Sir Thomas Moulton (died 1240) was an English landowner, knight, admiral and judge during the reigns of King

John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Secon ...

and King Henry III. From a family with landholdings in the south of

Lincolnshire Lincolnshire (abbreviated Lincs.) is a county in the East Midlands of England, with a long coastline on the North Sea to the east. It borders Norfolk to the south-east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south-west, Leicestershire ...

, he was the son and heir of Thomas Moulton (died before 1198) and his wife Eleanor Boston. After initial military service, he became a senior judge and held important government positions, in the process extending his inherited estates and accumulating considerable wealth. (subscription or UK public library membership required)

Career

As a knight, he served in King John's forces in the Normandy campaigns of 1202–04, against

Llywelyn the Great Llywelyn the Great ( cy, Llywelyn Fawr, ; full name Llywelyn mab Iorwerth; c. 117311 April 1240) was a King of Gwynedd in north Wales and eventually " Prince of the Welsh" (in 1228) and "Prince of Wales" (in 1240). By a combination of war and d ...

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in 1211 and in

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in 1214. In between, he obtained administrative posts, becoming

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 ...

of Lincolnshire from 1205 to 1208 and serving on royal enquiries in 1213 and 1214. Siding with the rebels when civil war broke out in the

First Barons' War The First Barons' War (1215–1217) was a civil war in the Kingdom of England in which a group of rebellious major landowners (commonly referred to as barons) led by Robert Fitzwalter waged war against King John of England. The conflict resulte ...

in 1215, he was captured by the king's forces at

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and imprisoned at

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. His lands were forfeited and he was excommunicated. However, he made his peace with the new regime in 1217 and in 1218 was appointed an itinerant justice in the five northern counties. From 1224 to 1236 he served as a justice at Westminster, ending as the senior justice of the common pleas. At the same time, from 1233 to 1236, he was sheriff of

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and constable of Carlisle Castle.

Family

Before 1200 he married Sara, daughter of Richard Fleet (from

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), who was dead by 1218 after they had had three sons and a daughter: * Lambert (died 1246), married Mabel Lucy, sister of Alice, he and his wife eventually acquiring the barony of Egremont in Cumberland. *

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, married Alice Lucy, he and his wife receiving half the honour of

Papcastle Papcastle is a village and civil parish in the borough of Allerdale in the English county of Cumbria. The village is now effectively a northern extension of Cockermouth, which lies to the south of the River Derwent. It has its own parish counc ...

in Cumberland. *Thomas, a cleric. *Juliana, in 1209 married Robert Vavasour. In 1218 he married Ada, who was the daughter of Hugh Morville of

Burgh by Sands Burgh by Sands () is a village and civil parish in the City of Carlisle district of Cumbria, England, situated near the Solway Firth. The parish includes the village of Burgh by Sands along with Longburgh, Dykesfield, Boustead Hill, Moorhouse ...

in Cumberland, the widow of Richard Lucy of Egremont and the mother of Alice and Mabel Lucy, his daughters-in-law. They had one son: *

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(died 1271), married Maud Vaux, with her acquiring the barony of

Gilsland Gilsland is a village in northern England about west of Hexham, and about east of Carlisle, which straddles the border between Cumbria and Northumberland. The village provides an amenity centre for visitors touring Hadrian's Wall and othe ...

in Cumberland.

Notes

References

* *''A General and Heraldic Dictionary of the Peerages of England, Ireland, and Scotland, Extinct, Dormant and in Abeyance'', (1831). John Burke, Esq. page 379 {{DEFAULTSORT:Moulton, Thomas 1240 deaths Year of birth unknown Chief Justices of the Common Pleas High Sheriffs of Lincolnshire High Sheriffs of Cumberland People temporarily excommunicated by the Catholic Church Justices of the Common Pleas English admirals English knights 13th-century English Navy personnel 13th-century English landowners