A native of Hereford, Thomas was the business agent for Herbert Hill, Southey’s uncle. His job also involved him in the tangled finances of Elizabeth Tyler, Hill’s half-sister and Southey’s aunt. Thomas met Southey during the latter’s 1795–1796 visit to Portugal. Southey stayed with him in Hereford in 1798 and through Thomas gained access to the cathedral library. In 1800 Thomas married a cousin, a woman Southey greatly admired. Thomas died suddenly in 1802.