Thomas Boothby Parkyns, 1st Baron Rancliffe (24 July 1755 – 17 November 1800) was an English soldier, Member of Parliament and Irish peer.

Life

He was the eldest son of Sir Thomas Parkyns, 3rd Baronet (1728–1806) of Bunny Hall, Nottinghamshire and was educated at

Queens' College, Cambridge Queens' College is a Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Queens' is one of the 16 "old colleges" of the university, and was founded in 1448 by Margaret of Anjou. Its buildings span the R ...

. As an officer in the British Army he was, from 1783 to 1790,

equerry An equerry (; from French language, French 'stable', and related to 'squire') is an officer of honour. Historically, it was a senior attendant with responsibilities for the horses of a person of rank. In contemporary use, it is a personal attend ...

Prince Henry, Duke of Cumberland and Strathearn Prince Henry, Duke of Cumberland and Strathearn (Henry Frederick;He is called simply "(His Royal Highness) Prince Henry" in the ''London Gazette'8 September 1761 Frederick, Prince of Wales Frederick, Prince of Wales (Frederick Louis, German: ''Friedrich Ludwig''; 31 January 1707 – 31 March 1751) was the eldest son and heir apparent of King George II of Great Britain. He grew estranged from his parents, King George and Queen C ...

. A close friend of the Prince of Wales, he was made Colonel of the Prince of Wales Fencibles in 1794. After Prince Henry's death in 1790, Parkyns took over the lease of Rookley Manor, Hampshire until his own death from oedema in 1800, whereby he predeceased his father. He was elected MP for Stockbridge in 1784, sitting until 1790 and then as MP for

Leicester Leicester ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city, Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area, and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest city in the East Midlands with a popula ...

in 1790, sitting until 1800. In 1787 he was elected a

Fellow of the Royal Society Fellowship of the Royal Society (FRS, ForMemRS and HonFRS) is an award granted by the Fellows of the Royal Society of London to individuals who have made a "substantial contribution to the improvement of natural science, natural knowledge, incl ...

as "a Gentleman well versed in various branches of Science" In 1795 he was made an Irish peer as Baron Rancliffe. Parkyns was a

Freemason Freemasonry (sometimes spelled Free-Masonry) consists of fraternal groups that trace their origins to the medieval guilds of stonemasons. Freemasonry is the oldest secular fraternity in the world and among the oldest still-existing organizati ...

. He was a Provincial Grand Master of

Derbyshire Derbyshire ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands of England. It borders Greater Manchester, West Yorkshire, and South Yorkshire to the north, Nottinghamshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south-east, Staffordshire to the south a ...

and of

Nottinghamshire Nottinghamshire (; abbreviated ''Notts.'') is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands of England. The county is bordered by South Yorkshire to the north-west, Lincolnshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south, and Derbyshire to the west. Th ...

, the Grand Master of the Masonic Knights Templar in England, and the Grand Commander of the Society of Ancient Masons of the Diluvian Order of Royal Ark Mariners until 1799.

Family

Parkyns married Elizabeth Anne, the daughter of Sir William James, MP (who died at the wedding) and had nine children. He was succeeded by his son George. His daughter Elizabeth Anne Parkyns married Sir Richard Levinge and threy were parents to Reginald Thomas John Levinge. His daughter Mary Charlotte (1792-1864) became Princess and Duchess of Polignac for her marriage with Prince Jules de Polignac, French Premier and 3rd Duke of Polignac.

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Rancliffe, Thomas Boothby Parkyns, 1st Baron People from Rushcliffe (district) Alumni of Queens' College, Cambridge Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for English constituencies Hereditary peers elected to the House of Commons British MPs 1784–1790 British MPs 1790–1796 British MPs 1796–1800 Fellows of the Royal Society 1755 births 1800 deaths Barons in the Peerage of Ireland Peers of Ireland created by George III People from Test Valley British Freemasons