page_title: Thomas Howard, 1st Earl of Berkshire
section_title: Life
hierarchical_section_title: Thomas Howard, 1st Earl of Berkshire / Life
caption_attribution_description: Charlton House
context_page_description: Thomas Howard, 1st Earl of Berkshire was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1605 and 1622. He was created Earl of Berkshire in 1626.
context_section_description: Howard was born in Saffron Walden, Essex, the second son of Thomas Howard, 1st Earl of Suffolk and his wife Catherine Knyvet. He was educated at Magdalene College, Cambridge. He was knighted in 1604. In 1605 he was elected Member of Parliament for Lancaster in a by-election. He was elected MP for Wiltshire in 1614. In 1621 he was elected MP for Cricklade. In 1621 he was created Baron Howard of Charlton, Wiltshire and on 7 February 1626 he was created Earl of Berkshire. He inherited the Charlton Park estate in Wiltshire from his mother.
  During the English Civil War  he was a Royalist, but after the defeat of the Royalist  cause Parliament left him in peace. Edward Hyde, 1st Earl of Clarendon,  who despised Berkshire,  said that this was because he had no reputation and no understanding of  public affairs, and so could do  Parliament's  cause   no harm. After the Restoration of Charles II he was made a Gentleman of the Bedchamber.
caption: Charlton Park, Malmesbury, Wiltshire
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