Thomas Wharton, 2nd Baron Wharton (1520 – 1572) was an English peer. He was knighted in 1543 by Seymour-Hertford and married to Anne Radcliffe, elder daughter of Robert first earl of Sussex, in 1547.
Little is known of Sir Thomas except that he was a companion of Mary I of England. He was with her at Kenninghall when young Edward VI died and Lady Jane Grey ascended the throne for nine days. Sir Tom escorted Mary to Framlingham Castle and, upon her accession, to the Tower of London. He was named Master of the Henchmen and a member of the Privy Council. He served as High Sheriff of Cumberland for 1547 and as MP for Cumberland in 1544–5, 1547, and 1553, for Hedon, Yorkshire in 1554, for Northumberland in 1555, and again for that county as well as for Yorkshire in the parliament of 1557–8.
Being a devout Catholic and supporter of Mary, she had him retained, through personal letters, in Parliament and granted him the Manor of Newhall in Boreham, Essex and a house in London on Canon Row in Westminster.
When Mary died and Elizabeth became queen, Thomas was excluded from Parliament and retired to Newhall. Still continuing to celebrate the Mass, he was eventually imprisoned in the Tower of London in 1561, the same year his wife died.
Seven years later he inherited the title of Baron which he held for four years. He died on 14 June 1572 at his house on Canon Row and was buried in Westminster Abbey.
| Peerage of England | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Thomas Wharton |
Baron Wharton 1568-1572 |
Succeeded by Philip Wharton |