Thomas Soame
Encyclopedia
Sir Thomas Soame was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons
from 1640 to 1648.
Soame was the son of Sir Stephen Soame
and his wife Anne Stone daughter of William Stone, haberdasher of London and his wife Mercy Gray daughter of John Gray of Barley, Hertfordshire. His father was Lord Mayor of London
. He was baptised at St.Mary Colechurch in London on 4 February 1584. He was alderman of Farringdon Without
ward from 28 July 1635 to 29 January 1639. In 1635 he became Sheriff of London. He was Merchant Commissioner of the East India Company
1640 to 1643.
In April 1640, Soame was elected Member of Parliament
for City of London
in the Short Parliament
. He was imprisoned in the Tower of London
in May 1640 with three other aldermen - Nicholas Rainton
, John Gayre
and Thomas Atkins
- for refusing list the inhabitants of his ward who were able to contribute £50 or more to a loan for King Charles. He was re-elected in MP for the City of London in November 1640 for the Long Parliament
He was knighted in at Hampton Court on 3 December 1641. He sat in parliament until he was excluded under Pride's Purge
in 1648. He became alderman for Vintry
ward on 29 September 1644 and later moved to Cheap
ward where he was discharged by order of House of Commons on 1 Jun 1649.
Soame lived at Throcking and in 1660 rebuilt the upper portion of the church tower. He was restored to his position as Alderman on 25 Sep 1660 and held the position until 22 January 1667 when he was discharged "on account of his great infirmity".
Soame died in 1671 and was buried with an inscription in Throcking Church.
Soame married in1621, Joan Freeman, widow of William Freeman of St Michael Cornhill and Aspenden, Hertfordshire. His daughter Anne married Sir Thomas Abdy, 1st Baronet.
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 1648.
Soame was the son of Sir Stephen Soame
Stephen Soame
Sir Stephen Soame was an English merchant and politician who sat in the House of Commons in 1601. He was Lord Mayor of London....
and his wife Anne Stone daughter of William Stone, haberdasher of London and his wife Mercy Gray daughter of John Gray of Barley, Hertfordshire. His father was Lord Mayor of London
Lord Mayor of London
The Right Honourable Lord Mayor of London is the legal title for the Mayor of the City of London Corporation. The Lord Mayor of London is to be distinguished from the Mayor of London; the former is an officer only of the City of London, while the Mayor of London is the Mayor of Greater London and...
. He was baptised at St.Mary Colechurch in London on 4 February 1584. He was alderman of Farringdon Without
Farringdon Without
Farringdon Without is a Ward in the City of London, England. The Ward covers the western fringes of the City, including the Middle Temple, Inner Temple, Smithfield Market and St Bartholomew's Hospital, as well as the area east of Chancery Lane...
ward from 28 July 1635 to 29 January 1639. In 1635 he became Sheriff of London. He was Merchant Commissioner of the East India Company
East India Company
The East India Company was an early English joint-stock company that was formed initially for pursuing trade with the East Indies, but that ended up trading mainly with the Indian subcontinent and China...
1640 to 1643.
In April 1640, Soame 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 City of London
City of London (UK Parliament constituency)
The City of London was a United Kingdom Parliamentary constituency. It was a constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of England then of the Parliament of Great Britain from 1707 to 1800 and of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1801 to 1950.-Boundaries and boundary...
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 imprisoned in the Tower of London
Tower of London
Her Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress, more commonly known as the Tower of London, is a historic castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London, England. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, separated from the eastern edge of the City of London by the open space...
in May 1640 with three other aldermen - Nicholas Rainton
Nicholas Rainton
Sir Nicholas Rainton was an English merchant who was Lord Mayor of London in 1632.Rainton was a city of London merchant and a member of the Worshipful Company of Haberdashers. He was elected Sheriff of London in 1617 but did not serve immediately. On 22 June 1621 he was elected an alderman of...
, John Gayre
John Gayre
John Gayre or Gayer was an English merchant who was Lord Mayor of London in 1646.Gayre was a city of London merchant and a member of the Worshipful Company of Fishmongers. He was one of the Court Assistants from 1617 to 1618, from 1622 to 1623, and from 1624 to 1626...
and Thomas Atkins
Thomas Atkins (Lord Mayor)
Thomas Atkins was Lord Mayor of London and an English politician who sat in the House of Commons in 1640 and from 1647 to 1653 and was Lord Mayor of London in 1644. He supported the Parliamentary cause in the English Civil War....
- for refusing list the inhabitants of his ward who were able to contribute £50 or more to a loan for King Charles. He was re-elected in MP for the City of London 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...
He was knighted in at Hampton Court on 3 December 1641. He sat in parliament until 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...
in 1648. He became alderman for Vintry
Vintry
Vintry is a ward of the City of London, within the boundary formed by Queen Victoria Street, Cannon Street, Queenhithe and Cousin Lane....
ward on 29 September 1644 and later moved to Cheap
Cheap (ward)
Cheap is a small ward of the City of London. It stretches west to east from King End Street, the border with Farringdon Within to Old Jewry, which adjoins Walbrook and north to south from Gresham Street, the border with Aldersgate and Bassishaw to Cheapside, the boundary with Cordwainer.The...
ward where he was discharged by order of House of Commons on 1 Jun 1649.
Soame lived at Throcking and in 1660 rebuilt the upper portion of the church tower. He was restored to his position as Alderman on 25 Sep 1660 and held the position until 22 January 1667 when he was discharged "on account of his great infirmity".
Soame died in 1671 and was buried with an inscription in Throcking Church.
Soame married in1621, Joan Freeman, widow of William Freeman of St Michael Cornhill and Aspenden, Hertfordshire. His daughter Anne married Sir Thomas Abdy, 1st Baronet.