Clifford of Chudleigh, Thomas Clifford, 1st Baron

Clifford of Chudleigh, Thomas Clifford, 1st Baron (chŭd`lē), 1630–73, English statesman. Member (1667–73) of the Cabal at Charles II's court, he held a number of offices, rising to acting secretary of state and lord treasurer (1672). He was created Baron Clifford in 1672. Henry Bennet, earl of Arlington, and Clifford, both alleged Roman Catholics, knew of the secret clauses of the Treaty of Dover (1670), which provided for the reestablishment of Roman Catholicism in England. He was forced to resign by passage of the Test Act (1673), which excluded Roman Catholics from office. He died soon afterward, possibly by suicide.