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Thomas Parry (Comptroller of the Household)


Sir Thomas Parry (c. 1515 – 15 December 1560) was a Comptroller of the Household to the English Queen Elizabeth I.

He was knighted by Elizabeth at her accession in 1558, and held the offices of royal steward, Cofferer, Privy Counsellor, Comptroller of the Household (appointed November 1558), Master of the Court of Wards and Liveries (appointed 26 April 1559), Member of Parliament for Wallingford (elected 1547, 1552, 1555), Hertfordshire (elected 5 January 1558–9), and Lord Lieutenant of Berkshire (appointed 1559).

Parry's father was Henry Vaughan of Tretower Court, Breconshire, Wales whose father, Sir Thomas Vaughan, had been knighted and later beheaded by King Richard III.

He was a friend and kinsman of William Cecil, Lord Burghley, which may have afforded him his introduction to the court of King Edward VI. Parry was initially known as Thomas ap Harry (Thomas, son of Harry), later modified to Thomas Parry. He is first noticed attending Thomas Cromwell in 1536, having been employed with various tasks and responsibilities attached to the dissolution of monastic properties.

Further on he was one of the Protestants that were allowed to attend Princess Elizabeth when Mary confined her to Hatfield House. Elizabeth was quick to acknowledge his service and loyalty and conferred a knighthood to him upon her accession in 1558 and he was also made a privy counsellor. The following year, he acquired lands in Berkshire, centred on Hamstead Marshall. Although Elizabeth was fond of his services, he was not particularly popular at court and is noted to have "died on 15 December 1560, of 'mere ill-humour' according to popular report (ib. vii. 313; Cal. State Papers, Dom. 1598–1601, p. 204), and was buried in Westminster Abbey (Registers, ed. Chester, p. 113)."


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