Hon. Thomas Watson, later known as Thomas Watson-Wentworth (17 June 1665 – 6 October 1723), of Wentworth Woodhouse in Yorkshire, was an English landowner and politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1701 and 1723.
He was the third son of Edward Watson, 2nd Baron Rockingham (1630-1689) by his wife Anne Wentworth, only daughter of Thomas Wentworth, 1st Earl of Strafford (1593-1641) and heiress of her childless brother William Wentworth, 2nd Earl of Strafford (1626-1695) of Wentworth Woodhouse. His eldest brother was Lewis Watson, 1st Earl of Rockingham, 3rd Baron Rockingham (1655-1724), who in 1714 was created Earl of Rockingham.
He matriculated at Christ Church, Oxford in 1683. [1]
By licence dated 18 July 1689 he married Alice Proby, a daughter and heiress [2] of Sir Thomas Proby, 1st Baronet, [3] by whom he had children including:
In 1695 Watson inherited the fortune of his maternal uncle William Wentworth, 2nd Earl of Strafford, including the vast estate of Wentworth Woodhouse in Yorkshire, with others in Northamptonshire and Ireland. This was in preference to the Earl's first cousin once-removed Thomas Wentworth (later created Earl of Strafford), who shared with him common ancestry in the male line, and it led to a fierce rivalry between the two men and their families. In accordance with the terms of the bequest, [4] Watson adopted the additional surname of Wentworth, becoming Thomas Watson-Wentworth. [3]
Watson-Wentworth was returned unopposed as Whig Member of Parliament for Bossiney at a by-election on 21 March 1701. He was only returned as a stop-gap and at the general election later that year he sought a seat elsewhere but in the end decided not to stand. At the 1702 general election, he stood at Higham Ferrers but was defeated. However his opponent died within a year and Watson-Wentworth was returned unopposed for Higham Ferrers at a by-election on 22 November 1703. He acquired the electoral interest at Higham Ferrers and was returned unopposed at the general elections of 1705, 1708 and 1710. He made little impression in his first parliaments, but being a church supporter moved progressively towards the Tories culminating in opposing the impeachment of Henry Sacheverell and being considered a worthy patriot. At the 1713 general election he was returned at Malton as well as Higham Ferrers and decided to sit for Malton. Now being considered whimsical or a Whig that voted with the Tories he supported the Whigs against the expulsion of Richard Steele and in other divisions. [3] After the 1715 general election, when he and his son were elected in a contest at Malton, he was classified as a Whig, but voted against the government on almost every occasion. At the 1722 general election he was returned unopposed again for Higham Ferrers. [5]
Watson-Wentworth died at Harrowden on 6 October 1723 and was buried in York Minster where his elaborate monument with standing marble effigy survives. [3] It was sculpted by Giovanni Battista Guelphi. [6]
Wentworth Woodhouse is a Grade I listed country house in the village of Wentworth, in the Metropolitan Borough of Rotherham in South Yorkshire, England. It is currently owned by the Wentworth Woodhouse Preservation Trust. The building has more than 300 rooms, with 250,000 square feet (23,000 m2) of floorspace, including 124,600 square feet (11,580 m2) of living area. It covers an area of more than 2.5 acres (1.0 ha), and is surrounded by a 180-acre (73 ha) park, and an estate of 15,000 acres (6,100 ha).
Charles Watson-Wentworth, 2nd Marquess of Rockingham, was a British Whig statesman and magnate, most notable for his two terms as prime minister of Great Britain. He became the patron of many Whigs, known as the Rockingham Whigs, and served as a leading Whig grandee. He served in only two high offices during his lifetime but was nonetheless very influential during his one and a half years of service.
Marquess of Rockingham, in the County of Northampton, was a title in the Peerage of Great Britain. It was created in 1746 for Thomas Watson-Wentworth, 1st Earl of Malton. The Watson family descended from Lewis Watson, Member of Parliament for Lincoln. He was created a Baronet, of Rockingham Castle in the County of Northampton, in the Baronetage of England in 1621. In 1645 he was further honoured when he was raised to the Peerage of England as Baron Rockingham. The third Baron served as Lord-Lieutenant of Kent. In 1714 he was created Baron Throwley, Viscount Sondes and Earl of Rockingham in the Peerage of Great Britain. His eldest son Edward Watson, Viscount Sondes, predeceased him and he was succeeded by his grandson, the second Earl. The second Earl was Lord-Lieutenant of Kent before his early death in 1745. He was childless and was succeeded by his younger brother, Thomas. He had previously represented Canterbury in Parliament.
Earl of Strafford is a title that has been created three times in English and British history.
William Wentworth, 2nd Earl of Strafford, KG, of Wentworth Woodhouse in Yorkshire, was a prominent landowner.
Earl Fitzwilliam was a title in both the Peerage of Ireland and the Peerage of Great Britain held by the head of the Fitzwilliam family.
Baron Wentworth is a title in the Peerage of England. It was created in 1529 for Thomas Wentworth, who was also de jure sixth Baron le Despencer of the 1387 creation. The title was created by writ, which means that it can descend via female lines.
Thomas Watson, 3rd Earl of Rockingham, styled Hon. Thomas Watson until 1745, was an English nobleman and politician. He represented Canterbury in the House of Commons and was appointed Lord Lieutenant of Kent after succeeding to the earldom, but died shortly thereafter.
Malton, also called New Malton, was a constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of England in 1295 and 1298, and again from 1640, then of the Parliament of Great Britain from 1707 to 1800 and of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1801 to 1885. It was represented by two Members of Parliament until 1868, among them the political philosopher Edmund Burke, and by one member from 1868 to 1885.
Higham Ferrers was a parliamentary borough in Northamptonshire, which was represented in the House of Commons from 1558 until 1832, when it was abolished by the Great Reform Act. It was one of the very small number of English boroughs in that period which was entitled to elect only one rather than two Members of Parliament.
Lewis Watson, 1st Earl of Rockingham was an English peer and politician. He was the eldest son of Edward Watson, 2nd Baron Rockingham and Anne Wentworth, daughter of Thomas Wentworth, 1st Earl of Strafford.
Thomas Watson-Wentworth, 1st Marquess of Rockingham, KB, PC (I) of Wentworth Woodhouse, Yorkshire was a British Whig politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1715 until 1728 when he was raised to the Peerage as Baron Malton.
Sir William Meredith, 3rd Baronet, was a British landowner who sat in the House of Commons from 1754 to 1780. A Rockingham Whig, he served as a Lord of the Admiralty from 1765 to 1766.
Sir Robert Furnese, 2nd Baronet, of Waldershare, Kent, and Dover Street, Westminster, was an English Whig politician who sat in the British House of Commons from 1708 to 1733.
Edward Watson, Viscount Sondes of Lees Court, Sheldwich, Kent, and Park Place, London, was a British Whig politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1708 and 1722.
Lewis Watson, 1st Baron Sondes, called Hon. Lewis Monson before 1746 and Hon. Lewis Watson from 1746 to 1760, was a British Whig politician and peer.
John Finch of Bushey, Hertfordshire, was a British lawyer and politician who sat in the House of Commons for 23 years from 1724 to 1747.
Henry Finch was a British academic and politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1724 to 1761.
Charles Leigh (1686–1749) of Leighton Buzzard, Bedfordshire was a British politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1710 and 1734.
Edward Watson, 2nd Baron Rockingham was an English landowner and peer. He was the only surviving son of Lewis Watson, 1st Baron Rockingham of Rockingham Castle and his second wife, Eleanor Manners, daughter of Sir George Manners, of Haddon Hall, Derbyshire and Grace Pierrepont, daughter of Sir Henry Pierrepont.