Thomas Wilson (d 20 July 1586) was

Dean of Worcester The Dean of Worcester is the head of the Chapter of Worcester Cathedral in Worcester, England. The current dean is Peter Atkinson, who lives at The Deanery, College Green, Worcester. Crockford's on-line accessed by subscription Tuesday 11 June ...

from 1559 until his death. Wilson was born in

Kendal Kendal, once Kirkby in Kendal or Kirkby Kendal, is a market town and civil parish in the South Lakeland district of Cumbria, England, south-east of Windermere and north of Lancaster. Historically in Westmorland, it lies within the dale of th ...

, educated at

St John's College, Cambridge St John's College is a Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge founded by the House of Tudor, Tudor matriarch Lady Margaret Beaufort. In constitutional terms, the college is a charitable corpo ...

and ordained. He was appointed to a living as

Vicar A vicar (; Latin: ''vicarius'') is a representative, deputy or substitute; anyone acting "in the person of" or agent for a superior (compare "vicarious" in the sense of "at second hand"). Linguistically, ''vicar'' is cognate with the English pref ...

of Church of St Peter and St Paul,

Blockley Blockley is a village, civil parish and ecclesiastical parish in the Cotswold district of Gloucestershire, England, about northwest of Moreton-in-Marsh. Until 1931 Blockley was an exclave of Worcestershire. The civil and ecclesiastical parish ...

. During his time as Dean of Worcester an inventory of plate and furniture was drawn up listing the cathedral's ornaments. Wilson found favour with the Elizabethan court, when Sir William Cecil fell ill, and retreated to Burghley. On 12 November 1571 Thomas Wilson attended Privy Council and was appointed principal Secretary alongside Sir Francis Walsingham. In 1578 he was one of the deputies sent to the Diet of

Schmalkalden Schmalkalden () is a town in the Schmalkalden-Meiningen district, in the southwest of the state of Thuringia, Germany. It is on the southern slope of the Thuringian Forest at the Schmalkalde river, a tributary to the Werra. , the town had a popula ...

. In May 1581 he was replaced by secretary Walsingham as the Queen's principal secretary, combining the two posts. He died in 1586. Thomas Wilson married Dorothy Banister, and their only daughter, who survived him, died in 1641.Wingfield
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References

Year of birth unknown 1586 deaths People from Kendal Alumni of St John's College, Cambridge Deans of Worcester {{ChurchofEngland-dean-stub