Thomas Parker, 1st Earl of Macclesfield
The Earl of Macclesfield | |
---|---|
![]() 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 | Staffordshire, England | 23 July 1666
Died | 28 April 1732 | (aged 65)
Occupation | Politician |
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/45/Arms_of_Parker.svg/200px-Arms_of_Parker.svg.png)
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.[2] He was married to Janet Carrier, whose sister was married to William 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 Counsellor. 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.[3] 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 and Ireland
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d7/1stEarlOfMacclesfield.jpg/220px-1stEarlOfMacclesfield.jpg)
On 1 August 1714, Queen Anne died, and her successor, King George I, was in Hanover, so Baron Parker was designated Regent of Great Britain, Ireland and the realms beyond the seas until the new monarch could be informed of the situation and take the crown. He governed until 18 September 1714.
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, but he did not resign as Lord Chancellor until 1725.
Impeachment
In 1725, he was impeached and tried in the House of Lords.[3] He was, unanimously, convicted of corruption for taking more than £100,000 in bribes (the equivalent of more than £11,000,000 today). 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 because of his corruption, but as this money was confiscated, he had no resources 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. He died in Soho Square, London.
References
External links
- Manuscript reference
- 'everything' on-line reference
- document relating to his impeachment.
- How Much Is That Worth Today?
- Use dmy dates from January 2012
- 1666 births
- 1732 deaths
- Alumni of Trinity College, Cambridge
- British MPs 1707–08
- British MPs 1708–10
- Earls in the Peerage of Great Britain
- Fellows of the Royal Society
- Lord Chancellors of Great Britain
- Lord Chief Justices of England and Wales
- Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for constituencies in Derbyshire
- English MPs 1705–1707
- Members of the Privy Council of Great Britain
- People from Leek, Staffordshire
- Political corruption
- People educated at Adams' Grammar School
- Regents
- Parker family
- Members of the Parliament of England (pre-1707) for constituencies in Derbyshire