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Thomas Estcourt Cresswell (12 July 1712 – 14 November 1788) was an English politician.^[1]

Biography

He was the son of Richard Cresswell and his wife Elizabeth Estcourt, daughter and heiress of Sir Thomas Estcourt Knt; of Pinkney Park, near Malmesbury in Wiltshire and inherited the former Warneford estate at Bibury and 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."

Cresswell was elected Member of Parliament for Wootton Bassett (1754–1774).

Cresswell died at his seat, Pinkney Park, on 14 November 1788.

He had 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 (a boy and a girl) 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.^[2] 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.^[3]

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. Estcourt, from his marriage to Anne Warneford, was MP for Cirencester (1768–1774).

References

^ "CRESSWELL, Thomas Estcourt (1712-88), of Pinkney Park, Wilts". History of Parliament Online. Retrieved 19 June 2016.
^ Lawrence Stone, The Road to Divorce: England, 1530-1987 [Oxford University Press, 1990], p. 119.
^ Notes and Queries No 12, Jan 19th 1850

Parliament of Great Britain
Preceded by Robert Neale Martin Madan	Member of Parliament for Wootton Bassett with John Probyn 1754–1761 Henry St John 1761–1774 1754–1774	Succeeded by Henry St John Robert Scott

[1] "CRESSWELL, Thomas Estcourt (1712-88), of Pinkney Park, Wilts". History of Parliament Online. Retrieved 19 June 2016.

[2] Lawrence Stone, The Road to Divorce: England, 1530-1987 [Oxford University Press, 1990], p. 119.

[3] Notes and Queries No 12, Jan 19th 1850

[1]

[2]

[3]

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-'''Thomas Estcourt Cresswell''' (12 July 1712 – 14 November 1788) was an [[England|English]] politician.
+'''Thomas Estcourt Cresswell''' (12 July 1712 – 14 November 1788) was an [[England|English]] politician.<ref> {{cite web|url=http://www.historyofparliamentonline.org/volume/1754-1790/member/cresswell-thomas-estcourt-1712-88|title=CRESSWELL, Thomas Estcourt (1712-88), of Pinkney Park, Wilts.|publisher= History of Parliament Online|accessdate= 19 June 2016}} </ref>
 ==Biography==
+He was the son of [[Richard Cresswell (MP)|Richard Cresswell]] and his wife Elizabeth Estcourt, daughter and heiress of Sir Thomas Estcourt Knt; of Pinkney Park, near [[Malmesbury]] in [[Wiltshire]] and inherited the former Warneford estate at Bibury and 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."
-The son of [[Richard Cresswell (MP)|Richard Cresswell]] and his wife Elizabeth Estcourt, daughter and heiress of Sir Thomas Estcourt Knt; of Pinkney Park, near [[Malmesbury]] in [[Wiltshire]]; 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, Wiltshire|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.<ref>Lawrence Stone, The Road to Divorce: England, 1530-1987 [Oxford University Press, 1990], p. 119.</ref> 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''.<ref>Notes and Queries No 12, Jan 19th 1850</ref>
-Cresswell was elected Member of Parliament for [[Wootton Bassett (UK Parliament constituency)|Wootton Bassett]] (1754–1774) and his son Estcourt Cresswell, from his marriage to Anne Warneford, was MP for [[Cirencester (UK Parliament constituency)|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."
+Cresswell was elected Member of Parliament for [[Wootton Bassett (UK Parliament constituency)|Wootton Bassett]] (1754–1774).
-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.
+He had 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, Wiltshire|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 (a boy and a girl) 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.<ref>Lawrence Stone, The Road to Divorce: England, 1530-1987 [Oxford University Press, 1990], p. 119.</ref> 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''.<ref>Notes and Queries No 12, Jan 19th 1850</ref>
+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. Estcourt, from his marriage to Anne Warneford, was MP for [[Cirencester (UK Parliament constituency)|Cirencester]] (1768–1774).
 == References ==
@@ Line 22: / Line 24: @@
 [[Category:1712 births]]
 [[Category:1788 deaths]]
+[[Category:People from Gloucestershire]]
 [[Category:British people convicted of bigamy]]
 [[Category:Tory MPs (pre-1834)]]
 [[Category:Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for English constituencies]]
-[[Category:People from Gloucestershire]]
+[[Category:British MPs 1754–61]]
+[[Category:British MPs 1761–68]]
+[[Category:British MPs 1768–74]]

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