Thomas Estcourt Cresswell
Encyclopedia
Thomas Estcourt Cresswell (12 July 1712 – 14 November 1788) was an English
politician.
The son of Richard Cresswell
and his wife Elizabeth Estcourt, daughter and heiress of Sir Thomas Estcourt Knt; of Pinkney Park; Cresswell gained a degree of notoriety as a bigamist after his marriage in February 1744 to a wealthy heiress, Miss Anne Warneford, granddaughter and eventual heir of Sir Edmund Warneford of Sevenhampton
and Bibury
, Gloucestershire
. Anne had married Cresswell in good faith and had borne him several children but another woman, Miss Elizabeth Scrope sued on the grounds of bigamy, claiming a prior Fleet Marriage
. Miss Scrope's suit was successful, the Cresswell-Warneford marriage was declared null and void and the children were bastardized. However, a third marriage was revealed by another search through the Fleet records that antedated the others; thus Cresswell's last two marriages were bigamous. It was stated that he endeavoured to keep possession of both wives at the same time by a "base and unmanly contrivance." For a considerable time Miss Scrope retained a deep sense of her injuries; in 1749 she published a pamphlet in her own name, called Miss Scrope's Answer to Mr. Cresswell's Narrative.
Cresswell was elected Member of Parliament for Wootton Bassett
(1754–1774) and his son Estcourt Cresswell, from his marriage to Anne Warneford, was MP for Cirencester
(1768–1774). Estcourt inherited the former Warneford estate at Bibury, and also the heavily encumbered Pinkney Park estate from his father. The Gentleman's Magazine
was later to report: "His late Majesty George the Fourth, when Prince of Wales, honoured Mr [Estcourt] Cresswell with a visit of several days at his seat at Bibury during the races there."
Thomas Estcourt Cresswell had at least another four illegitimate children with a Miss Catharine Jenkins between 1749 and 1755, the three survivors of whom received substantial bequests from their father on a par with their half brother Estcourt.
Cresswell died at his seat, Pinkney Park, on 14 November 1788.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
politician.
The son of Richard Cresswell
Richard Cresswell (MP)
Richard Cresswell was an English politician.The first son of a “roaring Shropshire squire” Richard Cresswell of Sidbury, Salop and his wife Mary Moreton, and grandson of a staunch Cavalier, also named Richard Cresswell ; Cresswell was nicknamed “Black Dick Cresswell”...
and his wife Elizabeth Estcourt, daughter and heiress of Sir Thomas Estcourt Knt; of Pinkney Park; Cresswell gained a degree of notoriety as a bigamist after his marriage in February 1744 to a wealthy heiress, Miss Anne Warneford, granddaughter and eventual heir of Sir Edmund Warneford of Sevenhampton
Sevenhampton, Wiltshire
Sevenhampton is a small village in the ceremonial county of Wiltshire, England, to the north-east of Swindon. It lies at the bottom of a valley, with fairly steep climbs out of the village in both directions....
and Bibury
Bibury
Bibury is a village and civil parish in Gloucestershire, England. It is situated on the River Coln, about northeast of Cirencester.The Church of England parish church of Saint Mary is Saxon with altar additions...
, Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn, and the entire Forest of Dean....
. Anne had married Cresswell in good faith and had borne him several children but another woman, Miss Elizabeth Scrope sued on the grounds of bigamy, claiming a prior Fleet Marriage
Fleet Marriage
A Fleet Marriage is the best-known example of an irregular or a clandestine marriage taking place in England before the Marriage Act 1753 came into force on March 25, 1754...
. Miss Scrope's suit was successful, the Cresswell-Warneford marriage was declared null and void and the children were bastardized. However, a third marriage was revealed by another search through the Fleet records that antedated the others; thus Cresswell's last two marriages were bigamous. It was stated that he endeavoured to keep possession of both wives at the same time by a "base and unmanly contrivance." For a considerable time Miss Scrope retained a deep sense of her injuries; in 1749 she published a pamphlet in her own name, called Miss Scrope's Answer to Mr. Cresswell's Narrative.
Cresswell was elected Member of Parliament for Wootton Bassett
Wootton Bassett (UK Parliament constituency)
Wootton Bassett was a parliamentary borough in Wiltshire, which elected two Members of Parliament to the House of Commons from 1447 until 1832, when the rotten borough was abolished by the Great Reform Act.-History:...
(1754–1774) and his son Estcourt Cresswell, from his marriage to Anne Warneford, was MP for Cirencester
Cirencester (UK Parliament constituency)
Cirencester was a parliamentary constituency in Gloucestershire. From 1571 until 1885, it was a parliamentary borough, which returned two Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom until 1868, and one member between 1868 and 1885...
(1768–1774). Estcourt inherited the former Warneford estate at Bibury, and also the heavily encumbered Pinkney Park estate from his father. The Gentleman's Magazine
The Gentleman's Magazine
The Gentleman's Magazine was founded in London, England, by Edward Cave in January 1731. It ran uninterrupted for almost 200 years, until 1922. It was the first to use the term "magazine" for a periodical...
was later to report: "His late Majesty George the Fourth, when Prince of Wales, honoured Mr [Estcourt] Cresswell with a visit of several days at his seat at Bibury during the races there."
Thomas Estcourt Cresswell had at least another four illegitimate children with a Miss Catharine Jenkins between 1749 and 1755, the three survivors of whom received substantial bequests from their father on a par with their half brother Estcourt.
Cresswell died at his seat, Pinkney Park, on 14 November 1788.