
Henry Thynne (8 February 1675 – 20 December 1708) was an
English Tory
A Tory () is an individual who supports a political philosophy known as Toryism, based on a British version of traditionalist conservatism which upholds the established social order as it has evolved through the history of Great Britain. The To ...
politician who sat in the
English and
British House of Commons
The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the upper house, the House of Lords, it meets in the Palace of Westminster in London, England. The House of Commons is an elected body consisting of 650 memb ...
from 1701 to 1708.
Early life
Thynne was the eldest of the three sons of
Thomas Thynne, 1st Viscount Weymouth (1640–1714), of
Longleat
Longleat is a stately home about west of Warminster in Wiltshire, England. A leading and early example of the Elizabethan prodigy house, it is a Grade I listed building and the seat of the Marquesses of Bath.
Longleat is set in of parkl ...
, a substantial landowner in
Wiltshire
Wiltshire (; abbreviated to Wilts) is a ceremonial county in South West England. It borders Gloucestershire to the north, Oxfordshire to the north-east, Berkshire to the east, Hampshire to the south-east, Dorset to the south, and Somerset to ...
and
Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire ( , ; abbreviated Glos.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by Herefordshire to the north-west, Worcestershire to the north, Warwickshire to the north-east, Oxfordshire ...
, by his marriage to Lady Frances Finch, a daughter of
Heneage Finch, 3rd Earl of Winchilsea.
He was
christened on 16 February 1675 at
Drayton Bassett
Drayton Bassett is a village and civil parish since 1974 in Lichfield (district), Lichfield District in Staffordshire, England.
The village is on the Heart of England Way, a footpath. Much of the housing is nucleated village, clustered together ...
.
[Henry Thynne]
at thepeerage.com, accessed 20 November 2011[ Charles Mosley, ed., ''Burke's Peerage, Baronetage & Knightage'' (107th edition), vol. 1 (Burke's Peerage, 2003), p. 1291] He was educated at home and was very interested in literature. In 1692 he visited the
Netherlands
, Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...
,
Germany
Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...
and
Italy
Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...
.
[ As a young man, he taught French and ]Italian
Italian(s) may refer to:
* Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries
** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom
** Italian language, a Romance languag ...
to his contemporary Elizabeth Singer (1674–1737), in whom Bishop Thomas Ken
Thomas Ken (July 1637 – 19 March 1711) was an English cleric who was considered the most eminent of the English non-juring bishops, and one of the developers of modern English hymnody.
Early life
Thomas Ken was born in 1637 at Little Be ...
, then living at Longleat, had taken an interest when she was twelve. He married Grace Strode, the daughter and heiress of Sir George Strode and Grace FitzJames, who brought him a fortune of £20,000 on 29 April 1695. In ''To the Painter of an Ill-Drawn Picture of Cleone, the Honorable Mrs Thynne'', a poem by Anne Finch, Countess of Winchilsea
Anne Finch, Countess of Winchilsea (''née'' Kingsmill; April 16615 August 1720), was an English poet and courtier. Finch wrote in many genres and on many topics - including fables, odes, songs, and religious verse - which are informed by "pol ...
, Thynne appears under the name of "Theanor", while "Cleone" was his wife Grace, to whom Lady Winchilsea addressed several of her poems.
Career
At the 1695 English general election
The 1695 English general election was the first to be held under the terms of the Triennial Act 1694, which required parliament to be dissolved and fresh elections called at least every three years. This measure helped to fuel partisan rivalry ov ...
Thynne was put up as a candidate for parliament
In modern politics and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...
at Weobley
Weobley ( ) is an ancient settlement and Civil parishes in England, civil parish in Herefordshire, England.
Formerly a market town, the market is long defunct and the settlement is today promoted as one of the county's black and white village ...
but in an unpredictable borough was unsuccessful.[ He did not stand again until the first general election of 1701 when stood for Weobley again and as a backup at Weymouth and Melcombe Regis. He was rejected at Weobley again but was returned in a contest as Member of Parliament for Weymouth. He was not an active Member and was blacklisted for opposing the preparations for war with France. At the second general election of 1701, he stood at both Milborne Port and Tamworth and opted to sit for Tamworth. At Tamworth, he was returned unopposed with Thomas Guy (1644–1724), the speculator and founder of ]Guy's Hospital
Guy's Hospital is an NHS hospital founded by philanthropist Thomas Guy in 1721, located in the borough of Southwark in central London. It is part of Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust and one of the institutions that comprise the Kin ...
. Guy was a Whig,[''Collections for a history of Staffordshire'' (Staffordshire Record Society, 1920), p. 187: "Tamworth : Thomas Guy, Esq. (Whig)"] while Thynne was a Tory
A Tory () is an individual who supports a political philosophy known as Toryism, based on a British version of traditionalist conservatism which upholds the established social order as it has evolved through the history of Great Britain. The To ...
.[ Thynne supported the motion on 26 February 1702 which vindicated the Commons' proceedings in the impeaching the Whig lords. He was returned again as MP for Weymouth and Melcombe Regis at the ]1702 English general election
The 1702 English general election was the first to be held during the reign of Anne, Queen of Great Britain, Queen Anne, and was necessitated by the demise of William III of England, William III. The new government dominated by the Tories (Briti ...
. He voted against agreeing with the Lords' amendments to the bill increasing the time for taking the oath of abjuration on 13 February 1703, but in April 1703, he fell ill, and was described by his father as 'overrun with the spleen'. He voted for the Tack on 28 November 1704. At the 1705 English general election
The 1705 English general election saw contests in 110 United Kingdom constituencies, constituencies in England and Wales, roughly 41% of the total. The election was fiercely fought, with mob violence and cries of "Church in Danger" occurring in ...
, he was returned again as Tory MP for Weymouth and voted against the Court candidate for Speaker on 25 October 1705. He became less active in Parliament. At the 1708 British general election
The 1708 British general election was the first general election to be held after the Acts of Union had united the Parliaments of England and Scotland.
The election saw the Whigs gain a majority in the House of Commons, and by November the Whi ...
he was returned for two constituencies, Weymouth and Weobley, and chose to sit for Weymouth, before his sudden death.[
]
Later life and legacy
Thynne became extremely obese
Obesity is a medical condition, considered by multiple organizations to be a disease, in which excess body fat has accumulated to such an extent that it can potentially have negative effects on health. People are classified as obese when ...
. After he had died suddenly on 20 December 1708, the findings of a post mortem
An autopsy (also referred to as post-mortem examination, obduction, necropsy, or autopsia cadaverum) is a surgical procedure that consists of a thorough examination of a corpse by dissection to determine the cause, mode, and manner of death; ...
were reported in a letter to Edward Harley from his sister:
On 3 January 1709 he was buried at Longbridge Deverill
Longbridge Deverill is a village and Civil parishes in England, civil parish about south of Warminster in Wiltshire, England. It is on the A350 road, A350 primary route which connects the M4 motorway and west Wiltshire with Poole, Dorset.
The ...
. He had two daughters, Frances Thynne, who married Algernon Seymour, 7th Duke of Somerset
General Algernon Seymour, 7th Duke of Somerset (11 November 16847 February 1750) was a British Army officer, Whig politician and peer who sat in the House of Commons from 1708 to 1722 when he was raised to the peerage as Baron Percy and took his ...
, and Mary Thynne (''ca''. 1702–1720), who married William Greville, 7th Baron Brooke (1695–1727).[ His grandchildren included Elizabeth Percy, Duchess of Northumberland.][
]
Notes
{{DEFAULTSORT:Thynne, Henry
1675 births
1708 deaths
17th-century English nobility
18th-century English nobility
British MPs 1707–1708
British MPs 1708–1710
Heirs apparent who never acceded
English MPs 1701
Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for English constituencies
Tory MPs (pre-1834)
English MPs 1701–1702
English MPs 1702–1705
English MPs 1705–1707
Henry
Henry may refer to:
People and fictional characters
* Henry (given name), including lists of people and fictional characters
* Henry (surname)
* Henry, a stage name of François-Louis Henry (1786–1855), French baritone
Arts and entertainmen ...