ARMESTON, Thomas (c.1606-85), of Cheapside, London and Burbage, Leics.

Armeston came from a minor Leicestershire family seated at Burbage by 1619. A younger son, he became a London apothecary, trading at the sign of the Grasshopper in Cheapside until he succeeded to the estate during the Interregnum. He and his brothers avoided political commitment, and he held no office till the eve of the Restoration. He defeated the republican Sir Arthur Hesilrige at Leicester in the general election of 1660, and wrote to the mayor from his old shop on 8 May: ‘It hath pleased God to infuse such a spirit of moderation and unanimity into the Parliament as that I hope their consultations will make way to a happy settlement both in church and state’. He was appointed to two committees, the first concerning the regulation of woollen manufactures on 27 July, and the second dealing with the Post Office on 26 Nov. Though probably a court supporter in the Convention, he never stood again, nor did any other member of the family enter Parliament. His will was proved in May 1685.3Recs. Bor. Leicester ed. Stocks, iv. 463; PCC 52 Cann.