Thomas Savile, 1st Earl of Sussex (bap. 14 September 1590c. 1659) was an English politician.

Biography

Thomas Savile was the son of

John Savile, 1st Baron Savile of Pomfret John Savile, 1st Baron Savile of Pontefract (1556 – 31 August 1630) was an English politician. He was M.P. for Lincoln (1586), Sheriff of Lincolnshire (1590), knight of the shire for Yorkshire (1597, 1614, 1624 and 1626), ''custos rotulorum'' o ...

, by his second wife, Elizabeth Carey, sister of

Henry Cary, 1st Viscount Falkland Henry may refer to: People *Henry (given name) *Henry (surname) * Henry Lau, Canadian singer and musician who performs under the mononym Henry Royalty * Portuguese royalty ** King-Cardinal Henry, King of Portugal ** Henry, Count of Portugal, ...

, and daughter of Sir Edward Carey of Aldenham, Hertfordshire. He was baptized 14 September 1590 at Doddington Pigot,

Lincolnshire Lincolnshire (abbreviated Lincs.) is a county in the East Midlands of England, with a long coastline on the North Sea to the east. It borders Norfolk to the south-east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south-west, Leicestershire ...

. Savile was elected to 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. ...

as member for

Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a Historic counties of England, historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other Eng ...

in 1624. In the Parliament of 1624 he became an opponent of Thomas Wentworth, afterwards earl of Strafford—the rivalry between the Saviles and the Wentworths having long been a feature of the history of

. Savile attached himself to the

Duke of Buckingham Duke of Buckingham held with Duke of Chandos, referring to Buckingham, is a title that has been created several times in the peerages of England, Great Britain, and the United Kingdom. There have also been earls and marquesses of Buckingham. ...

and he was created Viscount Savile of Castlebar in the peerage of Ireland in 1628. On the death of his father two years later, he became the 2nd Baron Savile of Pomfret. His growing enmity to Strafford led him into violent opposition to the government as the earl's power increased, and in 1640 he entered into correspondence with the Scots, to whom he sent a promise of support to which he forged the signatures of six peers. He was appointed Lord President of the

Council of the North The Council of the North was an administrative body first set up in 1484 by King Richard III of England, to improve access to conciliar justice in Northern England. This built upon steps by King Edward IV of England in delegating authority in the ...

in succession to Strafford, but after Strafford's fall he went over to the Royalist party, in whose interest he exerted his influence in Yorkshire in a manner that brought upon him the displeasure of the parliament in 1642. His efforts to exonerate himself led to his being suspected by the Royalists, and to his arrest, while his residence,

Howley Hall Howley Hall is a ruined Elizabethan country house located between the towns of Batley and Morley in West Yorkshire, England. It has been designated a scheduled monument since 1997. The hall was built by Sir John Savile, a Yorkshire politician ...

, was sacked by the

Earl of Newcastle Earl of Newcastle-upon-Tyne is a title that has been created twice. The first creation came in the Peerage of England in 1623 in favour of Ludovic Stewart, 2nd Duke of Lennox. He was made Duke of Richmond at the same time. For information on thi ...

, the Royalist general. Having been pardoned by Charles, whom Savile attended at Oxford, he was created earl of Sussex in 1644; but his efforts to promote peace on terms distasteful to the king brought him again into disfavour, and, in 1645, he was imprisoned and accused of high treason. Escaping from this charge on the ground of his privilege as a peer, he went to London and again ingratiated himself with the popular party. Intriguing simultaneously with both parties, he continued to play a double game with considerable skill, although he suffered imprisonment in 1645 for accusing Denzil Holles and

Bulstrode Whitelocke Sir Bulstrode Whitelocke (6 August 1605 – 28 July 1675) was an English lawyer, writer, parliamentarian and Lord Keeper of the Great Seal of England. Early life He was the eldest son of Sir James Whitelocke and Elizabeth Bulstrode, and was ...

of treachery in negotiations with the king, and was heavily fined. After this he retired into private life at Howley Hall, where he died about 1659. He was succeeded in the earldom of Sussex by his son James.

Marriages

Savile married firstly Frances Sondes (1592–c. 1634), the daughter of Thomas Sondes (1544–1593) of Throwley,

Kent Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...

, by Margaret Brooke (1563–1621), the youngest daughter of

William Brooke, 10th Baron Cobham Sir William Brooke, 10th Baron Cobham, KG (1 November 1527 – 6 March 1597), lord of the Manor of Cobham, Kent, was Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports, and a member of parliament for Hythe. Although he was viewed by some as a religious radical d ...

. Frances Sondes' first husband, Sir John Leveson, son and heir of

Sir John Leveson Sir John Leveson (21 March 1555 – 14 November 1615) was an English politician. He was instrumental in putting down the Essex rebellion of 8 February 1601. Family John Leveson, born 21 March 1555 at Whornes Place, Cuxton, Kent, was the eldest ...

, died of plague in December 1613, predeceasing his father and leaving two infant daughters, Christian and Frances.Parishes: Throwley', ''The History and Topographical Survey of the County of Kent'': Volume 6 (1798), pp. 445-461
Retrieved 13 April 2013. There were no issue of Savile's first marriage. Savile married secondly, shortly after November 1640, Anne Villiers, only daughter of

Christopher Villiers, 1st Earl of Anglesey Christopher Villiers, 1st Earl of Anglesey ( – 3 April 1630), known at court as Kit Villiers, was an English courtier, Gentleman of the Bedchamber and later Master of the Robes to King James I. In 1623 he was ennobled as Earl of Anglesey and ...

, by Elizabeth Sheldon, the daughter of Thomas Sheldon. Anne Villiers remarried to Richard Pelson from St. George's-in-the-Fields, Middlesex.

References

External links

* , - , - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Sussex, Thomas Savile, 1st Earl Of 1590 births 1650s deaths Lord-Lieutenants of Yorkshire Savile, Thomas Treasurers of the Household Earls of Sussex (Peerage of England) Peers of Ireland created by Charles I