Sir Thomas was born at Buckingham castle and was invested as a Knight, Order of the Bath (K.B.) in 1509. He married Lady Muriel 1506 in Norfolk. She was born 1486 in Buckenham, Norfolk, and died December 14, 1512 in Lambeth, England. He died Saturday, August 10, 1512.

Sir Thomas, Master of the King's Horse, was killed in command of his ship "The Regent", in action with the French in 1512. In 1511, Henry VIII, who for many years had longed for distinction in actual warfare, and urged on by a national hatred of the French, signed a treaty with Ferdinand of Spain for a joint invasion of France. The failure of the expedition caused Henry the deepest discouragement. However, he was roused by a gallant feat of arms, of Brest, by his fleet under Sir Edward Howard.

Howard was Lord High Admiral, and his sister, Muriel, was Thomas's wife. He had under his command 25 ships which included as well as "The Regent", the "Margaret of Topsham" which was captained by Thomas's younger brother James. This engagement, one of the most striking recorded in the annals of the English navy, was fought off Brest Harbour on the 10th August, 1512, in which the Regent, and the French vessel Cordeliere, commanded by Primanget, called by the English chroniclers Sir Piers Morgan, were blown up with the loss of all their men.