Thomas Coke, 1st Earl of Leicester (seventh creation)

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Thomas William Coke, 1st Earl of Leicester (6 May 1754 – 30 June 1842) became famous for his advanced methods of animal husbandry used in improving his estate at Holkham in Norfolk. As a result, Coke of Norfolk is seen as one of the instigators of the British Agricultural Revolution.

Thomas Coke's efforts to improve the Holkham Hall estate became a marathon project which began in 1776 and lasted until his death in 1842. People interested in farming were said to flock to gatherings at Holkham – the so-called Holkham shearings – from all over Britain and from overseas. The 'Shearings' were the fore-runners of today's agricultural shows. He is particularly credited with improvements to animal breeding and husbandry relating to cattle, sheep and pigs.

For most of his life, he was happy to remain plain Mr Coke: it is said that he had been offered a peerage seven times by six different Prime Ministers: sometimes by Whigs as a reward; at others by Tories as a bribe. Often celebrated by the title Coke of Norfolk, Coke was eventually ennobled by Queen Victoria in 1837, accepting a new Earldom of Leicester so that the sons of his second marriage might inherit his title, and was created Viscount Coke and Earl of Leicester, of Holkham in the County of Norfolk.

Lord Leicester died at Longford Hall, Derbyshire.

Parliament of Great Britain
Preceded by: Sir Edward Astley, Bt Wenman Coke	Member of Parliament for Norfolk with Sir Edward Astley, Bt 1776–1784	Succeeded by: Sir Edward Astley, Bt Sir John Wodehouse, Bt
Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by: Sir Edward Astley, Bt Sir John Wodehouse, Bt	Member for Norfolk with Sir John Wodehouse, Bt 1790–1797 Jacob Henry Astley 1797–1806 William Windham 1806–1807 1790–1807	Succeeded by: Edward Coke Jacob Henry Astley
Preceded by: Edward Coke William Cavendish	Member for Derby with William Cavendish 1807	Succeeded by: William Cavendish Edward Coke
Preceded by: Edward Coke Jacob Henry Astley	Member for Norfolk with Jacob Henry Astley 1807–1817 Edmund Wodehouse 1817–1830 Sir William Ffolkes, Bt 1830–1832 1807–1832	Succeeded by: Constituency abolished
Peerage of the United Kingdom
Preceded by: New creation	Earl of Leicester 1837–1842	Succeeded by: Thomas Coke