Thomas of Wheathampstead Esq b bef 1396 d 1477

Thomas probably spent his childhood in Appleton in Bolton Percy, Yorkshire. As a young teenager he would have been sent for schooling to London—probably Westminster where his father worked as an attorney and from 1410 as Remembrancer to the Treasurer. A presiding judge later in life, Thomas must have had good early schooling.

As an adult Thomas probably spent much of his time on the estates in Hertfordshire, largely inherited through his marriage to Elizabeth Asshe, heiress to the FitzSimon estates. A prominent Hertfordshire landowner, Thomas was one of its two knights coming to Parliament in 1435. He therefore had the title 'Sir' but in documents is styled 'Esq'. He was long lived, like his brother Edward.

Thomas was a man of some standing in Hertfordshire by the 1450s, shown by a number of references to him sitting as a working JP (KB9 Ancient Indictments). He may well have sat in Essex also. As a working justice he would probably have been regarded as a 'man learned in the law', since in one or two cases he seemed to be acting as the senior figure on the bench—indicated by the phrase that the indictment was taken 'before Thomas Broket and his associates, justices of the king's peace'.

1. 1419-22

Before he married and moved to Hertfordshire Thomas probably spent time on the Yorkshire estates. On 10 Oct 1419 Thomas Brokett of Nunappilton was a witness to a deed concerning land in neighbouring Acaster Selby. It is not known what lands he held in Nunappilton, the next township south of Appleton, but Thomas senior—then Lord in Appleton—would not have been referred to as 'of Nunappilton'.

October 10th, in the 7th year of Henry V. Release and Quit Claim, dated at Acastre Selby, by William Lambard citizen of York and Denyse his wife, formerly wife of Thomas Kelfeld (or Belfeld) citizen and littester (dyer) of York to John Styllyngton of Bysshopthorp and Robert Esyngwald clerk, of all right and claim in all those lands and tenements, pastures, rents and services, with all and singular their appurtenances, which lately belonged to Robert Holme de Rikall and Alice his wife in the town and territory of Acaster Selby. Witnesses: Thomas Brokett of Nunappilton, Nicholas Northfolk of Naburn, John Webster of Acastre Selby, William Skelton of York, Thomas Ward of the same (Hall 1914 p 24 no 256; M J Harrison 2003 p 20).

Thomas later released land in Nether Acaster—just across the river Ouse from Acaster Selby—to John Styllyngton's son:

1 Oct 1458: Release by Thomas Broket Esq, son and heir of Thomas Broket and Dionisia, his wife, daughter of William Sampson, late of Appulton, Esq. to Robert Stillyngton, clerk, of all right in the lands, etc., in Nether Acastre, which Styllington has had of his grant and feoffment (Brown 1907 p 5; M J Harrison 2003 p 21).

His earlier ownership was referred to 25 years later when it was given away by Robert Stillyngton (Rotuli Parliamentorum vi pp 256-7; M J Harrison 2003 p 33):

Date/source

Calendar entry

1483 PRO C54/336 no 116 (Calendar of Close Rolls 1476-85 pp 342-3 summarised)

Robert Stillyngton, bishop of Bath and Wells, to the provost and fellows of the collegiate chapel of St. Andrew, Netheracastre co. York etc. Release and quitclaim of all the lands undermentioned, to wit forty acres lying separately in Netheracastre, formerly of John Stillyngton father of the grantor, and Thomas Broket esquire, [and on] which Robert erected the collegiate church aforesaid; and also of all those lands etc. formerly of Thomas Broket in Netheracastre, now of the abbot of St. Germanus, Selby, the manors of Burneby and Fangfosse co. York, and all other lands and tenements, rents, reversions and services, meadows, lesues and pastures in Burneby, Fangfosse, Northcave, Southcliff and Northcliff co. York, which the said Robert granted and demised at farm to the provost and fellows, as in a deed dated 6 October, 22 Edward IV, 1482, is more clearly shown. Dated 20 August, 1 Richard III, 1483. Memorandum of acknowledgment, 13 January 1484.

Between 1419-22 Thomas submitted a complaint to Chancery concerning 2 properties and 90 acres of land in Wycombe Buckinghamshire, some 25 miles WSW of Wheathampstead and Hatfield (PRO C1/5). It is in Anglo-Norman and undated. The right hand end is reproduced on the homepage of this Archive. D M Smith (1984) was useful for deciphering C1/5, especially his no 5, an Inventory from 1403.

The complaint is addressed to the Chancellor, the Bishop of Durham. This dates it between July 23 1417 and July 6, 1424, the period of the Chancellorship of Thomas Langley, Bishop of Durham.

Line 5 mentions the last of a series of journeys by the King to Normandy, refining the date to 1419-22.

• Henry V (reigned 1413-1422) invaded Normandy in 1415, defeating the French at Agincourt.
• His second and last invasion was 1417-19, capturing Rouen.
• His son and successor, Henry VI, was opposed to continuing the war with France and made no Normandy incursions.

The three complainants had held the land before the last campaign to Normandy in 1417 and Thomas Broket would have been at least 21 to do so. This provides a latest birth date for Thomas of 1396. To be able at that age to co-hold a sizeable estate with three citizens of London, he must have been the son of Thomas, lord of the manor in Appleton near York, Remembrancer to the Treasurer in Westminster. There were no other comparable Brokets at that time.

This Thomas the elder was probably also the son of a Thomas. But in none of the many surviving documents concerning him is he referred to as 'the younger'. Moreover, by 1420 he was in his 50s with an adult son Thomas of his own. It is not possible that Thomas the Remembrancer was the 'Thomas the younger' of the document above.

Nicholas FitzSimon Thomas Broket of Yorkshire  _____|______  | | | ?| | | | Christian Elizabeth Thomas 'the elder' m 1393 Dionesia m John m William Asshe Remembrancer 1410-35 | Sampson | |Mosely  |__________   _________________|  | | | | | | | | issue Elizabeth m Thomas Edward m Elizabeth Asshe 'the younger' | Thwaites | c 1396-1477 | no issue issue

2. Marriage

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Thomas married Elizabeth Asshe, daughter and sole heiress of William Asshe, heir through marriage to half the FitzSimon estates. The date of the marriage is not known, but they are first recorded together in 1432 when Roger Megur, the new Rector of Chivesfield, presented to them as holders of the advowson (Chauncy 1826 vol 2 p 125). To marry an heiress the groom's family had to be well established and the marriage would have required a major financial investment from Thomas' father, made possible from his work at the Exchequer in Westminster. It was what established Thomas in Hertfordshire as lord of the FitzSimon estates.

Thomas was one of Hertfordshire's 2 Knights coming to Parliament in 1435:

i. Simonside

The main FitzSimon manor (Chauncy 1826 vol 2 p 16) and Thomas' principal inheritance from his marriage to Elizabeth Ash.

ii. Almshoe or Allmysho

A FitzSimon manor, now a farm called Almshoe Bury, lying about 3 miles south of Hitchin in Hertfordshire (Chauncy 1826 vol 2 p 183; VCH Herts vol 3 p 26; Rance pp 85ff).

iii. Thebrigge

Originally a FitzSimon manor, Thomas and Elizabeth bought Thebrigg with the manors of Symondeshide and Bengeo in May 1438 from Nicholas Girlington and Richard Weltden (PRO CP25/1/91/113; VCH vol 2 p 434 n 32). If Thomas and Elizabeth had no issue it would remain to Elizabeth's heirs (ll 11-13). After Thomas' death Elizabeth granted Thebrigg to Richard Pigot, Edward Brockett and others (her IPM) and by 1532 it was in John of Swaffham Bulbeck's possession (his IPM), from whom it passed to his grandson Sir John I.

iv. Herons

v. St Clere and East Tilbury

PRO CP25/1/72/288 no 96. Edward was named as Thomas' heir in the manors of St Clere and East Tilbury (Morant 1763-8 vol 1 p 234).

ii. Brondsych

In 1477 Thomas and Elizabeth had an interest in the Manor of Brondsych and land in Fobbyng and Fang, previously owned by her first cousin John Moseley Esq (PRO C1/51/12). It passed to Elizabeth after Thomas' death. She was the plaintiff in a case in 1480 regarding the same Manor of Brandysshe and land in Fobbing and Fange (PRO C1/54/379).

iii. Haghams

vi. East Tilbury etc

The IPM into Thomas' Essex lands held in chief in 1477 listed East and West Tilbury, Fenge (i.e. Vang), Fobbing, Corringham and Stanford le Hope (PRO C140/62; Calendarium vol 4 p 385).

Thomas presided over a series of cases in 1465-6 where Richard Wayte 'mynstrel' was accused of aiding and abetting the murderers of John Warner, as well as stealing the parish plate of Braughing from the house of the parish wardens (Calendar of Patent Rolls 1461-7, pp 455-6). Richard escaped from Hertford gaol with a fellow convict, a woman who was awaiting trial for murder having pleaded her belly to delay the process against her. The original indictments also survive (PRO KB9/308 mm 11, 12) probably because the crown was anxious to follow up an escape from the royal prison and called the JP's record into the King's Bench for examination (communication from Neil Coates 2003).

6. Inquisitions on his death

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Thomas and Elizabeth were probably buried in the Brocket Chapel, Wheathampstead. Thomas' will is lost (VCH Herts vol 3 p 26).

There were two separate IPMs on his death in 1477 (PRO C140/62), one each for his land held direct from the king in Essex (pdf file) and Hertfordshire (pdf file). Compare the IPMs of wife Elizabeth and brother Edward.

The Essex one mentioned (ll 10-12) land in East Tilbury, West Tilbury, Feng, Fobbyng, Coryngham and Stanford in le Hope. The Hertfordshire one mentioned the Manors of Symondeshide and Bengeho, and Almsho and 262 acres in Langley, plus a messuage called Watershepis and a hide of land called Duranteshide.

No inquisition is recorded from Yorkshire, nor for brother Edward.