Sir Thomas Tresham was born by 1500 to Sir John of Rushton and Isabel, daughter of Sir James Harrington of Hornby. He was married to a daughter of Sir William Parr, 1st Baron Parr of Horton, uncle to Queen Katherine Parr. Which daughter? Oh dear! Depends on the source. Some say Mary. Some say Anne. So let’s look at these sources. Can we finally identify which daughter of Lord Parr became Lady Tresham?

So…let’s start at Wikipedia. Why? Because it comes up first in the search for “Sir Thomas Tresham” and let’s face it, most people will just click on his grandson and call it a day. So, you’re looking for Sir Thomas Tresham (1500-59). His wife here on Wiki is Mary Parr, youngest daughter and coheiress to Lord Parr of Horton. Source? John Burke. A genealogical and heraldic history of the extinct and dormant baronetcies of England, Ireland, and Scotland, pg. 532 which states:

“He m. the Honourable Mary Parr, youngest daughter and co-heir of William, Lord Parr, of Horton…”

Ok. So a legit source used for genealogy says it’s Mary. Any other sources? You betcha!

Burke’s A Genealogical and Heraldic Dictionary of the Peerages of England, Ireland and Scotland, Extinet, Dormant and in Abeyance. E. Ed., pg. 411 which states:

“Anne, m. to Sir John Digby, of Ketilby, in the county of Leicester.

…

Mary, m. to Sir Thomas Tresham, Knt.”

Douglas Richardson’s Magna Carta Ancestry: A Study in Colonial and Medieval Families, 2nd Edition, 2011, pg. 300 which states:

“They had four daughters, Maud (wife of Ralph Lane, Knt.), Anne (wife of John Digby, Knt.), Elizabeth, Mary (wife of Thomas Tresham, Knt.)

HOWEVER…a source listed in the notes says:

“Tresham ped.: “Sir Thomas Tresham, Kt. Lord Prior of Jerusalem in England = Anne, da. and coheir of Sir William Parr of Horton, Kt…”

A note from a chapter in the back of Nicola Tallis’s Elizabeth’s Rival: The Tumultuous Tale of Lettice Knollys, Countess of Leicester, 2017 which states:

“Francis Tresham was the grandson of Thomas Tresham by his first wife, Mary Parr. Thomas’s second wife was Lettice’s paternal grandmother, Lettice Peniston.”

In the genealogical table found in The History of the County Palatine and Duchy of Lancaster, Volume 5, 1893 states:

“Anne, wife of Sir John Digby, of [Ketilby]

…

Mary, wife of Sir Thom. Tresham, of Rushton”

Collins’s Peerage of England; Genealogical, Biographical, and Historical, 1812, pg. 472 which states:

“Anne, to Sit John Digby, of Kettleby, co. Lincoln, Kt.

…

Mary, to Sir Thomas Tresham, Kt.”

Bank’s The Dormant and Extinct Baronage of England Or, An Historical and Genealogical Account of the Lives, Public Emploiments, and Most Memorable Actions, of the English Nobility who Have Flourished from the Norman Conquest to the Year 1806: Deduced from Public Records, Ancient Historians, the Works of Eminent Heralds, and from Other Celebrated and Approved Authorities · Volume 3, 1809, pg. 596-7 which states:

“Anne, to Sir John Digby, of Ketilby, in com, Leic

…

Mary, to Sir Thomas Tresham, knight”

More sources that state Mary married Sir Thomas Tresham and Anne to Sir John Digby:

Edward Kimber. An Extinct Peerage of England Containing an Account of All Those Families Whose Titles are Extinct …, 1769, pg. 246.

So where does the name Anne Parr appear as the wife of Sir Thomas Tresham? We have an article on The Tudor Society which states:

“Thomas was married twice, first to Anne Parr, daughter of William, Lord Parr,”

Sources? I can’t seem to find where this author got their information. The sources I can find to support this:

The History of Parliament: the House of Commons 1509-1558, ed. S.T. Bindoff, 1982. “TRESHAM, Sir Thomas (by 1500-59), of Rushton, Northan” states:

“m. Anne, da. and coh. of Sir William Parr, Lord Parr of Horton”

The Visitations of Northamptonshire Made in 1564 and 1618-19 With Northamptonshire Pedigrees from Various Harleian Mss, 1887, pg. 202 which states:

“Sir Thomas Tresham, Kt., Lord Prior of Jerusalem in England = Anne, da. and coheir of Sir William Parr of Horton, Kt., Lord Parr of Horton”

Here’s an early publication by Collin’s, The Baronettage of England, written in 1720 which states on pg. 242:

“Anne, daughter and coheir of William Parr, afterwards Lord Parr of Horton”

So… who is who?? You got me. All I know is that a daughter of Lord Parr of Horton married Sir Thomas Tresham. Anyone else think they can solve this? Why does it matter? Just thought it would be nice to sort out the daughters.

EDIT: found the article for Sir John Digby on History of Parliament. His wife?

“m. settlement 1528/29, Mary, da. and coh. of Sir William Parr, Baron Parr of Horton…

His widow married Henry Broke”

Go figure! So perhaps it is Lady Mary Digby and Lady Anne Tresham…at least according to The History of Parliament.

(c) Meg McGath, 10 March 2023.