Sir Thomas Barrington, 2nd Baronet

Sir Thomas Barrington, 2nd Baronet, 1585 to 18 September 1644, was an English politician and Puritan activist who sat in the House of Commons at various times between 1621 and 1644. In the early stages of the First English Civil War, he helped establish the Eastern Association, one of the most effective elements of the Parliamentarian army.

Sir Thomas Barrington JP
Barrington Hall, Hatfield Broad Oak, Essex
Member of Parliament for Colchester
In office November 1640 – September 1644
Member of Parliament for Essex
In office April 1640 – April 1640
Deputy Lord Lieutenant of Essex
In office 1629–1643
Member of Parliament for Newtown
In office January 1621 – March 1629
Personal details
Born	1585 Barrington Hall, Essex
Died	18 September 1644(1644-09-18) (aged 59) London
Resting place	St Mary the Virgin, Hatfield Broad Oak
Nationality	English
Spouse(s)	Frances Gobert (1611-1623) Judith Smith (born Lytton), (1624-his death)
Alma mater	Trinity College, Cambridge
Occupation	Landowner, politician and Puritan activist

Family

Thomas Barrington was born in 1585, eldest son of Sir Francis Barrington of Hatfield Broad Oak, Essex (1560-1628) and Joan Cromwell (c.1568-1641), aunt to the future Parliamentarian leaders Oliver Cromwell and John Hampden.^[1][2] One of nine surviving children, he had three brothers; Robert (?-1642), Francis (?-before 1628) ^[3] and John (?-1631), who died in the Netherlands during the Eighty Years War.^[4]

Of his five sisters, Elizabeth was married to Sir William Masham, and Mary to Sir Gilbert Gerard, Winifred to Sir William Meux.^[5] All three of his brothers-in-law were MPs, as were his father and brother Thomas, making the Barrington family part of a network of Puritan activists.^[6]

In 1611, he married Frances Gobert (died 1623); they had three surviving children, Lucy, John (1615-1683) and Gobert (before 1623-c.1695). He married again in 1624, this time to what he considered a good match with Judith Smith (born Lytton). They had no children but it was a happy marriage.^[7]

His new wife continued to manage her estate from her first marriage and she also took on the management of her second husband's estates even after he inherited further interests in Lincolnshire and the Isle of Wight in 1628. She had a steward but he followed her instructions as she considered herself "the manager of all things". Some say she was bossy. She mitigated the effects of rent on tenants who had financial problems and she demonstrated a good knowledge of trees and especially fruit trees.^[8]

The Long Parliament began in 1620 and her husband as a member would spend long periods in London. She corresponded with him keeping him abreast of local events and advising him on who might be a good assistant. He died in 1644 and his widow had several disputes with his son, John, long after his death.^[8]

Career

Barrington attended Trinity College, Cambridge in 1601. As legal training was then considered an essential part of education, he studied law at Gray's Inn in 1602. He was knighted in about 1621, and the same year was elected Member of Parliament (MP) for Newtown. He was re-elected for the constituency in 1624, 1625, 1626 and 1628 and sat until 1629 when King Charles decided to rule without parliament for eleven years.^[9] In 1628, he succeeded to the baronetcy on the death of his father. Barrington has been identified as part of the so-called "Middle Group" within Parliament, led by Pym until his death in December 1643, then by Oliver St John. Unlike the "War" or "Peace" factions, these MPs did not vote consistently, but they were prominent in persuading Parliament to approve the Solemn League and Covenant, an alliance with the Scots Covenanters.^[10]

References

1. Courthope 1835, p. 16.
2. Kelsey, Sean (23 September 2004). "Barrington [née Williams or Cromwell], Joan, Lady Barrington (c. 1558–1641), godly matriarch and patron of clergy". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. Vol. 1 (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/65888. ISBN 978-0-19-861412-8. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
3. Seale 1983, p. 205.
4. Seale 1983, p. 253.
5. Collins 1741, p. 71.
6. Kyle 2009.
7. Collins 1741, p. 72.
8. Bowden, Caroline M. K. (23 September 2004). "Barrington [née Lytton], Judith, Lady Barrington (d. 1657), gentlewoman". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. Vol. 1 (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/46469. ISBN 978-0-19-861412-8. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
9. Willis, Browne (1750). Notitia Parliamentaria, Part II: A Series or Lists of the Representatives in the several Parliaments held from the Reformation 1541, to the Restoration 1660 ... London. pp. 229–239.
10. Palmer 1982, pp. 23–25.

Sources

• Bowden, Caroline (2004). "Barrington [née Lytton], Judith, Lady Barrington". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/46469. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
• Collins, Arthur (1741). The English Baronetage: Containing a Genealogical and Historical Account of All the English Baronets, Volume I. Thomas Wotton.
• Courthope, William (1835). Synopsis of the Extinct Baronetage of England. G. Woodfall.
• Kyle, David (2009). "Barrington, Sir Thomas, second baronet (c. 1585–1644)". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/70626. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
• Moseley, Virginia; Sgroi, Rosemary (2010). BARRINGTON, Sir Thomas (c.1585-1644), of Barrington Hall, Hatfield Broad Oak, Essex in The History of Parliament: the House of Commons 1604-1629. CUP. Retrieved 21 February 2021.
• Palmer, William (1982). "Oliver St. John and the Middle Group in the Long Parliament, 1643-1645: A Reappraisal". Albion: A Quarterly Journal Concerned with British Studies. 14 (1): 20–26. doi:10.2307/4048483. JSTOR 4048483.
• Seale, Arthur (1983). Barrington family letters, 1628-1632. Royal Historical Society.

Parliament of England
Preceded by William Higford Sir Henry Berkeley	Member of Parliament for Newtown 1621–1629 With: Sir William Harington 1621–1622 George Garrard 1624–1625 Thomas Malet 1625–1626 Robert Barrington 1628–1629	Parliament suspended until 1640
Parliament suspended since 1629	Member of Parliament for Essex 1640 With: Sir Harbottle Grimston	Succeeded by Lord Rich Sir William Masham
Preceded by Sir Harbottle Grimston Sir William Masham, Bt	Member of Parliament for Colchester 1640–1644 With: Sir Harbottle Grimston	Succeeded by Sir Harbottle Grimston John Sayer
Baronetage of England
Preceded by Francis Barrington	Baronet (of Barrington Hall) 1628–1644	Succeeded by John Barrington