Thomas Scales, 7th Baron Scales (9 October 1399 – 20 July 1460) was an English nobleman and one of the main English military commanders in the last phase of the Hundred Years' War. The son of

Robert de Scales, 5th Baron Scales Lord Robert de Scales (1372–1402) was involved in an expedition to Aquitaine. He was Commissioner of the Peace for Norfolk from 1399 to 1401, and was the steward of the son and heir of Thomas de Mowbray, 1st Duke of Norfolk due to his minority ...

(c. 1372–1402), he succeeded his brother

Robert de Scales, 6th Baron Scales Robert de Scales (c. 1395–1418) died unmarried, and at an early age, and was succeeded by his brother Thomas.Philip Morant, ''The History and Antiquities of the County of Essex'' On 8 May 1410 an order to seize Robert and deliver him to the Tre ...

(died July 1419) as baron. Thomas distinguished himself in France, against

Jack Cade Jack Cade's Rebellion was a popular revolt in 1450 against the government of England, which took place in the south-east of the country between the months of April and July. It stemmed from local grievances regarding the corruption, maladmi ...

and in many other places. He was rewarded with a grant of £100 a year during his life and the privilege of a 200-tonne ship to transport goods wherever he saw fit (excluding Calais). He was summoned to

Parliament In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: representing the electorate, making laws, and overseeing the government via hearings and inquiries. Th ...

from 1445 to 1460. Scales was an important man of considerable wealth. This is alluded to 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 natio ...

's ''

Henry VI, Part 3 ''Henry VI, Part 3'' (often written as ''3 Henry VI'') is a history play by William Shakespeare believed to have been written in 1591 and set during the lifetime of King Henry VI of England. Whereas '' 1 Henry VI'' deals with the loss of Eng ...

'': King Edward IV's brothers

George George may refer to: People * George (given name) * George (surname) * George (singer), American-Canadian singer George Nozuka, known by the mononym George * George Washington, First President of the United States * George W. Bush, 43rd Presid ...

and

Richard Richard is a male given name. It originates, via Old French, from Old Frankish and is a compound of the words descending from Proto-Germanic ''*rīk-'' 'ruler, leader, king' and ''*hardu-'' 'strong, brave, hardy', and it therefore means 'stro ...

complain to Edward about his bestowal of Scales' heiress (one of the wealthiest in England) on his Queen's brother, instead of one of them.

Family

Thomas Scales was born on 9 October 1399 at

Middleton, Norfolk Middleton is a village and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk. It covers an area of and had a population of 1,516 in 621 households at the 2001 census, reducing to 1,450 at the 2011 Census. The village's name means 'Middle farm/set ...

, and was baptized there. He was the second son of

(c. 1372–1402), and Elizabeth Bardolf (d. 1441), daughter of William Bardolf, 4th Baron Bardolf. Thomas inherited the barony of Scales after the death of his brother Robert, 6th Lord Scales (1397–1419).

Military commander

Cannons abandonded by Thomas Scalles at Mont Saint-Michel

In 1422, Scales crossed the Channel to

Normandy Normandy (; french: link=no, Normandie ; nrf, Normaundie, Nouormandie ; from Old French , plural of ''Normant'', originally from the word for "northman" in several Scandinavian languages) is a geographical and cultural region in Northwestern ...

, and served as a lieutenant of John, Duke of Bedford. By 1423, Scales was captain of Verneuil. From 1424 to 1425, he fought alongside

John Fastolf Sir John Fastolf (6 November 1380 – 5 November 1459) was a late medieval English landowner and knight who fought in the Hundred Years' War. He has enjoyed a more lasting reputation as the prototype, in some part, of Shakespeare's charact ...

to recapture the fortress at Maine. He was captured at the

Battle of Patay The Battle of Patay, fought on 18 June 1429 during the Hundred Years' War, was the culmination of the Loire Campaign between the French and English in north-central France. In this engagement, the horsemen of the French vanguard inflicted heavy ...

in 1429 and later ransomed. According to a recruitment roll now at the

National Army Museum The National Army Museum is the British Army's central museum. It is located in the Chelsea district of central London, adjacent to the Royal Hospital Chelsea, the home of the " Chelsea Pensioners". The museum is a non-departmental public bo ...

, he commanded a corps of 728 archers (some with fire-tipped arrows) and about 50 infantry at the siege of Saint-Denis. In 1439, to cut off

Mont-Saint-Michel Mont-Saint-Michel (; Norman: ''Mont Saint Miché''; ) is a tidal island and mainland commune in Normandy, France. The island lies approximately off the country's north-western coast, at the mouth of the Couesnon River near Avranches and i ...

, at the end of the French bridge in English-held territory, he founded the citadel of Granville. In 1442 Granville was taken by surprise by the French defenders of the Mont. In the

Wars of the Roses The Wars of the Roses (1455–1487), known at the time and for more than a century after as the Civil Wars, were a series of civil wars fought over control of the English throne in the mid-to-late fifteenth century. These wars were fought bet ...

Scales fought for Lancaster, and as such appears in Shakespeare's ''

Henry VI, Part 2 ''Henry VI, Part 2'' (often written as ''2 Henry VI'') is a Shakespearean history, history play by William Shakespeare believed to have been written in 1591 and set during the lifetime of King Henry VI of England. Whereas ''Henry VI, Part 1'' ...

''. On 20 July 1460 Scales was murdered,Philip Morant, ''The History and Antiquities of the County of Essex'' having, as commander of the

Tower of London The Tower of London, officially His Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress of the Tower of London, is a historic castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, which is sep ...

, turned its weapons against the city which was supporting the Yorkist

Earl of Salisbury Earl of Salisbury is a title that has been created several times in English and British history. It has a complex history, and is now a subsidiary title to the marquessate of Salisbury. Background The title was first created for Patrick de S ...

in besieging the Tower.

Residences

Thomas held Rivenhall in

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 Grea ...

; Newsells and Barkway in Hertfordshire; and Ilsington, Middelton, Lynne, Hardwicke, Rongeton, Tylney and Clenchwarton in Norfolk.Feudal Aids 1284-1431

Coat of arms

Gules, six escallops argent

Marriage

Thomas married Ismayne Whalesburgh (aka EsmaniaSuffolk Feet of Fines aka Ismaine, aka Emma Whalseborough) in Paris in November, 1424. They had two children: * Thomas Scales (died in infancy) *

Elizabeth de Scales Woodville, Baroness Scales Elizabeth Woodville, Countess Rivers and 8th Baroness Scales (died 2 September 1473), born Elizabeth de Scales, was the sole heir of Thomas Scales, 7th Baron Scales.Philip Morant, ''The History and Antiquities of the County of Essex'' Family E ...

(died 2 September 1473), married Henry Bourchier, second son of

Henry Bourchier, 1st Earl of Essex Henry Bourchier, 5th Baron Bourchier, 2nd Count of Eu, 1st Viscount Bourchier, 1st Earl of Essex, KG ( – 4 April 1483), was the eldest son of William Bourchier, 1st Count of Eu, and Anne of Gloucester. On his mother's side, he was a gr ...

and his wife

Isabel of Cambridge, Countess of Essex Isabel of Cambridge, Countess of Essex (1409 – 2 October 1484) was the only daughter of Richard, 3rd Earl of Cambridge, and Anne Mortimer. She was the sister of Richard Plantagenet, 3rd Duke of York, and like him a great-grandchild of Edwar ...

who died in 1458, then

Anthony Woodville, 2nd Earl Rivers Anthony Woodville, 2nd Earl Rivers (c. 144025 June 1483), was an English nobleman, courtier, bibliophile and writer. He was the brother of Queen Elizabeth Woodville who married King Edward IV. He was one of the leading members of the Woodvi ...

as her second husband.

References

Sources

* * * *

External links

Sir Thomas Scales, 7th Lord Scales, Seneschal of Normandy
{{DEFAULTSORT:Scales, Thomas de Scales, 7th Baron 1399 births 1460 deaths People of the Wars of the Roses People of the Hundred Years' War Knights of the Garter Male Shakespearean characters Barons Scales People from King's Lynn and West Norfolk (district)