Sir Thomas Neville orNevill (in or before 1484 – 29 May 1542) was a younger son ofGeorge Neville, 4th Baron Bergavenny. He was a prominent lawyer and a trusted councillor of KingHenry VIII, and was electedSpeaker of the House of Commons in 1515.

Neville was the fifth son ofGeorge Neville, 4th Baron Bergavenny (1436–1492), by his first wife, Margaret Fenn (d. 28 September 1485), the daughter and heir ofHugh Fenne.^[1][2]

Although there is no formal record of his legal education,^[3] Neville was a member ofGray's Inn, and by 1514 had begun to oversee the legal process by whichtenants in chief of the Crown sued out their liveries to obtain possession of their estates. In 1529 he was appointed to supervise the suing out of all liveries involving lands in England, Wales and Calais.^[3] Between the years 1516 and 1527 he was also in frequent attendance at meetings ofKing Henry VIII's council, and was active in bothStar Chamber and theCourt of Requests. It is said that by 1522, of the Masters of Requests only he andSir Thomas More had access to the King.^[2]

Details of Neville's early Parliamentary career are unclear, although it is likely he represented a constituency inKent. On 8 February 1515, he was chosenSpeaker of the House of Commons, and knighted by Henry VIII in the presence of both houses, 'a mark of distinction thought to be without precedent'.^[3] After his term as Speaker, he appears to have left Parliament, but continued to serve at court, where he had livery in Henry VIII's household in 1519. He was a signatory to at least two treaties, and was present at both theField of Cloth of Gold and Henry VIII's meeting withEmperor Charles V. He is recorded as having received a New Year's gift from the King in 1533, and was among the courtiers present whenAnne of Cleves was welcomed atDover.^[2]

In 1521 his eldest brother,George Neville, 5th Baron Bergavenny, was disgraced, and was compelled to sell his principal manor ofBirling in Kent to the Crown. In 1538 another of his brothers,Sir Edward Neville, was executed. However the misfortunes which befell his brothers appear to have had no effect on Neville's own career.^[2][3]

In 1535, he was involved in unsuccessful negotiations to marry his only child, Margaret, toGregory Cromwell, the son of Henry VIII's chief minister,Thomas Cromwell.^[3] Thomas Cromwell is said to have chosen Margaret's eventual husband,Sir Robert Southwell.^[3][2]

Although he did not acquire extensive lands, Neville was wealthy enough to lend money to other courtiers, including the King's brother-in-law,Charles Brandon, 1st Duke of Suffolk, andHenry Percy, 5th Earl of Northumberland.^[2]

Neville made his will on 23 May 1542, appointing as executors his cousin,Sir Thomas Willoughby,Chief Justice of the Common Pleas, andSir John Baker. He died six days later, and was buried inMereworth church in Kent, where he is commemorated by a memorial brass.^[3][2]

Neville married firstly Katherine (née Dacre), widow of George FitzHugh, 7th Baron FitzHugh, d. 28 January 1513,^{[citation needed]} and daughter ofHumphrey Dacre, 1st Baron Dacre of Gilsland and Mabel Parr, the daughter ofSir Thomas Parr, d. 24 November 1464,^[4][5] by whom he had an only child,Margaret Neville, who on 1 May 1536 marriedSir Robert Southwell. After the death of Sir Robert Southwell, Margaret married William Plumbe. She died 25 December 1575, and was buried in the Church of St Giles atWyddial,Hertfordshire, where there is a memorial brass commemorating her.^[6]

Neville married secondlyElizabeth (née Bryce), widow ofRobert Amadas (d. 7 April 1532), a London goldsmith and Master of Henry VIII's Jewel House, who predeceased him, and by whom he left no issue.^[3][2]

• Andrews, William Frampton (1903).Memorial Brasses in Hertfordshire Churches (2nd ed.). London: Elliot Stock. p. 161. Retrieved22 May 2013.
• Bindoff, S.T. (1982).The House of Commons 1509-1558. Vol. III. London: Secker and Warburg. pp. 10–11. Retrieved22 May 2013.
• Cokayne, George Edward (1910).The Complete Peerage, edited by Vicary Gibbs. Vol. I. London: St. Catherine Press. pp. 30–1.
• Davies, Catharine (2004). "Neville, Sir Thomas (b. in or before 1484, d. 1542)".Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press.doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/19964. (Subscription orUK public library membership required.)
• Richardson, Douglas (2011). Everingham, Kimball G. (ed.).Magna Carta Ancestry: A Study in Colonial and Medieval Families. Vol. II (2nd ed.). Salt Lake City.ISBN 978-1449966386.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
• Richardson, Douglas (2011). Everingham, Kimball G. (ed.).Magna Carta Ancestry: A Study in Colonial and Medieval Families. Vol. III (2nd ed.). Salt Lake City.ISBN 978-1449966393.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)

• Will of Sir Thomas Neville of Mereworth, Kent, proved 23 October 1542, PROB 11/29/193, National Archives Retrieved 22 May 2013
• Will of Sir Robert Southwell of Mereworth, Kent, proved 5 November 1560, PROB 11/43/577, National Archives Retrieved 22 May 2013

• 1542 deaths
• English MPs 1515
• Speakers of the House of Commons of England
• Neville family
• People from Mereworth
• Younger sons of barons

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