Notes:

He lived at Kendal, Westmorland, England.

Sir Thomas was the son of Sir John Parr and Agnes Crophull (or Crophill) (c.1371/72-3 February 1438). By his mother's previous marriage to Sir William Devereux of Bodenham, he was the maternal half-brother of Elizabeth and Walter Devereux, Esq., the great-grandfather of Anne Devereux who married William Herbert, 1st Earl of Pembroke (1468 creation) and the 5x great-grandfather of Walter Devereux, 1st Earl of Essex. His father died before 6 October 1407 and when his mother remarried to John Merbury, Esq. he was made the ward of Sir Thomas Tunstall of Thurland castle, Lancashire. Sometime around 1415 he married Alice Tunstall, the daughter of Sir Thomas.

Within a year of his coming of age Thomas was escheator of Cumberland and Westmorland, and was knighted about the same time. He was elected Member of Parliament for Westmorland five times (in 1435, 1449, 1450, 1455 and 1459) and once for Cumberland (1445). He was actively involved in local administration and law enforcement, and became very influential. In 1435 he acted as the Under-sheriff for Thomas, 8th Baron Clifford, the hereditary sheriff of Westmorland.

He became involved in a long-running feud with Sir Henry Bellingham, another local landowner, which came to a head in 1445 when he was attacked in London by Bellingham's men when attending Parliament, which caused a Parliamentary outcry. This appears to have starteds when in 1441 Henry Bellingham Esq. sued Sir Thomas Parr, the Sheriff, for an attack on Bellingham's house in Burnesdie, Westmorland.

By the time of the War of the Roses, Parr had formed close links with leading Yorkist Richard Neville, 5th Earl of Salisbury and when hostilities began joined him at the Battle of Ludford Bridge near Ludlow in 1459. After a Yorkists were defeated, he was forced to flee to Calais with Salisbury and was attainted in Parliament, but returned to fight at the Battle of Wakefield in 1460.

He died in 1461. He left three sons and six daughters. His eldest son, William became elevated as Baron Parr and married a granddaughter of the Earl of Salisbury, Hon. Elizabeth FitzHugh, and by her was grandfather of Queen Catherine, wife of Henry VIII; his second son, Sir John Parr was made sheriff of Westmorland for life in 1462. His third son, Thomas, was killed at the Battle of Barnet in 1471. His daughters all married members of prominent northern families. Mabel married Humphrey Dacre, 1st Baron Dacre; thus becoming the first female Parr to marry into the peerage and be given a title. The accession of the Yorkist King Edward IV in 1461 had saved most of Sir Thomas's estates from confiscation.

Through his son William, the family continued in favour with the culmination of his granddaughter, Catherine, becoming Queen consort of England and Ireland to King Henry VIII in 1543. His other grandchildren and the siblings of Queen Catherine would be raised by being created Marquess of Northampton and Earl of Essex; while a granddaughter, Anne, would become Countess of Pembroke as the wife of William Herbert, 1st Earl of Pembroke of the 1551 creation. Anne's descendants to this day hold the title of Earl of Pembroke among other prominent titles.

Sir Thomas Parr (1407- November 1461 or 24 November 1464) was an English landowner and elected Member of Parliament six times between 1435 and 1459. He was great-grandfather of Queen Catherine Parr, the sixth wife of King Henry VIII.

Ancestry

The Parr family originally came from Parr, Lancashire. Sir Thomas's grandfather, Sir William de Parre (died 1405), son of Sir John de Parre, lord of Parr; married, in 1383, Elizabeth, daughter of John de Ros, and granddaughter and heiress of Sir Thomas de Ros, Baron of Kendal.

Biography

Sir Thomas was the son of Sir John Parr and Agnes Crophull (or Crophill) (c.1371/72-3 February 1438). By his mother's previous marriage to Sir William Devereux of Bodenham, he was the maternal half-brother of Elizabeth and Walter Devereux, Esq., the great-grandfather of Anne Devereux who married William Herbert, 1st Earl of Pembroke (1468 creation) and the 5x great-grandfather of Walter Devereux, 1st Earl of Essex. His father died before 6 October 1407 and when his mother remarried to John Merbury, Esq. he was made the ward of Sir Thomas Tunstall of Thurland castle, Lancashire. Sometime around 1415 he married Alice Tunstall, the daughter of Sir Thomas.

Within a year of his coming of age Thomas was escheator of Cumberland and Westmorland, and was knighted about the same time. He was elected Member of Parliament for Westmorland five times (in 1435, 1449, 1450, 1455 and 1459) and once for Cumberland (1445). He was actively involved in local administration and law enforcement, and became very influential. In 1435 he acted as the Under-sheriff for Thomas, 8th Baron Clifford, the hereditary sheriff of Westmorland.

He became involved in a long-running feud with Sir Henry Bellingham, another local landowner, which came to a head in 1445 when he was attacked in London by Bellingham's men when attending Parliament, which caused a Parliamentary outcry.

By the time of the War of the Roses, Parr had formed close links with leading Yorkist Richard Neville, 5th Earl of Salisbury and when hostilities began joined him at the Battle of Ludford Bridge near Ludlow in 1459. After a Yorkists were defeated, he was forced to flee to Calais with Salisbury and was attainted in Parliament, but returned to fight at the Battle of Wakefield in 1460.

He died in 1461. He left three sons and six daughters. His eldest son, William became elevated as Baron Parr and married a granddaughter of the Earl of Salisbury, Hon. Elizabeth FitzHugh, and by her was grandfather of Queen Catherine, wife of Henry VIII; his second son, Sir John Parr was made sheriff of Westmorland for life in 1462. His third son, Thomas, was killed at the Battle of Barnet in 1471. His daughters all married members of prominent northern families. Mabel married Humphrey Dacre, 1st Baron Dacre; thus becoming the first female Parr to marry into the peerage and be given a title. The accession of the Yorkist King Edward IV in 1461 had saved most of Sir Thomas's estates from confiscation.

Legacy

Through his son William, the family continued in favour with the culmination of his granddaughter, Catherine, becoming Queen consort of England and Ireland to King Henry VIII in 1543. His other grandchildren and the siblings of Queen Catherine would be raised by being created Marquess of Northampton and Earl of Essex; while a granddaughter, Anne, would become Countess of Pembroke as the wife of William Herbert, 1st Earl of Pembroke of the 1551 creation. Anne's descendants to this day hold the title of Earl of Pembroke among other prominent titles.

Thomas married Alice Tunstall Abt 1415. [Group Sheet]

1. Margaret Parr
2. Sir John Parr
3. Eleanor Parr
4. Anne Parr
5. William Parr was born Abt 1434; died Bef 26 Feb 1483/84.
6. Thomas Parr
7. Elizabeth Parr
8. Mabel Parr
9. Agnes Parr was born Abt 1443, Kendal, Westmorland, England; died Abt 1490.

Notes:

He married, thirdly, Agnes Crophill, daughter of Thomas de Crophill and Sibyl de la Bere.

John — Agnes Crophill. Agnes (daughter of Thomas de Crophill and Sibyl de la Bere) was born 1371; died 03 Feb 1437/38. [Group Sheet]

Notes:

She married, secondly, Sir John Parr. She married, firstly, Sir Walter Devereux, son of Sir Walter Devereux. She married, thirdly, John Merbury. She was also known as Agnes de Crophull.

Notes:

Of Parr (in Prescott Lancashire) and Kirkby-Kendal Westmorland.

William — Elizabeth de Roos. [Group Sheet]

Notes:

He is the son of Sir John Crophill and Margery de Verdun. He married Sibyl de la Bere, daughter of Sir John de la Bere, circa 18 October 1371. He was also known as Thomas de Crophull.

Thomas married Sibyl de la Bere Abt 18 Oct 1371. Sibyl (daughter of John de la Bere) died Bef 1381. [Group Sheet]

Notes:

Sibyl de la Bere was the daughter of Sir John de la Bere.

John married Maud 1383. [Group Sheet]

Notes:

Of Kirkby-Kendal, Westmorland.

John — Katherine de Strickland. [Group Sheet]

Notes:

He married, firstly, Margery de Verdun, daughter of Sir Theobald de Verdun, 2nd Lord Verdun and Maud de Mortimer, before 10 September 1355. He lived at Bonnington, Nottinghamshire, England.

John married Margery de Verdun Bef 10 Sep 1355. Margery (daughter of Theobald de Verdun, 2nd Lord Verdun and Maud de Mortimer) was born 10 Aug 1310, Alton, Staffordshire, England; died Bef 12 Oct 1363. [Group Sheet]

Notes:

She was the daughter of Sir Theobald de Verdun, 2nd Lord Verdun and Maud de Mortimer. She married, firstly, Sir William le Blount, 1st and last Lord Blount, son of Sir Walter le Blount and Joan Sodington, before 20 February 1326/27. She married, secondly, Sir Mark Husee, son of Henry Husee, 2nd Lord Husee, before 18 October 1339. She married, thirdly, Sir John Crophill before 10 September 1355.

From before 20 February 1326/27, her married name became le Blount. On 30 October 1328 she and her first husband had livery of her lands. On 26 March 1332 she and her first husband again had livery of her lands. On 15 December 1337 she had livery of Weobley Castle, Herefordshire. From before 18 October 1339, her married name became Husee. On 1 March 1343/44 she and her second husband had livery of her lands. From before 10 September 1355, her married name became Crophill.

Queen consort Catherine Parr is a descendant of Margaret de Verdun by her marriage to Sir Thomas de Crophull.