Thomas Catesby Paget or Pagett (1689 – 4 February 1742) styled Hon. Thomas Catesby Paget from 1712 to 1714, and subsequently with the courtesy title Lord Paget, was an English writer 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 ...

from 1715 to 1727. He served in the household of King George II for nearly 17 years, until ill-health intervened.

Early life

Paget was born in 1689, the son of Hon. Henry Paget, later

Earl of Uxbridge Earl () is a rank of the nobility in the United Kingdom. In modern Britain, an earl is a member of the Peerages in the United Kingdom, peerage, ranking below a marquess and above a viscount. A feminine form of ''earl'' never developed; instead, ...

, and his wife Mary Catesby, daughter of Thomas Catesby of Whiston, Northamptonshire. He was admitted at

Clare College, Cambridge Clare College is a Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge in Cambridge, England. The college was founded in 1326 as University Hall, making it the second-oldest surviving college of the Unive ...

on 20 April 1705 and matriculated at

Trinity College, Oxford Trinity College (full name: The College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity in the University of Oxford, of the foundation of Sir Thomas Pope (Knight)) is a Colleges of the University of Oxford, constituent college of the University of Oxford in E ...

on 19 April 1707 aged 18. His father was much concerned in 1710 to gain Paget's release when he was captured by French forces during the

War of the Spanish Succession The War of the Spanish Succession was a European great power conflict fought between 1701 and 1714. The immediate cause was the death of the childless Charles II of Spain in November 1700, which led to a struggle for control of the Spanish E ...

, as he tried to make his way in southern Germany to Italy.

Political career

At the 1715 general election, Paget was returned unopposed as Member of Parliament for

Staffordshire Staffordshire (; postal abbreviation ''Staffs''.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the West Midlands (region), West Midlands of England. It borders Cheshire to the north-west, Derbyshire and Leicestershire to the east, ...

. In 1719 he was appointed

Gentleman of the Bedchamber Gentleman of the Bedchamber was a title in the Royal Household of the Kingdom of England from the 11th century, later used also in the Kingdom of Great Britain. A Lord of the Bedchamber was a courtier in the Royal Households of the United Kingdo ...

to George, Prince of Wales. He was returned without contest again as MP for Staffordshire 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), ...

. At the 1727 general election he chose to stand for Middlesex as a Whig, but was defeated. He never stood for Parliament again but was promoted to

Lord of the Bedchamber Gentleman of the Bedchamber was a title in the Royal Household of the Kingdom of England from the 11th century, later used also in the Kingdom of Great Britain. A Lord of the Bedchamber was a courtier in the Royal Household, the term being fir ...

to King George II in 1727. In 1736, he resigned his post at court on grounds of ill-health.

Literary works

Paget composed pieces in verse and prose – according to

Horace Walpole Horatio Walpole, 4th Earl of Orford (; 24 September 1717 – 2 March 1797), better known as Horace Walpole, was an English Whig politician, writer, historian and antiquarian. He had Strawberry Hill House built in Twickenham, southwest London ...

"in the intervals of bad weather in hunting seasons". His verse has been described as exhibiting a "tough cynicism". Walpole said his works included much good sense but not much poetry. They included: *''An Essay on Human Life'', London (1734); a close imitation of

Alexander Pope Alexander Pope (21 May 1688 Old Style and New Style dates, O.S. – 30 May 1744) was an English poet, translator, and satirist of the Age of Enlightenment, Enlightenment era who is considered one of the most prominent English poets of the early ...

. It was printed in a supplement to the ''Works'' of Pope in 1757. *''An Epistle to Mr. Pope, in Anti-heroics'', London, 1737 *''Some Reflections upon the Administration of Government'' (anon.), London, 1740 His writings were collected in ''Miscellanies in Prose and Verse'' (1741).

Death and legacy

Paget died at

West Drayton West Drayton is a suburban town in the London Borough of Hillingdon. It was an ancient parish in the county of Middlesex and from 1929 was part of the Yiewsley and West Drayton Urban District, which became part of Greater London in 1965. The s ...

on 4 February 1742 ( N.S.), and was buried on 19 February in

Westminster Abbey Westminster Abbey, formally titled the Collegiate Church of Saint Peter at Westminster, is an Anglican church in the City of Westminster, London, England. Since 1066, it has been the location of the coronations of 40 English and British m ...

. He had married Lady Elizabeth Egerton, daughter of

John Egerton, 3rd Earl of Bridgwater John Egerton, 3rd Earl of Bridgewater, Order of the Bath, KB, Privy Council of England, PC (9 November 1646 – 19 March 1701) was an English politician. He was the eldest son of John Egerton, 2nd Earl of Bridgewater and his wife Elizabeth Eger ...

on 6 May 1718, in

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

. They had two sons: *

Henry Paget, 2nd Earl of Uxbridge Henry Paget, 2nd Earl of Uxbridge (22 January 1719 – 16 November 1769) was a British nobleman, styled Lord Paget from 1742 to 1743. The only son of Thomas Paget, Lord Paget, and his wife Lady Elizabeth, he was commissioned a cornet in the 1st ...

(1719–1769) *Hon. George Paget (1720–1737), who died at

Colchester Colchester ( ) is a city in northeastern Essex, England. It is the second-largest settlement in the county, with a population of 130,245 at the 2021 United Kingdom census, 2021 Census. The demonym is ''Colcestrian''. Colchester occupies the ...

References

External links

CERL page
;Attribution 1689 births 1742 deaths Alumni of Trinity College, Oxford British courtesy barons and lords of Parliament British MPs 1715–1722 British MPs 1722–1727 Burials at Westminster Abbey Heirs apparent who never acceded Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for English constituencies

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 ...

Tory MPs (pre-1834) {{England-GreatBritain-MP-stub