Sir Thomas Baskerville (died 1597), was an English general and MP. Baskerville was the son of Henry Baskerville, Esq., of the city of Hereford, and is described as of Good Rest, Warwickshire. He obtained a high reputation as a military commander. In the Harleian MSS. there is an account of his voyage after the great treasure at Puerto Rico, when he was general of Queen Elizabeth's Indian armada. He was sent with Lord Willoughby to France to assist Henry IV in 1589. He was

Member of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members o ...

for Carmarthen borough in 1592. Subsequently, he commanded the troops despatched to

Brittany Brittany (; french: link=no, Bretagne ; br, Breizh, or ; Gallo: ''Bertaèyn'' ) is a peninsula, historical country and cultural area in the west of modern France, covering the western part of what was known as Armorica during the period ...

(1594). He then took part in an expedition to the

Spanish Main During the Spanish colonization of America, the Spanish Main was the collective term for the parts of the Spanish Empire that were on the mainland of the Americas and had coastlines on the Caribbean Sea or Gulf of Mexico. The term was used to di ...

in 1595 under the command of Francis Drake. After defeat at San Juan in December, Baskerville became second in command after the death of

John Hawkins John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second ...

. In January 1596 an attempt to cross the isthmus of Panama from Nombre de Dios in order to seize the silver rich port of

Portobelo, Colón Portobelo (Modern Spanish: "Puerto Bello" ("beautiful port"), historically in Portuguese: Porto Belo) is a historic port and corregimiento in Portobelo District, Colón Province, Panama, Central America, with a population of 4,559 . Located on ...

also ended in failure. Ravaged with

dysentery Dysentery (UK pronunciation: , US: ), historically known as the bloody flux, is a type of gastroenteritis that results in bloody diarrhea. Other symptoms may include fever, abdominal pain, and a feeling of incomplete defecation. Complications ...

and other diseases Baskerville bravely led his troops over thirty miles before heading back. Drake would die of the former and the expedition was forced to retreat back to England all the while harassed by the Spanish. He commanded the English army in Picardy, during the

Siege of Amiens The siege of Amiens (French: Siège d'Amiens) was a siege and battle fought during the Franco-Spanish War (1595–1598), as part of both the French Wars of Religion and the Anglo-Spanish War (1585–1604), between 13 May and 25 September 1597.Jacq ...

but died of a fever at Picquigny, on 4 June 1597. He was returned to England and was buried in the area of the new choir of Old St Paul's Cathedral. His grave and monument was destroyed in the Great Fire of London in 1666. He is listed on a modern monument in the crypt as one of the important graves lost in the fire. Shortly before his death, he had purchased the manors of Sunningwell and Bayworth in Berkshire (now Oxfordshire), where his widow – Mary, daughter of Sir Thomas Throckmorton of

Tortworth Tortworth is a small village and civil parish, near Thornbury in Gloucestershire, England. It has a population of 147 as of 2011. It lies on the B4509 road, which crosses the M5 motorway to the west of Tortworth. History In the Domesday Book o ...

Gloucestershire Gloucestershire ( abbreviated Glos) is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn and the entire Forest of Dean. The county town is the city of Gl ...

– lived and was buried. He left a son,

Hannibal Baskerville Hannibal Baskerville (1597–1668), was an English antiquary. Baskerville was the son of Sir Thomas Baskerville, a knight and commander of the English army in France, by Mary, daughter of Sir Thomas Throgmorton. He was born at Saint-Valery, in P ...

References

Year of birth missing 1597 deaths 16th-century births People from Hereford People from Warwickshire People from Vale of White Horse (district) English knights 16th-century English soldiers English MPs 1593 English people of the Anglo-Spanish War (1585–1604) Burials at St Paul's Cathedral {{Wales-pre1707-MP-stub