Thomas Watson-Wentworth

Hon. Thomas Watson, later known as Thomas Watson-Wentworth (17 June 1665 – 6 October 1723), of Wentworth Woodhouse in Yorkshire, was an English landowner and politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1701 and 1723.

Origins He was the third son of Edward Watson, 2nd Baron Rockingham (1630-1689) by his wife Anne Wentworth, only daughter of Thomas Wentworth, 1st Earl of Strafford (1593-1641) and heiress of her childless brother William Wentworth, 2nd Earl of Strafford (1626-1695) of Wentworth Woodhouse. His eldest brother was Lewis Watson, 1st Earl of Rockingham, 3rd Baron Rockingham (1655-1724), who in 1714 was created Earl of Rockingham.

Early life He matriculated at Christ Church, Oxford in 1683.

Marriage and children By licence dated 18 July 1689 he married Alice Proby, a daughter and heiress of Sir Thomas Proby, 1st Baronet, by whom he had children including: Thomas Watson-Wentworth, 1st Marquess of Rockingham (13 November 1693 – 14 December 1750), KB, Privy Council of Ireland, a Whig politician who in 1725 rebuilt Wentworth Woodhouse as the palatial building surviving today.

Wentworth inheritance Inscription on monument of William Wentworth, 2nd Earl of Strafford in York Minster recording his heir as Thomas Watson, with an obligation to adopt the surname "Wentworth" In 1695 Watson inherited the fortune of his maternal uncle William Wentworth, 2nd Earl of Strafford, including the vast estate of Wentworth Woodhouse in Yorkshire, with others in Northamptonshire and Ireland. This was in preference to the Earl's first cousin once-removed Thomas Wentworth (later created Earl of Strafford), who shared with him common ancestry in the male line, and it led to a fierce rivalry between the two men and their families. In accordance with the terms of the bequest, Watson adopted the additional surname of Wentworth, becoming Thomas Watson-Wentworth.

Death and burial Watson-Wentworth died at Harrowden on 6 October 1723 and was buried in York Minster where his elaborate monument with standing marble effigy survives.