Thomas Harrison was born in Gobion"s Manor, Saint Giles, Northamptonshire in 1568. His father was a descendant of the noble Harrison family, tracing their lineage all the way back to Norse Vikings that had arrived in England with King Cnut the Great.
He presided benevolently over the Estate of Gobion"s Manor. He was the first native English ancestor of the Harrison family of Virginia that did not immigrate to America. He had purchased the 300 acre Gobion"s Manor from the noble Turpin family, thus becoming Lord of the Manor.
When his father died in 1598, Thomas succeeded him as the Lord of Gobion"s Manor.
In 1581, at the age of 13, Thomas married Elizabeth Bernard, a descendant of Joan of Acre, daughter of Edward I of England. In 1621, Lord Harrison sold his estate to the Corporation of Northampton, although the exact reason remains unclear.
In 1625, at, the age of 57, the Lord of Gobion"s Manor died in his own estate. Thomas Harrison married Elizabeth Bernard and had 9 children:
Married Mary Stringer.
Thomas Harrison II
Richard Harrison of London
Elizabeth Harrison
Ann Bernard Harrison
Johnathan Harrison
Ursula Harrison
Francis Harrison
William Harrison: Had a son, Edward.
Thomas Harrison symbolized the end of an era in the Harrison family. In other words, it was a transition from being an English noble family, with a pedigree dating from 1374, to an immigrant family.
