Sir Thomas Mackworth, 4th Baronet (died 1745) of

Normanton Hall Normanton Hall was a large, now demolished, country house at Normanton in Rutland. History Normanton was the possession of the De Normanvilles for fourteen generations following the Norman Conquest. The estate then passed in 1446 to Alice Basing ...

, Rutland, was a British landowner and 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 ...

between 1694 and 1708 and in the

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 ...

between 1713 and 1727. He was a speculator in mining.

Biography

Mackworth was the only surviving son of Sir Thomas Mackworth, 3rd Baronet and his second wife, Anne Mackworth, daughter of Col. Humphrey Mackworth, of Betton, Shropshire. His father died in November 1694 and he succeeded to his estates, his seat in Parliament and 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 ...

. Mackworth was returned unopposed as Member of Parliament for

Rutland Rutland is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands of England. It borders Leicestershire to the north and west, Lincolnshire to the north-east, and Northamptonshire to the south-west. Oakham is the largest town and county town. Rutland has a ...

at a by-election on 17 December 1694 following the death of his father. He did not stand for election in 1695 but was

High Sheriff of Rutland This is a list of sheriffs and high sheriffs of the English county of Rutland. The high sheriff, sheriff is the oldest secular office under the Crown: there has been a Sheriff of Rutland since 1129. Formerly the sheriff was the principal law enf ...

for the year 1696 to 1697. At the first general election in 1701, Mackworth was returned unopposed as MP for Rutland and was returned again in the second general election of 1701, 1702 and 1705. He did not stand in the general elections in

1708 In the Swedish calendar it was a leap year starting on Wednesday, one day ahead of the Julian and ten days behind the Gregorian calendar. Events January–June * January 1 – Charles XII of Sweden invades Russia, by crossing the ...

and

1710 In the Swedish calendar it was a common year starting on Saturday, one day ahead of the Julian and ten days behind the Gregorian calendar. Events January–March * January 1 – In Prussia, Cölln is merged with Alt-Berlin ...

. He became involved with his cousin Sir Humphrey Mackworth in mining and smelting ventures in south Wales and acted as a partner when Sir Humphrey bought some lead mines formerly owned by Sir Carbery Pryse, 4th Baronet. When the Company of Mine Adventurers was floated in 1698. He was a director of the company from the outset. In 1704, the Company of Mine Adventurers received a Royal Charter, but by 1710 was running into financial difficulties which resulted in a parliamentary enquiry. Mackworth pleaded lack of financial expertise and lack of involvement in the decisions that led to failure, but was debarred from being a Director of the Company. At the 1713 general election he was returned on behalf of the administration as MP for

Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. Most of Portsmouth is located on Portsea Island, off the south coast of England in the Solent, making Portsmouth the only city in En ...

, but did not stand for Parliament in

1715 Events For dates within Great Britain and the British Empire, as well as in the Russian Empire, the "old style" Julian calendar was used in 1715, and can be converted to the "new style" Gregorian calendar (adopted in the British Empire in ...

. It was said in 1716 that he had profited greatly by shrewd investments at the time of the Jacobite rebellion. He invested further in the Company of Mine Adventurers, of which he became a Director again in 1721. He was returned unopposed for Rutland as a Tory at a by-election on 5 April 1721 and headed the poll in

1722 Events January–March * January 27 – Daniel Defoe's novel '' Moll Flanders'' is published anonymously in London. * February 10 – The Battle of Cape Lopez begins off of the coast of West Africa (and present-day Gabon), ...

. However, he was ruined financially by the cost of this contest and his estates including

were sold by order of the court of Chancery to pay his debts, He did not stand at the 1727 general election. On a visit to Paris in 1729 he expressed strong pro-Jacobite sentiments.

Private life

Mackworth died unmarried at

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in North London in February 1745, leaving most of his property to his sisters, and the baronetcy passed to a cousin, Thomas Mackworth, an apothecary in Huntingdon. He also left some property in trust for a supposed illegitimate son, Thomas Mackworth.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mackworth, Sir Thomas, 4th Baronet 1745 deaths British MPs 1708–1710 British MPs 1710–1713 British MPs 1715–1722 British MPs 1722–1727 British MPs 1727–1734

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Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for English constituencies