Thomas Wroth (politician, 17th century)
Encyclopedia
Sir Thomas Wroth was an English parliamentarian and author.
(1516–1573), he was born in London, and baptised at St. Stephen's, Coleman Street, on 5 May 1584. He matriculated as a commoner at Gloucester Hall, Oxford, on 1 July 1600, but was later associated with Broadgates Hall. He left the university without a degree, and in November 1606 was entered with his brother Peter as a student at the Inner Temple
. He was knighted on 14 October 1613, and, having inherited a considerable portion of his father's wealth, he purchased the Somerset
estates of his cousin, Sir Robert Wroth (1575–1614), when they were sold to pay his debts. The chief of these were the manors of Newton and Petherton Park, of which his great-grandfather Robert had been appointed forester by Henry VII, and which his grandfather Sir Thomas had purchased from Edward VI in 1550. Petherton Park became the seat of his branch of the family, and for the rest of his life Wroth was associated with Somerset politics.
Wroth's wife was daughter of Richard Rich of Leighs in Essex, and sister of Sir Nathaniel Rich, the colonial pioneer; and this connection and his friendship with Robert Sidney, 1st Earl of Leicester
, a member of the Virginia Company
, led Wroth to associate himself with colonial enterprise. He was a subscriber to the Virginia Company in 1609, and during 1621–4 was a prominent member of the Warwick party, in opposition to Sir Edwin Sandys. He voted in favour of the surrender of the original charter in October 1623, and was one of those included in James I's new grant of 15 July 1624. On 3 November 1620 he became a member of the council for New England, and subsequently, on 25 June 1653, was made a commissioner for the government of the Bermudas.
In domestic politics Wroth joined the opposition to the king, and he represented Bridgwater
in the parliament of 1627–8. In September 1635 the government seized a letter from him in which he bewailed the condition of the church, and hinted at resistance with blood. He served as sheriff of Somerset in 1639–40, and was therefore excluded from the Short parliament
; but he again represented Bridgwater in the Long parliament, which met in November 1640. In 1642 was published ‘A Speech spoken by Sir Thomas Wroth … upon his delivery of a Petition from … Somerset, 25 February 1641–2,’ London. Gradually inclining towards the views of the Independents
, Wroth retained his seat in the Long parliament
through all its vicissitudes, and on 3 January 1648 moved the resolution that Charles I should be impeached and the kingdom settled without him. He took the ‘engagement’
in 1649, and was one of the judges appointed to try the king, but he attended only one session. In June following he was thanked by parliament for suppressing the Levellers
in Somerset. Wroth does not appear to have sat in the parliaments of 1653 and 1654, but on 20 October 1656 was again returned for Bridgwater, which he is said to have represented in Richard Cromwell
's parliament of 1658–9, and for which he certainly sat in the Convention parliament of 1660.
His petition for pardon was apparently granted, and Wroth lived in retirement until his death, aged 88, at Petherton Park on 11 July 1672. His will was proved on 24 August following.
, and bound up with the British Museum copy is Wroth's ‘Abortive of an Idle Hour, or a Centurie of Epigrams,’ also printed in London, 1620. Wroth's only other literary efforts were his account of his wife Margaret, who died of a fever at Petherton Park on 14 October 1635, and was buried on 11 November in St. Stephen's, Coleman Street, London. It is printed in the Duke of Manchester's ‘Court and Society from Elizabeth to Anne’; his ‘sad encomium’ on her was separately printed in 1635.
, and was created a baronet in 1660, and grandson of Sir Thomas's brother, Sir Peter Wroth. The baronetcy became extinct on the death of Sir John Wroth, third baronet, on 27 June 1722.
Life
The eldest son of Thomas Wroth (died 1610) and grandson of Sir Thomas WrothThomas Wroth (politician, 16th century)
Sir Thomas Wroth was an English courtier and politician, a supporter of the Protestant Reformation.-Life:Robert Wroth, his father, was attorney of the duchy of Lancaster, and one of the commissioners appointed to inquire into Thomas Wolsey's possessions in 1529...
(1516–1573), he was born in London, and baptised at St. Stephen's, Coleman Street, on 5 May 1584. He matriculated as a commoner at Gloucester Hall, Oxford, on 1 July 1600, but was later associated with Broadgates Hall. He left the university without a degree, and in November 1606 was entered with his brother Peter as a student at the Inner Temple
Inner Temple
The Honourable Society of the Inner Temple, commonly known as Inner Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court in London. To be called to the Bar and practise as a barrister in England and Wales, an individual must belong to one of these Inns...
. He was knighted on 14 October 1613, and, having inherited a considerable portion of his father's wealth, he purchased the Somerset
Somerset
The ceremonial and non-metropolitan county of Somerset in South West England borders Bristol and Gloucestershire to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west. It is partly bounded to the north and west by the Bristol Channel and the estuary of the...
estates of his cousin, Sir Robert Wroth (1575–1614), when they were sold to pay his debts. The chief of these were the manors of Newton and Petherton Park, of which his great-grandfather Robert had been appointed forester by Henry VII, and which his grandfather Sir Thomas had purchased from Edward VI in 1550. Petherton Park became the seat of his branch of the family, and for the rest of his life Wroth was associated with Somerset politics.
Wroth's wife was daughter of Richard Rich of Leighs in Essex, and sister of Sir Nathaniel Rich, the colonial pioneer; and this connection and his friendship with Robert Sidney, 1st Earl of Leicester
Robert Sidney, 1st Earl of Leicester
Robert Sidney, 1st Earl of Leicester , second son of Sir Henry Sidney, was a statesman of Elizabethan and Jacobean England. He was also a patron of the arts and an interesting poet...
, a member of the Virginia Company
Virginia Company
The Virginia Company refers collectively to a pair of English joint stock companies chartered by James I on 10 April1606 with the purposes of establishing settlements on the coast of North America...
, led Wroth to associate himself with colonial enterprise. He was a subscriber to the Virginia Company in 1609, and during 1621–4 was a prominent member of the Warwick party, in opposition to Sir Edwin Sandys. He voted in favour of the surrender of the original charter in October 1623, and was one of those included in James I's new grant of 15 July 1624. On 3 November 1620 he became a member of the council for New England, and subsequently, on 25 June 1653, was made a commissioner for the government of the Bermudas.
In domestic politics Wroth joined the opposition to the king, and he represented Bridgwater
Bridgwater (UK Parliament constituency)
Bridgwater was a parliamentary constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, until 2010 when it was replaced by the Bridgwater and West Somerset constituency...
in the parliament of 1627–8. In September 1635 the government seized a letter from him in which he bewailed the condition of the church, and hinted at resistance with blood. He served as sheriff of Somerset in 1639–40, and was therefore excluded from the Short parliament
Short Parliament
The Short Parliament was a Parliament of England that sat from 13 April to 5 May 1640 during the reign of King Charles I of England, so called because it lasted only three weeks....
; but he again represented Bridgwater in the Long parliament, which met in November 1640. In 1642 was published ‘A Speech spoken by Sir Thomas Wroth … upon his delivery of a Petition from … Somerset, 25 February 1641–2,’ London. Gradually inclining towards the views of the Independents
Independent (religion)
In English church history, Independents advocated local congregational control of religious and church matters, without any wider geographical hierarchy, either ecclesiastical or political...
, Wroth retained his seat in the Long parliament
Long Parliament
The Long Parliament was made on 3 November 1640, following the Bishops' Wars. It received its name from the fact that through an Act of Parliament, it could only be dissolved with the agreement of the members, and those members did not agree to its dissolution until after the English Civil War and...
through all its vicissitudes, and on 3 January 1648 moved the resolution that Charles I should be impeached and the kingdom settled without him. He took the ‘engagement’
Engagement controversy
The Engagement Controversy was a debate in England from 1649-1652 regarding loyalty to the new regime after the execution of Charles I. During this period hundreds of pamphlets were published in England supporting 'engagement' to the new regime or denying the right of English citizens to shift...
in 1649, and was one of the judges appointed to try the king, but he attended only one session. In June following he was thanked by parliament for suppressing the Levellers
Levellers
The Levellers were a political movement during the English Civil Wars which emphasised popular sovereignty, extended suffrage, equality before the law, and religious tolerance, all of which were expressed in the manifesto "Agreement of the People". They came to prominence at the end of the First...
in Somerset. Wroth does not appear to have sat in the parliaments of 1653 and 1654, but on 20 October 1656 was again returned for Bridgwater, which he is said to have represented in Richard Cromwell
Richard Cromwell
At the same time, the officers of the New Model Army became increasingly wary about the government's commitment to the military cause. The fact that Richard Cromwell lacked military credentials grated with men who had fought on the battlefields of the English Civil War to secure their nation's...
's parliament of 1658–9, and for which he certainly sat in the Convention parliament of 1660.
His petition for pardon was apparently granted, and Wroth lived in retirement until his death, aged 88, at Petherton Park on 11 July 1672. His will was proved on 24 August following.
Works
Wroth employed his leisure in literary pursuits, and in 1620 published ‘The Destruction of Troy, or the Acts of Æneas, translated out of the second booke of the Æneads of Virgil …,’ London, 4to. It is dedicated to Robert Sidney, 1st Earl of LeicesterRobert Sidney, 1st Earl of Leicester
Robert Sidney, 1st Earl of Leicester , second son of Sir Henry Sidney, was a statesman of Elizabethan and Jacobean England. He was also a patron of the arts and an interesting poet...
, and bound up with the British Museum copy is Wroth's ‘Abortive of an Idle Hour, or a Centurie of Epigrams,’ also printed in London, 1620. Wroth's only other literary efforts were his account of his wife Margaret, who died of a fever at Petherton Park on 14 October 1635, and was buried on 11 November in St. Stephen's, Coleman Street, London. It is printed in the Duke of Manchester's ‘Court and Society from Elizabeth to Anne’; his ‘sad encomium’ on her was separately printed in 1635.
Family
He left no issue by his wife Margaret, and did not marry again, his estates passing to his great-nephew, Sir John Wroth, second baronet (died 1674), son of Sir John Wroth, first baronet (died 1664), a royalist who fought at the battle of NewburyBattle of Newbury
Battle of Newbury may refer to:*First Battle of Newbury, 20 September 1643*Second Battle of Newbury, 27 October 1644*Third Battle of Newbury...
, and was created a baronet in 1660, and grandson of Sir Thomas's brother, Sir Peter Wroth. The baronetcy became extinct on the death of Sir John Wroth, third baronet, on 27 June 1722.