Robert Thistlethwayte

Robert Thistlethwayte was the third son of Francis Thistlethwayte of Winterslow, Wiltshire. He was a Warden of Wadham College, Oxford and a clergyman in the Church of England.
In 1737 Thistlethwayte fled to Boulogne after being accused of making homosexual advances towards a student, William French, whose tutor John Swinton was also accused of homosexual practices. Satirical poetry was written about these events. The following limerick probably also refers to Thistlethwayte:
Allegations of homosexual behaviour, which was considered scandalous at that time, and the College's decision to take out fire insurance combined to prompt the following verse: