury. Three other towns are within : Gerrards Cross, Amersham and High W ...

Amersham Amersham ( ) is a market town and civil parish within the unitary authority of Buckinghamshire, England, in the Chiltern Hills, northwest of central London, from Aylesbury and from High Wycombe. Amersham is part of the London commuter belt. ...

, Penn, the Chalfonts, and elsewhere in Buckinghamshire, plus the manor of Eaton, then in

Berkshire Berkshire ( ; in the 17th century sometimes spelt phonetically as Barkeshire; abbreviated Berks.) is a historic county in South East England. One of the home counties, Berkshire was recognised by Queen Elizabeth II as the Royal County of Berk ...

.P.W. Hasler, 'Wenman, Thomas (c.1548-77), of Twyford, Bucks.', in P.W. Hasler (ed.), ''The History of Parliament: the House of Commons 1558-1603'' (from Boydell and Brewer 1982)
History of Parliament Online
On 9 June 1572 Wenman married

Jane West Jane West (born Iliffe, 1758–1852), was an English novelist who published as Prudentia Homespun and Mrs. West. She also wrote conduct literature, poetry and educational tracts. Life Jane West was born to Jane and John Iliffe in London, but th ...

, a daughter of

William West, 1st Baron De La Warr William West, 1st Baron De La Warr ( ) of the second creation (c. 1530 – 30 December 1595) was the elder son of Sir George West (d.1538), second son of Thomas West, 8th Baron De La Warr, by his third wife, Eleanor Copley, and Elizabeth Morton, ...

, at

St Dunstan-in-the-West The Guild Church of St Dunstan-in-the-West is in Fleet Street in the City of London. It is dedicated to Dunstan, Bishop of London and Archbishop of Canterbury. The church is of medieval origin, although the present building, with an octagonal ...

, in the

City of London The City of London is a city, ceremonial county and local government district that contains the historic centre and constitutes, alongside Canary Wharf, the primary central business district (CBD) of London. It constituted most of London fr ...

, and in the next five years they had three sons and a daughter. Wenman died at Twyford on 23 July 1577 (perhaps of

gaol fever Typhus, also known as typhus fever, is a group of infectious diseases that include epidemic typhus, scrub typhus, and murine typhus. Common symptoms include fever, headache, and a rash. Typically these begin one to two weeks after exposure. ...

that had broken out at Oxford), and was buried in Twyford church, where he has a monument. He left high debts, some to

the Crown The Crown is the state in all its aspects within the jurisprudence of the Commonwealth realms and their subdivisions (such as the Crown Dependencies, overseas territories, provinces, or states). Legally ill-defined, the term has different ...

, having borrowed at high interest before coming into his inheritance, and some of his land had to be sold. The manor of Eaton Hastings was sold to Sir John Danvers of Dauntsey for £7,700, but for various reasons the conveyance was not completed and was still the subject of lawsuits at the time of Danvers's death in 1594. When Wenman died his eldest son and heir, Richard Wenman, was aged only four and the

Court of Wards and Liveries The Court of Wards and Liveries was a court established during the reign of Henry VIII in England. Its purpose was to administer a system of feudal dues; but as well as the revenue collection, the court was also responsible for wardship and l ...

made him the ward of Jane Wenman and the

Earl of Leicester Earl of Leicester is a title that has been created seven times. The first title was granted during the 12th century in the Peerage of England. The current title is in the Peerage of the United Kingdom and was created in 1837. Early creations ...

. Leicester sold his interest in the wardship to James Cressy, who then married Jane Wenman, but died in 1581. Jane Wenman subsequently (in January 1587/88) married

Thomas Tasburgh Thomas Tasburgh (c. 1553 – c. 1602), originally of South Elmham, Suffolk, afterwards of Hawridge and latterly of Beaconsfield and Twyford, Buckinghamshire, was a member of the English landed gentry, a magistrate, member of parliament, High ...

Hawridge Hawridge, (recorded as Hoquerug in the 12th century) is a small village in the Chilterns in the county of Buckinghamshire, England and bordering the county boundary with Hertfordshire. It is from Chesham, from both Tring and Berkhamsted. Hawr ...

, Buckinghamshire, who took her part in contesting the title to the manor of Eaton Hastings with Sir John Danvers. After Tasburgh's death in 1602/03 her fourth marriage was to Ralph Sheldon (1537-1613), Esquire, of

Beoley Beoley is a small village and larger civil parish north of Redditch in the Bromsgrove District of Worcestershire. It adjoins Warwickshire to the east. The 2001 census gave a parish population of 945, mostly at Holt End. The parish includes the ...

, Worcestershire.C.H. Cooper, 'XXVII. On Agnes Lady Wenman, translator of Zonaras', ''Antiquarian Communications'', Cambridge Antiquarian Society (16 November 1863)
pp. 327-30
at p. 330 (Internet Archive). In 1628 Richard Wenman was created

Viscount Wenman Viscount Wenman, of Tuam in the County of Galway, was a title in the Peerage of Ireland. It was created on 30 July 1628 for Sir Richard Wenman, Member of Parliament for Oxfordshire in 1620 and 1625, the son of Thomas Wenman (died 1577), a Buckingh ...

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wenman, Thomas 1540s births 1577 deaths English MPs 1571