Thomas of Appleton and Westminster c 1370-1435

Thomas Broket established a land-owning dynasty that lasted 275 years. Born into a parish-gentry clan he rose to county and then national level. He became Lord of a manor near York c 1393 through marriage to the heiress. By 1399 he was working in the Exchequer at Westminster as a Clerk, and as an Attorney soon after, if not before. Then in 1410 he was appointed Lord Treasurer's Remembrancer. This brought him wealth through grants from the king, such that he could arrange a marriage for his son Thomas to a yet wealthier heiress in Hertfordshire, rebuild the manor in Appleton and endow its parish church with a Lady Chapel, probably a chantry to his perpetual memory.

	Contents of this page:	1. Early years	5. Attorney at the Exchequer
		2. Marriage and arms	6. Treasurer's Remembrancer
		3. Children	7. Grants and Mainprises
		4. Life and work in Yorkshire	8. Death and burial

1. Early years

Assuming he married by 1393, Thomas would have been born no later than 1373, and probably some years earlier. A man's age at marriage could have been as low as 20 in the 14th C, especially in richer families, (Razi 1986 pp 50-64 & 70), but Thomas' parents are not definitely known. Assuming further that Thomas was from the Ainsty rather than the City, 1363 would have been his earliest year of birth—he didn't pay poll tax in the Ainsty in 1379, the eligible age for which was 16. If he was born in York we do not know the earliest date. The 1377 poll tax for the City might have recorded his parents, but only half of it survives (Leggett 1971 p 131). Had he been 25 or more in 1385 he may well have been a deponent in the Controversy between Sir Richard Scrope and Sir Robert Grosvenor (Nicolas 1832).

Thomas was most likely the son of Thomas of Yorkshire, who himself could have been the son of Thomas of Steeton.

To be able to plead later in the court of Exchequer at Westminster, Thomas would have had to have had good schooling, either in York or perhaps even at one of the Inns of Court in London—the universities in those pre-university days (Keen 1990 pp 233-5). He would have been in minor orders—a 'clerk' (l 4 of his appointment as Remembrancer).

Education at the time was divided into levels: grammar, writing, reading and song (Moran 1985 pp 21-62). St Andrew's at Acaster had most if not all of these, but was not founded till c 1470 (Moran 1985 pp 51, 237). There were no schools in Tadcaster till 1446, Nun Appleton till 1489 and Bolton Percy till 1505 (Moran 1985 pp 242, 265, 274). If Thomas was an Appleton or Steeton boy, the nearest school of any kind would have been York. There were several there, including St Leonard's Hospital where Robert Broket had connections.

William Sampson, Lord of the Manor of Southwood in Appleton, would have arranged the marriage of his daughter and heiress Dionisia to Thomas before he died in 1393. Once she inherited Southwood, Thomas Broket became Lord of the Manor in 1393 by right of his wife. The Broket arms—Or a cross flory sable—are an inverse of the Sampsons'—Sable a cross flory or.

Among the disparate group of records known as 'Old Grants' there is no grant or confirmation of arms made to any Broket. Families bearing arms 'time out of mind' did not need such a grant. But up-and-coming men also assumed arms themselves in late medieval times—to do so on one's own initiative in the early 15th C was just as proper as accepting them from a herald (Thrupp 1948 p 307).

Did the earlier Steeton Brokets bear arms, as Harley 807 stated? Did one originally model it on Vescy or Percy overlords? The basic Yorkshire Vescy arms were: Or a cross sable—Broket colours but with a simple cross (Foster 1875 pp 585 Brampton-en-le-Morthen, 56, 146). More specifically, William de Lacell: Sable a cross patonce or, held 2 knight's fees of William de Vescy: Gules a cross patonce argent (Foster 1875 p 25). See also Percehay of Ryton and Barton, Rydal 14-15th C: Argent a cross patonce gules, Argent a cross flory gules (Foster 1875 pp 186, 403, 447, 639; Poulson 1840 p 403.)

William de Vescy ?13th C	William de Lacell ?13th C	Percehay 14-15th C
Gules a cross patonce argent	Sable a cross flory or	Argent a cross flory gules

Or did Thomas assume arms by modifying the Sampson arms:

	Sampson		Broket
	Sable a cross flory or		Or a cross flory sable

It is incorrect that Brokets first assumed arms in Hertfordshire (H Andrews 1927 pp 401-2).

The arms are emblazoned in stone in the original external wall over the SE window of Bolton Percy Church and are 'a clear indication that this [Broket] family endowed the Lady Chapel and may even have established a chantry there' (M J Harrison 2000 pp 14, 92). The Church was completed in 1424—about 14 years after Thomas' appointment as Remembrancer—and the outside fabric was not added to later. There are no other arms built into the outside fabric. In those pre-literate days they were a clear visual symbol of Broket lordship and influence. However, while Thomas and Dionisia would have been buried in the Chapel—still called the Brockett Chapel—their great grandson, although the local lord, was buried in churchyard; perhaps their own son too.

In his Visitation of Yorkshire in 1584/5 Glover mentioned the [uncoloured] arms on the external wall: '..., a cross patonce ... This was cutt in stone without the Church' and went on to describe an inscription on a gravestone.

Glover also mentioned 2 other occurrences of Thomas Brockett's arms—Or a cross patonce sable—in Bolton Percy Church, one charged with a cinquefoil argent—a five-lobed flower (Foster 1875 p 424). Crosses flory and patonce are little different and commonly interchanged, as with Percehay and Lascelles above. Later in Hertfordshire the Broket cross was usually described as patonce (Burke 1884 p 126). In addition, Glover assigned 2 further arms in the church to Brockett: Gules a fesse between 2 lions passant or and Sable a cross patonce or, rather than to Harwood and Sampson (Foster 1875 p 425).

              Thomas BROKET m bef 1393 Dionisia SAMPSON
 
               _____________|__________________________________ 
               |        |        |       |          |         |
               |       ?|       ?|       |          |         |
 
Elizabeth m Thomas  Parnelle  William  Lucy m   Elizabeth  Edward m Elizabeth
 
   ASH  no issue                      DALISONE  m HASELRIG        | THWAITES
 
                                                                issue

Harley 807 has 2 Thomases, one dying without issue, and is the source for Lucy. It also places Elizabeth as a child of Thomas and Elizabeth Ash—as also Edward who married Elizabeth Thwaites—i.e. grandchildren of Thomas and Dionisia instead of children. But these were an Elizabethan reconstruction. In 1422 Thomas—the father of Thomas and Edward—was granted all the lands of the late Thomas Hesylrigg of Eslyngton Esq until the lawful age of his son and heir, together with the marriage of the heir. He appears to have married the heir to his daughter.

There is a memorial in Noseley chapel—c 10 m E of Leicester—to Elizabeth and Thomas Hesilrige d 1467, ancestors of the current Lord Hazelrigg. Thomas succeeded to the estates 1434, so would have been b c 1413. Elizabeth was therefore probably b c 1415. There is also a tomb there of Margaret d 1406, daughter of Sir Ralph Hastings and wife of Sir John Blaket, d c 1437 (Hill 1875 pp 179-193; VCH Leicestershire vol 5 p 266). A pedigree in Nichols Leicestershire (vol 2 p 756?) described Elizabeth as daughter and heir of Sir Thomas Broket. It also mistakenly called Sir John Blaket Sir John Broket.

Thomas is said to have rebuilt Brocket Hall (Harley 807). This accords with its change of name from Southwood.

1399 August. As joint executor with his much older kinsman Nicholas of the will of John Somurby, Priest, Thomas took an oath to prepare an inventory of John's goods and render account to Archbishop Richard Scrope of York (Swanson 1985 p 25; http://www.scroope.net/ancestors/masham/archbishoprichardlescrope.htm)

1403 Thomas was executor of the will of William Barkar of Tadcaster, proved 8 Nov (J Raine et al 1836- vol 1 p 328).

1431 Thomas and Dionisia are recorded in a title deed in the City of York (Rees-Jones 1996 no 4160).

1455 'Thomas Brockett of Bolton Percy' is mentioned in the will of Sir John Stapilton of Wighill as having given John an engraved silver piece with parcel gilt (Chetwynd-Stapylton 1884 p 389).

1458 Thomas and Dionisia are mentioned in a release of lands by their heir Thomas in Nether Acaster, just across the river Ouse from Bolton Percy.

a) General

From at least 1399 Thomas was working and moving in court circles down in Westminster, often an absentee landlord from his Appleton manor. One imagines he was a frequent visitor to the Archbishop of York's Inn at Westminster (Kingsford 1926 p 138). From 1410-35 he couldn't have effectively fulfilled the role of Remembrancer without being in Westminster much of the time. This was where the lucrative wardships were handed out by the king, and probably where he heard of the FitzSimon heiress and negotiated her marriage to his son.

b) On behalf of Sheriffs and Escheators

The Sheriffs, Escheators and others paid their dues twice a year to the Exchequer. An attorney usually deputised for them. Thomas was Attorney for the Sheriffs of York County and City and Escheators 1398-1410 (King's Remembrancer: Memoranda Rolls and Enrolment Books—PRO E159/186 series). The following entry is typical:

On 6 Jan 1410 Lord Henry Scrope of Masham in Yorkshire became Treasurer of England (Complete Peerage vol 11 pp 564-6). Six months later on 19 June his Remembrancer the Yorkshireman Richard Banks became a Baron of the Exchequer. On 11 July Scrope appointed Thomas Remembrancer (PRO E159/186 Trin m 6):

The annual salary was 40 marks (£26 13s 4d) plus a variable income from fees (Sainty 1983 p 50) and backhanders. Thomas held the post for 25 years till his death.

Others who held this Office became knights—like Robert Lytton, Remembrancer for 20 years 1485-1505 and John Smith Remembrancer for 34 years 1513-47 (Sainty 1983 p 54).

Thomas appears many times in the Memoranda Rolls, especially during his time as Remembrancer.

Henry Scrope was executed for treason outside Southampton 5 Aug 1415 and his head was stuck on Mickelgate Bar in York, but Thomas was confirmed in office. In the uncertain political atmosphere of a new under-age king he was seen to be able to do the job.

Thomas was not part of Scrope's circle, or he would have been mentioned in Scrope's will (Nicolas 1832 pp 142-7) and neither he nor any Brokets are recorded as a witness, or in any other capacity, among the Scrope muniments in Westminster Abbey (communication from M Devine 2004). He had done work in 1399 for Scrope's brother Richard, Archbishop of York and was clearly a fellow Yorkshireman, but beyond that Thomas' connection with Henry Scrope is not clear. In 1419 Thomas was given the difficult task of investigating whether Scrope's mother had kept back some of her son's forfeited possessions. Then in 1432-3 Thomas served Scrope's brother during his year as Treasurer.

Thomas served 11 Treasurers—always noblemen—in Westminster (Fryde et al 1986 p 106):

The penultimate Treasurer—Sir John Scrope 4th Lord Scrope of Masham—had his Barony restored in 1426 and bought back the Scrope lands confiscated following his brother's execution in 1415 (http://www.scroope.net/ancestors/masham/john4thlordscropeofmasham.htm).

Being Remembrancer to John Scrope must have been difficult:

• Thomas had earlier had to list all John's brother Henry's confiscated vestments.
• He had had to pursue their mother for jewelry she had kept back.
• The case brought by Danvers in 1433 against Thomas' probable own son William was heard before the Lord Chancellor of England in Westminster in the presence of top lords, including the Lord Treasurer of England, John Lord Scrope.

The next Remembrancer to be appointed in the rolls was John Cerf on 8 Nov 1435 (E159/212 m 3d of the Recorda section). The post was vacant because Thomas had died. John had long worked with Thomas as a mainpernor, and already in 1413 was referred to as:

John was probably a member of the long-established Steeton Cerf family.

Corruption

The corruption in the government administration at this time was satirised in a long poem describing the progress of an account through the Exchequer (Haskins and George 1921 pp 58-67). Those needing to be bribed at each step are listed—the Auditor, the Baron, the Chancellor himself—and on line 37 the two Remembrancers are referred to by name. Robert Thresk was King's Remembrancer 1398-1419 and Richard Bank was Treasurer's Remembrancer 1397-1410, dating the poem 1398-1410. Richard Bank was Thomas Broket's immediate predecessor. Ten lines can be singled out (the translation is not literal):

Abuse may have decreased after 1406, when articles for the reform of the government administration were presented to the king by the Commons. The taking of gifts and fees by the Treasurer and the officers of the Exchequer—including 'les deux Remembranciers'—are mentioned in article 15 (Haskins and George 1921 p 65, citing Rot. Parl. iii. 588a). But some of the practices may well have continued during Thomas' office.

i. Grants

No IPM exists, so by his death Thomas held no land in chief.

ii. Mainprises

iii. Enfeoffments

Thomas died 13 April 1435 and was buried in Bolton Percy Church; Dionisia 2 years later. In his Visitation of Yorkshire in 1584/5 Glover described an inscription on a gravestone, which was still in the Church in 1641 according to Drake (Foster 1875 p 425, retaining the editor's transliteration; Drake 1736 p 386; Speight 1902 p 120):

No will has been found. York wills are lost 1408-17 and 1418-26 (Moran 1985 p 231).