StainedGlass 1562 WalsinghamImpalingDenny MereworthChurch Kent

Thomas Walsingham (died 1457) was a wealthy wine and cloth merchant in the

City of London The City of London is a city, ceremonial county and local government district that contains the historic centre and constitutes, alongside Canary Wharf, the primary central business district (CBD) of London. It constituted most of London fr ...

who served as a

Member of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members of ...

for Wareham in 1410 and for

Lyme Regis Lyme Regis is a town in west Dorset, England, west of Dorchester and east of Exeter. Sometimes dubbed the "Pearl of Dorset", it lies by the English Channel at the Dorset–Devon border. It has noted fossils in cliffs and beaches on the Herita ...

in 1413, both in Dorset.

Origins

According to Woodger (1993) Walsingham was a son of Alan Walsingham of London, a

cordwainer A cordwainer () is a shoemaker who makes new shoes from new leather. The cordwainer's trade can be contrasted with the cobbler's trade, according to a tradition in Britain that restricted cobblers to repairing shoes. This usage distinction is ...

, by his wife Juliana, of unknown family. However, according to the Heraldic Visitations of Surrey, he was the son of Thomas Walsingham by his wife Katherin Belhouse, a sister of Sir William Belhouse. The seat of the Walsingham family in Surrey is not stated. Their earliest recorded ancestor was Sir Richard Walsingham, living in the reign of King Edward I (1272-1307).

Career

He was the supplier of wine to the large household of Cardinal

Henry Beaufort Cardinal Henry Beaufort (c. 1375 – 11 April 1447), Bishop of Winchester, was an English prelate and statesman who held the offices of Bishop of Lincoln (1398) then Bishop of Winchester (1404) and was from 1426 a Cardinal of the Church of Ro ...

(c. 1375–1447),

Bishop of Winchester The Bishop of Winchester is the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of Winchester in the Church of England. The bishop's seat (''cathedra'') is at Winchester Cathedral in Hampshire. The Bishop of Winchester has always held ''ex officio'' (except dur ...

, an influential member of the royal family.Woodger, L.S.,
Walsingham, Thomas (d.1457), of London
', published in

History of Parliament The History of Parliament is a project to write a complete history of the United Kingdom Parliament and its predecessors, the Parliament of Great Britain and the Parliament of England. The history will principally consist of a prosopography, in w ...

: the House of Commons 1386–1421, ed. J.S. Roskell, L. Clark, C. Rawcliffe. 1993 He undertook some major building contracts, including glazing the eastern window of the

Guildhall A guildhall, also known as a "guild hall" or "guild house", is a historical building originally used for tax collecting by municipalities or merchants in Great Britain and the Low Countries. These buildings commonly become town halls and in som ...

in the

and creating a conduit to transport drinking water from

Paddington Paddington is an area within the City of Westminster, in Central London. First a medieval parish then a metropolitan borough, it was integrated with Westminster and Greater London in 1965. Three important landmarks of the district are Paddi ...

Fleet Street Fleet Street is a major street mostly in the City of London. It runs west to east from Temple Bar at the boundary with the City of Westminster to Ludgate Circus at the site of the London Wall and the River Fleet from which the street was na ...

at the western edge of the City of London. He acquired substantial estates in Kent, including the manors of Scadbury (subsequently the seat of his descendants) in the parish of

Chislehurst Chislehurst () is a suburban district of south-east London, England, in the London Borough of Bromley. It lies east of Bromley, south-west of Sidcup and north-west of Orpington, south-east of Charing Cross. Before the creation of Greater L ...

, Champeyns and Tong, and land in Chislehurst, St. Paul's Cray, Lewisham, Bromley and Bexhill.

Marriage and issue

Some time before 1412 he married Margaret Bamme (died 1445), daughter of Henry Bamme of London, a

vintner A winemaker or vintner is a person engaged in winemaking. They are generally employed by wineries or wine companies, where their work includes: *Cooperating with viticulturists *Monitoring the maturity of grapes to ensure their quality and to dete ...

. By his wife he had one son and one daughter: *Thomas Walsingham (died 1467) who married Constance Dryland, a daughter of James Dryland of Davington.The Friends of Scadbury Park, a Registered Charity in England and Wales with the Charity Commission under number 11812

/ref> His grandson was Sir

Edmund Walsingham Sir Edmund Walsingham (c. 1480 – 10 February 1550) of Scadbury Park, Scadbury Hall, Chislehurst in Kent, was a soldier, Member of Parliament, and Lieutenant of the Tower of London during the reign of Henry VIII of England, King Henry ...

(c. 1480–1550) of Scadbury, a soldier, Member of Parliament and

Lieutenant of the Tower of London The Lieutenant of the Tower of London serves directly under the Constable of the Tower. The office has been appointed at least since the 13th century. There were formerly many privileges, immunities and perquisites attached to the office. Like the ...

during the reign of

King Henry VIII Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is best known for his six marriages, and for his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. His disag ...

, uncle of Sir

Francis Walsingham Sir Francis Walsingham ( – 6 April 1590) was principal secretary to Queen Elizabeth I of England from 20 December 1573 until his death and is popularly remembered as her "spymaster". Born to a well-connected family of gentry, Wals ...

(c.1532–1590)

principal secretary The Principal Secretary is a senior government official in various Commonwealth countries. * Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister of Pakistan * Principal Secretary to the President of Pakistan * Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister of Ind ...

to Queen

Elizabeth I Elizabeth I (7 September 153324 March 1603) was Queen of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death in 1603. Elizabeth was the last of the five House of Tudor monarchs and is sometimes referred to as the "Virgin Queen". El ...

and popularly remembered as her "

spymaster A spymaster is the person that leads a spy ring, or a secret service (such as an intelligence agency). Historical spymasters See also *List of American spies *List of British spies * List of German spies *List of fictional spymasters This is ...

". *Philippa Walsingham, who married Thomas Ballard.

References

{{morecat, date=July 2023 1457 deaths Walsingham family