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Thomas Stanley, the 1st Earl of Derby was born in 1435 as the third child and oldest son of Thomas Stanley, the 1st Baron Stanley and Jean Goushill. Thomas Stanley, the 1st Earl of Derby was born in Of, Lathom, Lancashire, England. He had two older sisters, one younger brother, and a younger sister. His father, Baron Thomas Stanley, was born about 1405 in Of Lathom, and Knowsley, Lancashire, England. Baron Thomas Stanley married Jean (also listed as Joan) Goushill. Jean (or Joan) Goushill was born about 1409 in Of, Hoveringham, Nottinghamshire, England. Jean (or Joan) (Goushill) Stanley died after February, 1459.

Thomas Stanley, 1st Earl of Derby was an English nobleman who inherited his father's many titles, including that of king of the Isle of Mann, in 1459. Thomas Stanley was a shrewd man, who managed to remain in favour with successive kings throughoutthe Wars of the Roses, right up until his death in 1504. His marriage Eleanor, the sister of Richard Neville, Earl of Warwick, did him no harm, even after Warwick was toppled from power, and he proceeded to take as his second wife, Lady Margaret Beaufort, whose son, Henry Tudor, was the leading Lancastrian claimant to the throne. Lady Margaret Tudor was the daughter of Sir John Beaufort, 1st Duke of Somerset and Margaret Beauchamp.

Thomas Stanley, 1st Earl of Derby and Lady Margaret Beaufort were married before October, 1473.

Richard III of England unwisely continued to trust Thomas Stanley and his brother, William, even after he had briefly imprisoned Thomas in 1483 on suspicion of conspiracy. At the Battle of Bosworth Field, the Stanleys betrayed him, coming in on the side of hte Lancastrians at a crucial moment. It is Thomas who is alleged to have retrieved Richard's lost crown from the battlefield and placed it on the head of his own stepson. In gratitude, he was created Earl of Derby on October 27, 1485, and never looked back. His brother, William, who had been born about 1436, in Of, Holt, Cheshire, England, did not fare so well. In 1495, William made the mistake of supporting the pretender Perkin Warbeck, and was executed for treason on February 16, 1494 (This date is probably 1495, to coincide with the date above. One source says 1494, and one source says 1495.)

Thomas Stanley, 1st Earl of Derby died on July 29, 1504, in Lathom, Lancashire, England. He was buried in Priory, Burscough, Lancashire, England.

(Courtesy of "Thomas Stanley, 1st Earl of Derby", 20th Generation, home.earthlink.net Article, One Page.)

(Courtesy of "Thomas Stanley, 1st Earl of Derby", Wikipedia Encyclopedia, Article, One Page.)

(Courtesy of "Thomas Stanley, 1st Earl of Derby", thePeerage.com - Person Article, Page 5 of an 8 Page Article.)