Thomas Lyttelton, 2nd Baron Lyttelton (30 January 1744 – 27 November 1779) was an English
MP and profligate from the
Lyttelton family.
Life
Sometimes dubbed "the wicked Lord Lyttelton" and "bad Lord Lyttelton", he was the son of
George Lyttelton, 1st Baron Lyttelton and 5th Baronet, and his wife Lucy Fortescue. His mother died when he was two years old. He was talented in his early years, particularly in drawing. Educated at
Eton and
Christ Church, Oxford
Christ Church (, the temple or house, ''wikt:aedes, ædes'', of Christ, and thus sometimes known as "The House") is a Colleges of the University of Oxford, constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. Founded in 1546 by Henry V ...
where he matriculated in 1761,
he was also a reader of poetry, his favourite poet being
John Milton
John Milton (9 December 1608 – 8 November 1674) was an English poet, polemicist, and civil servant. His 1667 epic poem ''Paradise Lost'' was written in blank verse and included 12 books, written in a time of immense religious flux and politic ...
.
His father,
the 1st Lord Lyttelton, held political posts including
Privy Councillor, a
Lord of the Treasury and
Chancellor of the Exchequer
The chancellor of the exchequer, often abbreviated to chancellor, is a senior minister of the Crown within the Government of the United Kingdom, and the head of HM Treasury, His Majesty's Treasury. As one of the four Great Offices of State, t ...
. He himself was a good friend of the Prince of Wales, who later became
King George III. Lyttelton received his pension through his estranged father, and because of his parentage and ability, he also had a career in public life. He was a
Whig MP for
Bewdley from 1768 to 1769 and the Chief Justice of the Eyre in 1775, and became a Privy Councillor the same year.
His death was widely reported to have been foreseen by himself three days beforehand; he claimed a bird flew into his room, and told him he had only three days to live.
Family
Lyttelton married Aphia Witts, but they had no children, so on his death, his
baron
Baron is a rank of nobility or title of honour, often Hereditary title, hereditary, in various European countries, either current or historical. The female equivalent is baroness. Typically, the title denotes an aristocrat who ranks higher than ...
y became extinct. It was recreated in 1794, however, for his successor in the baronetcy, his father's brother
Sir William Lyttelton, 7th Baronet.
References
*''Burke's Peerage and Baronetage'' (1939), s.v Cobham, Viscount
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Notes
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Lyttelton, Thomas Lyttelton, 2nd Baron
Lyttleton, Thomas, 2nd Baron
Lyttleton, Thomas, 2nd Baron
People educated at Eton College
Alumni of Christ Church, Oxford
Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for English constituencies
Whig (British political party) MPs
British MPs 1768–1774
Barons Lyttelton (1756 creation)
Thomas