Sir Thomas Baskerville (died 1597), was an English general and MP. Baskerville was the son of Henry Baskerville, Esq., of the city of

Hereford Hereford ( ) is a cathedral city and the county town of the ceremonial county of Herefordshire, England. It is on the banks of the River Wye and lies east of the border with Wales, north-west of Gloucester and south-west of Worcester. With ...

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

Brittany Brittany ( ) is a peninsula, historical country and cultural area in the north-west of modern France, covering the western part of what was known as Armorica in Roman Gaul. It became an Kingdom of Brittany, independent kingdom and then a Duch ...

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

Spanish Main During the Spanish colonization of the Americas, the Spanish Main was the collective term used by English speakers 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 ...

in 1595 under the command of

Francis Drake Sir Francis Drake ( 1540 – 28 January 1596) was an English Exploration, explorer and privateer best known for making the Francis Drake's circumnavigation, second circumnavigation of the world in a single expedition between 1577 and 1580 (bein ...

. After defeat at San Juan in December, Baskerville became second in command after the death of John Hawkins. In January 1596 an attempt to cross the

isthmus of Panama The Isthmus of Panama, historically known as the Isthmus of Darien, is the narrow strip of land that lies between the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean, linking North America, North and South America. The country of Panama is located on the i ...

from Nombre de Dios in order to seize the silver rich port of Portobelo, Colón also ended in failure. Ravaged with

dysentery Dysentery ( , ), 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 may include dehyd ...

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 Picardy (; Picard language, Picard and , , ) is a historical and cultural territory and a former regions of France, administrative region located in northern France. The first mentions of this province date back to the Middle Ages: it gained it ...

, during the Siege of Amiens 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 Old St Paul's Cathedral was the cathedral of the City of London that, until the Great Fire of London, Great Fire of 1666, stood on the site of the present St Paul's Cathedral. Built from 1087 to 1314 and dedicated to Paul of Tarsus, Saint Paul ...

. His grave and monument was destroyed in the

Great Fire of London The Great Fire of London was a major conflagration that swept through central London from Sunday 2 September to Wednesday 5 September 1666, gutting the medieval City of London inside the old London Wall, Roman city wall, while also extendi ...

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 Berkshire ( ; abbreviated ), officially the Royal County of Berkshire, is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Oxfordshire to the north, Buckinghamshire to the north-east, Greater London ...

(now

Oxfordshire Oxfordshire ( ; abbreviated ''Oxon'') is a ceremonial county in South East England. The county is bordered by Northamptonshire and Warwickshire to the north, Buckinghamshire to the east, Berkshire to the south, and Wiltshire and Glouceste ...

), where his widow – Mary, daughter of Sir Thomas Throckmorton of Tortworth in

Gloucestershire Gloucestershire ( , ; abbreviated Glos.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by Herefordshire to the north-west, Worcestershire to the north, Warwickshire to the north-east, Oxfordshire ...

– lived and was buried. He left a son, Hannibal Baskerville.

References

Year of birth missing 1597 deaths 16th-century births Military personnel from Hereford Military personnel from Warwickshire People from Berkshire Expatriates from the Kingdom of England 16th-century 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