Thomas Burgh, 1st Baron Burgh

Thomas Burgh, 1st Baron Burgh of Gainsborough, ( ; also spelt Borough; – 28 February 1550), de jure 5th Baron Strabolgi and 7th Baron Cobham of Sterborough, was an English peer. In 1513 he was knighted on Flodden Field, where he was one of the King's Spears, a bodyguard of King Henry VIII. He later became Lord Chamberlain to Anne Boleyn. He was also one of the twenty-six Peers summoned to the trial of Anne Boleyn in May 1536.

Life Thomas Burgh, also spelt "Borough", was born about 1488 at Gainsborough, Lincolnshire, the eldest son of Edward Burgh, 2nd Baron Burgh (c. 1463 – 1528) and Anne Cobham, suo jure 6th Baroness Cobham, daughter of Sir Thomas Cobham, de jure 5th Baron Cobham of Sterborough and Lady Anne Stafford, a daughter of the 1st Duke of Buckingham.

His father, Edward, succeeded as 2nd Baron of Gainsborough on 18 March 1495/96, but was never summoned to Parliament and the barony created for his grandfather in 1487 is considered to have become extinct on his death in 1496. However, after his father was found a lunatic in December 1529, Sir Thomas Burgh, was summoned to the House of Lords as Lord Burgh, of Gainsborough in the County of Lincoln. He had already succeeded his father as de jure fifth Baron Strabolgi and seventh Baron Cobham, an honour he inherited from his mother, although he was never summoned to Parliament in this title or confirmed in it. He was knighted in 1513 and served as High Sheriff of Lincolnshire in 1518 and 1524.

Sir Thomas's country seat was at Gainsborough Old Hall. He was an overbearing father, given to violent rages, who ruled with an iron hand, requiring absolute obedience. Some time after 1529, he had his daughter-in-law, Elizabeth Owen, thrown out of the household and her children with his younger son Thomas Burgh were declared bastards. Sir Thomas's own children lived in fear of their father.

Sir Thomas was opinionated on matters of religion and was a passionate supporter of the new reformed religion which was being introduced to England. Burgh had an ambitious reform-minded chaplain with whom he discussed his opinions on the matter of religion. When his chaplain went to London to find a new patron in Thomas Cromwell, Burgh wrote asking that he be returned immediately.

In May 1533, at the celebrations for the coronation of Anne Boleyn, Borough was severely rebuked for "ripping Queen Catherine of Aragon's [coat of] arms off her barge and for seizing the barge". Having been appointed as Boleyn's lord chamberlain, Borough maintained a high profile and rode in her barge as she was received at the Tower on her coronation day. Appearing in the procession he wore a surcoat and mantle of white cloth of tissue and ermine as he held the middle of Anne Boleyn's coronation train.

It was thought until recently that Thomas's father Edward Burgh, 2nd Baron Burgh, had married Catherine Parr in 1529, but the 2nd Baron died in August 1528. Through the recent research of contemporaneous documents, including the will of Catherine's mother, by the biographers Susan E. James, Linda Porter, David Starkey, and Alison Weir, it has been established that she married the 2nd Baron's grandson, who shared his grandfather's first name. Sir Edward Borough was the eldest son of Sir Thomas Borough. In the will of Maud Parr dated May 1529, she mentioned Sir Thomas, father of Edward, saying I am indebted to Sir Thomas Borough, knight, for the marriage of my daughter. At the time of his son's marriage, Thomas was thirty-five, which would have made Edward around Catherine's age. Sir Thomas Burgh (d. 1542), who married Elizabeth Owen, and had issue. Elizabeth was thrown out by her father-in-law and their children were declared bastards by his father, Lord Borough. The barony was thus inherited by his younger brother, Sir William Burgh. Henry Burgh (c. 1522 – 22 April 1557), from which the Burghs of Stow are descended. Dorothy Burgh, became a nun. 17= 17. Elizabeth Bruce 18= 18. Sir Thomas Percy of Northumberland 19= 19. Elizabeth of Atholl Strathbogie 20= 20. William de Ros, 6th Baron de Ros 21= 21. Margaret Fitzalan 22= 22. Richard de Beauchamp, 13th Earl of Warwick 23= 23. Elizabeth de Berkeley, Countess of Warwick 24= 24. Reginald Cobham, 2nd Baron Cobham 25= 25. Eleanor Maltravers, 2nd Baroness Maltravers 27= 27. Alianore Greene 28= 28. Edmund Stafford, 5th Earl of Stafford 29= 29. Anne of Gloucester 30= 30. Ralph de Neville, 1st Earl of Westmorland 31= 31. Lady Joan Beaufort, Countess of Westmorland