Thomas FitzMaurice

Thomas Fitzmaurice (July 1742 – 28 October 1793) was a British politician who served as a Member of Parliament (MP) for Calne from 1762 to 1774 and subsequently for Chipping Wycombe until 1780.

Early Life and Family:

He was born in July 1742, the younger son of John Petty, 1st Earl of Shelburne. His paternal grandfather was Thomas Fitzmaurice, 1st Earl of Kerry. His mother was Anne Petty, daughter of Sir William Petty. In 1751, his father changed his surname from Petty to Fitzmaurice upon inheriting the estates of his uncle, Henry Petty, 1st Earl of Shelburne. The same year, he was granted the title of Viscount Fitzmaurice, and in 1753, he was elevated to Earl of Shelburne. Thomas's elder brother was William Fitzmaurice, who later became the 2nd Earl of Shelburne and served as Prime Minister of Great Britain in 1782. William was initially an MP, then succeeded to the family titles upon their father's death in 1761. William adopted the surname Petty, whereas Thomas retained the Fitzmaurice name.

Thomas Fitzmaurice attended Eton College. Between 1759 and 1761, he studied at Glasgow University, where he boarded with the philosopher and economist Adam Smith.

Career:

He was called to the Middle Temple as a barrister. In 1777, Fitzmaurice married Mary O'Brien (1755–1831), who became the suo jure 4th Countess of Orkney in 1791. Their son, John Fitzmaurice, Viscount Kirkwall, was born in 1778 but predeceased his mother. John was the father of Thomas John Hamilton Fitzmaurice, who became the 5th Earl of Orkney.

Thomas Fitzmaurice followed his brother William in parliamentary affairs. William, before becoming Prime Minister, served briefly as MP for Chipping Wycombe in 1760–61. When William was elevated to the House of Lords, he arranged for Thomas to replace Isaac Barré as MP for Calne in December 1762. In 1763, Fitzmaurice was also elected to the Irish House of Commons representing County Kerry, but he primarily resided in England. He served as the MP for Calne unopposed until 1774, when he transferred to Chipping Wycombe, another borough under his brother's influence, exchanging seats with Barré.

Fitzmaurice ceased to be an MP in 1780, and Charles Stanhope succeeded him in Chipping Wycombe. In 1776, he purchased Lleweni Hall estate in Denbighshire from Sir Robert Cotton for £110,000. There, he established a large Palladian-style linen bleaching factory, approximately 400 feet long, which processed linen from his Irish estates.

He served as High Sheriff of Denbighshire (1781–82) and High Sheriff of Flintshire (1783). In 1783, Fitzmaurice initiated a private prosecution against William Davies Shipley, Dean of St Asaph, for seditious libel, stemming from the dean's publication of a leaflet advocating political reform. This legal action led to the notable case involving the Dean of St Asaph.

Later Life:

In 1791, his wife succeeded to the title of Countess of Orkney, after which they moved to Cliveden. Thomas Fitzmaurice died in Hampshire on 28 October 1793.

References and External Sources:

- History of Parliament Online

- Clwyd Archaeological Trust

- "The House of Commons 1784–1790" by L. Namier and J. Brooke, Boydell & Brewer, 1964

- The Peerage database