Thomas Burton (MP for Westmorland) facts for kids
Thomas Burton (died 1661) was an important English politician from a place called Brampton Hall in Westmorland. He was a Member of Parliament (MP) from 1656 to 1659. Today, he is mostly known because he kept a special diary about what happened in Parliament.
Contents
Thomas Burton's Life
Thomas Burton was a justice of the peace in Westmorland. This meant he was a local official who helped keep law and order in his area.
He was chosen to be a Member of Parliament for Westmorland on August 20, 1656. An MP is someone elected to represent people in the country's main law-making group, the Parliament.
On October 16, 1656, some people in Parliament thought he was not fully supporting the government at the time. He had to explain himself to Parliament, and they were happy with his answers.
Burton was chosen again to be an MP for Westmorland in a new Parliament. This Parliament was led by Richard Cromwell, who was the son of Oliver Cromwell. It started on January 27, 1659, but it was closed down on April 22, 1659.
After 1660, when the king returned to power in what is called the English Restoration, Thomas Burton did not serve in Parliament anymore. Even though he did not speak much in Parliament, it is believed he attended meetings regularly.
Burton's Important Diary
Thomas Burton is famous for writing a diary about what happened in Parliament between 1656 and 1659. For a while, people weren't sure if he was the real author of the diary. Some thought another person, Nathaniel Bacon, wrote it. But later research has confirmed that Thomas Burton was indeed the author.
This diary is a very important record of what happened in Parliament during those years. It was put together and published in four books in 1828 by John Towill Rutt.
What the Diary Contains
The diary records speeches exactly as they were said, using what is called direct speech. This means you read the exact words spoken by people in Parliament.
The diary starts suddenly on Wednesday, December 3, 1656. It continues without stopping until June 26, 1657. There is a second part that covers the time between January 20, 1658, and February 4, 1658. A third part covers January 27, 1659, to April 22, 1659.
How the Diary Was Found
The diary was first printed in 1828. It was put together from Thomas Burton's own notebooks. These notebooks were found by William Upcott, who was a librarian.
The original handwritten diaries are now kept safe in the British Library. There are six small books in total. They do not have Thomas Burton's name written on them, but experts have confirmed they are his. The person who published the diary in 1828 also added parts from another MP's diary, Guibon Goddard, which covered the Parliament of 1654.
