Born into humble circumstances in the Parish of Colyton in East Devon in 1561, Sir Thomas Gates rose to the higher echelons of Tudor and Stuart society and was an important figure in the early colonisation of America. Gates joined the army serving under Christopher Carleill with Protestant forces in Europe and later on the high seas under the overall command of Sir Francis Drake. He rose on merit through the ranks, entering the service of the Queen’s favourite, Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex, around 1589\. About this time, Gates acquired a coat of arms and married into the old Kent family of Scott, providing the necessary social status and standing for an ambitious young man seeking to climb the greasy pole of Tudor society. In 1590, Gates served with Essex in Normandy. Promoted to Captain by 1592, he accompanied Essex on the successful Cadiz expedition in 1596\. Gates was knighted for bravery by Essex - an honour later confirmed by Queen Elizabeth I. In 1599, Gates served in the ill-fated Essex campaign in Ireland and was subsequently named and implicated in Essex’s rebellion against Queen Elizabeth, which led to the Earl's execution for treason – a fate Gates avoided by returning to the army in Europe. Yet just six years later, he was back, named first in the Charter granted to the Virginia Company in 1606 by the new King James I and appointed Governor of Virginia in 1609. In 1614, Gates returned to England, continuing his involvement with the Virginia Company until approaching 60, he returned to the army in Europe, dying there in September 1622\. His epitaph in State papers described him as 'an ancient honest gentleman of our nation.
