Thomas Boothby Parkyns, 1st Baron Rancliffe (24 July 1755 – 17 November 1800) was an English soldier,

Member of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members of ...

and Irish peer.

Life

He was the eldest son of Sir Thomas Parkyns, 3rd Baronet (1728–1806) of

Bunny Hall Bunny Hall is a grade I listed country house in Bunny, Nottinghamshire. The house was originally an Elizabethan red brick house with an 80 foot high tower. The house was rebuilt in 1720 by Sir Thomas Parkyns, 2nd Baronet and now stands in ...

, Nottinghamshire and was educated at

Queens' College, Cambridge Queens' College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Queens' is one of the oldest colleges of the university, founded in 1448 by Margaret of Anjou. The college spans the River Cam, colloquially referred to as the "light s ...

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

equerry An equerry (; from 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 attendant, usually up ...

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, ; 31 January 170731 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 Caroline. Frederick was the fath ...

. 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 and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest settlement in the East Midlands. The city l ...

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 judges 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 Baron is a rank of nobility or title of honour, often hereditary, in various European countries, either current or historical. The female equivalent is baroness. Typically, the title denotes an aristocrat who ranks higher than a lord or knigh ...

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 George may refer to: People * George (given name) * George (surname) * George (singer), American-Canadian singer George Nozuka, known by the mononym George * George Washington, First President of the United States * George W. Bush, 43rd Presid ...

. 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 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