Thomas Clayton junior (1612–1693)
Thomas Clayton junior was born in 1612. He was the son of Thomas Clayton Senior, who had been Regius Professor of Medicine from 1612 until his death in 1647. His mother was the daughter of Bartholomew Warner, another former Regius Professor. He had a sister, who married a Mr Milborne and lived in Bristol.
Clayton was matriculated at the University of Oxford from Pembroke College (where his father was currently Master) on 25 May 1627, aged 15. He obtained his BA on 22 January 1628/9 and his MA on 17 October 1631. In 1633 he was at Gray's Inn.
Clayton then turned to Medicine, obtaining his B.Med. on 18 July 1635 and his D.Med. on 19 June 1639.
Around the beginning of the 1640s Clayton married his wife, Bridget Cotterell (sister of the Master of the Ceremonies at the Court of Charles I, Sir Charles Cotterell), and they had the following children:
- Bridget, baptised at St Aldate's Church on 25 December 1645.
- An unnamed "daughter of Dr Clayton junior" buried at St Aldate's Church on 29 October 1650
- James, born c.1651
- Jane, baptised at St Aldate's Church on 2 September 1652.
Clayton succeeded his father as Regius Professor of Medicine in 1647. He does not appear to have been ideally suited for the post, since "being possest of a timorous and effeminate humour, he could never endure the sight of a mangled or bloody body".
On 12 June 1649 the University Visitors were ordered to "represent the whole state of the businesse concerning the place of Physicke Professor", and on 11 July the Visitors ordered that "Dr Clayton be required to give a full accompt touchinge this businesse, immediately on his retourne to Oxon".
In 1650 Clayton resigned from the Anatomy Chair in favour of his deputy, Sir William Petty.
On 12 April 1660 Clayton was elected MP for the University of Oxford in the Restoration Parliament. Around that time he bought La Vache at Chalfont St Giles in Buckinghamshire from the king's brother to be his country estate. Of the Regius Professorship of Medicine in December 1660, Anthony Wood (I:361) wrote:
The Medcine likewise was neglected, while the Professor therof (who had cringed to the men of the intervall) was not onlie settling himself in the wardenship of Merton College which he most unjustly obtained, but also in an estate belonging to a regicide lately purchased.
Clayton still lived in St Aldate's parish (probably in a Pembroke house), and Wood (I:385) reports how some of his neighbours of that parish came to meet him on Shotover on 30 March 1661 when he was returning to Oxford in a stagecoach; but
Sir Thomas, either ashamed of their company, or for some other reason best knowne to himself, desired them to disperse, and not to acommpany him by his coach-side; which they did accordingly, and afterwards came scatteredly into Oxon a quarter of an hour before the coach came in.
On 6 March 1661 Clayton was duly named as the new Warden of Merton College: his brother-in-law, Sir Charles Cotterell, had been instrumental in obtaining the position for him. Wood (I:394) wrote of the election:
All seniors that had known what Thomas Clayton had been, did look upon him as the most impudent fellow in nature to adventure upon such a place (the Wardenship of Merton coll.), that had been held by eminent persons. They knew him well to have been a most impudent and rude fellow. They knew him to have been the very lol-poop of the University, the common subject of every lampoon that was made, and a fellow of little or no religion, only for forme-sake. They knew also that he had been a most lascivious person, a great haunter of women's company and a common fornicator. Also, that he had sided with the times after the grand rebellion broke out in 1642, by taking the covenannt, submitting to the Visitors in 1648, by taking the engagement, and afterwards the oaths to be true and faithfull to prince Oliver and prince Richard, otherwise he could never have kept his professorship of phisick in the Universitie, as he did, from 1647 to his majestie's (K. Ch. 2) restoration, when they thought that nothing but justice should have taken place, and royallists prefer'd. But as I have told you before, Dr Juxon, archb. of Canterbury, being overpres'd by Sir Charles Cotterel, and weary of his solicitations in behalf of Clayton, he sealed his instruments, without any mroe adoe, for quietness sake, he himself being a very quiet man, tho he knew well what Clayton had been. The fellows of Merton Coll. did usually say, in the hearing of A.W., that as the College was dissolv'd in the time of the grand rebellion, so 'twas no matter to them if it was dissolv'd againe, rather than Tom Clayton should be warden thereof.
Clayton was formally admitted Warden on 3 May 1661. Wood goes on at great length about "the mischeif that befel Mert. Coll. by having a married starnger among them". He describes the extravagance of Clayton and his wife thus (I:398):
The warden, by the motion of his lady, did put the college to unnecessary charges, and very frivolous expences, among which were a very larg looking-glass, for her to see her ugly face, and body to the middle, and perhaps lower, which was bought in Hillary terme 1674[/5], and cost, as the bursar told me, about 10li. A bedsteed and bedding worth 40li. must also be bought, because the former bedstede and bedding was too short for him (he being a tall man); so perhaps when a short warden comes, a short bed must be bought. As his bed was too short, so the wicket of the common gate entring into the coll. was too low, therefore that was made higher in 1676 in the month of August. The said bursar George Roberts hath several times told me, that either he (the warden) or his lady do invent, and sit thinking how to put the college to charge, to please themselves, and no end there is to their unlimited desire. He told me also, that there was no terrier taken of the goods he had, which were bought at the college charg; and therefore they did carry many of them, especially the looking glass, to their country seat called The Vach in Chalfont parish neare Wycomb in Bucks, which Sir Thomas Clayton had bought of the duke of York, who had received the said mannour from the king, falten unto him by the attainder of Georg Fleetwood, esq., one that sate in judgment on K. Ch. I.
Clayton was knighted on 27 March 1661.
In 1665 Clayton resigned as Regius Professor of Medicine.
On 11 December 1687 Clayton's wife Bridget died in the Warden's Lodgings at the age of about 76 and was buried in Merton College Chapel three days later. The burial register (with Anthony Wood's notes) for that day reads:
Clayton, The Lady Bridget, wife of Sir Thomas Clayton, Warden of Mert. Coll., bur. with escocheons close under & within ye tower under the south-west buttress or pillar. For not being buried in woollen ye penalty was paid according to ye requirement of a late Act of Parliament, entituled, an Act for Burying in Woollen. She was bur. in linnen so the £5 forfeit was by Sir Thomas Clayton given to the poore at St. Thomas day following, whereby he saved yt money which he usually gave the poore at yt time.
Clayton remained Warden of Merton College until his death at La Vache on 4 October 1693. He was buried with his wife in Merton College chapel. The register reads:
Sir Thomas, Kt., Warden of Mert. died & was bur. on 8 of Oct. neare the body of his sometimes Lady, in a little vault built of bricks under the belfrey or tower.
Clayton's surviving children
James Clayton III (born 1651) was Clayton's only son. He was matriculated at the University of Oxford from Merton College (where of course his father was Warden) at the age of 15 on 22 June 1666. He married Elizabeth Howe of Wiltshire, daughter of Sir Richard Howe. Their first daughter lived only a few hours: the Merton College baptismal register for 14 April 1680 reads: "Anne dau. of James Clayton Esqu. was bapt. as soon as 'twas borne, about one or two in the morn. Died the same day"; and the stone slab shown below in Merton College chapel reads: "Here lyeth the body of Anne Clayton daughter of James Clayton Esqr who dyed April ye 15th 1680."
James's wife Elizabeth died in childbirth a year later, and was buried beside her first daughter Anne in the north part of the outer chapel. The white marble slab shown below in Merton College chapel reads: "Here lieth the body of Elizabeth Clayton ye wife of James Clayton esqr and daughter of Sr Richard Grobham Howe of Wishford in ye County of Wilts Baronet who died April 7th 1681".
Bridget Clayton became the wife of Sir Edward Nicholas, second son of the sometime Secretary of State Sir Edward Nicholas.