Thomas Stafford, 3rd Earl of Stafford.

About Thomas Stafford, 3rd Earl of Stafford

Thomas Stafford, 3rd Earl of Stafford was the second son—but the senior surviving heir—of Hugh Stafford, 2nd Earl of Stafford and Philippa de Beauchamp, daughter of Thomas de Beauchamp, 11th Earl of Warwick. His elder brother, his father's heir, Sir Ralph Stafford, was murdered by Richard II's half-brother, the earl of Huntingdon whilst they were campaigning in Scotland in July 1385. As a result, Thomas became heir to the earldom of Stafford, and in 1390 he was knighted. He gained livery of his estates in 1391 and paid homage to the king for them on 20 October that year. He spent his short career campaigning in France alongside the duke of Gloucester.