Robert Thistlethwayte
Robert Thistlethwayte was the third son of Francis Thistlethwayte of Winterslow, Wiltshire. He was a Warden of Wadham College, Oxford and clergyman in the Church of England.
In 1737 Thistlethwaite 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 possibly 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:
