Peacock Feathers and Pater Nosters : the Post Mortem Identity of Sir Thomas Burgh (c.1430-1496)

Wills are fascinating historical sources and they can provide rich insights into how individuals wanted to be remembered. Sir Thomas Burgh (c.1430-1496), a Lincolnshire knight, is perhaps best known for building Gainsborough Old Hall, one of the best-preserved surviving medieval manor houses in the country. He became Edward IV’s right-hand man and one of the county’s key participants in the Wars of the Roses; an important military and political figure, with influence in the royal court. When he made his last will and testament in 1496, he had survived several regime changes and amassed a significant amount of resource. This article focuses on Burgh’s self-fashioning through the text of his will. Burgh was not unusual among higher status gentry men in making lavish post-mortem provision for himself and his family. More unique are the lengthy descriptions and pedantically precise details attempting to exercise tight controls over how he specifically wished to be commemorated. This sheds light on the nature and purpose of wills in the creation of a post-mortem identity.