Sir Thomas Rempston (or Ramston) KG (died 1406) was

Constable of the Tower The Constable of the Tower is the most senior appointment at the Tower of London. In the Middle Ages a constable was the person in charge of a castle when the owner—the king or a nobleman—was not in residence. The Constable of the Tower had a ...

and an MP. He was born the son of John Rempston at

Rempstone Rempstone is a village and civil parish in the Rushcliffe district of Nottinghamshire, although its closest town and postal address is Loughborough across the border in Leicestershire. The population of the civil parish at the 2011 census was ...

Nottinghamshire Nottinghamshire (; abbreviated Notts.) is a landlocked county in the East Midlands region of England, bordering South Yorkshire to the north-west, Lincolnshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south, and Derbyshire to the west. The traditi ...

, where the family had long been settled. In 1381, he was

Knight 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 Redistributio ...

for

, which he also represented in the parliaments of 1382, 1393, and 1395, and served as Sheriff of Nottinghamshire for 1393. In 1398, he adopted the cause of Henry, Earl of Derby, who had been exiled by

Richard II Richard II (6 January 1367 – ), also known as Richard of Bordeaux, was King of England from 1377 until he was deposed in 1399. He was the son of Edward the Black Prince, Prince of Wales, and Joan, Countess of Kent. Richard's father died ...

, and in the following year, made his way to

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 ...

to join the earl. He was one of the fifteen lances who embarked with Henry at

Boulogne Boulogne-sur-Mer (; pcd, Boulonne-su-Mér; nl, Bonen; la, Gesoriacum or ''Bononia''), often called just Boulogne (, ), is a coastal city in Northern France. It is a sub-prefecture of the department of Pas-de-Calais. Boulogne lies on the ...

and landed at

Ravenspur Ravenspurn was a town in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England, which was lost due to coastal erosion, one of more than 30 along the Holderness Coast which have been lost to the North Sea since the 19th century. The town was located close to the ...

in July 1399. In

Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

's ''

'' (act ii. scene i. 298) his name is given as Sir John Ramston, probably to suit the metre. On 7 October, he was appointed Constable of the Tower, and in this capacity had custody of Richard II; he was present at Richard's

abdication Abdication is the act of formally relinquishing monarchical authority. Abdications have played various roles in the succession procedures of monarchies. While some cultures have viewed abdication as an extreme abandonment of duty, in other societ ...

, and was one of the witnesses to the form of resignation signed by the king. In February 1400, he was on a commission to inquire into

treason Treason is the crime of attacking a state authority to which one owes allegiance. This typically includes acts such as participating in a war against one's native country, attempting to overthrow its government, spying on its military, its diplo ...

s in London and the neighbourhood, and shortly after, was appointed admiral of the fleet from the

Thames The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the second-longest in the United Kingdom, after the R ...

eastwards; in August, he was made a knight of the

Garter A garter is an article of clothing comprising a narrow band of fabric fastened about the leg to keep up stockings. In the eighteenth to twentieth centuries, they were tied just below the knee, where the leg is most slender, to keep the stocking ...

, and about the same time, steward of the king's household. In 1401, he was made admiral of the fleet from the Thames westwards, and was placed on a commission to deal with infractions of the truce with France, and to settle the question of the still unpaid ransom of the late King John. He was summoned to the great council held in that year. In December 1402, he was negotiating with the

Duke of Orleans Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they are ran ...

, and, after prolonged negotiations, concluded a treaty with the French at Lůllingen on 17 June 1403. In 1404-05, he was made a member of the

privy council A privy council is a body that advises the head of state of a state, typically, but not always, in the context of a monarchic government. The word "privy" means "private" or "secret"; thus, a privy council was originally a committee of the mon ...

, and was recommended by

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 ...

to Henry IV as one of those whose services merited special recognition; in the same year, he was employed on a mission to the

Duke of Burgundy Duke of Burgundy (french: duc de Bourgogne) was a title used by the rulers of the Duchy of Burgundy, from its establishment in 843 to its annexation by France in 1477, and later by Holy Roman Emperors and Kings of Spain from the House of Habsburg ...

. Early in 1406, he was captured by French pirates while crossing the Thames from

Queenborough Queenborough is a town on the Isle of Sheppey in the Swale borough of Kent in South East England. Queenborough is south of Sheerness. It grew as a port near the Thames Estuary at the westward entrance to the Swale where it joins the River M ...

Essex Essex () is a county in the East of England. One of the home counties, it borders Suffolk and Cambridgeshire to the north, the North Sea to the east, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent across the estuary of the River Thames to the south, and G ...

, but was soon released ; in the same year, he was vice-chamberlain to the king. He was drowned in the Thames, close to the Tower, on 31 October 1406. Rempston was the founder of his family's fortunes; he acquired extensive property in Nottinghamshire, including the manor of Bingham, which he made his seat. He married Margaret, daughter of Sir Simon Leeke, and widow of Sir Godfrey Foljambe; by her he had several children, including a notable son, Thomas Rempston. Margaret survived him.Common Plea Rolls: 1421
Margaret Remston, as defendant
aalt.law.uh.edu. Accessed 7 January 2023.

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Rempston, Thomas 1406 deaths Knights of the Garter High Sheriffs of Nottinghamshire High Sheriffs of Derbyshire Members of the Privy Council of England Year of birth unknown English knights English MPs 1381 English MPs May 1382 English MPs 1393 English MPs 1395 English MPs January 1397 English MPs September 1397