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Sir Thomas Clayton (c 1612 – 4 October 1693), known in his father's lifetime as Thomas Clayton the Younger, was an English physician and professor of medicine who sat in the House of Commons in 1660.
Clayton was the son of Thomas Clayton, MD of Oxford, the last Principal of Broadgates Hall, and the first Master of Pembroke College. He enrolled there on 25 May 1627, aged fifteen, and graduated BA on 22 January 1629, MA on 17 October 1631. He was of Gray's Inn in 1633. Further awards from Oxford were a B.Med. on 18 July 1635 and a D.Med. on 19 June 1639. He was Regius Professor of Medicine at Oxford from 1647 to 1665, succeeding his father.[1]
In 1660, Clayton was elected one of the two Members of Parliament for Oxford University in the Convention Parliament.[2] He was knighted on 27 March 1661.[3] From 1661 to 1693, he was a warden at Merton College, Oxford.[1]
Clayton was of La Vache, Buckinghamshire. He died at the age of 80.
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San Diego Sarah • Link
I wonder if the T. Clayton in John Evelyn's Diary is the same man:
13 March, 1661.
I went to Lambeth, with Sir R. Browne's pretense to the Wardenship of Merton College, Oxford, to which, as having been about 40 years before a student of that house, he was elected by the votes of every Fellow except one; but the statutes of the house being so that, unless every Fellow agree, the election devolves to the Visitor, who is the Archbishop of Canterbury (Dr. Juxon), his Grace gave his nomination to Sir T. Clayton, resident there, and the Physic Professor: for which I was not at all displeased, because, though Sir Richard missed it by much ingratitude and wrong of the Archbishop (Clayton being no Fellow), yet it would have hindered Sir Richard from attending at Court to settle his greater concerns, and so have prejudiced me, though he was much inclined to have passed his time in a collegiate life, very unfit for him at that time, for many reasons.
So I took leave of his Grace, who was formerly Lord Treasurer in the reign of Charles I.
This afternoon, Prince Rupert showed me, with his own hands, the new way of graving, called mezzotinto, which afterward, by his permission, I published in my "History of Chalcography"; this set so many artists on work, that they soon arrived to the perfection it is since come to, emulating the tenderest miniatures.
Our Society now gave in my relation of the Peak of Tenerife, in the Great Canaries, to be added to more queries concerning divers natural things reported of that island.
I returned home with my Cousin Tuke, now going for France, as sent by his Majesty to condole the death of that great Minister and politician, Count Mazarine.
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This Sir Richard Browne was John Evelyn’s father-in-law, the former owner of Sayes Court, and former Resident from the King in Paris during the Interregnum. https://www.pepysdiary.com/encycl…
Archbishop William Juxon = https://www.pepysdiary.com/encycl…
Col. Samuel Tuke, Evelyn’s cousin -- https://www.pepysdiary.com/encycl…
Cardinal Jules Mazarin (1602 - 9 March 1661) = https://www.pepysdiary.com/encycl…
Miniatures - https://theframeblog.com/2017/12/…
fbclid=IwAR2JY3ApzsSYaNXrMay6gVvFB7MGt6Fc2qVSzpb0iUTJ9Di5hEikSrT2TF8
Royal Society = https://www.pepysdiary.com/encycl…
Tenerife = https://www.pepysdiary.com/encycl…
Rupert and Mezzotinto = https://www.pepysdiary.com/encycl…
San Diego Sarah • Link
T. Clayton appears to have been the MP for Oxford University, so I think he is the same man:
Thomas Clayton defeated former Speaker William Lenthall at the general election of 1660.
Clayton was a moderately active Member of the Convention Parliament. He was appointed to 26 committees and made 11 recorded speeches, mostly on religion.
He spoke against receiving the petition of the intruded dons on 25 June, but was the first to be nominated to the committee to report on it.
He was as violent in supporting the referral of the religious settlement to a synod as Denzil Holles was in opposing it, and he considered the bill inadequate because it failed to mention the Thirty-Nine Articles as well as scripture.
"Religion must be founded on the law of God, but must also conform with the law of the land."
"Discipline [was] as necessary with doctrine as life in a natural body."
He not enthusiastic about the bill for settling ministers in livings, proposing to defer the second reading for 10 days, but was appointed to the committee.
He supported the proposal to except Sir Arthur Hesilrige from the indemnity.
On 24 Aug. he was added to the committee to recommend measures for regulating printing.
He was teller for the bizarre motion that the serjeant-at-arms should assist in searching for smuggled tobacco.
He helped to manage the conference on settling ministers.
In the second session he moved for an additional tax on all who had accepted Cromwellian titles or falsely assumed the style of Doctor of Physic, and his name was the first on the committee list.
He was among those ordered on 17 Nov. to bring in a bill for modified Episcopacy.
He supported the proviso introduced by John Mylles MP to exempt the university letter-carriers from the nationalization of the postal services.
Clayton was ready to contest the general election of 1661, but was bought off by his brother-in-law, Sir Charles Cotterell.
He was knighted on 27 March, 1661, made warden of Merton College, and allowed to buy a forfeited regicide estate in Buckinghamshire for £9,500.
His position as warden of Merton brought him into conflict with the university chronicler, Anthony à Wood, who described him as impudent and lascivious, and one who had ‘sided with all parties’.
He was regarded by the local Quakers as a persecutor.
His record of compliancy was ended by James II. To the lord lieutenant’s questions in 1688, he answered:
"He shall think fit that the Penal Laws against the dissenters in matters of religion be repealed, but not the Tests till he shall be convinced that he ought to do so. ... He is not able to assist at any elections of persons of what judgment or persuasion soever by reason of his very great age and the many infirmities thereby."
Sir Thomas Clayton MP died on 4 Oct. 1693.
https://www.historyofparliamenton…