Sir Thomas de Strickland (also Stryckeland; 1367 – 30 July 1455) was an English soldier. He is best known for carrying the banner of

St. George Saint George (Greek: Γεώργιος (Geórgios), Latin: Georgius, Arabic: القديس جرجس; died 23 April 303), also George of Lydda, was a Christian who is venerated as a saint in Christianity. According to tradition he was a soldier ...

at the battle of Agincourt.

At war

Biography

On 21 July 1403, de Strickland fought on the Royalist side at the

Battle of Shrewsbury The Battle of Shrewsbury was a battle fought on 21 July 1403, waged between an army led by the Lancastrian King Henry IV and a rebel army led by Henry "Harry Hotspur" Percy from Northumberland. The battle, the first in which English archers ...

for Henry IV and was awarded by the King, a sum of £38 and two horses which had belonged to the rebel Henry Percy (Hotspur). He was also rewarded for his valiant efforts by being made Keeper of Inglewood royal forest in Cumberland. He was appointed Sheriff of Bedfordshire and Buckinghamshire for 1410 and for 1414. He was elected one of the

knights of the shire Knight of the shire ( la, milites comitatus) was the formal title for a member of parliament (MP) representing a county constituency in the British House of Commons, from its origins in the medieval Parliament of England until the Redistribution ...

(to represent

Westmorland Westmorland (, formerly also spelt ''Westmoreland'';R. Wilkinson The British Isles, Sheet The British IslesVision of Britain/ref> is a historic county in North West England spanning the southern Lake District and the northern Dales. It had an ...

in the

Parliament of England The Parliament of England was the legislature of the Kingdom of England from the 13th century until 1707 when it was replaced by the Parliament of Great Britain. Parliament evolved from the great council of bishops and peers that advised t ...

) in 1404, 1429, and 1431.

Battle of Agincourt

On 25 October 1415, de Strickland and his

Men at arms A man-at-arms was a soldier of the High Medieval to Renaissance periods who was typically well-versed in the use of arms and served as a fully-armoured heavy cavalryman. A man-at-arms could be a knight, or other nobleman, a member of a knig ...

, including a group of archers known as "the Kendal Bowmen", were part of the army of

King Henry V Henry V (16 September 1386 – 31 August 1422), also called Henry of Monmouth, was King of England and Lord of Ireland from 1413 until his death in 1422. Despite his relatively short reign, Henry's outstanding military successes in the ...

which won a major battle at Agincourt in North West

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 ...

against superior numbers. As de Strickland was a knight in training, or

esquire Esquire (, ; abbreviated Esq.) is usually a courtesy title. In the United Kingdom, ''esquire'' historically was a title of respect accorded to men of higher social rank, particularly members of the landed gentry above the rank of gentlema ...

, he fought dismounted with a sword, It was a question of honour that a man who carried the banner of

did so without the protection of a shield, as he would be protected by his men at arms.

Family life

In 1405, de Strickland married Mabel de Beethom, daughter of Sir John de Bethom, and they had several children, including: * Walter (1411-1466), married Douce Croft. * Margaret * Cecilia * Robert Strickland had been knighted by 1418, not long after the

Battle of Agincourt The Battle of Agincourt ( ; french: Azincourt ) was an English victory in the Hundred Years' War. It took place on 25 October 1415 (Saint Crispin's Day) near Azincourt, in northern France. The unexpected English victory against the numerica ...

. After that time it became common practice amongst noble families to drop the English "of" and the French "de" from their names, so Sir Thomas de (or of) Strickland became Sir Thomas Strickland.

Later Stricklands

Thomas' son Walter Strickland (described in 1452 as an 'esquire') was an indentured retainer of

Richard Neville, 5th Earl of Salisbury Richard Neville, 5th Earl of Salisbury (1400 – 31 December 1460) was an English nobleman and magnate based in northern England who became a key supporter of the House of York during the early years of the Wars of the Roses. He was the ...

, and his 1452 indenture survives. He contracts to support the Earl of Salisbury with "bowmen horsed and harnessed, 69; billmen horsed and harnessed, 74; bowmen without horses, 71; billmen without horses, 76". (The term 'harnessed' refers to armour, not a horse harness.) During his father's lifetime he carried his father's banner of ''sable three escallops argent'', but differenced by the overlay of a ''label of three points or''. Succeeding his father as Sir Walter, he is known to have fought for the Yorkists at 1st St Alban's in 1455 and Blore Heath in 1459. He married Douce Croft. Sir Thomas Strickland was Walter's eldest son and he married Agnes Parr and later Margaret, widow of Sir John Byron. He also fought on the Yorkist side at Barnet (1471), where he was knighted by Edward IV, as well as fighting at Bosworth in 1485 for Richard III. He survived the battle and died in 1494.Heraldic Banners of the Wars of the Roses by Thomas Coveney

At war

Biography

Battle of Agincourt

Family life

Later Stricklands

See also

References

Bibliography