Thomas Dacres
Encyclopedia
Sir Thomas Dacres was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons
variously between 1626 and 1660. He supported the Parliamentary cause in the English Civil War
.
Dacres was the son of Sir Thomas Dacres of Cheshunt, Hertfordshire and his wife Dorothy Piggott, daughter of Thomas Pigott of Dodershall, Buckinghamshire. He matriculated from St John's College, Cambridge
at Easter 1603. In 1614 he was High Sheriff of Hertfordshire
. He was knighted on 22 February 1617.
In 1626, Dacres was elected Member of Parliament
for Hertfordshire
. He was re-elected MP for Hertfordshire in 1628 and sat until 1629 when King Charles decided to rule without parlament for eleven years. In 1641 he was re-elected MP for Hertfordshire in the Long Parliament
and sat until 1648 when he was excluded under Pride's Purge
. During the civil war he served on various parliamentary commissions.
In 1660, Dacres was elected Member of Parliament
for Higham Ferrers
in the Convention Parliament. His main interest in parliament was to recover a loan of £250 made in 1642 for suppression of the Irish rebellion. He never received the money and suffered losses in the Great Fire of London
.
Dacres died at the age of 81 and was buried at Cheshunt on 26 December 1668.
Dacres married Martha Elmes, daughter of Thomas Elmes of Lilford Northamptonshire. His son Thomas was also an MP.
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...
variously between 1626 and 1660. He supported the Parliamentary cause 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...
.
Dacres was the son of Sir Thomas Dacres of Cheshunt, Hertfordshire and his wife Dorothy Piggott, daughter of Thomas Pigott of Dodershall, Buckinghamshire. He matriculated from St John's College, Cambridge
St John's College, Cambridge
St John's College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. The college's alumni include nine Nobel Prize winners, six Prime Ministers, three archbishops, at least two princes, and three Saints....
at Easter 1603. In 1614 he was High Sheriff of Hertfordshire
High Sheriff of Hertfordshire
The High Sheriff of Hertfordshire was an ancient High Sheriff title originating in the time of the Angles, not long after the invasion of the Kingdom of England, which was in existence for around a thousand years...
. He was knighted on 22 February 1617.
In 1626, Dacres 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 Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire (UK Parliament constituency)
Hertfordshire was a county constituency covering the county of Hertfordshire in England. It returned two Knights of the Shire to the House of Commons of England until 1707, then to the House of Commons of Great Britain until 1800, and to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom...
. He was re-elected MP for Hertfordshire in 1628 and sat until 1629 when King Charles decided to rule without parlament for eleven years. In 1641 he was re-elected MP for Hertfordshire in 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...
and sat until 1648 when he was excluded under Pride's Purge
Pride's Purge
Pride’s Purge is an event in December 1648, during the Second English Civil War, when troops under the command of Colonel Thomas Pride forcibly removed from the Long Parliament all those who were not supporters of the Grandees in the New Model Army and the Independents...
. During the civil war he served on various parliamentary commissions.
In 1660, Dacres 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 Higham Ferrers
Higham Ferrers (UK Parliament constituency)
Higham Ferrers was a parliamentary borough in Northamptonshire, which was represented in the House of Commons from 1558 until 1832, when it was abolished by the Great Reform Act...
in the Convention Parliament. His main interest in parliament was to recover a loan of £250 made in 1642 for suppression of the Irish rebellion. He never received the money and suffered losses in the Great Fire of London
Great Fire of London
The Great Fire of London was a major conflagration that swept through the central parts of the English city of London, from Sunday, 2 September to Wednesday, 5 September 1666. The fire gutted the medieval City of London inside the old Roman City Wall...
.
Dacres died at the age of 81 and was buried at Cheshunt on 26 December 1668.
Dacres married Martha Elmes, daughter of Thomas Elmes of Lilford Northamptonshire. His son Thomas was also an MP.