Thomas Willoughby, 1st Baron Middleton

Thomas Willoughby, 1st Baron Middleton (9 April 1672 – 2 April 1729) was a Baron in the Peerage of Great Britain.

He was born at Middleton Hall, Middleton, Warwickshire, the second son of Francis Willughby, the famed mathematician and naturalist ( who preferred to be known by this aberrant spelling of the family name), and was educated at St Catharine's College, Cambridge and Jesus College, Cambridge.

In 1688 on the early death of his elder brother, Sir Francis Willoughby, 1st Baronet, of Wollaton he succeeded to the baronetcy, and inherited estates at Middleton, Warwickshire and at Wollaton Hall, Nottinghamshire. His main residence was Wollaton Hall. He was elevated to the Peerage on his creation as Baron Middleton in 1711.

On 9 April 1691, he married Elizabeth Rothwell (d. 1736), daughter of Sir Richard Rothwell, 1st Baronet, and had two sons:

He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1693. He was High Sheriff of Nottinghamshire in 1695 and High Sheriff of Lincolnshire in 1699, and was Member of Parliament for Nottinghamshire 1698–1702 and 1705–1710, and for Newark 1710–1711. He was High Steward of the Royal Town of Sutton Coldfield from 1714. In 1728 he was listed as one of the subscribers to the Cyclopaedia of Ephraim Chambers.

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