Sir Halswell Tynte, 1st Baronet (1649–1702) of

Halswell House Halswell House is a Grade I listed building, listed country house in Goathurst, Somerset, England. Descent Domesday Book The Domesday Book of 1086 lists the holder of the Manorialism, manor of Halswell as Roger Arundel, whose tenant was Wido. ...

Goathurst Goathurst is a small village and civil parish in the English county of Somerset, around 3 miles from the town of Bridgwater. The parish includes the hamlets of Andersfield and Huntstile. The village is on the route of the Samaritans Way South ...

, Somerset, was an English landowner and politician who sat in the

House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the Bicameralism, 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 ...

from 1679 to 1685.

Early life

Tynte was baptized on 4 February 1649, the only son of John Tynte and his wife Jane Halswell, daughter of Hugh Halswell of Halswell, Goathurst. He matriculated at

Hart Hall, Oxford Hertford College ( ), previously known as Magdalen Hall, is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. It is located on Catte Street in the centre of Oxford, directly opposite the main gate to the Bodleian Library. The colle ...

in 1666. His father died in 1669 and he succeeded to the estates. In 1671, he was admitted at

Middle Temple The Honourable Society of the Middle Temple, commonly known simply as Middle Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court entitled to Call to the bar, call their members to the English Bar as barristers, the others being the Inner Temple (with whi ...

. He married Grace Fortescue (buried 22 March 1694), daughter of Robert Fortescue of Buckland Filleigh, Devon, under a settlement dated 6 February 1671. In 1672, he succeeded to the

Halswell Originally a separate village, Halswell is now a residential suburb of Christchurch, New Zealand, located southwest of Cathedral Square on State Highway 75. History Halswell is named after Edmund Halswell QC (1790–1874), a government off ...

estates of his grandfather Hugh Halswell.

Career

Tynte was appointed Deputy Lieutenant for Somerset in about 1672 and JP and commissioner for assessment in 1673. He was created

baronet A baronet ( or ; abbreviated Bart or Bt) or the female equivalent, a baronetess (, , or ; abbreviation Btss), is the holder of a baronetcy, a hereditary title awarded by the British Crown. The title of baronet is mentioned as early as the 14th ...

on 26 January 1674. From 1674 to 1675 he was

High Sheriff of Somerset The office of High Sheriff of Somerset is an ancient shrievalty which has been in existence since the 11th century. Originally known as the "Sheriff of Somerset", the role was retitled on 1 April 1974, under the provisions of the Local Government ...

. He was also a Commissioner for Recusants in 1675. By 1679 he was Colonel of the Somerset Militia. At the first general election of 1679, he was caught up in a double return at

Bridgwater Bridgwater is a historic market town and civil parish in Somerset, England. The town had a population of 41,276 at the 2021 census. Bridgwater is at the edge of the Somerset Levels, in level and well-wooded country. The town lies along both sid ...

, but was returned as Member of Parliament for the borough then and in the second election in October 1679. He was appointed to committees to consider bills to speed up the conviction of recusants and for security against Popery, and to investigate abuses in the Post Office. He voted against exclusion, but was not recorded as speaking. In 1680 he ceased to be Commissioner for Assessment. He was re-elected MP for Bridgwater in 1681 but also in 1681 ceased to be Deputy Lieutenant for Somerset. He lost his seat on the bench in 1683 but it was restored in 1684. Also in 1684, he was deprived of his militia regiment. In 1685, he was re-elected MP for Bridgwater in against strong Tory opposition. In Parliament, he was named only to the committees to prevent the export of wool and to encourage woollen manufacture. In 1689, he became Commissioner for Assessment again until 1690, and Deputy Lieutenant until 1691. During the Revolution, seven of his horses were seized by the Dutch. He was not reappointed to the lieutenancy in 1691, and two years later lost his seat on the bench as a non-juror.

Death and legacy

Tynte was buried at Goathurst on 7 April 1702. He had four sons, of whom two survived him, and three daughters. He was succeeded in the baronetcy by his son John. His grandson, another Halswell Tynte, sat for Bridgwater as a Tory from 1727 to 1730.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tynte, Sir Halswell, 1st Baronet 1649 births 1702 deaths English MPs 1679 English MPs 1680–1681 Baronets in the Baronetage of England High sheriffs of Somerset