Sir Thomas Temple, 1st Baronet, of Stowe

Sir Thomas Temple, 1st Baronet (9 January 1567 – February 1637), was an English landowner and Member of Parliament.

Thomas Temple was the eldest son of John Temple and Susan (née Spencer). Although he is said to have been born at Burton Dassett in Warwickshire, this seems improbable as his baptism on 9 January 1566/7 is recorded at Everton, Northamptonshire, the childhood home of his mother. As a child he moved with his father to Stowe House in Buckinghamshire. He grew up in a well connected, Puritan family - two of his brothers-in-law were William Fiennes, 1st Viscount Saye and Sele and Sir Nicholas Parker, while his nephew was James Temple, the regicide.

In 1582, he matriculated at University College, Oxford at the age of 16. He was admitted to Lincoln's Inn in 1584.

He married Hester Sandys the daughter of Miles Sandys in about 1585 or 86. Sir Thomas and Hester had fifteen recorded children, 2 of whom died in infancy; of the remainder, 4 were sons and 9 were daughters.

His daughter Martha's husband was the step-son and ward of Sir Thomas' younger brother, Sir Alexander Temple. Martha was described as "a dainte fine lady”. Around 1619, Martha became the mistress of Richard Sackville, 3rd Earl of Dorset. Martha died of smallpox in January 1619/20 and she was buried in the Temples' parish church at Stowe. Her father built a magnificent marble monument to her that can still be seen in the “Penyston chapel” in Stowe church.

He was elected MP for Andover, Hampshire in 1589 as a result of the influence of his father in law - the first member of his family to serve in Parliament. He was knighted by James I in 1603 and purchased a baronetcy in 1611. In 1604, Temple purchased the Borough of Buckingham. This was a rotten borough and several generations of the Temple family served in parliament for this seat. In 1606, Thomas served as sheriff of Oxfordshire; he was sheriff of Buckinghamshire in 1616 and of Warwickshire in 1620.

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