Thomas Long of Draycot

Long was among the 'great compaignye of noble men' who went with Edward, Duke of Buckingham, in 1496 to meet the King at Taunton, then in pursuit of Perkin Warbeck.

In 1501 he received a knighthood at the marriage of Henry VII's eldest son, Arthur, Prince of Wales, and he was also at the reception of Catherine of Aragon at Shaftesbury in October of that year.

Long died in 1508 and his remains are entombed in a 'rich gothique altar monument' (as described by John Aubrey) in St James's Church, Draycot Cerne, Wiltshire.

Hanging above his tomb until recently, and authenticated by the British Museum, were his armour Haume (helmet) and gauntlets, dating from c.1490.

King Charles III is a descendant of Sir Thomas Long, as is Mark Phillips, the first husband of Anne, Princess Royal.