On what exact date was Thomas Burberry born?

Thomas Burberry was born on 27 August 1835. He was born at Brockham Green near Dorking, Surrey, into the rural world that shaped his practical approach to clothing and weather protection.

Burberry was educated at Brockham Green Village School and later apprenticed to a local draper. That training gave him experience with fabrics, tailoring and the everyday needs of customers before he established his own outfitting business in Basingstoke in 1856.

He eventually became internationally known as the founder of Burberry and as the inventor of gabardine, a hard-wearing, water-resistant and breathable fabric introduced to his brand in 1879. The material helped make the company synonymous with outdoor clothing and later with the trench coat.

A common mix-up is to confuse Thomas Burberry’s birth date with the company’s founding year. The business began in 1856, when Burberry was 21; his birth date is more than two decades earlier, in 1835. He died on 4 April 1926.