Thomas Lyttelton, 2nd Baron Lyttelton

Lord Lyttelton, portrait by Richard Brompton.

St John the Baptist Church, Hagley, memorial to Thomas Lyttelton, 2nd Baron Lyttelton (1744–1779)

Thomas Lyttelton,^[1] 2nd Baron Lyttelton of Frankley (30 January 1744 – 27 November 1779) was a British MP and profligate from the Lyttelton family. Sometimes dubbed the nicknames "the wicked Lord Lyttelton"^[2] and "bad Lord Lyttelton" to discredit his independence from the political parties and religious dogmas of his era, he was the son of George Lyttelton and Lucy Fortescue. His mother died when he was two years old. He was very talented in his early years, particularly in drawing. Educated at Eton and Christ Church, Oxford,^[3] he was also a reader of poetry, his favourite poet being John Milton. His father, Lord Lyttelton held several privileged positions in society, such as privy councillor, a Lord of the Treasury and Chancellor of the Exchequer. He was also a good friend of the Prince of Wales. Thomas received his pension through his estranged father, and because of his parentage and outstanding ability he also held privileged positions in society. He was a Whig MP for Bewdley from 1768 to 1769 and the Chief Justice of the Eyre in 1775, and became a privy councillor the same year.

He married Aphia Witts, but they had no children, so on his death his barony died out too. It was recreated later, however. His death was widely reported to have been foreseen by Lyttelton three days prior; he claimed a bird flew into his room, and told him he had three days to live.

References

• Burke's Peerage and Baronetage (1939), s.v Cobham, Viscount
• Christine Gerrard, "Lyttelton, George, first Baron Lyttelton (1709–1773)", Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, Sept 2004; online edn, Jan 2008 accessed 23 March 2008
• Leigh Rayment's Peerage Pages
• Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs

Notes

1. The spelling is occasionally Lyttleton, as in the collected Letters of the Late Lord Lyttleton, Troy, N. Y.: Wright, Goodenow & Stockwell, 1807.
2. THE LIFE OF THOMAS LORD LYTTELTON, by Thomas Frost. 1876.
3. "Alumni oxonienses: the members of the University of Oxford, 1715-1886, vol.3".