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	* [[Thomas Gainsborough\|Gainsborough]]. "Thomas Rumbold and his Son": [[Victoria Art Gallery]].		* [[Thomas Gainsborough\|Gainsborough]]. "Thomas Rumbold and his Son": [[Victoria Art Gallery]].
	* Reynolds. [[Art Institute Chicago]].<ref>{{Cite web \|url=https://www.artic.edu/artworks/84707/sir-thomas-rumbold-bt \|title=Sir Thomas Rumbold, Bt.}}</ref>		* Reynolds. [[Art Institute of Chicago]].<ref>{{Cite web \|url=https://www.artic.edu/artworks/84707/sir-thomas-rumbold-bt \|title=Sir Thomas Rumbold, Bt.\|year=1788 }}</ref>
	* [[George Romney (painter)\|Romney]] (a portrait in the [[Hunterian Art Gallery]]),<ref name="HG">{{Cite web \|url=https://artuk.org/discover/artworks/sir-thomas-rumbold-17361791-bt-138903 \|title=Sir Thomas Rumbold \|website=Art UK \|access-date=2019-01-23}}</ref>		* [[George Romney (painter)\|Romney]] (a portrait in the [[Hunterian Art Gallery]]),<ref name="HG">{{Cite web \|url=https://artuk.org/discover/artworks/sir-thomas-rumbold-17361791-bt-138903 \|title=Sir Thomas Rumbold \|website=Art UK \|access-date=2019-01-23}}</ref>

imported>Gamaliel: /* Life */ File:Joanna Law Rumbold (1755 - 1823).jpg

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Life: File:Joanna Law Rumbold (1755 - 1823).jpg

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{{Use British English|date=September 2020}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2020}}
[[File:Thomas_Rumbold.jpg|thumb]]
'''Sir Thomas Rumbold, 1st Baronet''' (15 January 1736 – 11 November 1791) was a British administrator in [[British Raj|India]] and politician who sat in the [[House of Commons]] between 1770 and 1790. He served as [[Governor of Madras]] from 1777 to 1780. He became infamous for his corruption and, for in effect stealing, the ring of the [[Nawab of Arcot]].<ref>{{cite book|page=148|title=Nabobs: Empire and identity in eighteenth century Britain| author=Nechtman, Tillman W.|year=2010| publisher=Cambridge University Press}}</ref> He brought home from India 1.5 million [[Pagoda (coin)|pagoda]]s (a pagoda was worth eight shillings) or about £600,000 (at that time) and was a classic example of a [[nabob]]. Attempts were made to investigate the misdemeanour by [[Henry Dundas, 1st Viscount Melville|Henry Dundas]] but the case did not make much headway.

==Life==
Rumbold was the third son of William Rumbold, an officer of the [[British East India Company|East India Company's]] naval service. He joined the company's service as a writer at the age of 16, then transferred to the company's military service. Promoted to Captain in 1757, he served as [[Robert Clive|Clive's]] aide-de-camp at the [[Battle of Plassey]]. He subsequently transferred back to the Civil Service, becoming chief at [[Patna]] in 1763 and a member of the [[Bengal]] Council from 1766 to 1769; he was mentioned as a possible [[Governor of Bengal]] in 1771, but [[Warren Hastings]] was appointed.

In 1769 Rumbold returned to Britain with a large fortune, knowing the importance of parliamentary influence in the internal politics of the East India Company. He was elected to Parliament in 1770, initially as MP for [[New Shoreham (UK Parliament constituency)|New Shoreham]], a notoriously corrupt and expensive borough where he probably bribed extensively. He received the majority of the votes, but so many were disallowed by the [[returning officer]] on grounds of bribery that he was defeated; however, on petition the result was overturned and Rumbold declared duly elected. Initially he voted with the opposition but by 1773 had joined his former commander, [[Robert Clive|Clive]], in supporting the government and its conduct of Indian affairs.<ref name = HOP>{{cite web| url = http://www.historyofparliamentonline.org/volume/1754-1790/member/rumbold-thomas-1736-91 | title= RUMBOLD, Thomas (1736-91), of Woodhall, Herts. .| publisher= History of Parliament Online| accessdate = 3 December 2017}}</ref>
[[File:Joanna Law Rumbold (1755 - 1823).jpg|thumb|Rumbold married Joanna Law in 1772. Portrait attributed to [[Richard Cosway]]]]
At the next election, in [[1774 British general election|1774]], Rumbold was embroiled in another election-bribery scandal at [[Shaftesbury (UK Parliament constituency)|Shaftesbury]]: he and [[Sir Francis Sykes, 1st Baronet|Sir Francis Sykes]] were initially declared elected, but their defeated opponent petitioned to have the result overturned and produced copious evidence of corruption. Rumbold and Sykes were both shown to have bribed at a rate of 20 guineas (£21) a man, the total spent amounting to several thousand pounds. The Commons Committee not only overturned the election result, but ordered that Sykes, Rumbold, and a long list of other inhabitants of the town should be prosecuted by the Attorney General for bribery and perjury. However, the prosecution never took place, and the Commons was eventually persuaded to reverse its condemnations of Sykes and Rumbold so that both were able to stand for the same borough at the next general election, in [[1780 British general election|1780]].<ref name=HOP/>

In the meanwhile, Rumbold continued his career in India. He had been a director of the East India Company in 1772 and again from 1775 to 1777, and in June 1777 he was appointed [[Governor of Madras]]. During his governorship, British troops occupied [[Guntur]] (then French), which shortly afterwards was annexed to Madras, and also captured [[Pondicherry district|Pondichéry]] and [[Mahé, India|Mahé]]; reporting the capture of Pondicherry to [[Frederick North, Lord North|Lord North]] in October 1778 he declared that he had "happiness to succeed in fulfilling the wishes of his Majesty's ministers", and asked for a suitable reward. He was created first [[Rumbold baronets|baronet of Wood Hall]] (referring to [[Woodhall Park]], his [[Hertfordshire]] estate) on 27 March 1779.[[File:Nabob rumbled.jpg|thumb|left|Cartoon depicting Thomas Rumbold ("Nabob Rumbled") bribing Henry Dundas]]However, Sir Thomas was also responsible for negotiations with [[Hyder Ali Khan|Haidar Ali]], and was unable to dissuade him from invading the [[Carnatic region|Carnatic]] or to prevent him from succeeding. He resigned the governorship for reasons of ill health in 1780, and was subsequently dismissed from the service of the company by the court of directors, who held him responsible for the Carnatic invasion and the [[Second Anglo-Mysore War]]. A parliamentary enquiry was also imminent, and he was anxious to be in the Commons to defend himself, but he had once more been unseated for electoral corruption (having won the 1780 election at Shaftesbury in his absence the result had been overturned again), and had to buy himself a seat at [[Yarmouth (Isle of Wight) (UK Parliament constituency)|Yarmouth (Isle of Wight)]]. (While bribing voters was illegal, paying the patron of a [[pocket borough]] for a nomination as MP was still legal at this period.)
Rumbold supported the establishment of a parliamentary committee of enquiry into the causes of the war in the Carnatic, and spoke repeatedly during the debates that followed. However, the committee did not call him to give evidence, and eventually passed a motion for his impeachment. He was alleged to have diverted a staggering £600,000 into his own pockets, and it was proved that he had been consistently remitting back to England sums three times as big as his salary. But Rumbold's defence was vigorous, no useful evidence to back the charges against him was forthcoming from India, and he was acquitted. Nevertheless, it seems to have been widely believed that he had bribed [[Henry Dundas, 1st Viscount Melville|Henry Dundas]] and [[Richard Rigby]], the members in charge of the proceedings against him. The story obviously cannot be proved and perhaps ought not to be taken seriously.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.historyofparliamentonline.org/volume/1754-1790/survey/iii-members|title=The History of Parliament}}</ref>

Rumbold continued as an MP until 1790, and died the following year.<ref name=HOP/>

==Legacy==
Rumbold was buried at [[Watton-at-Stone]], where there is a monument to him in the parish church.<ref name="BLB">{{Cite web |url=https://britishlistedbuildings.co.uk/101341464-church-of-st-andrew-and-st-mary-watton-at-stone#.XEM_6lxKiMF |title=Church of St Andrew}}</ref>

Rumbold was painted by:
* [[Thomas Gainsborough|Gainsborough]]. "Thomas Rumbold and his Son": [[Victoria Art Gallery]].
* Reynolds. [[Art Institute Chicago]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.artic.edu/artworks/84707/sir-thomas-rumbold-bt |title=Sir Thomas Rumbold, Bt.}}</ref>
* [[George Romney (painter)|Romney]] (a portrait in the [[Hunterian Art Gallery]]),<ref name="HG">{{Cite web |url=https://artuk.org/discover/artworks/sir-thomas-rumbold-17361791-bt-138903 |title=Sir Thomas Rumbold |website=Art UK |access-date=2019-01-23}}</ref>

===Descendants===
His oldest son, [[William Richard Rumbold]] having pre-deceased him, he was succeeded as baronet by his son [[Sir George Rumbold, 2nd Baronet|George]], a diplomat. Another son, [[Charles Rumbold|Charles]], served as MP for [[Great Yarmouth (UK Parliament constituency)|Great Yarmouth]].
His daughter Elizabeth Anne attempted to restore the reputation of her father in a book published posthumously in 1868.<ref>{{cite book|author=Rumbold, Elizabeth Anne| year=1868| place=London| publisher=Longmans, Green, Reader, and Dyer| title=A vindication of the character and administration of Sir Thomas Rumbold.|url=https://archive.org/details/vindicationofcha00rumbrich}}</ref>

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* [http://www.npg.org.uk/live/search/portrait.asp?LinkID=mp61345&rNo=0&role=sit# Gillray cartoon of Rumbold and Dundas, in the National Portrait Gallery]

== Bibliography ==
*{{cite book|last=Dutt|first=Romesh|author-link=Romesh Dutt|title=The Economic History of India under Early British rule, from the Rise of the British Power in 1757 to the Accession of Queen Victoria in 1837|year=1950|edition=7th|publisher=Routledge & Kegan Paul|location=London}}
* {{cite journal|title=Concise Dictionary of National Biography|year=1930}}
* {{cite book |first1=Lewis |last1=Namier |first2=John |last2= Brooke |chapter=Sir Thomas Rumbold, 1st baronet |title= The History of Parliament: The House of Commons 1754-1790 |place= London |publisher=HMSO |year=1964}}
* {{cite book|author=T. H. B. Oldfield|author-link=T. H. B. Oldfield|title=The Representative History of Great Britain and Ireland|url=https://archive.org/details/representativeh06oldfgoog|place=London|publisher=Baldwin, Cradock & Joy|year=1816}}
* {{Rayment-bt|external links=y|date=March 2012}}

{{S-start}}
{{S-par|gb}}

{{Succession box
| title = [[Member of Parliament]] for [[New Shoreham (UK Parliament constituency)|New Shoreham]]
| with = [[Peregrine Cust (1723–1785)|Peregrine Cust]]
| years = 1770–1774
| before = [[Peregrine Cust (1723–1785)|Peregrine Cust]] [[John Purling]]
| after = [[Charles Goring (1743–1829)|Charles Goring]] [[Sir John Shelley, 5th Baronet|Sir John Shelley]]
}}
{{Succession box
| title = [[Member of Parliament]] for [[Shaftesbury (UK Parliament constituency)|Shaftesbury]]
| with = [[Sir Francis Sykes, 1st Baronet|Sir Francis Sykes]]
| years = 1774–1775
| before = [[William Chaffin Grove]] [[Sir Francis Sykes, 1st Baronet|Francis Sykes]]
| after = [[Hans Winthrop Mortimer]] [[George Rous]]
}}
{{Succession box
| title = [[Member of Parliament]] for [[Shaftesbury (UK Parliament constituency)|Shaftesbury]]
| with = [[Sir Francis Sykes, 1st Baronet|Sir Francis Sykes]]
| years = 1780–1781
| before = [[Hans Winthrop Mortimer]] [[George Rous]]
| after = [[Hans Winthrop Mortimer]] [[Sir Francis Sykes, 1st Baronet|Sir Francis Sykes]]
}}
{{Succession box
| title = [[Member of Parliament]] for [[Yarmouth (Isle of Wight) (UK Parliament constituency)|Yarmouth (Isle of Wight)]]
| with = [[Edward Morant (politician)|Edward Morant]]
| years = 1781–1784
| before = [[Edward Morant (politician)|Edward Morant]] [[Edward Rushworth (politician)|Edward Rushworth]]
| after = [[Edward Morant (politician)|Edward Morant]] [[Philip Francis (English politician)|Philip Francis]]
}}
{{Succession box
| title = [[Member of Parliament]] for [[Weymouth and Melcombe Regis (UK Parliament constituency)|Weymouth and Melcombe Regis]]
| with = [[Welbore Ellis, 1st Baron Mendip|Welbore Ellis]] [[John Purling]] [[Gabriel Steward]] 1784–1786 [[Sir George Duckett, 1st Baronet|George Jackson]] 1786–1788 [[Gabriel Steward]] 1788–1790
| years = 1784–1790
| before = [[Welbore Ellis, 1st Baron Mendip|Welbore Ellis]] [[John Purling]] [[Gabriel Steward]] [[William Richard Rumbold]]
| after = [[James Murray Pulteney|Sir James Murray Pulteney]] [[Richard Bempde Johnstone]] [[Andrew Stuart (MP)|Andrew Stuart]] [[Thomas Jones (1765-1811)|Thomas Jones]]
}}
{{S-off}}
{{Succession box | title= [[Governor of Madras]]
| before= [[John Whitehill (governor)|John Whitehill]]
| after= [[John Whitehill (governor)|John Whitehill]]
| years= 1778–1780 }}
{{S-reg|gb-bt}}
|-
{{S-new| creation}}
{{S-ttl|title=[[Rumbold Baronets|Baronet]] '''(of Woodhall)'''|years=1779–1791}}
{{S-aft|after=[[Sir George Rumbold, 2nd Baronet|George Berriman Rumbold]]}}

{{S-end}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rumbold, Thomas}}
[[Category:Baronets in the Baronetage of Great Britain]]
[[Category:Members of Parliament for the Isle of Wight]]
[[Category:1736 births]]
[[Category:1791 deaths]]
[[Category:British MPs 1768–1774]]
[[Category:British MPs 1774–1780]]
[[Category:British MPs 1780–1784]]
[[Category:British MPs 1784–1790]]
[[Category:Governors of Madras]]
[[Category:British East India Company Army officers]]
[[Category:British Army personnel of the Seven Years' War]]
[[Category:Burials in Hertfordshire]]
[[Category:Directors of the British East India Company]]

Thomas Rumbold - Revision history

Bot: robot: Create/update articles. If there is a mistake please report on my talk page.

imported>Gamaliel: /* Life */ File:Joanna Law Rumbold (1755 - 1823).jpg