Thomas Parker, 1st Earl of Macclesfield

The Right Honourable The Earl of Macclesfield PC, FRS
Portrait after Sir Godfrey Kneller (1712).
Lord Chancellor
In office 1718–1725
Monarch	George I
Preceded by	The Lord Cowper
Succeeded by	In commission
Personal details
Born	23 July 1666(1666-07-23) Staffordshire, England
Died	28 April 1732(1732-04-28) (aged 65)
Occupation	Politician

Thomas Parker, 1st Earl of Macclesfield PC, FRS (23 July 1666 – 28 April 1732) was an English Whig politician.

Youth and early career

He was born in Staffordshire, the son of Thomas Parker, an attorney at Leek. He was educated at Adams' Grammar School and Trinity College, Cambridge. He was married to Janet Carrier, whose sister was married to William Anson, George Anson, 1st Baron Anson's father . He was called to the bar in 1691, and became a Member of Parliament and was knighted in 1705. In 1710 he refused the office of Lord Chancellor, but was made a Privy Councillor. He was Lord Chief Justice from 1710 to 1718 and was involved in the prosecution of Dr Sacheverell. He made a vehement attack on Sacheverell and the high church clergy. He was also a friend of Bernard de Mandeville, whose satirical Fable of the Bees became highly controversial in the 1720s.

He became a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1713. He also had a grammar school built at Leek, his home town. In 1714 he was raised to the peerage as Baron Parker of Macclesfield.

Regent of Great Britain

The Earl of Macclesfield, by Sir Godfrey Kneller.

On 1 August 1714, Queen Anne died, and her designated successor, the Elector of Hanover was off in his German domain, so Baron Parker was designated Regent of Great Britain, Ireland and the realms beyond the seas until the new King could be informed of the situation and take the crown. He governed until 18 September. In 1718, because the King could not speak English, Parker gave the King's Speech in the House of Lords.

Lord Chancellor

In 1718 he became Lord Chancellor and given a pension for life, and was a favourite of the King. In 1721 he was advanced to the title Earl of Macclesfield with the additional subsidiary title of Viscount Parker. In 1724 he was implicated in financial irregularities, however he did not resign as Lord Chancellor until 1725.

Impeachment

In 1725 he was impeached and tried in the House of Lords.[2] He was unanimously found guilty of corruption for taking more than one hundred thousand pounds in bribes (more than eleven million in today's currency). He was fined £30,000 and placed in the Tower of London until payment was received. He was also struck off the roll of the Privy Council. He was a fabulously wealthy man possibly due to his corruption, but as this money was confiscated he had no resources with which to pay his fine. He spent most of the rest of his life at Shirburn Castle, where he was buried.

He was however still able to be a pallbearer at the funeral of Sir Isaac Newton in 1727, and died in Soho Square, London.

External links

• Manuscript reference
• 'everything' on-line reference
• document relating to his impeachment.
• How Much Is That Worth Today?

Parliament of England
Preceded by John Harpur Thomas Stanhope	Member of Parliament for Derby 1705–1707 With: Lord James Cavendish	Succeeded by Parliament of Great Britain
Parliament of Great Britain
Preceded by Parliament of England	Member of Parliament for Derby 1707–1710 With: Lord James Cavendish	Succeeded by Lord James Cavendish Richard Pye
Legal offices
Preceded by Sir John Holt	Lord Chief Justice of the King's Bench 1710–1718	Succeeded by Sir John Pratt
Political offices
Preceded by The Lord Cowper	Lord Chancellor 1718–1725	In commission Title next held by The Lord King
Honorary titles
Preceded by The Earl of Northampton	Custos Rotulorum of Warwickshire 1719–1728	Succeeded by The Duke of Montagu
Peerage of Great Britain
New creation	Earl of Macclesfield 1721–1732	Succeeded by George Parker
New creation	Baron Parker 1714–1732