Thomas Lucy

Sir Thomas Lucy (24 April 15327 July 1600) was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons in 1571 and 1585. He was a magistrate in Warwickshire, but is best known for his links to William Shakespeare. As a Protestant activist, he came into conflict with Shakespeare's Catholic relatives, and there are stories that the young Shakespeare himself had clashes with him. Early life Thomas Lucy was the eldest son and heir of William Lucy (died 1551) of Charlecote near Stratford-on-Avon, Warwickshire, and Anne Fermer, the daughter of Richard Fermer of Easton Neston, Northamptonshire. His paternal grandparents were Sir Thomas Lucy (died 1525) and Elizabeth Empson, the daughter of Richard Empson, one of Henry VII's chief ministers. The family were descended from the Anglo-Norman de Lucy family. On his father's death, Lucy inherited Sherborne and Hampton Lucy in addition to the house of Charlecote Park, which was rebuilt for him in red brick by John of Padua, known as John Thorpe, about 1558. Through his marriage he also inherited Sutton Park in Worcestershire.