Sir Philip Tyrwhitt, 4th Bt. (1633-1688) was the son of Sir Philip Tyrwhitt, 3rd Bt., of Stainfield and his wife Anne, daughter of Nicholas Saunderson. Before 1662, he married Penelope, daughter of Sir Erasmus de la Fountaine of Kirby Bellars, Leicestershire, with whom he had twelve children. He was returned briefly as M.P. for Great Grimsby, but in or before 1674, he was convicted of recusancy (remaining faithful to the Catholic Church) and in 1676, fled to Europe with his family. He was granted a dispensation from the Penal Laws by James II in 1686, and was returned to local office.