Thomas Henry Sutton Sotheron-Estcourt PC DL JP (4 April 1801 – 6 January 1876), known as Thomas Bucknall-Estcourt until 1839 and as Thomas Sotheron from 1839 to 1855, was a British

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization in ...

politician.

Background and education

Sotheron-Estcourt was the eldest son of

Thomas Grimston Estcourt Thomas Grimston Estcourt (1775–1853), of New Park, near Devizes, Wiltshire, later known as Thomas Grimston Bucknall Estcourt, was an English politician. He was the eldest son of Thomas Estcourt, Member of the Parliament of Great Britain (MP ...

, Member of Parliament (MP) for

Devizes Devizes is a market town and civil parish in Wiltshire, England. It developed around Devizes Castle, an 11th-century Norman castle, and received a charter in 1141. The castle was besieged during the Anarchy, a 12th-century civil war between ...

and

Oxford University Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to th ...

, son of Thomas Estcourt, Member of Parliament for

Cricklade Cricklade is a town and civil parish on the River Thames in north Wiltshire, England, midway between Swindon and Cirencester. It is the first downstream town on the Thames. The parish population at the 2011 census was 4,227. History Cricklade ...

. His mother was Eleanor, daughter of James Sutton. He was educated at Harrow and Oriel College, Oxford.

Political career

Estcourt was elected to Parliament as MP for

Marlborough Marlborough may refer to: Places United Kingdom * Marlborough, Wiltshire, England ** Marlborough College, public school * Marlborough School, Woodstock in Oxfordshire, England * The Marlborough Science Academy in Hertfordshire, England Austral ...

in 1829. He was elected to parliament again in 1835 as MP for

, switched to

North Wiltshire North Wiltshire was a local government district in Wiltshire, England, formed on 1 April 1974, by a merger of the municipal boroughs of Calne, Chippenham, and Malmesbury along with Calne and Chippenham Rural District, Cricklade and Wootton Bas ...

in 1844, and continued in the Commons until 1865. Sotheron resumed the name Estcourt in 1855, and entered Lord Derby's second government in 1858 as

President of the Poor Law Board The Poor Law Board was established in the United Kingdom in 1847 as a successor body to the Poor Law Commission overseeing the administration of the Poor Law Amendment Act 1834. The new body was headed by a President, and with the Lord President of ...

. The next year, he became

Home Secretary The secretary of state for the Home Department, otherwise known as the home secretary, is a senior minister of the Crown in the Government of the United Kingdom. The home secretary leads the Home Office, and is responsible for all national s ...

, but the government soon fell. He had been sworn of the Privy Council in 1858.

Family

Sotheron-Estcourt married Lucy Sarah, daughter of Admiral Frank Sotheron, in 1830. In 1839 he assumed by Royal licence the surname of Sotheron in lieu of his patronymic in order to inherit his father-in-law's property. However, in 1853 he resumed by Royal licence the surname of Estcourt in addition to that of Sotheron. He retired from public life in 1863 after a paralytic seizure. He died in January 1876, aged 74. His wife had died in 1870. Sotheron-Estcourt's estates passed to his nephew George Bucknall-Estcourt, who assumed the surname of Sotheron-Estcourt and was created

Baron Estcourt 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 knigh ...

in 1903.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Sotheron-Estcourt, T. H. S. 1801 births 1876 deaths Conservative Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies Alumni of Oriel College, Oxford Members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom People educated at Harrow School UK MPs 1835–1837 UK MPs 1837–1841 UK MPs 1841–1847 UK MPs 1847–1852 UK MPs 1852–1857 UK MPs 1857–1859 UK MPs 1859–1865