Fred Thorne (1867-1938) was a local politician in the East End of London. Born in Yarnscombe near Barnstaple in Devon, by 1888 he had moved to Poplar in London. He established a business as a painter and decorator in Manchester Road, Cubitt Town, and became a justice of the peace. He was a member of Poplar Borough Council, formed in 1900, and served as Mayor of Poplar in 1906-07. He maintained links with his home area, and during his mayoral year attended the annual dinner of a society known as the "Barumites" or "Sons of Barum" (or Barnstaple) who had settled in London.