Thomas Whorwood facts for kids

Sir Thomas Whorwood (1544 – 1616) was an important person from Staffordshire, England. He owned a lot of land and was a Member of the English Parliament. He also served as the High Sheriff of Staffordshire, a key local official. Sir Thomas became well-known for being involved in election fraud, which means he cheated during an election.

Early Life and Family History

Thomas Whorwood's family name was originally Horewood. They got their name from a small area called Horewood, which is now known as Compton Hallows in Kinver. Thomas was the first son of Edward Whorwood and Dorothy Bassett. He was also the great-nephew of a famous lawyer named Sir William Whorwood. Thomas inherited a large part of Sir William's property, which made him quite wealthy.

Becoming a Landowner

Thomas Whorwood eventually owned many properties in different parts of England, including Shropshire, Staffordshire, and Worcestershire. He also had his family's original estate.

Some of his properties came from his great-uncle, Sir William Whorwood. Sir William's older daughter, Anne Whorwood, died in 1552. Her husband, Ambrose Dudley, used her estates during his lifetime. When he died in 1590, these lands went to Thomas Whorwood.

In 1578, Thomas Whorwood and Sir William's other daughter, Margaret, divided Sir William's inheritance. Through this, Thomas Whorwood gained control of important areas like Stourton and Kinver, along with other places such as Broome and Dunsley.

When he fully received his inheritance in 1590, Thomas Whorwood became much richer. He then moved to Stourton Castle and built a new family home there.

Political Life

In 1572, Thomas Whorwood was chosen to be one of the two representatives for Staffordshire in Parliament. His job was to speak for the people of Staffordshire. His only known speech in Parliament was on January 25, 1572. He spoke about keeping the law courts, called assizes, in Stafford.

As he became more well-known and gained more property, Thomas Whorwood was given public jobs. Around 1573, he became a justice of the peace for Staffordshire. This meant he helped keep law and order. In 1574, he was chosen to be the High Sheriff of Staffordshire. This was an honorable job, but it was also a lot of work and could be expensive.

However, Thomas Whorwood was known for having very traditional religious views. People thought he might be a supporter of the Catholic faith, which was not allowed by the government at that time. He had close family members who were Catholic. Because of these connections, he lost his job as a justice of the peace in 1580. For several years, he was not involved in public life.

Around 1590, Thomas Whorwood's daughter, Elizabeth, married John Sutton or Dudley. John was the brother of a nobleman, Edward Sutton, 5th Baron Dudley. Even though the Dudley family was often in debt, being connected to them was a social advantage for the Whorwoods.

In the 1590s, Thomas Whorwood's standing began to improve. From 1596, he was back as a justice of the peace for Staffordshire. In the same year, he was chosen to be Sheriff again.

The Election Fraud of 1597

Thomas Whorwood became involved in the problems of the Dudley family. The Dudleys had a long-standing disagreement with another powerful family, the Lytteltons. Lord Dudley and Gilbert Lyttelton were fighting over who owned a farm called Prestwood, which was near Whorwood's Stourton Castle.

This disagreement became very heated. Lord Dudley was even fined by a special court called the Star Chamber. The government's Privy Council also got involved.

Lord Dudley decided to get revenge by interfering in the 1597 parliamentary elections. He wanted his brother, John Sutton, to be elected for Staffordshire. This would help his family and hurt his enemies, especially Sir Edward Littleton, who was related to Gilbert Lyttelton and was also running for election. Lord Dudley relied on Thomas Whorwood for help, because Whorwood was the Sheriff and in charge of the election.

On election day, October 6, 1597, Thomas Whorwood was supposed to be neutral. However, he gathered Lord Dudley's supporters in the market square in Stafford. People later claimed that Whorwood used his power as Sheriff to let Catholic people who were in jail come out and vote. He also allowed Lord Dudley, who was a nobleman, to vote for his brother.

When the votes were counted by shouting, John Sutton was losing. Sir Edward Littleton and another candidate, Sir Christopher Blount, were winning. To try and change this, Whorwood marched Dudley's supporters around the town, shouting, "A Dudley!"

Littleton then asked Whorwood to do a more formal count, called a poll. Whorwood started the poll but stopped when Lord Dudley promised to protect him from any trouble. Whorwood had already prepared a document for the election results, but he left the names of the winners blank. He then filled in the names as Sutton and Blount, putting Sutton first. This meant Littleton was unfairly left out of the election.

Littleton immediately complained to the Star Chamber court about the Sutton brothers and Whorwood. It seems Littleton later focused his complaint only on Whorwood, saying he had behaved "in a very indecent and outrageous manner." The outcome of the court case is not fully known, but it is likely Whorwood was punished. He never held a major public office again after this incident. However, he was made a knight in 1603.

Sir Thomas Whorwood died on November 2, 1616. His son, Gerard, inherited his estates.

Family Life

Thomas Whorwood married Magdalene Edwards, who was from London, by 1563. They had at least one daughter and one son:

• Elizabeth Whorwood, who married John Dudley or Sutton, the brother of Baron Dudley.
• Gerard Whorwood (1565–1627), who inherited his father's properties.