Thomas Sackville, 1st Earl of Dorset
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Sir Thomas Sackville, 1st Earl of Dorset (1536 – April 19, 1608) was an English statesman and poet, son of Richard Sackville. He was a Member of Parliament and Lord High Treasurer. His houses, Knole House, at Knole in Kent, and Michelham Priory are celebrated.
He was author, with Thomas Norton, of the play Gorboduc (1562) and also contributed to Mirror for Magistrates.
He was created Baron Buckhurst, of Buckhurst in the County of Sussex, in 1567, and Earl of Dorset in 1604. He succeeded William Cecil, Lord Burghley as Lord Treasurer in 1599, and was a capable, if uninspired, financial manager. In 1604 Sackville bought Groombridge Place in Kent. He died in 1608.
Sackville acquired a large fortune through his real estate dealings in many counties, as well as his investments in the iron foundry business. His personal financial dealings earned him, perhaps unflatteringly, the sobriquet of "Sir John Fillsack."
Queen Elizabeth I acquired Bexhill Manor in 1590 and granted it to Thomas.
He married Cicely Baker and had 7 children.
He was an ancestor of Vita Sackville-West, friend of Virginia Woolf and the subject of Orlando.
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by The Lord Lumley |
Lord Lieutenant of Sussex jointly with The Viscount Montagu The Lord De La Warr 1570–1585 |
Succeeded by The Lord Howard of Effingham |
| Vacant
Title last held by
Richard Sackville |
Custos Rotulorum of Sussex bef. 1573–1608 |
Succeeded by The Earl of Arundel |
| Preceded by The Lord Burghley |
Lord High Treasurer 1599–1608 |
Succeeded by The Earl of Salisbury |
| Academic offices | ||
| Preceded by Sir Christopher Hatton |
Chancellor of the University of Oxford 1591–1608 |
Succeeded by Richard Bancroft |
| Peerage of England | ||
| New creation | Earl of Dorset 1604–1608 |
Succeeded by Robert Sackville |
| Baron Buckhurst 1567–1608 |
||
