Early Life and Career
Lee was the son of Benedict Lee and Margaret Packington, his likely place of birth being in Buckinghamshire. He was a cousin of the courtier, Sir Henry Lee of Ditchley, and eventually became attached to Walter Devereux, 1st Earl of Essex. He probably arrived in Ireland in 1574 to take part in the colonisation scheme of Essex in eastern Ulster, and in 1576 was serving as constable of Carrickfergus.
In 1580 Lee was charged with highway robbery in Oxfordshire, but upon his release on bail he returned to Ireland. By his marriage to the Irish widow, Elizabeth Eustace (née Peppard), a Catholic, he came into considerable property, including Castlemartin in County Kildare. He later bought Castle Reban, seeking its fee farm in April 1583, and much other property.
Read more about this topic: Thomas Lee (army Captain)
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