Thomas Le Mesurier

Rev. Thomas Le Mesurier (28 August 1756 – 14 July 1822) was a British lawyer, cleric, and polemicist.

He was born on Alderney, in the Channel Islands, the fourth son of John Le Mesurier, Hereditary Governor of that island. Educated at New College, Oxford (B.A. 1778, M.A. 1782 and B.D. 1813), he initially entered the legal profession and was called to the Bar in 1781. However, he moved into the Church of England, being ordained as a Deacon in 1794 and then a Priest in 1797. In 1799 he took up his first major position as Rector of Newton Longueville, Buckinghamshire. During this time, in 1807, he was chosen to be Bampton Lecturer and preached upon the Nature and Guilt of Schism. He left in 1812 to become Rector of St Andrew's Church, Haughton-le-Skerne, County Durham – a position he held until his death.

Le Mesurier was always close to the government of the day, and after Lord Sidmouth's short period as Prime Minister became his private chaplain, advising him on how he should combine the art of politics with adherence to the principles of the Established Church. He was a staunch opponent of Roman Catholic emancipation and produced many tracts refuting the position of Catholic campaigners such as John Milner. His political and religious views were strongly held, and in August 1820 it is reported in The Times that Le Mesurier "had thought proper to stop the mouth of boy with his fist" when the fourteen-year-old in Haughton-le-Skerne shouted out his support for Lambton, a local government candidate. Le Mesurier escaped without sentence.

Le Mesurier married, in 1800, Margaret, daughter of Rev. Dr. James Bandinel of Netherbury, Dorset (a previous Bampton Lecturer), and had fifteen children by her. Fourteen survived him. The resultant drain on his income caused him to write to Lord Sidmouth in January 1822 asking for the prebendal stall at Westminster vacated by Dr Blomberg. Sidmouth could do nothing. Le Mesurier died within seven months and his widow died the next year, in May, leaving their orphaned children to grow up with uncles and an aunt on the Bandinel side.

His portrait was painted by Sir William Beechey, R.A.

Publications

Date Title Publisher 1795 Translations, chiefly from the Italian of Petrarch and Metastasio, by Thomas Le Mesurier M.A. Oxford 1799 Poems, chiefly sonnets, by the author of Translations from the Italian of Petrarch, Metastasio and Zappi Oxford 1805 A serious examination of the Roman Catholic claims, as set forth in the petition now pending before Parliament London 1806 A sermon preached before the Archdeacon of Buckingham at his visitation at Stoney Stratford Oxford 1807 A sequel to the Serious examination into the Roman Catholic claims London 1807 A reply to certain observations of Dr. Milner upon the Sequel to the Serious examination of the Roman Catholic claims London 1808 The nature and guilt of schism considered (Bampton Lecture) London 1809 Tracts on the Roman Catholic question London 1809 The doctrines of predestination and assurance considered London 1809 Supplement to the reply to Dr. Milner's observations London 1810 On the authority of the Church and of the holy Scriptures London 1810 The doctrine of the Eucharist considered London 1812 A serious examination of the Roman Catholic claims (2nd ed.) London 1813 A plain statement of the Roman Catholic question London 1813 A counter address to the Protestants of Great Britain and Ireland; in answer to the address of C. Butler London 1814 A sermon preached in the cathedral church at Durham Durham 1815 The invocation of the Virgin Mary and of the saints... shewn to be superstitious and idolatrous Durham 1817 God's dealings equal to all, a sermon preached on the occasion of the death of the Princess Charlotte London 1820 Prayers to be used in visiting the sick Oxford 1820 Two sermons preached on occasion of the death of George the third Durham 1822 Considerations on the Bill now pending in Parliament, respecting the Roman Catholic peers London 1823 Sermons Oxford