Sir Thomas Wyndham of Felbrigg (c.1466 – c.1522) was an English sea captain and

Vice-Admiral of England The Vice-Admiral of the United Kingdom is an honorary office generally held by a senior Royal Navy admiral. The title holder is the official deputy to the Lord High Admiral, an honorary (although once operational) office which was vested in th ...

. He was born in Bolton, Yorkshire, the son of Sir John Wyndham and Margaret, daughter of Sir

John Howard, 1st Duke of Norfolk John Howard, 1st Duke of Norfolk (c. 142522 August 1485), was an English nobleman, soldier, politician, and the first Howard Duke of Norfolk. He was a close friend and loyal supporter of King Richard III, with whom he was slain at the Battle ...

Career

He became a counsellor to

King Henry VIII Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is best known for his six marriages, and for his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. His disag ...

, who in 1512 appointed him Captain. His cousin Admiral Edward Howard. When war broke out in May 1512 Wyndham took part under Howard in the seaborne raid at

Crozon Crozon (, ; br, Kraozon, , ) is a commune in the department of Finistère and the administrative region of Brittany, northwestern France. As well as the town of Crozon, the village of Morgat is part of the commune. Crozon is located on the Croz ...

on the Brittany Coast and was afterwards knighted by Howard. He accompanied King Henry as a Knight of the Body at the sieges of

Thérouanne Thérouanne (; vls, Terenburg; Dutch ''Terwaan'') is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Hauts-de-France region of France. It is located west of Aire-sur-la-Lys and south of Saint-Omer, on the D 157 and D 341 road junction. Locate ...

and Tournay later in the year. AnthonyRoll-1 Great Harry

He was next made captain of the ''John Baptist'' in 1513 and Fleet Treasurer. He was promoted Vice-Admiral of England the same year and the following year made captain of the ''

Henry Grace à Dieu ''Henry Grace à Dieu'' ("Henry, Thanks be to God"), also known as ''Great Harry'', was an English carrack or "great ship" of the King's Fleet in the 16th century, and in her day the largest warship in the world. Contemporary with ''Mary Rose'' ...

''.

Private life

He married twice; firstly Eleanor, daughter of Sir Richard Le Scrope. Eleanor Wyndham was appointed to wait on

Catherine of Aragon Catherine of Aragon (also spelt as Katherine, ; 16 December 1485 – 7 January 1536) was Queen of England as the first wife of King Henry VIII from their marriage on 11 June 1509 until their annulment on 23 May 1533. She was previously ...

in October 1501.Philip Yorke, ''Miscellaneous State Papers'', vol. 1 (London, 1778), p. 3. They had several sons and daughters, including Sir John Wyndham of

Orchard Wyndham Orchard Wyndham is a historic manor near Williton in Somerset, centred on the synonymous grade I listed manor house of Orchard Wyndham that was situated historically in the parish of Watchet and about two miles south of the parish church of ...

, and secondly Elizabeth Wentworth, with whom he had several more children, including Vice-Admiral Sir Thomas Wyndham. They lived at

Felbrigg Hall Felbrigg Hall is a 17th-century English country house near the village of that name in Norfolk. Part of a National Trust property, the unaltered 17th-century house is noted for its Jacobean architecture and fine Georgian interior. Outside i ...

in Norfolk. He was laid to rest in the Lady Chapel at

Norwich Cathedral Norwich Cathedral is an Anglican cathedral in Norwich, Norfolk, dedicated to the Holy and Undivided Trinity. It is the cathedral church for the Church of England Diocese of Norwich and is one of the Norwich 12 heritage sites. The cathedral ...

, but later moved to the Jesus Chapel.

References

{{reflist 1460s births 1520s deaths English navy officers Knights Bachelor