| Thomas Burberry | |
|---|---|
| Born | 27 August 1835 Brockham Green |
| Died | 4 April 1926 (aged 90) |
| Known for | Burberry |
| Religion | Baptist |
| Children | 2 |
Thomas Burberry (27 August 1835 - 4 April 1926) was the founder of Burberry, one of the United Kingdom's largest branded clothing businesses.
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Born at Brockham Green near Dorking and educated at Brockham Green Village School, Thomas Burberry was apprenticed to a local draper's shop before he opened his outfitting business in Basingstoke in 1856.[1]
Burberry recognised the need for promotion and publicity and ensured that Lord Kitchener and Lord Baden-Powell both wore his weatherproofs.[1] By these means he expanded his business into one of the United Kingdom's largest branded clothing businesses.[1]
He retired to Abbot's Court near Weymouth, Dorset in 1917.[1] He was a teetotaler and campaigned against tobacco smoking.[1] He was also a devout baptist who liked to hold prayer meetings every morning.[2]
He died at his home at Hook near Basingstoke in 1926.[1]
He married twice, first to Catherine Hannah Newman and second to Mary Marshall.[1] He had two sons.[1]