A Tale of one of my forebears...
proconsul:
Through my grandmother I am decended from the Wanklin family of Gladestry in Radnorshire (now Powys). The hereditary occupation of The Wanklins was blacksmithing and innkeeping. There seems to have been very few Wanklin families in the UK and throughout most of recorded history in the southwest of the UK the Wanklin family have been confined to a few square miles straddling the Herefordshire/Radnorshire border.
During my researches into the Wanklins one name kept popping up, that of Colonel Thomas Wanklin. All the evidence points to the fact that I am related to the colonel, however it will take some more research to establish whether I am directly descended from him. Anyway this is his story...
Thomas Wanklin started off as a blacksmith early in the seventeenth century. At some stage he journeyed to Wiltshire to take up employment on the estate of the Earl of Marlborough. He gained the favour of the Earl (or more likely the Countess)
and rose to become the Earl's steward (a pretty exalted position in those days).
Upon the outbreak of the Civil War Thomas joined the royalist forces and served as major in the foot regiment of Sir Edward Seymour. He rose to the rank of lieutenant colonel and was present at the siege of Dartmouth. He was captured by the parliamentary forces when Dartmouth fell.
Sometime after the Earl of Marlborough died in 1638, in a rather surprising move, Thomas married his widow, the Countess of Marlborough and was granted the Manor of Westbury to hold for life.
After the end of the Civil War Thomas's Westbury estate was confiscated by Parliament and he had to pay a large fine to get it back.
When Charles II was restored to the throne Colonel Thomas was elected to parliament for Westbury and joined the King's party. He became a junior minister in the restoration government, being one of the Commissioners for the Excise in Ireland. He served on various parliamentary committees alongside such luminaries as Samuel Pepys.
In 1670 Thomas's wife, the Countess of Marlborough died. Since, on her death, Thomas would lose the income from her estates he concealed her death and buried her surrepticiously under a board in a turnip patch. She remained there for a few months until she was reburied in Westbury church. Colonel Thomas gave the church a large silver cup called 'The Westbury Cup' at this time. Presumably to smooth things over with the vicar and get his cooperation with the reburial.
In 1677 Thomas was involved in a parliamentary scandal. After the civil war members of parliament and their servants were immune from prosecution for any reason by the courts. Some members of parliament cashed in on this by offering protection to people who were being prosecuted by claiming that they were the MP's servant and therefore could not be sued for any reason. Thomas was caught doing this when he got involved in a case of divorce, offering protection to the husband from prosecution by the wife.
This all came out in parliament and after a debate and a division which the Colonel narrowly lost he was expelled from parliament. This was not neccessarily the end of his political career. Expulsion from parliament was quite common and some members had been expelled two or three times. However Colonel Thomas does not seem to have made a comeback and was last heard of receiving a pension of a thousand pounds a year from Danby, the King's chief minister.
It's nice to find a colourful historical character like Colonel Thomas Wanklin amongst your relatives and adds a bit of extra interest to family history research.
Geoff
Charles Cater:
Tom was a real old codger even in those days but I don't think they are bad as this lot, Geoff.
It was very interesting and I can only go back as far as about 1792 and no skeletons in the upboard as far as I know? ::)
waltonbasinman:
Small world Geoff. I live in Gladestry and my child is at school here. For such a quiet backwater there had to be a chink in its armour and there is a local saying hes done a Wanklin on her. Meaning he,s two timing. Now i know what it means and a interesting story to boot. Won,t bring the missus on saturday though. Tee Hee. ;D
proconsul:
It certainly is a small world, Paul. There was, I believe the odd black sheep in the Wanklin family as in any other family. Your saying is certainly interesting, though. The Wanklins ran the old forge and the White Hart Inn which I believe is a private house now. I've never been to Gladestry but you never know I might get there one day...
Geoff
Merlin:
Geoff, great story,it ought to written as a book.I love the whole idea of people telling the story of thier families.I used to work with a Wanklin,from Newbridge way I believe?
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