Thomas Billingsley facts for kids

Sir Thomas Billingsley (born around 1600 – died sometime between 1670 and 1680) was a famous English horse rider in the 1600s. He was connected to important families like the Earls of Dorset and Thanet, and even Prince Rupert of the Rhine.

The Life of Sir Thomas Billingsley

Thomas Billingsley was born in Astley Abbotts, Shropshire, around the year 1600. His parents were Francis Billingsley and Bridget Vernon. We don't know much about his early childhood. By the early 1620s, he was working for Richard Sackville, 3rd Earl of Dorset. He worked at Knole House in Kent.

Teaching Horses for the Earl

A writer named John Aubrey said that Billingsley taught Dorset and his 30 gentlemen how to 'ride the Great Horse.' A Great Horse was a large, powerful horse, often used in battles or for important riders. Aubrey believed Billingsley was "the best horseman in England." He also said no one outside England was better than him.

While working for Dorset, Billingsley sometimes wrote down things Francis Bacon said at dinner. Anne Clifford, Dorset's wife, mentioned Billingsley in her writings. She said he sat at the Parlour Table. When Earl Dorset died in 1624, Billingsley received £30 every year. This was a good amount of money back then.

Adventures with Prince Rupert

By the mid-1630s, Billingsley was working for Elizabeth of Bohemia in The Hague. He taught her sons, including the Elector of the Palatine, how to ride. One story from this time tells of Prince Rupert hunting. His dog went into a hole after a fox. The Prince followed but got stuck. Thomas Billingsley had to pull the Prince out by his ankles!

We don't know what Billingsley did during the English Civil War. However, Prince Rupert became very close to Billingsley's family. In 1644, the Prince became the godfather to Rupert Billingsley, who was Thomas's great-nephew. Another family member, known as 'Captain Billingsley,' sailed with Rupert in 1648. This Captain Billingsley died in 1652 when the ship Constant Reformation sank. Rupert tried to save him and another man, but they chose to stay with their soldiers.

Even with his strong ties to the Prince, Billingsley got a job during the time of the Commonwealth. In 1655, he became a Gentleman of the Bedchamber. He was at the wedding of Oliver Cromwell's daughter, Frances Cromwell. She married Robert Rich on November 11, 1657. A description of the wedding called Billingsley "an old formal courtier." He had recently shaved his beard to follow new fashion trends. Some people at the wedding played a trick on him. While he was showing a formal dance, someone put black stuff on his lip to look like a beard. Billingsley got very angry and almost caused a big problem!

Working with the Tufton Family

After the king returned to power in 1660, Billingsley seemed to be favored by the family of John Tufton, 2nd Earl of Thanet. Earl Tufton had married the daughter of Billingsley's old boss, Richard Sackville. In 1665, Sackville's widow, Anne Clifford, wrote that Billingsley taught Sackville and George Tufton. He traveled with them to Paris and Germany. On this trip, they visited the Elector of the Palatine. The 16-year-old George Tufton was hurt in a small fight there. This injury slowly made him sick over the next four years.

Anne Clifford also noted that Billingsley's great-niece, Bridget Billingsley, worked for one of her granddaughters.

His Later Years

We don't know the exact date Billingsley died. But John Aubrey said he passed away in the 1670s. Aubrey said Billingsley died while praying on his knees at the house of the Countess of Thanet.