Sir Thomas Felton, 4th Baronet (12 October 1649 – 3 March 1709) was an English courtier and Whig politician who sat in the

English House of Commons The House of Commons of England was the lower house of the Parliament of England (which incorporated Wales) from its development in the 14th century to the union of England and Scotland in 1707, when it was replaced by the House of Commons of ...

from 1690 to 1709.

Biography

He was the son of Sir Henry Felton, 2nd Baronet of

Playford, Suffolk Playford is a village and civil parish in the East Suffolk district, in Suffolk, England, on the outskirts of Ipswich. It has about 215 residents in 90 households. The name comes from the Old English '' plega'' meaning play, sport; used of a pla ...

and his wife Susanna Tollemache, daughter of Sir Lionel Tollemache, 2nd Baronet, of Helmingham.George Edward Cokayne ''Complete Baronetage, Volume 1'' 1900
/ref> Felton was a

Page of Honour A Page of Honour is a ceremonial position in the Royal Household of the Sovereign of the United Kingdom. It requires attendance on state occasions, but does not now involve the daily duties which were once attached to the office of page. The only ...

from 1665 to 1671 and became

Groom of the Bedchamber Groom of the Chamber was a position in the Royal Household, Household of the monarch in early modern Kingdom of England, England. Other ''Ancien Régime'' royal establishments in Europe had comparable officers, often with similar titles. In King ...

in March 1671. He was appointed Master of the Hawks in 1675. By 1679 he had left the post as Groom to King Charles through unknown circumstances. He had married Lady Elizabeth Howard, one of the daughters and coheirs of James Howard, 3rd Earl of Suffolk but she died in 1681. On the accession of William and Mary in 1689, Felton became Master of the Household. He was returned as Member of Parliament for Orford at the

1690 English general election The 1690 English general election occurred after the dissolution of the Convention Parliament summoned in the aftermath of the Glorious Revolution, and saw the partisan feuds in that parliament continue in the constituencies. The Tories made sig ...

. He was returned for Orford unopposed 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 ...

. In 1697, he succeeded his elder brother in the

baronetcy 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 ...

. By 1698, he had become unpopular. At the

1698 English general election After the conclusion of the 1698 English general election the government led by the Whig Junto believed it had held its ground against the opposition. Over the previous few years, divisions had emerged within the Whig party between the 'court' su ...

he stood for Suffolk where he was heavily defeated and for Orford again where he was returned in a fierce contest. The result was disputed and he was unseated on petition on 10 February 1700. At the first general election of 1701 he was defeated at Orford, and at the second general election of 1701 he stood instead at

Bury St Edmunds Bury St Edmunds (), commonly referred to locally as ''Bury,'' is a cathedral as well as market town and civil parish in the West Suffolk District, West Suffolk district, in the county of Suffolk, England.OS Explorer map 211: Bury St. Edmunds an ...

on the interest of his son-in-law

John Hervey John Hervey may refer to: *John Hervey (c.1353-c.1411), MP for Bedfordshire (UK Parliament constituency), Bedfordshire *John Hervey, 1st Earl of Bristol (1665–1751), Member of Parliament (MP) for Bury St Edmunds *John Hervey, 2nd Baron Hervey (16 ...

and was returned as MP in a contest. He was returned at Bury St Edmunds in a contest in 1702 and unopposed in 1705. 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 again for Bury St Edmunds and was also promoted to

Comptroller of the Household The Comptroller of the Household is an ancient position in the British royal household, nominally the second-ranking member of the Lord Steward's department after the Treasurer of the Household. The Comptroller was an ''ex officio'' member of ...

to Queen Anne. Felton died at his lodgings in Whitehall from gout in the stomach on 3 March 1709. He was buried six days later at St Mary's church Playford, where his gravestone lies in the chancel. His daughter Elizabeth married

John Hervey, 1st Earl of Bristol John Hervey, 1st Earl of Bristol (27 August 1665 – 20 January 1751) was an English Whig politician. John Hervey was born in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, the son of Sir Thomas Hervey. He was educated in Bury and at Clare College, Cambridg ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Felton, Thomas 1649 births 1709 deaths Baronets in the Baronetage of England English MPs 1690–1695 English MPs 1701–1702 English MPs 1702–1705 Masters of the Household Politicians from Bury St Edmunds Whig (British political party) MPs for English constituencies Felton family