Thomas Lyttelton, 2nd Baron Lyttelton by Richard Brompton

Thomas Lyttelton, 6th Baronet, 2nd Baron Lyttelton (30 January 1744 – 27 November 1779) was an English MP and profligate from the

Lyttelton family The Lyttelton family (sometimes spelled Littleton) is a British nobility, British aristocratic family. Over time, several members of the Lyttelton family were made knights, baronets and peers. Hereditary titles held by the Lyttelton family inclu ...

Life

Sometimes dubbed "the wicked Lord Lyttelton" and "bad Lord Lyttelton" to discredit his independence from the political parties and religious dogmas of his era, he was the son of George Lyttelton, 1st Baron Lyttelton and 5th Baronet, and his wife Lucy Fortescue. His mother died when he was two years old. He was talented in his early years, particularly in drawing. Educated at

Eton Eton most commonly refers to Eton College, a public school in Eton, Berkshire, England. Eton may also refer to: Places *Eton, Berkshire, a town in Berkshire, England * Eton, Georgia, a town in the United States * Éton, a commune in the Meuse dep ...

and

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 ...

where he matriculated in 1761, he was also a reader of poetry, his favourite poet being

John Milton John Milton (9 December 1608 – 8 November 1674) was an English poet and intellectual. His 1667 epic poem '' Paradise Lost'', written in blank verse and including over ten chapters, was written in a time of immense religious flux and political ...

. His father, the 1st Lord Lyttelton, held political posts including

Privy Councillor A privy council is a body that advises the head of state of a state, typically, but not always, in the context of a monarchic government. The word "privy" means "private" or "secret"; thus, a privy council was originally a committee of the mon ...

, a

Lord of the Treasury In the United Kingdom there are at least six Lords Commissioners of His Majesty's Treasury, serving as a commission for the ancient office of Treasurer of the Exchequer. The board consists of the First Lord of the Treasury, the Second Lord of the ...

and

Chancellor of the Exchequer The chancellor of the Exchequer, often abbreviated to chancellor, is a senior minister of the Crown within the Government of the United Kingdom, and head of His Majesty's Treasury. As one of the four Great Offices of State, the Chancellor is ...

. He himself was a good friend of the Prince of Wales, who later became

King George III George III (George William Frederick; 4 June 173829 January 1820) was King of Great Britain and of Ireland from 25 October 1760 until the union of the two kingdoms on 1 January 1801, after which he was King of the United Kingdom of Great Br ...

. Lyttelton received his pension through his estranged father, and because of his parentage and ability, he also had a career in public life. He was a Whig MP for

Bewdley Bewdley ( pronunciation) is a town and civil parish in the Wyre Forest District in Worcestershire, England on the banks of the River Severn. It is in the Severn Valley west of Kidderminster and southwest of Birmingham. It lies on the River Sev ...

from 1768 to 1769 and the Chief Justice of the Eyre in 1775, and became a Privy Councillor the same year. His death was widely reported to have been foreseen by himself three days beforehand; he claimed a bird flew into his room, and told him he had only three days to live.

Family

Lyttelton married Aphia Witts, but they had no children, so on his death, his

baron Baron is a rank of nobility or title of honour, often hereditary, in various European countries, either current or historical. The female equivalent is baroness. Typically, the title denotes an aristocrat who ranks higher than a lord or knig ...

y became extinct. It was recreated in 1794, however, for his successor in the baronetcy, his father's brother Sir William Lyttelton, 7th Baronet.

References

*''Burke's Peerage and Baronetage'' (1939), s.v Cobham, Viscount * * *

Notes

External links

* Lyttleton, Thomas, 2nd Baron Lyttleton, Thomas, 2nd Baron People educated at Eton College Alumni of Christ Church, Oxford Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for English constituencies Whig (British political party) MPs British MPs 1768–1774 Barons Lyttelton (1756 creation)

Thomas Thomas may refer to: People * List of people with given name Thomas * Thomas (name) * Thomas (surname) * Saint Thomas (disambiguation) * Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) Italian Dominican friar, philosopher, and Doctor of the Church * Thomas the Ap ...

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