Thomas Phipps facts for kids
Thomas Phipps (born around 1648, died 1715) was an English businessman who became a Member of Parliament for a short time. He represented two different areas: first Wilton and then Westbury.
Thomas Phipps's Early Life and Work
Thomas Phipps was the second son of Thomas Phipps, a well-known cloth maker from Westbury Leigh, Wiltshire. His family had been important in the cloth business since the 1500s. His mother was Eleanor, daughter of James Hayes from Beckington, Somerset.
Thomas Phipps decided to seek his fortune in London. He became involved in trading goods to far-off places like the East Indies, West Africa, and New England. This meant he bought and sold items across the world.
He also bought land and homes in Wiltshire, where his family was from. In 1693, he purchased Dilton manor, which was near Westbury. Around 1700, he bought Heywood House, another property nearby.
Thomas Phipps in Politics
In January 1701, Thomas Phipps was chosen to be a Member of Parliament (MP) for Wilton. An MP is a person elected to represent a group of people in the House of Commons, which is part of the UK's government. However, he did not try to get re-elected in November 1701.
In July 1702, he was elected as an MP again, this time for Westbury. But he quickly lost his seat after someone challenged the election results. After this, he was not very active in politics. Still, in 1712, he spoke to the House of Commons to support the Royal African Company, a trading company.
Family and Later Life
In 1674, Thomas Phipps married Bridget Short. Bridget's father, Peter Short, was a merchant tailor in London. Thomas and Bridget had several children.
Two of their sons became quite famous:
- James Phipps was a high-ranking official, called Captain-General, for the Royal African Company at Cape Coast Castle in Africa from 1719 to 1722.
- William Phipps became the Governor of Bombay (a city in India) from 1722 to 1729.
Towards the end of his life, Thomas Phipps faced some money problems. He passed away in 1715. His son, also named Thomas, inherited the Heywood estate, but it came with a large debt. Bridget, his wife, died in 1724.
