Thomas West, 1st Baron West
Encyclopedia
Thomas West, 1st Baron West (1365 – 17 August 1405) was the only son of Sir Thomas West, of de Hampton Cantilupe (1312–1386), and Alice FitzHerbert (died 1395) the sister and heiress of Sir Edmund FitzHerbert. His father had fought in the Battle of Crécy
and the subsequent siege of Calais
under the command of Richard FitzAlan, 10th Earl of Arundel
. The younger Thomas almost certainly served alongside his father under Richard II
; one of them was in active service in Calais in 1386, the year of his father's death. A knight banneret
, he served in Ireland with the Duke of Aumale
in 1399, and attended Richard's young Queen Isabella homeward to Calais in 1401.
When Thomas was seventeen, he and his mother and sister Eleanor were assaulted and robbed, by Nicholas Clifton, who carried his sister off; he was probably the same Nicholas Clifton who later married her.
He had married Joan de Willington (née la Warr), half-sister to John la Warr, 4th Baron De La Warr, before 2 May 1384, when they were pardoned for marriage without license. When John died without issue, Joan became heiress to her younger half-brother, Thomas
. The pair had three sons: Thomas
(b.1391), John (died c.
1393) and Reginald
(born c.1394).
He was knighted in 1399 and summoned to Parliament as Lord West in 1402, by which point he held the manor of Harby, Nottinghamshire
. He had inherited Newton Tony
, Wiltshire
, from his father; and Midsomer Norton
, Somerset
and Hinton Martell
, Dorset
from his mother. He was later granted joint custody of Beaulieu Abbey
. He died in 1405 and was interred at Christchurch Priory, Lambeth
.
Battle of Crécy
The Battle of Crécy took place on 26 August 1346 near Crécy in northern France, and was one of the most important battles of the Hundred Years' War...
and the subsequent siege of Calais
Calais
Calais is a town in Northern France in the department of Pas-de-Calais, of which it is a sub-prefecture. Although Calais is by far the largest city in Pas-de-Calais, the department's capital is its third-largest city of Arras....
under the command of Richard FitzAlan, 10th Earl of Arundel
Richard FitzAlan, 10th Earl of Arundel
Richard FitzAlan, 10th Earl of Arundel and 8th Earl of Surrey was an English nobleman and medieval military leader.- Lineage :...
. The younger Thomas almost certainly served alongside his father under Richard II
Richard II of England
Richard II was King of England, a member of the House of Plantagenet and the last of its main-line kings. He ruled from 1377 until he was deposed in 1399. Richard was a son of Edward, the Black Prince, and was born during the reign of his grandfather, Edward III...
; one of them was in active service in Calais in 1386, the year of his father's death. A knight banneret
Knight banneret
A knight banneret, sometimes known simply as banneret, was a Medieval knight who led a company of troops during time of war under his own banner and were eligible to bear supporters in English heraldry.The military rank of a knight banneret was...
, he served in Ireland with the Duke of Aumale
Edward of Norwich, 2nd Duke of York
Sir Edward of Norwich, 2nd Duke of York, 2nd Earl of Cambridge, Earl of Rutland, Earl of Cork, Duke of Aumale KG was a member of the English royal family who died at the Battle of Agincourt....
in 1399, and attended Richard's young Queen Isabella homeward to Calais in 1401.
When Thomas was seventeen, he and his mother and sister Eleanor were assaulted and robbed, by Nicholas Clifton, who carried his sister off; he was probably the same Nicholas Clifton who later married her.
He had married Joan de Willington (née la Warr), half-sister to John la Warr, 4th Baron De La Warr, before 2 May 1384, when they were pardoned for marriage without license. When John died without issue, Joan became heiress to her younger half-brother, Thomas
Thomas la Warr, 5th Baron De La Warr
Thomas la Warr, 5th Baron De La Warr was the second son of Roger la Warr, 3rd Baron De La Warr and Elizabeth de Welle, daughter of Adam, 3rd Baron Welles, and was intended for the church. In 1363, he received a dispensation, permitting him to be ordained at the age of twenty, and was made a canon...
. The pair had three sons: Thomas
Thomas West, 2nd Baron West
Thomas West, 2nd Baron West succeeded as Baron West at the age of 14. In less than a year, he married Ida de Saint Amand, younger daughter and coheiress of Amaury de Saint Amand, 3rd Baron Saint Amand . He was knighted on the eve of Henry V's coronation...
(b.1391), John (died c.
Circa
Circa , usually abbreviated c. or ca. , means "approximately" in the English language, usually referring to a date...
1393) and Reginald
Reginald West, 6th Baron De La Warr
Reginald West, 6th Baron De La Warr and 3rd Baron West was the second son of Thomas West, 1st Baron West and Joan La Warr, half-sister and heiress of Thomas la Warr, 5th Baron De La Warr...
(born c.1394).
He was knighted in 1399 and summoned to Parliament as Lord West in 1402, by which point he held the manor of Harby, Nottinghamshire
Harby, Nottinghamshire
Harby is a village in the English county of Nottinghamshire, the farthest eastern village within the county boundaries. The nearest large town is Lincoln over the border in Lincolnshire. According to the 2001 census it had a population of 289. The parish church of All Saints was built in 1875-76 in...
. He had inherited Newton Tony
Newton Tony
Newton Tony is a rural village and civil parish in the English county of Wiltshire, close to the border with Hampshire. Situated in the Bourne Valley, Newton Tony is approximately north-east of its post town, Salisbury. At the 2001 United Kingdom census, the parish had a population of 408...
, Wiltshire
Wiltshire
Wiltshire is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset, Somerset, Hampshire, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire. It contains the unitary authority of Swindon and covers...
, from his father; and Midsomer Norton
Midsomer Norton
Midsomer Norton is a town near the Mendip Hills in Somerset, England, south-west of Bath, north-east of Wells, north-west of Frome, and south-east of Bristol. It has a population of 10,458. Along with Radstock and Westfield it used to be part of the conurbation and large civil parish of Norton...
, Somerset
Somerset
The ceremonial and non-metropolitan county of Somerset in South West England borders Bristol and Gloucestershire to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west. It is partly bounded to the north and west by the Bristol Channel and the estuary of the...
and Hinton Martell
Hinton Martell
Hinton Martell is a village in east Dorset, England, three miles north of Wimborne Minster. The village has a population of 368 ....
, Dorset
Dorset
Dorset , is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The county town is Dorchester which is situated in the south. The Hampshire towns of Bournemouth and Christchurch joined the county with the reorganisation of local government in 1974...
from his mother. He was later granted joint custody of Beaulieu Abbey
Beaulieu Abbey
Beaulieu Abbey, , was a Cistercian abbey located in Hampshire, England. It was founded in 1203-1204 by King John and peopled by 30 monks sent from the abbey of Cîteaux in France, the mother house of the Cistercian order...
. He died in 1405 and was interred at Christchurch Priory, Lambeth
Lambeth
Lambeth is a district of south London, England, and part of the London Borough of Lambeth. It is situated southeast of Charing Cross.-Toponymy:...
.
Sources
- Cokayne's Complete Peerage; by G. E. Cokayne, V. Gibbs and H. A. Doubleday