Thomas Fairfax (Walton)
Encyclopedia
Sir Thomas Fairfax was the first member of the Fairfax family to own Gilling Castle
, near Gilling East
, North Yorkshire
, England
. He is a direct ancestor of both Prince William, Duke of Cambridge and The Duchess of Cambridge.
He was born Thomas Fairfax of Walton and was presumably a supporter of the House of York
in the Wars of the Roses
. Fairfax's original home was near the Battle of Towton
, which decided the outcome of that war. From 1489 to 1492, he successfully claimed the ownership of the Gilling Estate during two inquisitions. Before Fairfax, the de Etton family had owned this estate. However, in 1349, Margaret de Etton, the sister of Thomas de Etton—who owned the estate at that time and erected its tower keep—married Fairfax's ancestor, also named Thomas Fairfax. She entered an agreement that, should the de Etton family fail, the estate would be inherited by the Fairfax family. Thus, historian John Marwood wrote that "it could be argued that the rightful heirs had at last come home." When Fairfax received the estate, he became the Fairfax of Walton
and Gilling.
In 1505, the castle was essentially a large tower designed to be defensible against hit-and-run Scottish raiders, but not a long siege. According to historian John Marwood, this was the largest tower house in England. The estate consisted of a water mill, 30 houses, 300 acres of attached land, 300 acres of wood and 1000 acres of moor.
Fairfax became a Knight of the Bath in 1495. He married Elizabeth Sherburne of Stoneyhurst and had nine children: his eldest son Thomas
, who inherited the estate upon the elder Thomas' death; three other sons named Richard, Robert and John; and five daughters named Jane, Elizabeth, Isabel, Anne and Dorothy. According to Marwood, "there appears little to report from Thomas' life."
Gilling Castle
Gilling Castle is a castle near Gilling East, North Yorkshire, England . The castle was originally the home of the Etton family, who appeared there at the end of the 12th century...
, near Gilling East
Gilling East
Gilling East is a village and civil parish in the Ryedale district of North Yorkshire, England. It lies on the main B1363 road between York and Helmsley and two miles south of Oswaldkirk...
, North Yorkshire
North Yorkshire
North Yorkshire is a non-metropolitan or shire county located in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England, and a ceremonial county primarily in that region but partly in North East England. Created in 1974 by the Local Government Act 1972 it covers an area of , making it the largest...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. He is a direct ancestor of both Prince William, Duke of Cambridge and The Duchess of Cambridge.
He was born Thomas Fairfax of Walton and was presumably a supporter of the House of York
House of York
The House of York was a branch of the English royal House of Plantagenet, three members of which became English kings in the late 15th century. The House of York was descended in the paternal line from Edmund of Langley, 1st Duke of York, the fourth surviving son of Edward III, but also represented...
in the Wars of the Roses
Wars of the Roses
The Wars of the Roses were a series of dynastic civil wars for the throne of England fought between supporters of two rival branches of the royal House of Plantagenet: the houses of Lancaster and York...
. Fairfax's original home was near the Battle of Towton
Battle of Towton
In 1461, England was in the sixth year of the Wars of the Roses, a series of civil wars between the Houses of York and Lancaster over the English throne. The Lancastrians backed the reigning King of England, Henry VI, an indecisive man who suffered bouts of madness...
, which decided the outcome of that war. From 1489 to 1492, he successfully claimed the ownership of the Gilling Estate during two inquisitions. Before Fairfax, the de Etton family had owned this estate. However, in 1349, Margaret de Etton, the sister of Thomas de Etton—who owned the estate at that time and erected its tower keep—married Fairfax's ancestor, also named Thomas Fairfax. She entered an agreement that, should the de Etton family fail, the estate would be inherited by the Fairfax family. Thus, historian John Marwood wrote that "it could be argued that the rightful heirs had at last come home." When Fairfax received the estate, he became the Fairfax of Walton
Walton
-People:* Walton family, connected to Wal-Mart* The Waltons, an American television series centered on the fictitious eponymous family* The Walton sextuplets, the world's first all-female surviving sextuplets, born in 1983-United Kingdom:*Walton, Aylesbury...
and Gilling.
In 1505, the castle was essentially a large tower designed to be defensible against hit-and-run Scottish raiders, but not a long siege. According to historian John Marwood, this was the largest tower house in England. The estate consisted of a water mill, 30 houses, 300 acres of attached land, 300 acres of wood and 1000 acres of moor.
Fairfax became a Knight of the Bath in 1495. He married Elizabeth Sherburne of Stoneyhurst and had nine children: his eldest son Thomas
Thomas Fairfax (Gilling)
Sir Thomas Fairfax was an owner of Gilling Castle, near Gilling East, North Yorkshire, England. He is the last known ancestor of both the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.-Sir Thomas Fairfax :...
, who inherited the estate upon the elder Thomas' death; three other sons named Richard, Robert and John; and five daughters named Jane, Elizabeth, Isabel, Anne and Dorothy. According to Marwood, "there appears little to report from Thomas' life."