Thomas White (1667–1732)

Last updated November 16, 2019

Thomas White (1667 – 30 September 1732) of Wallingwells, Nottinghamshire, was an English landowner and Whig politician who sat in the English and British House of Commons between 1701 and 1732.

Wallingwells is a small civil parish and hamlet in the Bassetlaw district of Nottinghamshire, England, with a population at the 2001 census of 22. The population remained less than 100 at the 2011 census. Details are included in the civil parish of Carlton in Lindrick. It lies about five miles north of Worksop.

Early life and marriage

White was the son of John White of Tuxford and his wife Jane Williamson, daughter of Sir Thomas Williamson, Bt. He entered Gray's Inn on 22 July 1685 and was admitted at Christ's College, Cambridge on 14 July 1686.^[1]

John White (1634–1713) was an English politician.

Tuxford is a village and a civil parish on the southern edge of the Bassetlaw district of Nottinghamshire, England. It may also be considered a small town as it was historically a market town. At the 2001 census, it had a population of 2,516, increasing to 2,649 at the 2011 census.

Baronet A hereditary title awarded by the British Crown

A baronet or the rare female equivalent, a baronetess, is the holder of a baronetcy, a hereditary title awarded by the British Crown. The practice of awarding baronetcies was originally introduced in England in the 14th century and was used by James I of England in 1611 as a means of raising funds.

By his marriage, White was responsible for the family eventually settling at Wallingwells. This was the result of losing his way one night. On his way home after a journey, he hoped to make the final leg of the trip from Sheffield to Tuxford in one evening. He was on horseback, followed by his servant and baggage. The land between Sheffield and Tuxford was in those days unenclosed and the roads were little more than packhorse tracks. White lost his way in the darkness, but stumbled upon an ancient moated house, which had formerly been a priory. The house was owned by Richard Taylor, a captain in the Nottinghamshire Militia, MP for East Retford and lately High Sheriff of Nottinghamshire. Taylor put White up for the night and showed great hospitality to him.^[2]

Sheffield is a city and metropolitan borough in South Yorkshire, England. Historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, its name derives from the River Sheaf, which runs through the city. With some of its southern suburbs annexed from Derbyshire, the city has grown from its largely industrial roots to encompass a wider economic base. The population of the City of Sheffield is 582,506 (mid-2018 est.) and it is one of the eight largest regional English cities that make up the Core Cities Group. Sheffield is the third-largest English district by population. The metropolitan population of Sheffield is 1,569,000.

Richard Taylor was an English Member of Parliament.

The High Sheriff is the oldest secular office under the Crown. Formerly the High Sheriff was the principal law enforcement officer in the county but over the centuries most of the responsibilities associated with the post have been transferred elsewhere or are now defunct, so that its functions are now largely ceremonial. The High Sheriff changes every March.

White's host, Richard Taylor, was married to Bridget Knight, daughter of Sir Ralph Knight of Langold and Warsop, and had a single daughter Bridget, who was then aged 16 years. White was then 31 years old. After this accidental meeting of White and the Taylor family, White became good friends with the Taylors and regularly repeated his visits. He married Bridget Taylor at Carlton Church on 28 July 1698. When Richard Taylor died in the spring of 1699, White and his wife inherited his estates at Wallingwells and Buerly (Pately Bridge). They decided to move into Wallingwells at this time, making it their home and seat.^[2] Once in residence White was appointed as Deputy Lieutenant for Nottinghamshire.^[3]

Langold village in Bassetlaw, Nottinghamshire, England, United Kingdom

Langold is a village in Bassetlaw, north Nottinghamshire. At the 2011 census it was defined as a ward of Bassetlaw Council with a population of 2,472. It was built to provide housing for the miners of Firbeck Colliery between 1923 and 1927, and Langold Lakes Country Park is situated on the south-western edge of the village.

Political career

White was elected Member of Parliament for East Retford in the poll at the first general election of 1701 in January. However, he was unseated on petition on 15 April 1701. He was returned successfully at East Retford at the second general election of 1701 in December. He was elected in the poll again at the 1702 general election, but was again unseated on petition on 28 November 1702.^[3]

East Retford was a parliamentary constituency in Nottinghamshire, which elected two Members of Parliament (MPs) to the House of Commons for the first time in 1316, and continuously from 1571 until 1885, when the constituency was abolished. Although East Retford was technically a parliamentary borough for the whole of its existence, in 1830 its franchise had been widened and its boundaries had been extended to include the whole Wapentake of Bassetlaw as a remedy for corruption among the voters, and from that point onward it resembled a county constituency in most respects.

White did not stand again at the 1705 English general election. He was occupied with local administration, and in the year when there was a fear of invasion, he was investigating possible subversives of Catholic persuasion. At the 1708 general election at East Retford he was backed by Newcastle and the Whig interest, and came top in the poll. In Parliament, he voted for the impeachment of Dr Sacheverell. He was re-elected at the 1710 general election, but was unseated on 11 January 1711.^[3]

The 1705 English general election saw contests in 110 constituencies in England and Wales, roughly 41% of the total. The election was fiercely fought, with mob violence and cries of "Church in Danger" occurring in several boroughs. During the previous session of Parliament the Tories had become increasingly unpopular, and their position was therefore somewhat weakened by the election, particularly by the Tackers controversy. Due to the uncertain loyalty of a group of 'moderate' Tories led by Robert Harley, the parties were roughly balanced in the House of Commons following the election, encouraging the Whigs to demand a greater share in the government led by Marlborough

The 1708 British general election was the first general election to be held after the Acts of Union had united the Parliaments of England and Scotland.

The 1710 British general election produced a landslide victory for the Tories in the wake of the prosecution of Henry Sacheverell and the collapse of the previous Whig government led by Godolphin and the Whig Junto. In November 1709 the clergyman Henry Sacheverell had delivered a sermon fiercely criticising the government's policy of toleration for Protestant dissenters and attacking the personal conduct of the ministers. The government had Sacheverell impeached, and he was narrowly found guilty but received only a light sentence, making the government appear weak and vindictive; the trial enraged a large section of the population, and riots in London led to attacks on dissenting places of worship and cries of "Church in Danger".

White was returned unopposed as MP for East Retford at the 1715 general election. At the time of the Jacobite rebellion, he was very active in the Nottinghamshire militia and reported to the new Duke of Newcastle on the decisions of the deputy-lieutenants. He was rewarded with the office of Clerk of the Ordnance of the Tower in 1718. He carried on voting with the Whigs for the remainder of his career in Parliament. He was returned again at the general elections of 1722 and 1727.^[4]

Death and legacy

White died suddenly of an apoplectic fit at Wallingwells on 30 September 1732 aged 63 years. He is buried under the High Altar in Tuxford Church. His widow Bridget continued to live at Wallingwells until her death on 17 January 1761. White and his wife Bridget had five children:

John White (1699 – 7 September 1769)
Taylor White (1701–1772)
Bridget White, married Sir John Heathcote, 2nd Baronet in 1720
Anne White (died 27 February 1744), married Sir Griffith Boynton, 5th Baronet on 6 April 1742. She died five days after the birth of her son Griffith.
Mary White (5 February 1710 – 29 September 1785), unmarried

White was described by his third cousin Lady Mary Wortley Montagu as a jovial countryman. George Gregory said of him that he had ‘lost a good friend and the public a good officer’ and the country a ‘useful person among us’.^[4]

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References

↑ "White, Thomas (WHT685T)". A Cambridge Alumni Database. University of Cambridge.
1 2 Miss M H Towry White, Some account of the family of White of Tuxford and Wallingwells, Transactions of the Thoroton Society, 11 (1907)
1 2 3 "WHITE, Thomas (1667-1732), of Wallingwells, Notts". History of Parliament Online (1690-1715). Retrieved 26 March 2013.
1 2 "WHITE, Thomas (1667-1732), of Wallingwells, Notts". History of Parliament Online (1715-1754). Retrieved 24 March 2013.

Parliament of England
Preceded by John Thornhagh Sir Willoughby Hickman	Member of Parliament for East Retford Jan 1701–Apr 1701 With: John Thornhagh	Succeeded by John Thornhagh Sir Willoughby Hickman
Preceded by John Thornhagh Sir Willoughby Hickman	Member of Parliament for East Retford 1701–1702 With: John Thornhagh	Succeeded by Sir Willoughby Hickman William Levinz
Parliament of Great Britain
Preceded by Sir Hardolph Wastneys Robert Molesworth	Member of Parliament for East Retford 1708–1711 With: William Levinz 1708–1710 Thomas Westby 1710–1711	Succeeded by Willoughby Hickman Bryan Cooke
Preceded by Francis Lewis John Digby	Member of Parliament for East Retford 1715–1732 With: John Digby 1715–1722 Patrick Chaworth 1722–1727 Sir Robert Clifton 1727–1732	Succeeded by Sir Robert Clifton John White
Political offices
Preceded by Edward Ashe	Clerk of the Ordnance 1718–1732	Succeeded by Leonard Smelt

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[CU-1] "White, Thomas (WHT685T)". A Cambridge Alumni Database. University of Cambridge.

[Thoroton-2] 1 2 Miss M H Towry White, Some account of the family of White of Tuxford and Wallingwells, Transactions of the Thoroton Society, 11 (1907)

[HOP-3] 1 2 3 "WHITE, Thomas (1667-1732), of Wallingwells, Notts". History of Parliament Online (1690-1715). Retrieved 26 March 2013.

[HOP2-4] 1 2 "WHITE, Thomas (1667-1732), of Wallingwells, Notts". History of Parliament Online (1715-1754). Retrieved 24 March 2013.