Thomas Tresham

Who was Thomas Tresham?

Sir Thomas Tresham was a Catholic recusant politician at the end of the Tudor dynasty and the start of the Stuart dynasty in England.

Inheriting large estates at the age of 15 from his grandfather, Thomas Tresham I, he had a privileged start to adult life. He was widely regarded as a clever and well educated man, moving in the highest social circles. He was acquainted with William Cecil, the Secretary of State to Queen Elizabeth, and Sir Christopher Hatton, the Lord Chancellor.

Thomas Tresham served as High Sheriff of Northamptonshire for 1573 and was knighted at the Queen's Royal Progress at Kenilworth in 1575. Sir Thomas enjoyed a lavish lifestyle, and frequently entertained large numbers of friends and acquaintances. His Catholic religion burdened him frequently with debt and fines. At a time when Queen Elizabeth was anxious about the Catholic threat posed by Spain and by her cousin Mary, Queen of Scots, nonconformists were targets for persecution. Between 1581 and 1605, Tresham paid penalties totalling just under £8,000. These heavy financial demands created spiralling debts, with borrowing as his only resource. Tresham's credit never fully recovered.