Thomas Fairfax, 5th Lord Fairfax of Cameron

For other people with the same name, see Thomas Fairfax (disambiguation).

Thomas Fairfax, 5th Lord Fairfax of Cameron (16 April 1657 – 6 January 1710) was an English military officer, politician and peer.

The Right Honourable The Lord Fairfax of Cameron MP
Thomas Fairfax, 1684 portrait by John Riley
Born	16 April 1657
Died	6 January 1710
Nationality	English
Title	5th Lord Fairfax of Cameron
Predecessor	Henry Fairfax, 4th Lord Fairfax of Cameron
Successor	Thomas Fairfax, 6th Lord Fairfax of Cameron
Spouse	Catherine Colepepper
Children	7, including Thomas Fairfax, 6th Lord Fairfax of Cameron and Robert Fairfax, 7th Lord Fairfax of Cameron
Parent(s)	Henry Fairfax, 4th Lord Fairfax of Cameron Frances Barwick

Early life

Fairfax was born on April 16, 1657, the great-grandson of Thomas Fairfax, 1st Lord Fairfax of Cameron of the Scottish peerage. His father was Henry Fairfax, 4th Lord Fairfax of Cameron and his mother was Frances Barwick.

Career

Fairfax graduated from Magdalen College, Oxford in 1675 and served in the Yorkshire Militia under the Earl of Danby. After the Glorious Revolution in 1688, he was appointed Lt-Colonel of Lord Castleton's Regiment of Foot, a new regiment raised to fight in the Nine Years' War. In 1694, William III made him Colonel of a Regiment of Foot and he was promoted to Brigadier in 1696, shortly before the Treaty of Ryswick ended the war in 1697.^[1] He left military service in 1703 as a Major-General.

In 1690 and 1695, he was a Member of Parliament generally supporting the Tory interest, although the modern concept of political parties did not yet apply.^[2] He was able to sit in the English Parliament because his title was part of the Scottish peerage; after the 1707 Act of Union, Scottish peers were disqualified and he was required to give up his seat.^[3]

In 1704, Fairfax obtained a three-year licence from Queen Anne to search for wrecks and treasure in the West Indies but the venture was a financial failure.^[4] He died on 6 January 1710.

Family

In 1685, Fairfax married Catherine Colepepper, daughter of Thomas Colepeper, 2nd Baron Colepeper, and they had seven children: Thomas Fairfax, 6th Lord Fairfax of Cameron, Henry Colpepper Fairfax, Katherine Fairfax, Margaret Fairfax, Frances Fairfax, Mary Fairfax, Robert Fairfax.^[5]

References

1. Cannon, Richard (1838). Historical Record of the Fifth Regiment of Foot, Or Northumberland Fusiliers. p. 110.
2. David Hayton, Eveline Cruickshanks, Stuart Handley, The House of Commons, 1690-1715, p. 1013
3. historyofparliamentonline.org, Fairfax, Thomas, 5th Ld. Fairfax of Cameron (S) (1657-1710), of Denton and Cookbridge Hall, Yorks.
4. Jr Brown, PhD; Stuart E. Brown Jr. (2008). Virginia Baron: The Story of Thomas 6th Lord Fairfax. Genealogical Publishing Com. pp. 8–9. ISBN 978-0-8063-5218-3.
5. Harrison Genealogy Repository, Thomas FAIRFAX, 5TH LORD Of Cameron

Parliament of England
Preceded by William Palmes Sir Watkinson Payler	Member of Parliament for Malton 1685–1689 With: Thomas Worsley	Succeeded by William Palmes Sir William Strickland
Preceded by The Viscount Dungarvan Sir John Kaye	Member of Parliament for Yorkshire 1689–1702 With: Sir John Kaye 1689–1698, 1701 The Viscount Downe 1698–1701 The Viscount of Irvine 1701–1702	Succeeded by Marquess of Hartington Sir John Kaye
Preceded by Marquess of Hartington Sir John Kaye	Member of Parliament for Yorkshire 1707 With: Marquess of Hartington	Succeeded by Parliament of Great Britain
Military offices
Preceded by Richard Leveson	Colonel of Lord Fairfax's Regiment of Dragoons 1694–1695	Succeeded by William Lloyd
Peerage of Scotland
Preceded by Henry Fairfax	Lord Fairfax of Cameron 1688–1710	Succeeded by Thomas Fairfax