Thomas Vavasour (1560–1620) was an English soldier, courtier and Member of Parliament. He came from a

family Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...

long established in Yorkshire. His grandfather was William Vavasour and his father was Henry Vavasour (died 1584) of

Copmanthorpe Copmanthorpe () is a village and civil parishes in England, civil parish in the City of York in the English county of North Yorkshire, south-west of York, west of Bishopthorpe and close to Acaster Malbis, Askham Bryan and Askham Richard. Accord ...

, Yorkshire. His mother, Margaret, was the daughter of Sir Henry Knyvet (died 1547) of Charlton, Wiltshire. Thomas was educated at Eton and

Caius College, Cambridge Gonville and Caius College, commonly known as Caius ( ), is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1348 by Edmund Gonville, it is the fourth-oldest of the University of Cambridge's 31 colleges an ...

, where he was a

fellow commoner A commoner is a student at certain universities in the British Isles who historically pays for his own tuition and commons, typically contrasted with scholars and exhibitioners, who were given financial emoluments towards their fees. Cambridge ...

. In 1576 he married Mary, daughter and heiress of John Dodge of Copes, Suffolk, widow of Peter Houghton, alderman of London. They had four sons and two daughters. He became involved in court scandal and rivalry through the actions of his elder sister,

Anne Anne, alternatively spelled Ann, is a form of the Latin female name Anna (name), Anna. This in turn is a representation of the Hebrew Hannah (given name), Hannah, which means 'favour' or 'grace'. Related names include Annie (given name), Annie a ...

. He was Member of

Elizabethan The Elizabethan era is the epoch in the Tudor period of the history of England during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I (1558–1603). Historians often depict it as the golden age in English history. The Roman symbol of Britannia (a female per ...

Parliaments for

Wootton Bassett Royal Wootton Bassett , formerly Wootton Bassett, is a market town and civil parish in Wiltshire, England, with a population of 13,570 at the 2021 Census. In the north of the county, it lies to the west of the town of Swindon and northeast of ...

in the 1584 and 1586 parliaments, and member for

Malmesbury Malmesbury () is a town and civil parish in north Wiltshire, England, which lies approximately west of Swindon, northeast of Bristol, and north of Chippenham. The older part of the town is on a hilltop which is almost surrounded by the upp ...

in the 1589 parliament. In August 1585 he fought in the Netherlands as

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

of foot from Yorkshire, retaining this command until 1591. He distinguished himself on two occasions, once in an attack on a sconce near

Arnhem Arnhem ( ; ; Central Dutch dialects, Ernems: ''Èrnem'') is a Cities of the Netherlands, city and List of municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality situated in the eastern part of the Netherlands, near the German border. It is the capita ...

in October 1585, and again in 1587 with

Lord Willoughby Baron Willoughby of Parham was a title in the Peerage of England with two creations. The first creation was for Sir William Willoughby who was raised to the peerage under letters patent in 1547, with the remainder to his heirs male of body. An ...

to fight the Marques del Guasto. He is thought to have been

knight A knight is a person granted an honorary title of a knighthood by a head of state (including the pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church, or the country, especially in a military capacity. The concept of a knighthood ...

ed before August 1595, though the record is unclear. Following military service he was a gentleman pensioner until the death of the Queen at

Richmond Palace Richmond Palace was a Tudor royal residence on the River Thames in England which stood in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. Situated in what was then rural Surrey, it lay upstream and on the opposite bank from the Palace of Westminste ...

in March 1603. Following the accession of

James I James I may refer to: People *James I of Aragon (1208–1276) * James I of Sicily or James II of Aragon (1267–1327) * James I, Count of La Marche (1319–1362), Count of Ponthieu * James I, Count of Urgell (1321–1347) *James I of Cyprus (1334� ...

, Vavasour was made Butler of the port of London, earning him £1,000 compensation. In 1604 he was appointed Knight Marshal of the Household, a role confirmed to him for life in 1612 but, according to John Chamberlain, he sold the right for £3,000, in 1618, two years before his death. He returned to parliament in 1609 to represent

Boroughbridge Boroughbridge ( ) is a town and civil parish in North Yorkshire, England. Historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, it is north-west of York. Until a bypass was built the town lay on the main A1 road from London to Edinburgh, which c ...

after the death in office of Sir John Ferne and was re-elected in 1614 to represent

Horsham Horsham () is a market town on the upper reaches of the River Arun on the fringe of the Weald in West Sussex, England. The town is south south-west of London, north-west of Brighton and north-east of the county town of Chichester. Nearby to ...

. In October 1618 he sold the office of Knight Marshall to Sir

Edward Zouch Sir Edward Zouch of Woking (died 1634) was a courtier to English kings James I of England, James and Charles I of England, Charles I, a masque actor, and Knight Marshal of the King's Household. He was the son of Sir Willam Zouch or Zouche. His mo ...

for £3000. Vavasour's wealth and connection to the court allowed the construction of

Ham House Ham House is a 17th-century house set in formal gardens on the bank of the River Thames in Ham, London, Ham, south of Richmond, London, Richmond in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. The original house was completed in 1610 by Thomas ...

in 1610 on land belonging to the Crown. After his death in 1620 the lease passed to

John Ramsay, 1st Earl of Holderness John Ramsay, 1st Earl of Holderness (May 1, 1588 – January 1626), known as Sir John Ramsay between 1600 and 1606, and as the Viscount of Haddington between 1606 and 1621, was an important Scottish aristocrat of the Jacobean era, best kn ...

, a favourite of the King.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Vavasour, Thomas 1560 births 1620 deaths Alumni of Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge English MPs 1584–1585 English MPs 1586–1587 English MPs 1589 English MPs 1604–1611 English MPs 1614

Thomas Thomas may refer to: People * List of people with given name Thomas * Thomas (name) * Thomas (surname) * Saint Thomas (disambiguation) * Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) Italian Dominican friar, philosopher, and Doctor of the Church * Thomas the A ...

People educated at Eton College