Thomas Wood FRS (25 September 1708 – 25 June 1799), was a British politician who briefly sat in the House of Commons from 1779 to 1780.

Early life

Wood was born on 25 September 1708. The seventh son of Edward Wood and Elizabeth ( Bridger) Wood (daughter and heiress of Henry Bridger of Bramley, Surrey), he was from Littleton (then in Middlesex, now Surrey). He was educated at Eton College from 1718 to 1725 before matriculating 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 1725 and

All Souls College, Oxford All Souls College (official name: College of the Souls of All the Faithful Departed) is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. Unique to All Souls, all of its members automatically become fellows (i.e., full members of t ...

in 1732.

Career

A barrister, he was called in 1735, made a bencher in 1766, and later served as Treasurer of the Inner Temple where he had been admitted in 1729. In 1748, he succeeded to his brothers estates. A member of the Whig party, he was Member of Parliament for Middlesex from 1779 to 1780. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in February 1761.

Personal life

On 2 October 1743 Wood was married to Anne Jones, daughter of Richard Jones. Together, they were the parents of two sons and three daughters, including: * Thomas Wood, who married Mary Williams (1752–1820), daughter and heiress of

Sir Edward Williams, 5th Baronet Sir Edward Williams, 5th Baronet (1728 – 12 July 1804) was a Welsh landowner. Early life Williams was born in 1728 in Gwernyfed, Brecknockshire, Wales. He was the second surviving son of David Williams (1684–1739) and Susannah Witherstone (b. ...

, of Gwernyfed. Wood died on 25 June 1799.

Descendants

Through his son Thomas, he was a grandfather of Thomas Wood (1777–1860), MP for Breconshire from 1806 to 1847; he married Lady Caroline Stewart, daughter of Robert Stewart, 1st Marquess of Londonderry and Frances Stewart, Marchioness of Londonderry (daughter of the Whig politician Charles Pratt, 1st Earl Camden).

References

People from the Borough of Spelthorne 1708 births 1799 deaths Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for English constituencies British MPs 1774–1780 Fellows of the Royal Society Lawyers from London {{England-GreatBritain-MP-stub