Sir Thomas FitzAlan (died 1430) of

Betchworth Castle Betchworth Castle is a mostly crumbled ruin of a fortified medieval stone house with some tall, two-storey corners strengthened in the 18th century, in the north of the semi-rural parish of Brockham. It is built on a sandstone spur overlooking ...

Surrey Surrey () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South East England, bordering Greater London to the south west. Surrey has a large rural area, and several significant urban areas which form part of the Greater London Built-up Area. ...

was a medieval

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

knight. He was the 2nd son of

John FitzAlan, 2nd Baron Arundel John FitzAlan, 2nd Baron Arundel, 2nd Baron Maltravers ''jure matris'', also called John de Arundel (30 November 1364 – 14 August 1390), of Buckland, Surrey, was the son and heir of John FitzAlan, 1st Baron Arundel by his wife Eleanor Maltr ...

and

Elizabeth le Despenser Elizabeth Despenser (died 10 April/11 April 1408) was an English noblewoman of the late 14th century. She should not be confused with Elizabeth le Despenser, Baroness Berkeley, who was her great-aunt and who was the daughter of her great-gran ...

of Betchworth. Thomas was the younger brother of John Fitzalan, 3rd Baron Arundel who was eventually made 6th Earl of Arundel. Thomas also had a younger brother, Edward Fitzalan, and was a grandson of John FitzAlan (D'Arundel) and

Eleanor Maltravers Eleanor Maltravers, or Mautravers, ( 1345 – January 1405) was an English noblewoman. The granddaughter and eventual heiress of the first Baron Maltravers, she married two barons in succession and passed her grandfather's title to her grandson. ...

. Thomas was Lord of Betchworth Castle, also known as Beechworth. Sir Thomas married

Joan Moyns Joan may refer to: People and fictional characters * Joan (given name), including a list of women, men and fictional characters *:Joan of Arc, a French military heroine *Joan (surname) Weather events *Tropical Storm Joan (disambiguation), multipl ...

, and they were parents of Eleanor FitzAlan. She was married to

Sir Thomas Browne Sir Thomas Browne (; 19 October 1605 – 19 October 1682) was an English polymath and author of varied works which reveal his wide learning in diverse fields including science and medicine, religion and the esoteric. His writings display a ...

. They had four sons and a daughter. They are ancestors of many famous English families. As well as the poet,

Percy Bysshe Shelley Percy Bysshe Shelley ( ; 4 August 17928 July 1822) was one of the major English Romantic poets. A radical in his poetry as well as in his political and social views, Shelley did not achieve fame during his lifetime, but recognition of his achie ...

. Another descendant is the American Abolitionist,

John Brown John Brown most often refers to: *John Brown (abolitionist) (1800–1859), American who led an anti-slavery raid in Harpers Ferry, Virginia in 1859 John Brown or Johnny Brown may also refer to: Academia * John Brown (educator) (1763–1842), Ir ...

. Thomas FitzAlan sold Betchworth Castle to his son-in-law, Sir Thomas Browne, and upon FitzAlan's death, the castle passed from the FitzAlans to the Brownes, who occupied it until 1690.

References

*Ancestral Roots of Certain American Colonists Who Came to America Before 1700 by Frederick Lewis Weis, Lines: 21-32, 74-35, 212-34
The Peerage.com on Thomas FitzAlan
1430 deaths People from Surrey 15th-century English people Medieval English knights

Thomas Thomas may refer to: People * List of people with given name Thomas * Thomas (name) * Thomas (surname) * Saint Thomas (disambiguation) * Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) Italian Dominican friar, philosopher, and Doctor of the Church * Thomas the Ap ...

Year of birth unknown {{England-bio-stub