Sir Thomas Berkeley of

Wymondham, Leicestershire Wymondham (pronounced, phonetically, ) is a village in the Borough of Melton in Leicestershire, England. It is part of a civil parish which also covers the nearby hamlet of Edmondthorpe. The parish has a population of 623, increasing to 632 ...

(died 1488) was an English

lawyer A lawyer is a person who practices law. The role of a lawyer varies greatly across different legal jurisdictions. A lawyer can be classified as an advocate, attorney, barrister, canon lawyer, civil law notary, counsel, counselor, solic ...

, soldier and

politician A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking, a ...

. He represented

Leicestershire Leicestershire ( ; postal abbreviation Leics.) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East Midlands, England. The county borders Nottinghamshire to the north, Lincolnshire to the north-east, Rutland to the east, Northamptonshire t ...

Parliament In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...

and served as

Sheriff A sheriff is a government official, with varying duties, existing in some countries with historical ties to England where the office originated. There is an analogous, although independently developed, office in Iceland that is commonly transla ...

for

Rutland Rutland () is a ceremonial county and unitary authority in the East Midlands, England. The county is bounded to the west and north by Leicestershire, to the northeast by Lincolnshire and the southeast by Northamptonshire. Its greatest len ...

Warwickshire Warwickshire (; abbreviated Warks) is a county in the West Midlands region of England. The county town is Warwick, and the largest town is Nuneaton. The county is famous for being the birthplace of William Shakespeare at Stratford-upon-Avon an ...

and Leicestershire.

Ancestry

Berkeley was the eldest son of Laurence Berkeley of

Wymondham Wymondham ( ) is a market town and civil parishes in England, civil parish in the South Norfolk district of Norfolk, England, south-west of Norwich, England, Norwich off the A11 road (England), A11 road to London. The River Tiffey runs through ...

, Leicestershire, who died in

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

in 1458, and wife Joan Woodford, sister of the Agincourt veteran Robert Woodford of Sproxton, Leicestershire,

Knight Banneret A knight banneret, sometimes known simply as banneret, was a medieval knight ("a commoner of rank") who led a company of troops during time of war under his own banner (which was square-shaped, in contrast to the tapering standard or the penn ...

. He was a member of the House of Berkley. Berkeley was the great-great-grandson of Thomas Berkeley of

Coston, Leicestershire Coston is a village and former civil parish, now in the parish of Garthorpe in the Melton district, in the eastern part of Leicestershire Leicestershire ( ; postal abbreviation Leics.) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the E ...

, second son of

Thomas de Berkeley, 1st Baron Berkeley Thomas de Berkeley, 1st Baron Berkeley (c. 1245– 23 July 1321), ''The Wise'', feudal baron of Berkeley, of Berkeley Castle in Gloucestershire, England, was a peer, soldier and diplomat. His epithet, and that of each previous and subsequent head ...

, and his wife Joan de Ferrers (d. 1309), daughter of

William de Ferrers, 5th Earl of Derby William III de Ferrers, 5th Earl of Derby (c. 1193 – 28 March 1254) of Chartley Castle in Staffordshire, was an English nobleman and major landowner, unable through illness to take much part in national affairs. From his two marriages, he left ...

. Berkeley moved to Wymondham after marrying Isabel Hamelin, daughter of Sir John Hamelin of

, and niece of Sir William de Hamelin. Their coat of arms was later transmitted to the Hamlyn baronets.

Career and Life

Berkeley was a

Justice of the Peace A justice of the peace (JP) is a judicial officer of a lower or ''puisne'' court, elected or appointed by means of a commission ( letters patent) to keep the peace. In past centuries the term commissioner of the peace was often used with the sa ...

for Leicestershire from 1442 to 1458, and

Sheriff of Rutland This is a list of sheriffs and high sheriffs of the English county of Rutland. The sheriff is the oldest secular office under the Crown: there has been a Sheriff of Rutland since 1129. Formerly the sheriff was the principal law enforcement off ...

between 1443 and 1444. He was admitted as a Fellow of

Lincoln's Inn The Honourable Society of Lincoln's Inn is one of the four Inns of Court in London to which barristers of England and Wales belong and where they are called to the Bar. (The other three are Middle Temple, Inner Temple and Gray's Inn.) Lincoln ...

in 1449 by special admission. In December 1457, Berkeley was appointed as one of Leicestershire's Commissioners of Array. The commissioners raised 226 archers to help repel Richard, Duke of York's Yorkist rebellion and again in 1459. Berkeley was

knighted A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a head of state (including the Pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the Christian denomination, church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood ...

by November 1460—perhaps having taken part in the Battle of Northampton, When the

Battle of Towton The Battle of Towton took place on 29 March 1461 during the Wars of the Roses, near Towton in North Yorkshire, and "has the dubious distinction of being probably the largest and bloodiest battle on English soil". Fought for ten hours between a ...

ended Henry VI's reign, Berkeley accepted

Edward IV Edward IV (28 April 1442 – 9 April 1483) was King of England from 4 March 1461 to 3 October 1470, then again from 11 April 1471 until his death in 1483. He was a central figure in the Wars of the Roses, a series of civil wars in England ...

as King. Towards the end of 1465, Berkeley became involved in a dispute with John Bourchier over the wardship and marriage of the underage grandson of former member of parliament

Manser Marmion Sir Manser (aka Mauncer) Marmion, of Ringstone in Rippingale and Galby was an English Member of Parliament and Sheriff of Lincolnshire. Ancestry His parents were Sir John Marmion (buried in 1415 at Sempringham Priory where his daughter Mabel ...

, whom Berkeley was accused of abducting. The Marmion estate was composed of over 2,500 acres spread over several counties. As well as being an attractive prize, it was owned by way of a complex set of homages and services to multiple overlords. It would seem Berkeley won and later wed his daughter Edith to the Marmion heir. In 1468, Berkeley accused William Purley of entering his land two years earlier and stealing 20 hares, 200 rabbits, 12 pheasants and 20 partridges using swords, bows, and arrows. Purley was either found not guilty or let off for some reason as he appears to have later married Berkeley's daughter Joyce. Berkeley was appointed as Sheriff of Rutland in 1471 and as a Justice of the Peace for Rutland in 1470–1475.Berkeley served in

for Leicestershire between 1472 and 1475. Berkeley died in 1488. He is buried in an

alabaster Alabaster is a mineral or rock that is soft, often used for carving, and is processed for plaster powder. Archaeologists and the stone processing industry use the word differently from geologists. The former use it in a wider sense that includes ...

topped altar

tomb A tomb ( grc-gre, τύμβος ''tumbos'') is a :wikt:repository, repository for the remains of the dead. It is generally any structurally enclosed interment space or burial chamber, of varying sizes. Placing a corpse into a tomb can be ...

with his wife Petronella in St Peter's Church, Wymondham.

Family

Berkeley married Emma/Petronella Brokesby or Brooksby, daughter of William Brokesby, Marshall of the King's Hall, and wife Joan Alderwick, and had the following issue: * Sir Maurice Berkeley, died 30 November 1522, son and heir. * Lawrence Berkeley * Elizabeth Berkeley, died 1504, married William Hussey,

Chief Justice of the King's Bench Chief may refer to: Title or rank Military and law enforcement * Chief master sergeant, the ninth, and highest, enlisted rank in the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Space Force * Chief of police, the head of a police department * Chief of the boa ...

. * Edith Berkeley, died 23 October 1538, married Mauncer Marmion, ( Sheriff of Lincolnshire in 1497) and buried in a tomb together in

Rippingale Rippingale is a village and civil parish in the South Kesteven district of Lincolnshire, England. The population of the civil parish was 929 at the 2011 census. The village is situated on the A15 road, about north from Bourne. Rippingale is ...

Church. * Joyce Berkeley, died 1530, married William Purley. * a daughter who married someone surnamed Gaton. Berkeley was an ancestor of Henry Berkeley, 1st Baronet of Wymondham.

Notes

References

External links

Effigy thought to be Sir William Hamelyn in Wymondham Church St Peter

Website of Wymondham Church St Peter
{{DEFAULTSORT:Berkeley, Thomas English knights English MPs 1472 1488 deaths People from Wymondham, Leicestershire Members of the Parliament of England for Leicestershire History of Warwickshire History of Rutland High Sheriffs of Rutland English justices of the peace Knights Bachelor