Background
His grandfather was William Vavasour and his father was Henry Vavasour of Copmanthorpe, Yorkshire. His mother, Margaret, was the daughter of Sir Henry Knyvet of Charlton, Wiltshire.
His grandfather was William Vavasour and his father was Henry Vavasour of Copmanthorpe, Yorkshire. His mother, Margaret, was the daughter of Sir Henry Knyvet of Charlton, Wiltshire.
Thomas was educated at Eton and Caius College, Cambridge where he was a fellow commoner.
In August 1585 he fought in the Netherlands as captain of also foot from Yorkshire, retaining this command until 1591. He distinguished himself on two occasions, once in an attack on a sconce near Arnhem in October 1585, and again in 1587 with Lord Willoughby to fight the Marques del Guasto. He is thought to have been knighted before August 1595, though the record is unclear.
Following military service he was a gentleman pensioner until the death of the Queen at Richmond Palace in March 1603.
Following the accession of James I, Vavasour was made Butler of the port of London, earning him £1,000 compensation. In 1604 he was appointed Knight Marshal of the Household, a role confirmed to him for life in 1612 but, according to John Chamberlain, he sold the right for £3,000, in 1618, two years before his death.
He returned to parliament in 1604 to represent Boroughbridge after the death in office of Sir Richard Gargrave and was re-elected in 1614 to represent Horsham. Vavasour"s wealth and connection to the court allowed the construction of Ham House in 1610.
He died in 1620.
He was Member of Elizabethan Parliaments for Wootton Bassett in the 1584 and 1586 parliaments, and member for Malmesbury in the 1589 parliament.