Sir Thomas Whorwood (1544 – 2 November 1616) was a
election fraud
.
Background
The family's surname had originally been Horewood, but by this time normally spelt Whorwood, taking their name from a small manor in Horewood, later known as Compton Hallows in Kinver, but in 1387 as Haulowe, probably from its late 14th century owners or overlords. Whorwood was the first son of Edward Whorwood of Compton Hallows and of Dorothy Bassett, daughter of Thomas Bassett of Hints. He was the great nephew of the great lawyer Sir William Whorwood, half of whose property he inherited.
Landowner
Whorwood ultimately had several properties in
recusant Thomas Throckmorton of
Coughton, Warwickshire. Throckmorton's estates were frequently
sequestrated because of his religious principles. In 1578 he and Whorwood partitioned William's inheritance. By this means Thomas Whorwood acquired the manors of Stourton and Kinver,
Broome,
Dunsley (in Kinver) and
Tyrley on the Staffordshire-Shropshire border, but several of these were subject to the dower of William's widow Margaret Sheldon until her death in 1589.
[3][4]Thus Whorwood became considerably richer when his inheritance from his great uncle came into possession in 1590. At that point he moved to
Stourton Castle
, where he built a new family home.
Political career
Whorwood was elected one of the two
.
Now that he was better-known, and especially as he began to come into property, Whorwood was appointed to public offices. About 1573 he was made a
commission of the peace in 1580
[2] and for some years his public career was in eclipse.
About 1590, Whorwood's daughter Elizabeth married
John Sutton or Dudley, brother of
Edward Sutton, 5th Baron Dudley.
[7] Apparently this was a runaway marriage. Sutton was the son and brother of peers, but the family was generally in debt. He was supposed, under the terms of his father's will, to receive an annuity of £300, but his brother was unable to pay it. As a result, he was forced to live with the Whorwoods at Compton Hallows. A connection with the
nobility, however impoverished, was still a social advantage to the Whorwood. At about the same time as the marriage the death of Ambrose Dudley, a very distant kinsman of his son-in-law soon after that of William Whorwood's widow, brought Thomas into his greatest inheritance. In all his years in the shade, he was never actually accused of any disloyalty to the Crown or the
Church of England. During the 1590s, his prestige began to rise again. From 1596 he was back on the commission of the peace for Staffordshire, and in the same year he was pricked Sheriff again.
However, Whorwood was now drawn into the Dudley family's violent and unscrupulous dealings, to his own detriment. The Dudleys had long been at odds with the
Privy Council then intervened and in August 1597 confined Dudley in the
Fleet Prison until he promised to contribute to their upkeep. On his release, he not only fell rapidly into arrears, but immediately embarked on a course of further confrontation with the Lytteltons. Part of Dudley's revenge was to intervene in the 1597 parliamentary elections. By supporting the candidature of his brother John in
Staffordshire, Dudley could hope to repair some of the fractures in his own family, opening up a fresh route to profit for his impecunious brother, while damaging the interests of his enemies, as
Sir Edward Littleton of
Pillaton Hall, a kinsman of Gilbert, had already entered the contest. Dudley was counting on the help of Whorwood, as Sheriff and therefore
returning officer in the election.
The Dudley campaign was directed specifically against Littleton,recusants from the county gaol and allowed them and their wives to vote. He certainly permitted Edward Lord Dudley, a
peer to add his voice to his brother's vote. When the
voice vote went against Dudley, with Littleton and Sir
Christopher Blount, another Essex ally, well ahead of John Sutton, Whorwood marched the Dudley supporters around the town centre, shouting, "A Dudley!" To make sure of his victory, Littleton demanded that Whorwood conduct a poll. This he began, but stopped when Dudley assured him he would protect him from the consequences. He then went off to dine. He had already furnished an electoral indenture, complete with seals and the names of witnesses, but with the names of the successful candidates left blank. These were then filled in as Sutton and Blount, in
order of precedence
Littleton immediately appealed to the Star Chamber, proceeding against both the Suttons and Whorwood. It seems that he later allowed the complaints against the brothers to lapse, while pursuing Whorwood, who had behaved "in very indecent and outrageous manner". Lettice Knollys, the Countess of Leicester, who was Blount's wife and the mother of Essex, wrote to Essex, complaining of the indignity of her husband being ranked lower in precedence than Sutton, and wishing that the Sheriff should be made to pay for his behaviour. The letter seems to have won Lord Dudley another Privy Council appearance. The outcome of the Star Chamber proceedings is not known: it is unlikely Whorwood escaped punishment. He never again occupied major office. Nevertheless, he was knighted in 1603.
Sir Thomas Whorwood died on 2 November 1616. He was succeeded in his estates by his son, Gerard.
Marriage and family
Thomas Whorwood married Magdalene Edwards, daughter of Rowland Edwards of London, no later than 1563.[2] They had at least one daughter and one son:
- Elizabeth Whorwood, who married
John Dudley or Sutton
, Baron Dudley's brother.
- Gerard Whorwood (1565–1627), the heir to the estates.[9]
References
- ^ Victoria County History, Staffordshire, XX, 133.
- ^ a b c d History of Parliament Online: 1558–1603 Members – WHORWOOD, Thomas (Author: Author: W.J.J.)
- ^ Victoria County History, Staffordshire, XX, 132.
- ^ Deed of partition: Herefordshire Record Office, E12/S, Whorwood inheritance.
- ^ a b c History of Parliament Online: 1558–1603 Constituencies – Staffordshire
- ^ History of Parliament Online: 1558–1603 Members – FLEETWOOD, John (Author: Author: W.J.J.)
- ^ History of Parliament Online: 1558–1603 Members – DUDLEY, alias SUTTON, John (Author: Author: J.E.M.)
- ^ History of Parliament Online: 1558–1603 Members – DUDLEY, alias SUTTON, Edward (Author: J.E.M.)
- ^ Person page 40338 at thepeerage.com, retrieved 27/04/2012.
