[1] Tomkins was born the son of the rector in Harpole, Northamptonshire and attended Magdalen College, Oxford.
The following year, during his visit to London, Digby arranged for Tomkins' return to Carlisle to defend the queen's interest.
[2] He represented Carlisle in Parliament from 1614 to 1620, when he was replaced by Sir Henry Vane, before being returned for the seat of Christchurch the following year.
He briefly represented Ilchester in 1624 before handing the seat over to his brother-in-law, Edmund Waller and resuming his position in Christchurch.
[3] In 1643, Tomkins was implicated in "Waller's Plot", an attempt to force an armed rising against Parliament during the English Civil War.