Sir Thomas Osborne(1632-1712)
Sir Thomas Osborne: Earl of Danby, Marquis of Carmarthen and Duke of Leeds, was son and heir of Sir Edward Osborne of Kiveton, Yorkshire, by his second marriage to Anne, widow of William Middleton of Stockeld, Yorkshire, daughter of Thomas Walmsley and Eleanor Danvers (a 1599-1666) .
Thomas, was born in 1632, and brought up in the country, chiefly at Kiveton, Yorkshire and shared as a boy his father's strong royalist sentiment. He had no formal education, Sir Edward saw to his education and hired a tutor to teach him French at an early age.
He succeeded to the baronetcy and to the family estates in Yorkshire on his father's death in 1647:
- Kiveton, Harthill, Shireoaks, Todwick, Wales, Waleswood, Woodall, Woodsetts,
- Nottinghamshire: Bilby, Blyth, Killamarsh, Ranby
A neighbour in Yorkshire was George Villiers, second Duke of Buckingham, after the Restoration Buckingham brought him to court, and he identified himself with his patron's interests.
His home at Kiveton, was not far from Welbeck, the seat of the Cavendishes, with whom he became friends.
In 1651 he married Bridget Bertie (1629–1704), daughter of the second Earl of Lindsey, Montagu Bertie, and his second wife, Bridget Wray. of Middlesex. Their children:
- Edward (1655-1689), Viscount Latimer, was a gentleman of the bedchamber to Charles II, took up arms in 1688 to support the revolution, and died without issue in January 1688-9. He married Elizabeth, daughter of Simon Bennett of Beachampton, Buckinghamshire. She was buried in Westminster Abbey on 5 May 1680.
- Anne (1657-1722) was married to Robert Coke, of Holkham, Norfolk, ancestor to the late Earl of Leicester, and secondly, to Horatio Walpole, Esq. and died on August 5th, 1722, aged sixty-four, without issue
- Peregrine Osborne (1659–1734) - his successor
- Bridget (1661-1718) married first to Charles FitzCharles, 1st Earl of Plymouth,(son of King Charles II. by Mrs. Catherine Pegge,) and secondly to Dr. Philip Bisse, who became Bishop of Hereford in 1721. Bridget died 9 May 1718. Buried Hereford Cathedral
- Catherine (b 1662) married James Herbert of Kingsey, a relative of the Earl of Pembroke
- Martha (b 1663) married first to Edward Baynton of Bromham, Wiltshire ; and secondly to Charles Granville, 2nd Earl of Bath
- Sophia (b 1664) married (1) Donogh O'Brien, Lord Ibracken , grandson of Henry O'Brien, Earl of Thomond, and (2) William Fermor, Earl of Leominster.
- Elizabeth, died unmarried
Lady Bridget died on 26 Jan. 1704 at Wimbledon and was buried at Kiveton.
In 1661 he served as High Sheriff of Yorkshire, and in 1665 was elected M.P. for York. He aided Buckingham and his friends in their attack on the Lord Chancellor, Edward Hyde, and his active hostility to that minister proved the first step to his future rise.
On entering Parliament as M. P., as a supporter of Charles II , he received rapid promotion. He was made treasurer of the navy, in the year 1671 and on May 3rd 1672, one of the privy-council. The next year, on June 19th, he was constituted Lord High Treasurer of England.
In the August of that year, he was made Baron Osborne of Kiveton and Viscount Latimer of Danby (he chose 'Latimer' on account of his mother's descent from John Neville, Lord Latimer, who died in 1577). He resigned his Scottish title to his son Peregrine.
On 27th June, the following year, he was promoted to an earldom and took the title of Earl of Danby, after the estate of Danby, Cleveland, which was formerly a possession of the baronial family of Latimer. He was also created Viscount of Dumblaine of Scotland, by patent dated July 19th.
In 1674 he was made Lord Lieutenant of the West Riding of Yorkshire and a Scottish privy councillor.
His reluctance to negotiate with Louis XIV of France to supply Charles II with money led in 1678 to accusations of corruption,he was impeached and imprisoned until 1684. In 1688 regained favour; further accusations of corruption led to his resignation in 1695.
High Politics in the Shadow of the Tower, Danby and Shaftesbury in the 1670s
Thomas Osborne died in 1712, aged 81, at Easton, Northamptonshire, the seat of his grandson, Thomas Fermor , 1st Earl of Pomfret (1698-1753) . At the time he was on his way to Hornby Castle, his home in Yorkshire. He was buried at Harthill, Yorkshire, with his ancestors
His will was proved in April 1713. In distributing his property passed over his son and successor in favour of his eldest grandson.
Thomas Osborne
Duke of Leeds,
Marques of Carmarthen,
Earl of Danby,
Viscount Latimere Dunblane,
Baron of Kiveton and
Knight of the most noble order of the garter
XXVI Day of July 1712
in the LXXXI year of his age
inter 8 August 1713
Coat of Arms
"PAX in Bello"
High Politics in the Shadow of the Tower, Danby and Shaftesbury in the 1670s
Danvers of Dauntsey, Wiltshire
Offsite Link Danby's Fall From Grace
