Thomas Coke (MP for Leicester)
Encyclopedia
Thomas Coke was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons
from 1640 to 1645. He supported the Royalist side in the English Civil War
.
Coke was the younger son of Sir John Coke
of Melbourne and his wife Mary Powell, daughter of John Powell of Presteign Herefordshire. His father was MP for Warwick in 1621. Coke attended Gray's Inn
.
In April 1640, Coke was elected Member of Parliament
for Leicester
in the Short Parliament
. He was re-elected MP for Leicester in November 1640 for the Long Parliament
. Coke supported King Charles and sat in the King's parliament at Oxford. As a result he was disabled from sitting at Westminster in 1644 and fined £500 as a delinquent royalist. Coke was arrested as a conspiritor in 1651 and imprisoned. He saved his life by voluminous confession of his activities and associates. Coke purchased the manor of Melton Mowbray.
Coke died at Tottenham High Cross and was buried at Melbourne on 23 August 1656.
Coke married Mary Pope, daughter of Richard Pope of Woolstaston, Shropshire. Their son John Coke
was MP for Derby.
House of Commons of England
The House of Commons of England was the lower house of the Parliament of England from its development in the 14th century to the union of England and Scotland in 1707, when it was replaced by the House of Commons of Great Britain...
from 1640 to 1645. He supported the Royalist side in the English Civil War
English Civil War
The English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists...
.
Coke was the younger son of Sir John Coke
John Coke
Sir John Coke was an English politician.Coke, the son of Richard and Mary Coke of Trusley, Derbyshire, was educated at Trinity College, Cambridge...
of Melbourne and his wife Mary Powell, daughter of John Powell of Presteign Herefordshire. His father was MP for Warwick in 1621. Coke attended Gray's Inn
Gray's Inn
The Honourable Society of Gray's Inn, commonly known as Gray's Inn, is one of the four Inns of Court in London. To be called to the Bar and practise as a barrister in England and Wales, an individual must belong to one of these Inns...
.
In April 1640, Coke was elected Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
for Leicester
Leicester (UK Parliament constituency)
Leicester was a parliamentary borough in Leicestershire, which elected two Members of Parliament to the House of Commons from 1295 until 1918, when it was split into three single-member divisions.-History:...
in the Short Parliament
Short Parliament
The Short Parliament was a Parliament of England that sat from 13 April to 5 May 1640 during the reign of King Charles I of England, so called because it lasted only three weeks....
. He was re-elected MP for Leicester in November 1640 for the Long Parliament
Long Parliament
The Long Parliament was made on 3 November 1640, following the Bishops' Wars. It received its name from the fact that through an Act of Parliament, it could only be dissolved with the agreement of the members, and those members did not agree to its dissolution until after the English Civil War and...
. Coke supported King Charles and sat in the King's parliament at Oxford. As a result he was disabled from sitting at Westminster in 1644 and fined £500 as a delinquent royalist. Coke was arrested as a conspiritor in 1651 and imprisoned. He saved his life by voluminous confession of his activities and associates. Coke purchased the manor of Melton Mowbray.
Coke died at Tottenham High Cross and was buried at Melbourne on 23 August 1656.
Coke married Mary Pope, daughter of Richard Pope of Woolstaston, Shropshire. Their son John Coke
John Coke (MP)
John Coke was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons in between 1685 and 1689.Coke was the son of Thomas Coke of Melbourne, and his wife Mary Pope, daughter of Richard Pope of Woolstaston, Shropshire. He entered Christ Church, Oxford and Gray's Inn in 1669...
was MP for Derby.