Sir Thomas Wheate, 1st Baronet (6 September 1667 – 25 August 1721), of Glympton Park,

Oxfordshire Oxfordshire ( ; abbreviated ''Oxon'') is a ceremonial county in South East England. The county is bordered by Northamptonshire and Warwickshire to the north, Buckinghamshire to the east, Berkshire to the south, and Wiltshire and Glouceste ...

was an English landowner and Whig

politician A politician is a person who participates in Public policy, policy-making processes, usually holding an elective position in government. Politicians represent the people, make decisions, and influence the formulation of public policy. The roles ...

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 ...

between 1695 and 1721.

Early life

Wheate was the only son of Thomas Wheate of Glympton Park, near

Woodstock The Woodstock Music and Art Fair, commonly referred to as Woodstock, was a music festival held from August 15 to 18, 1969, on Max Yasgur's dairy farm in Bethel, New York, southwest of the town of Woodstock, New York, Woodstock. Billed as "a ...

and his wife Frances Jenkinson (died 1706), daughter of Sir Robert Jenkinson, 1st Baronet. In 1668, at a year old, he succeeded his father, inheriting Glympton Park. He married Anne Sawbridge, daughter of George Sawbridge, bookseller, of London, by licence dated 24 May 1687.

Career

In 1689, Wheate was made freeman and bailiff of Oxford and appointed a

Gentleman of the Privy Chamber A privy chamber was the private apartment of a royal residence in England. The Gentlemen of the Privy Chamber were noble-born servants to the Crown who would wait and attend on the King in private, as well as during various court activities, f ...

, which post he held until 1702. He was returned unopposed as Member of Parliament for

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 ...

and three weeks later also stood unsuccessfully for Oxfordshire, where he had a bitter contest with his uncle Sir Robert Jenkinson, the 2nd baronet. He was recognized as a Whig, and Court supporter. In the face of a big electoral challenge at Woodstock, he decided not to stand 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 ...

. He was created a

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 2 May 1696 and served as

High Sheriff of Oxfordshire The High Sheriff of Oxfordshire, in common with other counties, was originally the King's representative on taxation upholding the law in Saxon times. The word Sheriff evolved from 'shire-reeve'. The title of High Sheriff is therefore much older ...

for the year 1696 to 1697. His further attempts to enter parliament as a Whig, in a Tory dominated county, over the next few years met with failure. 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 ...

his backing by Thomas Wharton was insufficient to win Oxfordshire, where he failed again in a by-election in November 1699. In the first general election of 1701 he considered standing again but declined to face a contest. In November 1701 he was put up for Oxford by the city's Whigs, but received a very low number of votes, and 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 was beaten into fourth place in the poll. When Queen Anne granted the manor of Woodstock to the Duke of Marlborough in 1705, this was a particular piece of good fortune for Wheate. Stone from his quarries at Glympton was used in large quantities to build

Blenheim Palace Blenheim Palace ( ) is a country house in Woodstock, Oxfordshire, England. It is the seat of the Dukes of Marlborough. Originally called Blenheim Castle, it has been known as Blenheim Palace since the 19th century. One of England's larg ...

, and with the Duke's Whig views, Wheate became a close political associate and one of the leading Whigs in the county. Marlborough returned him for Woodstock 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 voted for the naturalization of the Palatine refugees in 1709, and for the impeachment of Dr Sacheverell in 1710 but was otherwise inactive. He was returned again at the

1710 British general election The 1710 British general election produced a landslide victory for the Tories. The election came in the wake of the prosecution of Henry Sacheverell, which had led to the collapse of the previous government led by Godolphin and the Whig Junto. ...

and on 7 December 1711, voted for the ‘ No Peace Without Spain’ motion. On 18 June 1713 he voted against the French commerce bill. Marlborough was in temporary exile from November 1712, and Wheate was virtually the custodian of the Duke's electoral interests at Woodstock. He supervised the repaving the town, which Marlborough had undertaken in preparation for the

1713 British general election The 1713 British general election was held on 22 August 1713 to 12 November 1713, to elect members of the House of Commons, the lower house of the Parliament of Great Britain. It produced further gains for the governing Tory party. Since 1710 R ...

when Wheate was returned again for Woodstock. The election was declared void on 15 March 1714 but he was re-elected a week later. Wheate was returned for Woodstock again at the

1715 British general election The 1715 British general election was held on 22 January 1715 to 9 March 1715, to elect members of the House of Commons, the lower house of the Parliament of Great Britain. It returned members to serve in the House of Commons of the 5th Parliam ...

and voted with the Administration in every recorded division. He was appointed Storekeeper of the Ordnance in 1717 and held the post for the rest of his life. He was assistant and magistrate for Banbury in 1718.

Death and legacy

Wheate died at Glympton on 25 August 1721 and was buried at Glympton church, as was his wife, Anne who predeceased him in 1719. He was succeeded by his eldest son Thomas Wheate.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wheate, Thomas 1667 births 1721 deaths Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for English constituencies Baronets in the Baronetage of England High sheriffs of Oxfordshire English MPs 1690–1695 British MPs 1708–1710 British MPs 1710–1713 British MPs 1713–1715 British MPs 1715–1722