Thomas Grafton

Thomas Grafton

Portrayed by Christopher Benjamin (unofficially - NPC)
Full Name	Thomas William Julian Grafton
Title	Marquess of Raulings
Associated Noble House(s)	Marquessate of Raulings
Date of Birth	April 1, 1753
Father	Julian Grafton
Father's Rank	Marquess of Raulings
Mother	Caroline Hissop
Mother's Rank	Daughter of Duke of Pennington
Town Residence	Raulings House, 19 Upper Grosvenor Street
Income	{{{income}}}
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Year Attained Title	1793
Year of Marriage	1780, 1785
Spouse	Mary Hotchkiss (1780-1782), Theodora Dillard (1785-present)
Spouse's Rank	Marchioness of Raulings
Issue	William (1782), Richard (1786), Henry (1786), Katharine (1789), Julianne (1792)

Thomas William Julian Grafton, known as Lord Raulings, is the father of 1811 debutante Lady Julianne Grafton, the Countess of Carrington, Lord Bridgeton, and Lords Richard and Henry Grafton. He is the husband of society hostess Lady Raulings. He is an NPC created by Liz.

Birth and Family

Thomas was born the eldest son of Julian Grafton, the first Marquess of Raulings, and his wife, Caroline (Hissop) Grafton, on April 1, 1753. His mother was born the daughter of the James Hissop, 3rd Duke of Pennington. Thomas was followed in birth by three sisters: Lady Francesca and Lady Miranda (twins born January 1, 1756), and Lady Annabella (born June 12, 1760).

Lady Francesca was later married to Mr. Barnaby Palmer, a local Leichestershire landowner, while her twin made a more advantageous match with the Duke of Welby. Lady Annabella married the recently ennobled James Crane, Baron Crandon, heir to a publishing fortune.

Lord Raulings is the uncle of the following player characters: Jemima Palmer and Daniel Rossington. He is the uncle of the following non-player characters: Cecily Palmer, Hugh Rossington, Georgiana Crane, Matthew Crane, and Julian Crane. He is the great-uncle of non-player character Madalene Rossington.

His aunt, Lady Dorothea Grafton (daughter of Charles Grafton), married Sir James Freye and became the mother of the future Countess of Rotherham. This means Thomas is the first cousin, once removed, of Lady Viola Fitzgerald and her sister Lady Olivia.

On his mother's side, Thomas is the first cousin of Henry Hissop, the current Duke of Pennington and husband to Julia Hissop.

First Marriage

In 1780, at the age of 27, the then-Lord Bridgeton married Miss Hotchkiss, the eldest daughter of Baron Tidwell. Miss Hotchkiss had pretty blue eyes, blonde hair, a trim figure, and a dowry of nearly £30,000. While not desperately in love with one another, the earl and his countess shared a fair amount of affection and were thus elated by the impending birth of their first child nearly two years after their nuptials. Retiring to the family's Warwickshire estate, the earl's pleasure at his son's birth soon turned to despair when Lady Bridgeton passed away of childbed fever not three days after giving birth.

Second Marriage

With his aging parents comfortably settled in their country seat in Leicestershire, Thomas mourned his wife in their London townhouse and kept a rather close eye on his young son, for fear that a similar fever might take him away as well. This was not to be, however, and by the time his year of mourning was over, Viscount Grafton was a lively toddler in need of a mother's love and care. In 1784, Thomas found such a woman in the recently widowed Marchioness of Ramsden, Theodora Quinn. In her son, the young duke, Thomas saw a playmate for his own son. In the lady herself, Thomas saw a woman of extraordinary beauty and grace whose sense of propriety masked a generous heart and quick wit. After several rejections, Theodora eventually accepted his suit, and the two were married in a small ceremony at Christmastime in 1785 at Raulings Park, with only their parents and Thomas' sisters and their families present.