TUSSER, THOMAS (c. 1524-1580), English poet, son of William and Isabella Tusser, was born at Rivenhall, Essex, about 1524. He was a chorister at Wallingford castle, and then at St. Paul's cathedral, and from there went to Eton college. He was elected to King's college, Cambridge, in 1543, moved to Trinity Hall, and on leaving Cambridge went to court in the service of William, ist Baron Paget of Beaudesart, as a musician. After ten years of life at court, he married and settled as a farmer at Catti wade, Suffolk, near the river Stour, where he wrote his Hundreth Good Pointes of Husbandrie (1557, 1561, 1562, etc.). For his wife's health he removed to Ipswich. After her death he married again, and farmed at West Dereham. He then became a singing man in Norwich cathedral. After farming at Fairsted, Essex, he removed to London, whence he was driven by the plague of 1572-73 to find refuge at Trinity Hall, being matriculated as a servant of the college in 1573. At death he had a small estate at
Chesterton, Cambridgeshire. Thomas Fuller says he "spread his bread with all sorts of butter, yet none would stick thereon." He died on May 3, 1580.
The Hundreth Good Pointes was enlarged to A Hundreth good pointes of husbandry, lately maried unto a hundreth good poyntes of huswifery . . . the first extant edition of which, "newly corrected and amplified," is dated 157o. In 1573 appeared Five hundreth pointes of good husbandry . . . (reprinted 1577, 158o, 1585, 1586, 159o, etc.). The numerous editions of this book, which contained a metrical autobiography, prove that the homely ,and practical wisdom of Tusser's verse was appreciated. The later editions include A dialogue of wyvynge and thryvynge (1562). Modern editions are by William Mayor (1812), by H. M. W. (1848), and by W. Payne and Sidney J. Herrtage for the English Dialect Society (1878).