Thomas Fane (bef. 1701 - bef. 1771)

Born before 8 Mar 1701 in Bristol, England

Ancestors

Husband of Elizabeth (Swymmer) Fane — married 8 Aug 1727 in Westbury-on-Trym, Gloucestershire, England

Descendants

Died before 25 Nov 1771 at about age 70 in Bath, Somerset, England [uncertain]

Biography

Thomas Fane is Notable.

Thomas Fane was a member of the aristocracy in England.

Baptised on 8 March 1700/1 Thomas Fane was the son of Henry Fane of Bristol and his wife, Anne Scrope ^[1]. ^[2].

The family name Fane is according to one source of Anglo-Saxon, rather than Norman, origin. One of his mother's ancestors was Adrian Scrope, one of the "Regicides", the signatories of King Charles I's death sentence.

On August 8, 1727 He married Elizabeth Swymmer at Westbury-on-Trym in Gloucestershire ^[3]. She was the daughter of Bristol merchant William Swymmer^[2] and his wife, Mary Lane. Unconfirmed sources mention that William Swymmer was involved in the slave trade.^[4]. Elizabeth was the widow of clerk in chancery, Samuel Kentish. She bore Thomas 2 sons and 2 daughters.^[2]

In 1752 his uncle John Scrope died aged 90 without leaving an heir. His estate passed through Thomas's deceased mother Ann (Scrope) Fane to Thomas. As well as substantial estates, this gave him the control of the two parliamentiary seats at Lyme Regis in Dorset, England. Thomas took one of these Parliamentary seats in 1753 and various different members of the Fane family occupied both of these seats for the Tory party until the electoral system was reformed in 1832. ^[5].

In 1761 Thomas was painted by Sir Joshua Reynolds in a full length portrait. Thomas Fane

In 1762 Thomas's father's second cousin John Fane, 7th Earl of Westmorland died at his home Mereworth in Kent without heirs, and Thomas succeeded to the title as the 8th Earl of Westmorland ^[6]. As a result of joining the House of Lords, he ceased to be a member of the House of Commons.

Thomas died on 25 November 1771.^[2]

RESEARCH NOTE

Most sources mention an older brother of Thomas, Francis Fane (1699-1755). It is noteworthy that John Scrope left his fortune to Thomas despite the fact that Francis, his older brother was still alive. This needs further investigation, ideally to unearth John Scrope's will. Kennedy-14080 10:27, 30 May 2020 (UTC)

Sources

1. ↑ Christening from England Births and Christenings 1535-1785 Transcript: Name: Thomas Vane Gender: Male Birth Date: 8 Mar 1700 Baptism Place: All Saints, Bristol, Gloucester, England Father: Henry Vane FHL Film Number: 1596357 Reference ID:item 5.
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3} History of Parliament online Thomas Fane
3. ↑ England Marriages 1538-1973 Transcript: Marriage of Thomas Fane and Elizabeth Kentish, 1727, Westbury on Trym, Gloucestershire. (www.findmypast.co.uk : accessed 24 May 2020)
4. ↑ Wikipedia - accessed 25 May 2020.
5. ↑ Wikipedia - accessed 25 May 2020.
6. ↑ The Scots Magazine 6 September 1762 Transcript: At his seat at Mereworth in Kent aged upwards of 80, John Fane, Earl of Westmoreland. His lordship dying without issue, the title descends to Thomas Fane Esq. member for Lyme

Acknowledgements

• This profile has been improved by a member of the England Project's Orphan Trail