Sir Thomas Frankland, 6th Baronet (September 1750 – 4 January 1831) was an English country landowner of Thirkleby, Yorkshire 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 ...

in two sessions between 1774 and 1801. He was an eminent botanist from whom the genus Franklandia is named. Frankland was born in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

, the eldest surviving son of Admiral

Sir Thomas Frankland, 5th Baronet Admiral Sir Thomas Frankland, 5th Baronet (26 June 1718 – 21 November 1784) was a Royal Navy officer, politician and slave trader. He was the second son of Henry Frankland and Mary Cross. Frankland was born in the East Indies (probably India), ...

and his wife Sarah Rhett. He was educated at

Eton College Eton College ( ) is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school providing boarding school, boarding education for boys aged 13–18, in the small town of Eton, Berkshire, Eton, in Berkshire, in the United Kingdom. It has educated Prime Mini ...

from 1761 to 1767 and matriculated at

Merton College, Oxford Merton College (in full: The House or College of Scholars of Merton in the University of Oxford) is a Colleges of the University of Oxford, constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. Its foundation can be traced back to the 126 ...

in June 1768, becoming MA 4 on July 1771. In 1772 he entered

Lincoln's Inn The Honourable Society of Lincoln's Inn, commonly known as Lincoln's Inn, is one of the four Inns of Court (professional associations for Barrister, barristers and judges) in London. To be called to the bar in order to practise as a barrister ...

. He was an excellent naturalist being a botanist and florist, and was selected a

Fellow of the Royal Society Fellowship of the Royal Society (FRS, ForMemRS and HonFRS) is an award granted by the Fellows of the Royal Society of London to individuals who have made a "substantial contribution to the improvement of natural science, natural knowledge, incl ...

in 1773. He was also an authority on British sport. He married his cousin Dorothy Smelt, daughter of William Smelt of Bedale, Yorkshire on 7 March 1775. Frankland was returned unopposed as Member of Parliament for

Thirsk Thirsk is a market town and civil parish in North Yorkshire, England; it is known for its racecourse and depiction as local author James Herriot's fictional Darrowby. History Archeological finds indicate there was a settlement in Thirsk aro ...

together with his father at the 1774 general election but did not stand in

1780 Events January–March * January 16 – American Revolutionary War – Battle of Cape St. Vincent: British Admiral Sir George Rodney defeats a Spanish fleet. * February 19 – The legislature of New York votes to all ...

. He does not appear to have spoken in his first term. Thirkleby

Frankland succeeded to 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 ...

and

Thirkleby Hall Thirkleby Hall was a large 18th-century country house in Thirkleby High and Low with Osgodby, Great Thirkleby in the Hambleton Hills of North Yorkshire. It was demolished in 1927. History The manor of Thirkleby was acquired in 1576 by William Fr ...

near

on the death of his father in 1784. He was left little fortune, but inherited the nomination of two seats in Parliament for Thirsk which were said to be worth between £8,000 and £10,000. In 1790 he commissioned

James Wyatt James Wyatt (3 August 1746 – 4 September 1813) was an English architect, a rival of Robert Adam in the Neoclassicism, neoclassical and neo-Gothic styles. He was elected to the Royal Academy of Arts in 1785 and was its president from 1805 to ...

to rebuild the Thirkleby Hall. He served as

High Sheriff of Yorkshire The Sheriff is the oldest secular office under the Crown. Formerly the Sheriff was the principal law enforcement officer in the county but over the centuries most of the responsibilities associated with the post have been transferred elsewhere o ...

for 1792–1793. In 1796,

William Pitt the younger William Pitt (28 May 1759 – 23 January 1806) was a British statesman who served as the last prime minister of Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain from 1783 until the Acts of Union 1800, and then first Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, p ...

offered him a peerage in return for his two parliamentary seats at Thirsk. Frankland turned down the offer and returned himself as MP for Thirsk at the 1796 general election. He held the seat until 1801 when he brought in his brother

William William is a masculine given name of Germanic languages, Germanic origin. It became popular in England after the Norman Conquest, Norman conquest in 1066,All Things William"Meaning & Origin of the Name"/ref> and remained so throughout the Middle ...

Frankland died at Thirkleby Hall in 1831. He and his wife Dorothy had five children of whom only his heir, Sir Robert Frankland, 7th Baronet, survived. There is a memorial by sculptor

John Flaxman John Flaxman (6 July 1755 – 7 December 1826) was a British sculptor and draughtsman, and a leading figure in British and European Neoclassicism. Early in his career, he worked as a modeller for Josiah Wedgwood's pottery. He spent several yea ...

R.A. to four of their children in All Saints Church, Great Thirkleby. Thirkleby estate was auctioned after the First World War but the hall was not sold; it was dismantled in 1927. Frankland wrote one of the first manuals on safe gun handling called Cautions to Young Sportsmen, first published in 1800.

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External links

Portrait of daughters Marianne and Amelia by John Hoppner.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Frankland, Thomas, Sir, 6th Baronet 1750 births 1831 deaths People educated at Eton College Alumni of Merton College, Oxford Members of Lincoln's Inn Baronets in the Baronetage of England Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for English constituencies British MPs 1774–1780 British MPs 1796–1800 Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for English constituencies UK MPs 1801–1802 Fellows of the Royal Society High sheriffs of Yorkshire 19th-century British landowners

Thomas Thomas may refer to: People * List of people with given name Thomas * Thomas (name) * Thomas (surname) * Saint Thomas (disambiguation) * Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) Italian Dominican friar, philosopher, and Doctor of the Church * Thomas the A ...