Thomas Williams (politician, 1602)

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Thomas Williams (March 17, 1602 , † September 9, 1630 ) was an English politician who was once elected as a member of the House of Commons .

Origin and youth

Thomas Williams came from a Gentry family from Devon who had their headquarters in Stowford near Harford on the south edge of Dartmoor . His great-grandfather, Thomas Williams , had been a successful attorney who had served as Speaker of the House of Commons in 1563 . Thomas Williams was the eldest son of his father of the same name Thomas Williams († 1638) and his wife Jane, the daughter and heiress of Richard Edgcumbe from Calstock . His father was only a small country nobleman who owned only two estates and less than 3 km 2 of land in 1624 . The younger Thomas studied at the Inner Temple in London in 1619 .

Political activity

After April 12, 1624, Williams married Anna Specott , daughter of Sir John Speccott of Thornbury and Penheale . Presumably the beneficial alliance came through his mother, who was a cousin of Speccott's first wife, Elizabeth Edgcumbe . His wife brought £ 1,100 as a dowry into the marriage, and on his marriage Williams received the small Ugborough estate near Stowford. In the general election in January 1626, Williams was elected with the obvious support of his father-in-law as a member of the Newport borough , near Penheale, a family seat of the Speccotts. However, the choice was challenged by Thomas Gewen and Sir Henry Hungate . Although none of his rivals had clear claims, Williams renounced his seat on March 16, 1626, whereupon Gewen and Hungate were confirmed as MPs.

Death and inheritance

Williams died in September 1630, apparently without leaving a will. He was buried in Ugborough. He left a son and two daughters. His father secured the guardianship for the two-year-old son, in addition he tried together with Speccott to secure the rights of the two daughters to Ugborough.

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personal data
SURNAME Williams, Thomas
BRIEF DESCRIPTION English politician, Member of the House of Commons
DATE OF BIRTH March 17, 1602
DATE OF DEATH September 9, 1630