Thomas Fairfax, 1st Lord Fairfax of Cameron

Thomas Fairfax, 1st Lord Fairfax of Cameron (1560 – 2 May 1640) was an English soldier, diplomat and politician, his title being in the Peerage of Scotland.

Fairfax was the eldest son of Sir Thomas Fairfax of Denton, Yorkshire and Dorothy Gale, and was born at Bilbrough, near York. As a young man he saw military service in the Low Countries, where he commanded a company of foot under Sir Francis Vere. Before and after the death of Mary, Queen of Scots, he was employed by Elizabeth on several diplomatic communications with James VI of Scotland. James offered him a title, which he declined. In 1586 he offered his services to James to suppress a rebellion under Lord Maxwell; and on the death of Elizabeth he was, with six of his nearest kindred, one of the first Englishmen who went to Scotland to swear fealty to the new king. He had served in France under Robert Devereux, Earl of Essex and was knighted by him before Rouen in 1591. He also sat as a member of parliament for Lincoln in 1586, for Aldborough in 1588 and for Yorkshire in 1601 and 1625.

After the accession of James I to the throne, he settled down on his estate at Denton Hall near Ilkley. He bred horses, and wrote about horsemanship. On the accession of Charles I, Fairfax was again knight of the shire (MP) for Yorkshire in the parliament of 1625. He drew up a statement of his services, and on 4 May 1627 was created Lord Fairfax of Cameron in the Peerage of Scotland; the grant was facilitated by a payment of £1,500.

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