Samuel Thornton (MP)
Samuel Thornton | |
|---|---|
| Born | 6 November 1754 |
| Died | 3 July 1838 (aged 83) Brighton[1] |
| Nationality | British |
| Occupation | Politician, abolitionist and Governor of the Bank of England |
| Children | Sophia Thornton who married John Leslie-Melville, 9th Earl of Leven |
| Parent(s) | John Thornton |
Samuel Thornton (6 November 1754 – 3 July 1838) was one of the sons of John Thornton, a leading merchant in the Russian and Baltic trade, and was a director of the Bank of England for 53 years[1][2] and Governor (1799–1801). He had earlier served as its Deputy Governor.[3] He was Member of Parliament (MP) for Kingston upon Hull (with William Wilberforce in 1784) from 1784 to 1806 and for Surrey from 1807 to 1812. He and was a member of the Committee for the repeal of the Test and Corporation Acts.
As MP for Kingston he was painted by Karl Anton Hickel in the group portrait "William Pitt addressing the House of Commons on the French Declaration of War, 1793" which still hangs at the National Portrait Gallery.[4]
He bought Albury Park, Albury, Surrey in 1800, and lived there until 1811. He employed the architect Sir John Soane[5] to improve the property.
During the early 19th century Thornton built housing in the hamlet of Weston Street, a mile to the west of Albury, for the resettlement of villagers removed from cottages in Albury Park, as part of the agricultural improvements.
His brothers Henry Thornton and Robert Thornton were also notable men of their time and MPs.[1] all three were members of the Clapham Sect and lived in adjoining houses in Clapham.[6]
References[]
- ^ Jump up to: a b c Gentlemen's Magazine. London: F. Jefferies. September 1838. pp. 326. Retrieved 12 February 2008.
- ^ Macleod, Henry Dunning (1856). The Theory and Practice of Banking. London: Longmans, Green, Reader, and Dyer. pp. 194. Retrieved 12 February 2008.
- ^ "Deputy Governors of the Bank of England" (PDF). Bank of England. Archived from the original (PDF) on 3 January 2014. Retrieved 3 January 2014.
- ^ "Nation Portrait Gallery Information - Samuel Thornton". Retrieved 18 February 2008.
- ^ "Soane Website". Archived from the original on 8 February 2008. Retrieved 12 February 2008.
- ^ "Oxford Dictionary of National Biography - Clapham Sect". May 2007. Retrieved 12 February 2008.
External links[]
- Hansard 1803–2005: contributions in Parliament by Samuel Thornton
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- 1754 births
- 1838 deaths
- British bankers
- Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for Kingston upon Hull
- Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for Kingston upon Hull
- British MPs 1784–1790
- British MPs 1790–1796
- British MPs 1796–1800
- Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for Surrey
- UK MPs 1801–1802
- UK MPs 1802–1806
- UK MPs 1806–1807
- UK MPs 1807–1812
- Governors of the Bank of England
- Deputy Governors of the Bank of England