Thomas Edwards (MP) facts for kids

Thomas Edwards was an English lawyer and politician who lived from about 1673 to 1745. He was a Member of Parliament (MP) in the House of Commons, which is a very important part of the UK government, similar to a parliament. He served there from 1713 to 1735.

Early Life and Education

Thomas Edwards was born around 1673. His father, also named Thomas Edwards, was a lawyer in Bristol. This meant young Thomas grew up around the legal profession.

He went to Balliol College, Oxford, a famous university, in 1691 when he was 18 years old. After that, he joined the Middle Temple in 1693. This was one of the special places in London where people trained to become barristers, a type of lawyer who argues cases in court.

In 1698, he finished his legal training and became a barrister. This meant he was officially allowed to practice law.

Family and Home

Around 1703, Thomas Edwards married Mary Hayman. Her father, Sir William Hayman, was a successful merchant and even the mayor of Bristol. Mary Hayman was also related to a very wealthy man named Edward Colston, who was her uncle. Later, she became his main heir, meaning she inherited a lot of his money.

Around 1704, Thomas Edwards and his wife moved to a place called Broadwell Parish. They bought a large house there called Filkins Hall.

Political Career

Thomas Edwards became involved in politics and was elected as a Member of Parliament (MP). An MP is a person chosen by voters to represent them in the House of Commons.

Representing Bristol

In the 1713 general election, Thomas Edwards was elected as the MP for Bristol. This election was quite competitive. However, he was not re-elected in the next election in 1715.

Representing Wells

After his time representing Bristol, Edwards ran for election again. On 14 December 1719, he was elected as the MP for Wells in Somerset during a special by-election.

He was very popular in Wells. In the 1722 general election, he received the most votes there. He was elected again for Wells in 1727.

End of His Time in Parliament

Thomas Edwards was initially elected for Wells again in the 1734 general election. However, there were some problems with how the votes were counted. Because of these issues, he was removed from his seat in Parliament on 25 March 1735.

Later Life and Legacy

Thomas Edwards passed away around June 1743. He did not leave a will, which means he died "intestate." He had two daughters.

His daughters inherited a lot of money from Edward Colston through their mother, Mary Hayman. For example, when his younger daughter, Sophia, got married in 1731, it was said she was worth £20,000. This was a very large sum of money at the time!