He was the only son of Thomas Bishopp of Henfield, Sussex and his wife Elizabeth Belknap and educated at Street John's College, Oxford (1562), Clifford’s Inn and the Inner Temple (1572). Her father, Sir Edward Belknap, was active both on the battlefield and as a court official during the 16th and 17th centuries.
Street John"s College.
Before 1549, Thomas Bishopp senior had acted as feoffee to Elizabeth, who was a recusant. He had fought for Henry VII of England and been appointed to the post of "surveyor of the King"s prerogative", which gave him the power to appropriate lands and property. By Thomas"s marriage to Elizabeth he had obtained a considerable estate in Sussex.
They had settled at Henfield in Sussex where Thomas became a Justice of the Peace and attorney to the bishop of Chichester, Robert Sherburne (bishop 1508-1536), who annexed the prebendary of Henfield in 1499 to his bishopric and then conveyed the estate to Thomas senior.
In 1560, Thomas junior was just 10 years old when he inherited from his father Thomas senior the parsonage and park at Henfield, the manors of Beeding, Drayton, Hunston, Stubcroft, and certain farms and stock including a flock of 1,000 sheep. He was probably nominated for these seats in Parliament by Lord Burghley (Master of the Court of Wards amongst other lucrative offices) William Cecil, 1st Baron Burghley.
From 1578 until his death he sat on the Sussex bench as a Justice of the Peace. In the 1587 report on Sussex justices of the peace Bishopp was a ‘young man’ who was a ‘good justice’.
He was appointed High Sheriff of Surrey and Sussex for 1584-1585 and 1601-1602.
He bought the Parham House estate, Sussex in 1597 and was invested by King James I as a knight on 7 May 1603 at Theobalds House, shortly after King James I had acceded to the throne. He was made baronet Bishopp of Parham in the County of Sussex in 1620 when almost 70 years old. Sir Thomas Bishopp married, firstly, Anne Cromer, daughter of William Cromer, on 19 September 1577.
Their eldest son was Sir Edward Bishopp, 2nd Baronet.
Their second son Henry Bishopp, was a Postmaster General of England and inventor of the first postmark used on mail.
