Sir Thomas Littleton, 2nd Baronet

For other people named Thomas Littleton, see Thomas Littleton (disambiguation).

Sir Thomas Littleton, 2nd Baronet (c. 1621 – 14 April 1681) was an English politician from the extended Littleton/Lyttelton family who sat in the House of Commons variously between 1640 and 1681.

Littleton was the son of Sir Adam Littleton, 1st Baronet of Stoke St. Milborough, Shropshire and his wife Audrey Poyntz daughter of Thomas Poyntz.[1] He studied at Jesus College, Oxford, but did not graduate.

Littleton was elected Member of Parliament for the borough of Wenlock in April 1640 for the Short Parliament and was re-elected for the borough in November 1640 for the Long Parliament. As a Royalist, he was disabled from sitting in 1644.[2] He inherited the baronetcy on the death of his father in 1647. In 1652 he sold the Stoke St. Milborough estate to Henry Bernard.[3]

After the Restoration, Littleton sat for Wenlock again in the Cavalier Parliament from 1661 to 1679.[4] He was subsequently elected MP for East Grinstead in 1679[5] and MP for Yarmouth (Isle of Wight) in 1681, a month before he died.[6]

In October 1637, Littleton married his cousin Anne, daughter of Edward Littleton, 1st Baron Lyttleton of Mounslow. Their son and heir, Sir Thomas Littleton, 3rd Baronet, became Speaker of the House of Commons.[1]

References

  1. ^ a b William Betham, William Betham The Baronetage of England Vol. 1
  2. ^ Browne Willis Notitia parliamentaria, or, An history of the counties, cities, and boroughs in England and Wales: ... The whole extracted from mss. and printed evidences 1750
  3. ^ Stoke St. Milborough, A History of the County of Shropshire: Volume 10: Munslow Hundred (part), The Liberty and Borough of Wenlock (1998), pp. 380–393. Date accessed: 20 October 2010
  4. ^ Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "W" (part 2)
  5. ^ Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "E" (part 1)
  6. ^ Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "Y"
Parliament of England
Vacant Member of Parliament for Wenlock
1640–1644
With: Richard Cresset 1640
William Pierpoint 1640–1644 		Succeeded by
William Pierpoint
Humphrey Bridges
Preceded by Member of Parliament for Wenlock
1661–1679
With: George Weld 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Member of Parliament for East Grinstead
1679
With: Thomas Pelham 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Member of Parliament for Yarmouth
1681
With: Lemuel Kingdon 		Succeeded by
Baronetage of England
Preceded by
Adam Littleton
 Baronet
(of Stoke Milburgh, Salop)
1647–1681 		Succeeded by