| Authorised form of name | Thynne; Thomas (1640 - 1714); 1st Viscount Weymouth; politician |
| Dates | 1640 - 1714 |
| Nationality | British |
| Place of death | London, England, Europe |
| Date of death | 28 July 1714 |
| DatesAndPlaces | Baptism:
8 September 1640
Burial:
Longbridge Deverill, Wiltshire, England, Europe |
| Occupation | Diplomat; Landowner; Politician |
| Activity | Education:
Kingston-on-Thames Grammar School under William Berton and Dr Thomas Triplett; Christ Church, Oxford (matriculated 1657)
Career:
Envoy to Sweden (1666-1669); Groom of the Bedchamber to the Duke of York (1666 - 1673); Commissioner for Assessment for Gloucestershire and Shropshire (1673-1680), for Oxford University (1677-1679), and for Herefordshire, Staffordshire and Worcestershire (1677-1780); MP for Oxford University (1674-1678), Tamworth (1678-1681); Commissioner for Recusants (1675); Deputy-Lieutenant of Staffordshire (1678-1687), Somerset and Wiltshire (1682-1683); Steward of the honour of Sutton Coldfield, Warwickshire (1679); inherited the estates at Longleat, Wiltshire, from his cousin, Thomas Thynne (1682); Custos Rotulorum of Wiltshire (1683-1696, 1700-1706, 1711-death); Member of the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel (1701); Privy Councillor (1702-1707, 1712); Joint Commissioner of the Board of Trade and Plantations (1702-1707); Warden of the Forest of Dean (1712-death)
Honours:
Baron and Viscount Weymouth 1682 |
| Membership category | Fellow |
| Date of election | 23/11/1664 |
| Proposer | Sir Paul Neile |
| Relationships | Parents: Sir Henry Frederick Thynne and Mary Coventry; succeeded his father as 2nd baronet (1681)
Married: Frances Finch
Children: Henry Thynne |
| OtherInfo | Thynne held a lifelong interest in manuscripts and coins and acquired the manuscript collection of his teacher William Burton. While he was not a particularly active member of parliament, he was considered to be against James II's religious measures and was one of four emissaries sent to ask William of Orange to summon a free parliament in December 1688.
The New England Company, of which Thynne was a member, was formed from an ordinance on 27 July 1649 under the 'Act for the promoting and propagating the Gospel of Jesus Christ in New England'. The Act aimed to 're-educate' Native American children and place them within English families and send them to residential schools. Upon its establishment, sixteen members of the corporation were named and given permission to purchase or acquire any land in England and Wales under the value of £2,000. Throughout the country, collections took place from which the Company could purchase land to lease and subsequently, the rent from these purchased lands would provide the funds to be sent to the colonies in North America to finance the organisation's activities.
As a Joint Commissioner of Trade, Thynne was a member of the Council of Trade, which carried the responsibility for trade and plantation affairs and contributed to furthering the government's colonial interests. The Council's orders and tasks fell within a broad remit and included finding ways in which to take and enslave people to bring to the colonies, mediating between the Royal African Company and the colonies, as well as enforcing the 'reeducation' of Native Americans and enslaved people in the colonised regions. |
| Source | Sources:
Bulloch's Roll; DNB; Foster; Hunter; Henning; ODNB |
| Virtual International Authority File | http://viaf.org/viaf/86387382 |
| Code | NA7340 |
Archives associated with this Fellow
| RefNo | Title | Date |
| MS/390/30 | Bond of Thomas Thynne to the Treasurer of the Royal Society | 30 November 1674 |