Thomas Watson-Wentworth, 1st Marquess of Rockingham

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Thomas Watson-Wentworth, 1st Marquess of Rockingham, KB, PC (I) (13 November 1693 – 14 December 1750) was a British peer and Whig politician.

Watson-Wentworth was the only son and heir of Hon. Thomas Watson (later Watson-Wentworth, the third son of Edward Watson, 2nd Baron Rockingham) and his wife, Alice, a daughter of Sir Thomas Proby, 1st Baronet.

From 1715–27, Watson-Wentworth was Member of Parliament for Malton and for Yorkshire from 1727–8. In 1725, he was appointed a Knight of the Bath, admitted to the Privy Council of Ireland in 1733 and was Lord Lieutenant of the West Riding of Yorkshire from 1733–50. In 1728, he was created Baron Malton, in 1734, Earl of Malton and in 1746, Marquess of Rockingham. He had inherited the barony of Rockingham from his cousin, Thomas Watson, 3rd Earl of Rockingham earlier in 1746.

[edit] Family

On 22 September 1716, Rockingham had married Lady Mary Finch, a daughter of Daniel Finch, 2nd Earl of Nottingham and his second wife, Ann. They had five children:

• William, styled Viscount Higham (1728-1739)
• Hon. Charles, later styled Viscount Higham, later still 2nd Marquess of Rockingham (1730-1782), Prime Minister of Great Britain.
• Lady Anne (d. 1769), married William FitzWilliam, 3rd Earl FitzWilliam.
• Lady Mary, married John Milbanke.
• Lady Henrietta Alicia, married William Sturgeon.

Parliament of Great Britain
Preceded by William Palmes Hon. Thomas Watson-Wentworth	Member of Parliament for Malton with Hon. Thomas Watson-Wentworth 1715–1722 Sir William Strickland, Bt. 1722–1724 Hon. Henry Finch 1724–1727 1715 – 1727	Succeeded by Hon. Henry Finch Wardell Westby
Preceded by The Viscount Downe Cholmley Turner	Member of Parliament for Yorkshire with Cholmley Turner 1727 – 1728	Succeeded by Cholmley Turner Sir George Savile, Bt
Honorary titles
Preceded by The Earl of Burlington	Lord Lieutenant of the West Riding of Yorkshire 1733 – 1750	Succeeded by The Marquess of Rockingham
	Custos Rotulorum of the North Riding of Yorkshire 1733 – 1750
Peerage of Great Britain
New creation	Marquess of Rockingham 1746 – 1750	Succeeded by Charles Watson-Wentworth
	Earl of Malton 1734 – 1750
	Baron Malton 1728 – 1750
Peerage of England
Preceded by Thomas Watson	Baron Rockingham 1746 – 1750	Succeeded by Charles Watson-Wentworth