Thomas Coventry, 1st Earl of Coventry (''ca.'' 162915 July 1699), became 5th Baron Coventry on the death of his nephew in 1687. He was created 1st Earl of Coventry in 1697. He was an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Culture, language and peoples * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England * ''English'', an Amish ter ...

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 ...

at various times between 1660 and 1687 when he succeeded to the peerage.

Early life

Thomas was the younger son of

Thomas Coventry, 2nd Baron Coventry Thomas Coventry, 2nd Baron Coventry (c. 1606 – 27 October 1661) was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1625 and 1629 and was subsequently a member of the House of Lords. He supported the Royalist cause in the English ...

, and his wife Mary (née Craven).

Thomas Coventry, 1st Baron Coventry Thomas Coventry, 1st Baron Coventry (157814 January 1640) was a prominent English lawyer, politician and judge during the early 17th century. Education and early legal career He entered Balliol College, Oxford, in 1592, and the Inner Temple in ...

, was his grandfather. In April 1660, he was elected Member of Parliament for

Droitwich Droitwich Spa (often abbreviated to Droitwich ) is an historic spa town in the Wychavon district in northern Worcestershire, England, on the River Salwarpe. It is located approximately south-west of Birmingham and north-east of Worcester. ...

in the Convention Parliament. He was elected MP for

Camelford Camelford () is a town and civil parish in north Cornwall, England, United Kingdom, situated in the River Camel valley northwest of Bodmin Moor. The town is approximately north of Bodmin and is governed by Camelford Town Council. The ward pop ...

in 1661 for the

Cavalier Parliament The Cavalier Parliament of England lasted from 8 May 1661 until 24 January 1679. With the exception of the Long Parliament, it was the longest-lasting English Parliament, and longer than any Great British or UK Parliament to date, enduring ...

. In 1681 he was elected MP for

Warwick Warwick ( ) is a market town, civil parish and the county town of Warwickshire in the Warwick District in England, adjacent to the River Avon, Warwickshire, River Avon. It is south of Coventry, and south-east of Birmingham. It is adjoined wit ...

and was re-elected in 1685. He succeeded his nephew as fifth Baron Coventry in 1687 and entered the

House of Lords The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the lower house, the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster in London, England. One of the oldest ext ...

. In 1697 he was made Viscount Deerhurst, of the hundred of Deerhurst in the County of Gloucester, and Earl of Coventry.History of Parliament Online - Coventry, Hon. Thomas
/ref>

Marriages

Lord Coventry married firstly Winifred, daughter of Piers Edgecumbe of Mount Edgecumbe, Devon, circa 1660. She died on 11 June 1694 and was buried at

St James's Church, Clerkenwell St James Church, Clerkenwell is an Anglican parish church in Clerkenwell, London, England. History Nunnery of St Mary: c. 1100–1539 The parish of St James, Clerkenwell, has had a long and sometimes lively history. The springs which giv ...

, London. He married secondly, on 16 July 1695, Elizabeth (b. July 1669), second daughter of Richard Grimes and his wife, Anne Perry. He died in July 1699 and was buried at St. Mary Magdalen Church,

Croome D'Abitot Croome D'Abitot is a village and civil parish, which shares a joint parish council with Severn Stoke, in the Malvern Hills (district), Malvern Hills District in the county of Worcestershire, England. The St Mary Magdalene's Church, Croome D'Abit ...

, Worcestershire. He was succeeded in the earldom by his eldest son from his first marriage,

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 ...

. Lady Coventry remarried in May 1700, to Thomas Savage (1673–1742), Lord of

Elmley Castle Elmley Castle is a village and civil parish in Worcestershire, in England, United Kingdom. It is located on the north side of Bredon Hill 3 miles south-east of Pershore in the local government district of Wychavon. Amenities and history The ...

, Worcestershire, by whom she had two daughters, and died on 10 April 1724; buried in St.Mary's, Elmley Castle. The tomb is by William Stanton.Dictionary of British Sculptors 1660-1851 by Rupert Gunnis p.368

References

*Kidd, Charles, Williamson, David (editors). ''Debrett's Peerage and Baronetage'' (1990 edition). New York: St Martin's Press, 1990. ] {{DEFAULTSORT:Coventry, Thomas Coventry, 1st Earl of 1620s births 1699 deaths Members of the Parliament of England for Warwick Members of the Parliament of England for Camelford Members of the Parliament of England for Droitwich English MPs 1661–1679 English MPs 1681 English MPs 1685–1687 5 Earls of Coventry