Thomas was Lord Knyvett of Escrick. Elizabeth was the widow of Richard Warren and daughter of Sir Rowland Hayward and Catherine Smythe. She was born in 1568. They wed at St Pancras, London, Middlesex on July 21, 1597. Thomas died July 27, 1622.

He sat in the 1572, 1584, 1586, 1589, 1597, 1601 and 1604 Parliaments.

His niece, Anne Vavasour, daughter of his sister, Margaret was seduced by Edward De Vere, (17th Earl of Oxford). The resulting, illegitimate child led to a led to a long-running feud between Lord Thomas and De Vere. It resulted in the deaths of three followers of De Vere and Lord Thomas as well as injury to both men. The infant son was buried on May 9 1583.

Lord Thomas was educated at Jesus College, Cambridge. He became a gentleman of the privy chamber of Elizabeth I and was created M.A. at Oxford in 1592. He is remembered for his duties to the monarch during the reign of James I (1603-1625), recieving the Manor of Stanwell as a personal gift from the King with whom he had gained much favour.

He remained a gentleman of the privy chamber and became a Justice of the Peace for Westminster. It was in this capacity that Lord Thomas would regularly inspect the cellars of Parliament. The most memorable search being made on the evening in November 1605 when he uncovered the famous gunpowder plot.

The following morning Lord Thomas extracted confessions from Guy Fawkes and his accomplices who were then hanged, drawn and quartered. As an expression of gratitude James I appointed Lord Thomas as a privy councillor and warden of the Royal Mint.

When Lord Thomas died, his Will provided for the foundation of a free-school in Stanwell. The Lord Knyvett School was founded in 1624.

National Archives (UK)
Reference: KNY 454 371 x 9
Grant
By Henry Knyvett to Thomas Knyvett of Ashwellthorpe of legacy of £50 from Sir Thomas Knyvett of Buckenham Castle Henry's brother, and debts of Sir Edward Eraye to the said Sir Thomas and from the said Sir Thomas to the said Henry, (1576).

Reference: KNY 785,786 372 x 6
Thomas Lord Knyvett of Escrick
Anne Knyvett, Westminster, mother. Lawsuit (? with Burr) re Lord Wyndsores minority, (1580).

Reference: MC 148/65, 624 x 8
Autograph letter from William Paston, at Paston, to Sir Thomas Knyvett, at his lodging near the Parliament House, re proposed purchase by Paston of Lord Knyvett's land at Salle, (1608).

Reference: KNY 474 372 x 1
Acknowledgement of receipt by Robert Knyvett gent. from Thomas, Lord Knyvett, of £450 in part payment of £1,000, (1611).

Reference: KNY 789-796 372 x 6
Robert Knyvett, Padua and Smyrna
Mentioning journey to Constantinople 'to see antiquityes' and re financial arrangements, and asking him not to 'putt any poore fortune out of your hands', 1613-1614. Also bills of exchange signed by Humphrey Basse and Thomas Stone of London for payments by Anthony Knyvett to Robert Knyvett at Parish and Venice (some in French), 1611-1613, and bills of exchange signed by Robert Knyvett at Smyrna and Venice for payments by Lord Knyvett to Robert Palmer and John Couchman, 1613-1614, (1611-1614).

Reference: KNY 593-597 372 x 5
Robert Knyvett, Venice and Paris, a 'cousin'.
Assuring Anthony of his gratitude to Lord Knyvett and concerning his travels and financial arrangements, (1612-1614 and undated).

Reference: KNY 787,788 372 x 6
John Couchman, Mark Lane, London
Enclosing bill of exchange signed by Robert Knyvett at Venice in favour of Couchman, with acknowledgement of receipt, (1614).

Reference: KNY 482 372 x 1
Incomplete draft of the Will of Thomas, Lord Knyvett of Escrick, (nd).

Reference: CKS-U908/8/4/1/2
Burgh against Burstowe and Streatfeild. In Chancery over the claims of Lady Frances Burgh [widow of Thomas, Lord Burgh] to the estate, the reversion of which had been sold to the Streatfeild family
Lady Frances Burgh, plaintiff, against William Burstowe and Henry Streatfeild, defendants Exemplification, (November 10, 1623), of interrogatories and answers, (taken December, 1613 and January, 1614), made at the request of Frances Alphrey [a trustee for the Streatfeild family]; the interrogatories asking about Thomas, Lord Burgh's estates in Lincolnshire, what property he had settled on his wife, Frances, whether his father, William, Lord Burgh, had settled the manors of Westcliffe, Chiddingstone Cobham, Tyehurst, Leighton in Cowden and Goudhurst, after the death of his wife, Katherine, on his second son, John; how old John was at his father's death and how long he lived after his father's death and whether he was seized of the land, (until after, May 4, 1587), and whether he contracted with the lessees of the land to sell it to them after the death of his mother, Katherine; whether by a deed, (of July 12, 1590), Thomas confirmed John's rights to these manors; whether there was a deed (of March 4, 1587)from Thomas, Lord Burgh, to Sir Henry Knevett and Thomas Knevett of property in Kent, Surrey and Sussex; deposition, taken at Starborough Castle, (December 15, 1613), of Katherine, Lady Burgh of Starborough Castle, aged 70 years, stating that she had only known the defendant, Henry Streatfeild lately; that she confirmed the grant of the reversion of the property to her son John about two or three years before her husband's death; stating that John lived several years after his father's death, that John obtained a release from her of her rights and contracted to sell the lands to tenants; depositions at Penshurst, (January 10, 1613/4), of Christopher Willoughby of Penshurst, gent. aged 54 years, stating that he had known. Lady Frances seventeen years, Henry Streatfeild twenty years and William Burstowe ten years, that in 1595 he had negotiated with John Burgh to buy lands in Penshurst and Chiddingstone and had made enquiries from his kinsman, Thomas Willoughby of Bore Place, Chiddingstone, as to John's right to sell but John died before the bargain was completed; and deposition of Walter Woodgate of Penshurst, yeoman, aged seventy two years, stating that he had known the defendants for twenty years, that Sir John Burgh was reputed to be the owner of the lands in reversion and had leased land in Chiddingstone and Penshurst to the deponent for twenty one years [good impression of great seal of James I attached], (1613-1623).

Reference: CKS-U908/8/4/1/3
Saxby against Streatfeild. In King's Bench over the removal of sheep from land, the title to which was disputed.
John Saxby, plaintiff, against Henry Streatfeild, defendant Exemplification, (February 10, 1623/4), of a verdict in King's Bench in Michaelmas Term 1623 stating that the plaintiff accused the defendant of, (on February 3, 1622/30, at Chiddingstone at a place called Bustopes, taking eleven sheep belonging to the plaintiff and keeping them. The defendant stated that he took the sheep as bailiff of William and John Alphre, who owned the land, as the animals were doing damage. The plaintiff claimed that the 12a. of land were part of the manor of Chiddingstone and that this had belonged to William, Lord Burgh, who, (on July 1, 1577), had settled it, with other property, on trustees for his marriage settlement; he died on January 1, 1586/7 (U908/L35 and U908/L36/1 give 1585 as the date of his death) leaving his wife Katherine with a life interest in the property and the reversion eventually descended to his son, Thomas; Thomas, Lord Burgh, (on March 4, 1586/7), settled the property on trustees for his marriage settlement; he died October 20, 1602, Henry Knevett, one of the trustees died April 20, 1603 and by the will of the remaining trustee, Thomas Knevett, (July 27, 1622), his widow Elizabeth Knevett became his executrix and by her will, (September 4, 1622), Elizabeth Hampden, widow, became her executrix. Elizabeth Hampden, assigned her right, (October 31, 1622), to Frances, Lady Burgh [widow of Thomas, Lord Burgh], and she, following the death of Katherine, Lady Burgh [widow of William, Lord Burgh], (on February 1, 1622/3), leased the 12a. of land (on February 2, 1622/3) to John Saxby. The defendant was awarded damages against the plaintiff but ordered to return the animals, (1623-24).

British Libray of Manuscripts
Add. 48127 f. 58
Knyvett. see Knevet al. Knyvett (Thomas), Capt., marshal at the Brill. Memorandum concerning munitions for the Brill, (1585, 1587).