Sir Thomas Hales, 3rd Baronet
Encyclopedia
Sir Thomas Hales, 3rd Baronet (c. 1695 – October 1762), of Beakesbourne in Kent
, was an English courtier and Member of Parliament
.
Hales was the eldest son of Sir Thomas Hales, 2nd Baronet
, of Brymore, and was educated at Oriel College, Oxford. He entered Parliament in 1722 as Whig
member for Minehead
, being a member of the Duke of Dorset's
faction and supporting the Walpole
and Pelham
governments. He subsequently also represented Camelford
, Grampound
, Hythe
and East Grinstead
, being an MP for most of the last forty years of his life.
The only break in his Parliamentary career came in 1741
: at the notoriously corrupt rotten borough
of Grampound
, his opponents had contrived a disagreement over who was the rightful Mayor and therefore returning officer
for the constituency. According to their Mayor, Hales and his pro-government colleague Thomas Trefusis were re-elected by 35 votes to 17; however, his opponents had arranged for the Sheriff to direct the writ for the election to their own nominee, so it was his version of the result (declaring Hales and Trefusis defeated by 27 to 23) which was returned to Parliament. Hales and Trefusis initially petitioned against this outcome, but withdrew their protest before a decision had been reached. Hales returned to the Commons at a by-election for Hythe three years later.
Hales held the lucrative post of Clerk of the Board of Green Cloth
to the Prince of Wales from about 1719 until 1727, and to the King
from his accession in 1727 until 1760. He was also Lieutenant of Dover Castle
from 1728 to 1750 and Vice-Warden of the Cinque Ports
from 1750 until his death. On the accession of George III in 1760 he lost his posts in the Royal Household, and successfully applied to Prime Minister Newcastle
for a pension in recompense, although he was granted only £600 a year in place of the £800 he had asked for.
Hales married Mary Marsham (1698–1769), daughter of Sir Robert Marsham
of the Mote, in 1723, and their children included:
He succeeded to his father's baronetcy on 7 January 1748, and died in 1762.
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
, was an English courtier and Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
.
Hales was the eldest son of Sir Thomas Hales, 2nd Baronet
Sir Thomas Hales, 2nd Baronet
Sir Thomas Hales, 2nd Baronet , of Beakesbourne and Brymore in Kent, was an English Member of Parliament.Hales was the eldest son of Thomas Hales of Howlets and grandson of Sir Robert Hales, who had been created a baronet at the Restoration. His father having already died, he succeeded to his...
, of Brymore, and was educated at Oriel College, Oxford. He entered Parliament in 1722 as Whig
British Whig Party
The Whigs were a party in the Parliament of England, Parliament of Great Britain, and Parliament of the United Kingdom, who contested power with the rival Tories from the 1680s to the 1850s. The Whigs' origin lay in constitutional monarchism and opposition to absolute rule...
member for Minehead
Minehead (UK Parliament constituency)
Minehead was a parliamentary borough in Somerset, which elected two Members of Parliament to the House of Commons from 1563 until 1832, when the borough was abolished by the Great Reform Act.- MPs 1563–1629 :...
, being a member of the Duke of Dorset's
Lionel Sackville, 1st Duke of Dorset
Lionel Cranfield Sackville, 1st Duke of Dorset, PC was an English political leader and Lord Lieutenant of Ireland. He was the son of the 6th Earl of Dorset and 1st Earl of Middlesex and the former Lady Mary Compton, younger daughter of the 3rd Earl of Northampton...
faction and supporting the Walpole
Robert Walpole
Robert Walpole, 1st Earl of Orford, KG, KB, PC , known before 1742 as Sir Robert Walpole, was a British statesman who is generally regarded as having been the first Prime Minister of Great Britain....
and Pelham
Henry Pelham
Henry Pelham was a British Whig statesman, who served as Prime Minister of Great Britain from 27 August 1743 until his death in 1754...
governments. He subsequently also represented Camelford
Camelford (UK Parliament constituency)
Camelford was a rotten borough in Cornwall which returned two Members of Parliament to the House of Commons in the English and later British Parliament from 1552 to 1832, when it was abolished by the Great Reform Act.-History:...
, Grampound
Grampound (UK Parliament constituency)
Grampound in Cornwall, was a borough constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of England, then of the Parliament of Great Britain from 1707 to 1800 and of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1801 to 1821. It was represented by two Members of Parliament.-History:Grampound's...
, Hythe
Hythe (UK Parliament constituency)
Hythe was a constituency centred on the town of Hythe in Kent. It returned two Members of Parliament to the House of Commons until 1832, when its representation was reduced to one member...
and East Grinstead
East Grinstead (UK Parliament constituency)
East Grinstead was a parliamentary constituency in the Kingdom of England, the Kingdom of Great Britain, and the United Kingdom. It first existed as a Parliamentary borough from 1307, returning two Members of Parliament to the House of Commons elected by the bloc vote system...
, being an MP for most of the last forty years of his life.
The only break in his Parliamentary career came in 1741
British general election, 1741
The British general election, 1741 returned members to serve in the House of Commons of the 9th Parliament of Great Britain to be held, after the merger of the Parliament of England and the Parliament of Scotland in 1707...
: at the notoriously corrupt rotten borough
Rotten borough
A "rotten", "decayed" or pocket borough was a parliamentary borough or constituency in the United Kingdom that had a very small electorate and could be used by a patron to gain undue and unrepresentative influence within Parliament....
of Grampound
Grampound (UK Parliament constituency)
Grampound in Cornwall, was a borough constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of England, then of the Parliament of Great Britain from 1707 to 1800 and of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1801 to 1821. It was represented by two Members of Parliament.-History:Grampound's...
, his opponents had contrived a disagreement over who was the rightful Mayor and therefore returning officer
Returning Officer
In various parliamentary systems, a returning officer is responsible for overseeing elections in one or more constituencies.-Australia:In Australia a returning officer is an employee of the Australian Electoral Commission or a State Electoral Commission who heads the local divisional office...
for the constituency. According to their Mayor, Hales and his pro-government colleague Thomas Trefusis were re-elected by 35 votes to 17; however, his opponents had arranged for the Sheriff to direct the writ for the election to their own nominee, so it was his version of the result (declaring Hales and Trefusis defeated by 27 to 23) which was returned to Parliament. Hales and Trefusis initially petitioned against this outcome, but withdrew their protest before a decision had been reached. Hales returned to the Commons at a by-election for Hythe three years later.
Hales held the lucrative post of Clerk of the Board of Green Cloth
Clerk of the Green Cloth
The Clerk of the Green Cloth was a position in the British Royal Household. The clerk acted as secretary of the Board of Green Cloth, and was therefore responsible for organising royal journeys and assisting in the administration of the Royal Household. From the Restoration, there were four clerks...
to the Prince of Wales from about 1719 until 1727, and to the King
George II of Great Britain
George II was King of Great Britain and Ireland, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg and Archtreasurer and Prince-elector of the Holy Roman Empire from 11 June 1727 until his death.George was the last British monarch born outside Great Britain. He was born and brought up in Northern Germany...
from his accession in 1727 until 1760. He was also Lieutenant of Dover Castle
Dover Castle
Dover Castle is a medieval castle in the town of the same name in the English county of Kent. It was founded in the 12th century and has been described as the "Key to England" due to its defensive significance throughout history...
from 1728 to 1750 and Vice-Warden of the Cinque Ports
Cinque Ports
The Confederation of Cinque Ports is a historic series of coastal towns in Kent and Sussex. It was originally formed for military and trade purposes, but is now entirely ceremonial. It lies at the eastern end of the English Channel, where the crossing to the continent is narrowest...
from 1750 until his death. On the accession of George III in 1760 he lost his posts in the Royal Household, and successfully applied to Prime Minister Newcastle
Thomas Pelham-Holles, 1st Duke of Newcastle-upon-Tyne
Thomas Pelham-Holles, 1st Duke of Newcastle-upon-Tyne and 1st Duke of Newcastle-under-Lyne, KG, PC was a British Whig statesman, whose official life extended throughout the Whig supremacy of the 18th century. He is commonly known as the Duke of Newcastle.A protégé of Sir Robert Walpole, he served...
for a pension in recompense, although he was granted only £600 a year in place of the £800 he had asked for.
Hales married Mary Marsham (1698–1769), daughter of Sir Robert Marsham
Sir Robert Marsham, 4th Baronet
Sir Robert Marsham, 4th Baronet was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1698 to 1702....
of the Mote, in 1723, and their children included:
- Sir Thomas Pym HalesSir Thomas Hales, 4th BaronetSir Thomas Pym Hales, 4th Baronet , of Beakesbourne in Kent, was an English Member of Parliament.Hales was the eldest son of Sir Thomas Hales, 3rd Baronet, a long-serving Member of Parliament who held a series of lucrative posts in the Royal Household. He succeeded to his father's baronetcy on 6...
(c. 1726–1773), who succeeded to the baronetcy - Sir Philip HalesSir Philip Hales, 5th BaronetSir Philip Hales, 5th Baronet , of Beakesbourne in Kent, was an English courtier and Member of Parliament.Hales was the sixth son of Sir Thomas Hales, 3rd Baronet, a long-serving Member of Parliament who held a series of lucrative posts in the Royal Household...
(d. 1824) - Mary Hales, who married Charles MossCharles MossCharles Moss was an Anglican clergyman who served as Bishop of St David's from 1766 to 1774 and Bishop of Bath and Wells from 1774 to 1802.-Biography:...
(1711–1802), Bishop of Bath and WellsBishop of Bath and WellsThe Bishop of Bath and Wells heads the Church of England Diocese of Bath and Wells in the Province of Canterbury in England.The present diocese covers the vast majority of the county of Somerset and a small area of Dorset. The Episcopal seat is located in the Cathedral Church of Saint Andrew in... - Anne Hales (1736–1795), who married (first) Lord Feversham (d. 1763) and (second) The Earl of Radnor (1725–1776)
- Margaretta Hales, who married Samuel Pechell of Richmond
He succeeded to his father's baronetcy on 7 January 1748, and died in 1762.