Roger Thornton (died 1430), the
Dick Whittington of
Newcastle Newcastle usually refers to:
*Newcastle upon Tyne, a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England
*Newcastle-under-Lyme, a town in Staffordshire, England
*Newcastle, New South Wales, a metropolitan area in Australia, named after Newcastle ...
, seems to have been a country boy who sought his fortune in town. He lived to become 'the richest merchant that ever was dwelling in Newcastell', and three times mayor of that town.
History
The old saying was:
:''At the Westgate came Thornton in''
:''With a hap, a halfpenny, and a lambskin.''
He was elected
Mayor of Newcastle for 1400–01, 1402–1406, 1416–17 and 1423–1426, a total of 9 times.
He took the side of
Henry IV against the rebel
Earl of Northumberland
The title of Earl of Northumberland has been created several times in the Peerage of England and of Great Britain, succeeding the title Earl of Northumbria. Its most famous holders are the House of Percy (''alias'' Perci), who were the most po ...
(in whose cause
Hotspur had fallen) and received on 28 July 1405 'in consideration of his services and of the losses he had sustained, and the charges he had borne in the late rebellion of the Earl of Northumberland, and others, the Foucher (Fugar) House in Whickham, as well as other estates in Cleveland.'
He represented
Newcastle-upon-Tyne in parliament in 1399, 1411, 1417 and 1419, the last being the fifth year of the reign of
Henry V Henry V may refer to:
People
* Henry V, Duke of Bavaria (died 1026)
* Henry V, Holy Roman Emperor (1081/86–1125)
* Henry V, Duke of Carinthia (died 1161)
* Henry V, Count Palatine of the Rhine (c. 1173–1227)
* Henry V, Count of Luxembourg (1 ...
.
[
Thornton was a speculator in ]lead mines
Lead is a chemical element with the symbol Pb (from the Latin ) and atomic number 82. It is a heavy metal that is denser than most common materials. Lead is soft and malleable, and also has a relatively low melting point. When freshly cut, l ...
, and he was certainly working some in Weardale under lease from the Bishop of Durham
The Bishop of Durham is the Anglican bishop responsible for the Diocese of Durham in the Province of York. The diocese is one of the oldest in England and its bishop is a member of the House of Lords. Paul Butler has been the Bishop of Durham ...
in 1401. He was remembered for his liberality to Newcastle, building a town court and also a Maison Dieu or hospital for poor people in the Sandhill.
Thornton died in the Broad Chare on 3 January 1430.Newcastle Cathedral
Newcastle Cathedral, formally the Cathedral Church of St Nicholas, is a Church of England cathedral in Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear, England. It is the seat of the Bishop of Newcastle and is the mother church of the Diocese of Newcastle. ...
, and is said to be the largest brass in the country. It was originally installed in the medieval All Saints' Church, Newcastle upon Tyne nearby, which was later demolished and rebuilt. The brass is certainly one of the finest; Thornton's seven sons and seven daughters appear below the principal figures. Thornton's is one of the four effigies of Northumberland worthies above 43–45 Northumberland Street
Northumberland Street is a major shopping street in the city of Newcastle upon Tyne, in the North East of England. It is home to a wide range of different retailers, banks and cafes, and in terms of rental per square foot, Northumberland Stre ...
in Newcastle.
References
External links
Biography at www.historyofparliamentonline.org
Monumental brass of Roger and Agnes Thornton
Politicians from Newcastle upon Tyne
Year of birth unknown
1430 deaths
Mayors of Newcastle upon Tyne
English MPs 1399
English MPs 1411
British mining businesspeople
English MPs 1417
English MPs 1419
{{England-mayor-stub