Thomas Newport, 1st Baron Torrington PC (c. 1655 – 27 May 1719), styled The Honourable from 1675 until 1716, was an English

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

 peer, barrister and 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...

 politician.

Background

Born in High Ercall

High Ercall

High Ercall, also known in the past as Ercall Magna, is a village in the borough of Telford and Wrekin and ceremonial county of Shropshire, England. The civil parish is still called Ercall Magna, and had a total population of 1,679 at the 2001 census. The parish also includes the villages of...

, he was the fifth and second surviving son of Francis Newport, 1st Earl of Bradford

Francis Newport, 1st Earl of Bradford

Francis Newport, 1st Earl of Bradford PC , styled The Honourable between 1642 and 1651, was an English soldier, courtier and Whig politician.-Background:...

 and his wife Lady Diana Russell, daughter of Francis Russell, 4th Earl of Bedford

Francis Russell, 4th Earl of Bedford

Francis Russell, 4th Earl of Bedford PC was an English politician. About 1631 he built the square of Covent Garden, with the piazza and church of St. Paul's, employing Inigo Jones as his architect...

. Newport was educated at Christ Church College, Oxford and matriculated in 1672. He was called to the Bar by 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...

 in 1678 and became a reader in 1700.

Career

In 1695, he entered the English House of Commons, representing Ludlow

Ludlow (UK Parliament constituency)

Ludlow is a county constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election....

 until 1698 as well as between 1699 and the following year. Newport sat further for Winchelsea

Winchelsea (UK Parliament constituency)

Winchelsea was a parliamentary constituency in Sussex, which elected two Members of Parliament to the House of Commons from 1366 until 1832, when it was abolished by the Great Reform Act.-Boundaries:...

 from January to November 1701. In 1715, he was elected to the British House of Commons

British House of Commons

The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which also comprises the Sovereign and the House of Lords . Both Commons and Lords meet in the Palace of Westminster. The Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 650 members , who are known as Members...

 for (Much) Wenlock

(Much) Wenlock (UK Parliament constituency)

Wenlock was a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.It was founded in 1468 as borough constituency. It was a constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of England until 1707, then of the Parliament of Great Britain from 1707 to 1800,...

, a seat he held until 1716, when he was elevated to the Peerage of Great Britain

Peerage of Great Britain

The Peerage of Great Britain comprises all extant peerages created in the Kingdom of Great Britain after the Act of Union 1707 but before the Act of Union 1800...

 as Baron Torrington, of Torrington, in the County of Devon.

Between 1699 and 1712, Newport was a Commissioner of Customs. In 1715, he was appointed a Lord of the Treasury

Lord of the Treasury

In the United Kingdom, there are at least six Lords of the Treasury who serve concurrently. Traditionally, this board consists of the First Lord of the Treasury, the Second Lord of the Treasury, and four or more junior lords .Strictly they are commissioners for exercising the office of Lord...

 and held this office until 1718. Subsequently he served as one of the four Teller of the Exchequer until his death in 1719. In 1717, Newport was sworn of the Privy Council of Great Britain.

Family

Newport married firstly Lucy Atkyns, daughter of Sir Edward Atkyns

Edward Atkyns

Sir Edward Atkyns SL was an English judge, a baron of the exchequer of the Commonwealth period.-Life:He was the third son of Richard Atkyns, and was born in 1587, apparently at Bensington in Oxfordshire...

. After her death in 1696, he married Penelope Mary Bridgeman, daughter of Sir Orlando Bridgeman, 1st Baronet

Sir Orlando Bridgeman, 1st Baronet, of Ridley

Sir Orlando Bridgeman, 1st Baronet FRS was an English baronet and politician.-Background:Bridgeman was the second son of Sir Orlando Bridgeman, 1st Baronet, by his second wife Dorothy, daughter of John Saunders. He was educated at Westminster College from 1662 and after two years went to Magdalene...

 in Chelsea, London

Chelsea, London

Chelsea is an area of West London, England, bounded to the south by the River Thames, where its frontage runs from Chelsea Bridge along the Chelsea Embankment, Cheyne Walk, Lots Road and Chelsea Harbour. Its eastern boundary was once defined by the River Westbourne, which is now in a pipe above...

 on 22 July 1700. She died only five years later and Newport married thirdly Anne Pierrepont, daughter of Robert Pierrepont on 8 July 1709.

He died childless and was buried in Wroxeter

Wroxeter

Wroxeter is a village in Shropshire, England. It forms part of the civil parish of Wroxeter and Uppington and is located in the Severn Valley about south-east of Shrewsbury.-History:...

. His barony became extinct.