Thomas Dummer
Encyclopedia
Thomas Dummer was an English Member of Parliament
for Newport (Isle of Wight)
(1765–1768), Yarmouth (Isle of Wight)
(1769–1774), Downton
in Wiltshire
(1774), Wendover
in Buckinghamshire
(1775–1780) and Lymington
in Hampshire
(1780–1781).
. On his father's death in October 1765, he succeeded him to the family estate at Cranbury Park
near Winchester
, Hampshire
as well as estates at Weston
and Netley
, near Southampton
and at Horninghold
in Leicestershire
. He also took his father's parliamentary seat at Newport
. In 1768, he lost his seat to Hans Sloane
who was in the patronage of the influential Hans Stanley
.
In 1769, he became M.P. for nearby Yarmouth
(1769–1774). Originally, the election was in favour of William Strode and Jervoise Clarke
, but on petition the election was reversed in favour of Dummer and Major General the Hon. George Lane Parker.
In the 1774 election, Dummer stood for election at Downton
in Wiltshire
. He and Thomas Duncombe were initially declared the victors, but on petition it was decided that they had not been duly elected and their opponents, John Cooper and Sir Philip Hales
, were declared elected in their place.
The following year, he was elected to represent Wendover
in Buckinghamshire
before returning to Hampshire in 1780 as M.P. for Lymington
until his death in 1781.
In May 1773, he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society.
. In 1770, he purchased the City Cross (also known as the Buttercross
) from the Corporation of Winchester
, intending to have it re-erected at Cranbury. When his workmen arrived to dismantle the cross, they were prevented from doing so by the people of the city, who "organised a small riot" and they were forced to abandon their task. The agreement with the city was cancelled and Dummer erected a lath and plaster
facsimile, which stood in the park for about sixty years before it was destroyed by the weather.
Undaunted by his failure to acquire the City Cross to grace the estate, Dummer turned his attention to the ruins of Netley Abbey
, which he also owned, and moved the north transept of the abbey to Cranbury Park, where it can be still be seen as a folly
in the gardens of the house (at 51°00′08"N 01°21′49"W). The ruins comprise an arch, the base of a pillar, and a scaled-down gateway tower. The rear of the gateway has been made into a keeper's lodge, and is known to the village of Otterbourne
as "the Castle" and is marked as such on the Ordnance Survey
map.
Thomas Dummer died without heirs in 1781, leaving his property at Cranbury and Netley
and also at Horninghold
in Leicestershire
first to his widow, Harriet, with reversion to his life-long friend Thomas Chamberlayne. Harriet Dummer married Thomas Chamberlayne, and after his death, which presumably occurred very shortly afterwards, she married the artist Nathaniel Dance, (later Sir Nathaniel Dance-Holland
, Bt) whose brother George Dance
had designed the present-day house at Cranbury, built in 1780.
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,...
for Newport (Isle of Wight)
Newport (Isle of Wight) (UK Parliament constituency)
Newport was a parliamentary borough located in Newport , which was abolished in for the 1885 general election. It was occasionally referred to by the alternative name of Medina....
(1765–1768), Yarmouth (Isle of Wight)
Yarmouth (Isle of Wight) (UK Parliament constituency)
Yarmouth was a borough constituency of the House of Commons of England then of the House of Commons of Great Britain from 1707 to 1800 and of the House of Commons of the United Kingdom from 1801 to 1832...
(1769–1774), Downton
Downton (UK Parliament constituency)
Downton was a parliamentary borough in Wiltshire, which elected two Members of Parliament to the House of Commons from 1295 until 1832, when it was abolished by the Great Reform Act.-History:...
in Wiltshire
Wiltshire
Wiltshire is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset, Somerset, Hampshire, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire. It contains the unitary authority of Swindon and covers...
(1774), Wendover
Wendover (UK Parliament constituency)
Wendover 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 1832...
in Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan home county in South East England. The county town is Aylesbury, the largest town in the ceremonial county is Milton Keynes and largest town in the non-metropolitan county is High Wycombe....
(1775–1780) and Lymington
Lymington (UK Parliament constituency)
Lymington was a parliamentary borough in Hampshire, which elected two Members of Parliament to the House of Commons from 1584 until 1868, and then one member from 1868 until 1885, when the borough was abolished.-1584-1640:- 1640-1868 :...
in Hampshire
Hampshire
Hampshire is a county on the southern coast of England in the United Kingdom. The county town of Hampshire is Winchester, a historic cathedral city that was once the capital of England. Hampshire is notable for housing the original birthplaces of the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force...
(1780–1781).
Political career
Dummer was the son of Thomas Lee DummerThomas Lee Dummer
Thomas Lee Dummer was an English Member of Parliament for Southampton and Newport .-Family:...
. On his father's death in October 1765, he succeeded him to the family estate at Cranbury Park
Cranbury Park
Cranbury Park is a stately home and country estate situated in the parish of Hursley, near Winchester, England. It was formerly the home to Sir Isaac Newton and later to the Chamberlayne family, whose descendants now own and occupy the house and surrounding park and farmland...
near Winchester
Winchester
Winchester is a historic cathedral city and former capital city of England. It is the county town of Hampshire, in South East England. The city lies at the heart of the wider City of Winchester, a local government district, and is located at the western end of the South Downs, along the course of...
, Hampshire
Hampshire
Hampshire is a county on the southern coast of England in the United Kingdom. The county town of Hampshire is Winchester, a historic cathedral city that was once the capital of England. Hampshire is notable for housing the original birthplaces of the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force...
as well as estates at Weston
Weston, Southampton
Weston is a small suburb on the south-eastern side of Southampton, UK, predominantly built on the Weston Grove Estate formerly owned by the Chamberlayne family. It also includes the area that was previously the Barnfield Estate. Weston includes part of Mayfield Park, which was previously the...
and Netley
Netley
Netley, sometimes called Netley Abbey, is a village on the south coast of Hampshire, England, situated on the east side of the city of Southampton...
, near Southampton
Southampton
Southampton is the largest city in the county of Hampshire on the south coast of England, and is situated south-west of London and north-west of Portsmouth. Southampton is a major port and the closest city to the New Forest...
and at Horninghold
Horninghold
Horninghold is a small village and parish seven miles north-east of Market Harborough in the county of Leicestershire.Following the Norman Conquest in 1066 the village was given to Robert de Todeni, Lord of Belvoir. In about 1076 he gave the parish to the priory of Belvoir where it remained until...
in Leicestershire
Leicestershire
Leicestershire is a landlocked county in the English Midlands. It takes its name from the heavily populated City of Leicester, traditionally its administrative centre, although the City of Leicester unitary authority is today administered separately from the rest of Leicestershire...
. He also took his father's parliamentary seat at Newport
Newport (Isle of Wight) (UK Parliament constituency)
Newport was a parliamentary borough located in Newport , which was abolished in for the 1885 general election. It was occasionally referred to by the alternative name of Medina....
. In 1768, he lost his seat to Hans Sloane
Hans Sloane (MP)
Hans Sloane , later called Hans Sloane-Stanley, was a British Member of Parliament.Sloane was born on 14 November 1739 at South Stoneham, Hampshire, and educated at Trinity College, Cambridge and the Inner Temple...
who was in the patronage of the influential Hans Stanley
Hans Stanley
Hans Stanley was a British diplomat and statesman.-Peace negotiator:In 1761 Stanley was Chargé d'affaires at the Embassy to France...
.
In 1769, he became M.P. for nearby Yarmouth
Yarmouth (Isle of Wight) (UK Parliament constituency)
Yarmouth was a borough constituency of the House of Commons of England then of the House of Commons of Great Britain from 1707 to 1800 and of the House of Commons of the United Kingdom from 1801 to 1832...
(1769–1774). Originally, the election was in favour of William Strode and Jervoise Clarke
Jervoise Clarke Jervoise (died 1808)
Jervoise Clarke Jervoise, born Jervoise Clarke was an English Whig Member of Parliament who sat in the House of Commons of Great Britain for most of the years from 1768 to 1808....
, but on petition the election was reversed in favour of Dummer and Major General the Hon. George Lane Parker.
In the 1774 election, Dummer stood for election at Downton
Downton (UK Parliament constituency)
Downton was a parliamentary borough in Wiltshire, which elected two Members of Parliament to the House of Commons from 1295 until 1832, when it was abolished by the Great Reform Act.-History:...
in Wiltshire
Wiltshire
Wiltshire is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset, Somerset, Hampshire, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire. It contains the unitary authority of Swindon and covers...
. He and Thomas Duncombe were initially declared the victors, but on petition it was decided that they had not been duly elected and their opponents, John Cooper and Sir Philip Hales
Sir Philip Hales, 5th Baronet
Sir 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...
, were declared elected in their place.
The following year, he was elected to represent Wendover
Wendover (UK Parliament constituency)
Wendover 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 1832...
in Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan home county in South East England. The county town is Aylesbury, the largest town in the ceremonial county is Milton Keynes and largest town in the non-metropolitan county is High Wycombe....
before returning to Hampshire in 1780 as M.P. for Lymington
Lymington (UK Parliament constituency)
Lymington was a parliamentary borough in Hampshire, which elected two Members of Parliament to the House of Commons from 1584 until 1868, and then one member from 1868 until 1885, when the borough was abolished.-1584-1640:- 1640-1868 :...
until his death in 1781.
In May 1773, he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society.
Cranbury Park
On his father's death in 1765, Dummer inherited the family estate at Cranbury ParkCranbury Park
Cranbury Park is a stately home and country estate situated in the parish of Hursley, near Winchester, England. It was formerly the home to Sir Isaac Newton and later to the Chamberlayne family, whose descendants now own and occupy the house and surrounding park and farmland...
. In 1770, he purchased the City Cross (also known as the Buttercross
Buttercross
A buttercross, also known as butter cross, is a type of market cross associated with English market towns and dating from medieval times. Its name originates from the fact that they were located at the market place, where people from neighbouring villages would gather to buy locally produced...
) from the Corporation of Winchester
Winchester
Winchester is a historic cathedral city and former capital city of England. It is the county town of Hampshire, in South East England. The city lies at the heart of the wider City of Winchester, a local government district, and is located at the western end of the South Downs, along the course of...
, intending to have it re-erected at Cranbury. When his workmen arrived to dismantle the cross, they were prevented from doing so by the people of the city, who "organised a small riot" and they were forced to abandon their task. The agreement with the city was cancelled and Dummer erected a lath and plaster
Lath and plaster
Lath and plaster is a building process used mainly for interior walls in Canada and the United States until the late 1950s. After the 1950s, drywall began to replace the lath and plaster process in the United States. In the United Kingdom, lath and plaster was used for some interior partition...
facsimile, which stood in the park for about sixty years before it was destroyed by the weather.
Undaunted by his failure to acquire the City Cross to grace the estate, Dummer turned his attention to the ruins of Netley Abbey
Netley Abbey
Netley Abbey is a ruined late medieval monastery in the village of Netley near Southampton in Hampshire, England. The abbey was founded in 1239 as a house for Roman Catholic monks of the austere Cistercian order. Despite being a royal abbey, Netley was never rich, produced no influential scholars...
, which he also owned, and moved the north transept of the abbey to Cranbury Park, where it can be still be seen as a folly
Folly
In architecture, a folly is a building constructed primarily for decoration, but either suggesting by its appearance some other purpose, or merely so extravagant that it transcends the normal range of garden ornaments or other class of building to which it belongs...
in the gardens of the house (at 51°00′08"N 01°21′49"W). The ruins comprise an arch, the base of a pillar, and a scaled-down gateway tower. The rear of the gateway has been made into a keeper's lodge, and is known to the village of Otterbourne
Otterbourne
Otterbourne is a village in Hampshire, England. It is located approximately four miles south of Winchester and eight miles north of Southampton. In October 2002, its population was approximately 1,520, and there were 602 dwellings....
as "the Castle" and is marked as such on the Ordnance Survey
Ordnance Survey
Ordnance Survey , an executive agency and non-ministerial government department of the Government of the United Kingdom, is the national mapping agency for Great Britain, producing maps of Great Britain , and one of the world's largest producers of maps.The name reflects its creation together with...
map.
Thomas Dummer died without heirs in 1781, leaving his property at Cranbury and Netley
Netley
Netley, sometimes called Netley Abbey, is a village on the south coast of Hampshire, England, situated on the east side of the city of Southampton...
and also at Horninghold
Horninghold
Horninghold is a small village and parish seven miles north-east of Market Harborough in the county of Leicestershire.Following the Norman Conquest in 1066 the village was given to Robert de Todeni, Lord of Belvoir. In about 1076 he gave the parish to the priory of Belvoir where it remained until...
in Leicestershire
Leicestershire
Leicestershire is a landlocked county in the English Midlands. It takes its name from the heavily populated City of Leicester, traditionally its administrative centre, although the City of Leicester unitary authority is today administered separately from the rest of Leicestershire...
first to his widow, Harriet, with reversion to his life-long friend Thomas Chamberlayne. Harriet Dummer married Thomas Chamberlayne, and after his death, which presumably occurred very shortly afterwards, she married the artist Nathaniel Dance, (later Sir Nathaniel Dance-Holland
Nathaniel Dance-Holland
Sir Nathaniel Dance-Holland, 1st Baronet was a notable English portrait painter and later a politician.The third son of architect George Dance the Elder, Dance studied art under Francis Hayman, and like many contemporaries also studied in Italy...
, Bt) whose brother George Dance
George Dance the Younger
George Dance the Younger was an English architect and surveyor. The fifth and youngest son of George Dance the Elder, he came from a distinguished family of architects, artists and dramatists...
had designed the present-day house at Cranbury, built in 1780.