Sir Thomas Moulton, Moleton, Muleton, or Multon (died 1240), also recorded as Thomas de Moulton, Thomas of Moulton, etc., was an English landowner, knight, and judge during the reigns of King John and King Henry III. From a family with landholdings in the south of

Lincolnshire Lincolnshire (), abbreviated ''Lincs'', is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East Midlands and Yorkshire and the Humber regions of England. It is bordered by the East Riding of Yorkshire across the Humber estuary to th ...

, he was the son and heir of Thomas Moulton (died before 1198) and his wife Eleanor Boston. After initial military service, he became a senior judge and held important government positions, in the process extending his inherited estates and accumulating considerable wealth. (subscription or UK public library membership required)

Career

As a knight, he served in King John's forces in the Normandy campaigns of 1202–04, against

Llywelyn the Great Llywelyn ab Iorwerth (, – 11 April 1240), also known as Llywelyn the Great (, ; ), was a medieval Welsh ruler. He succeeded his uncle, Dafydd ab Owain Gwynedd, as King of Gwynedd in 1195. By a combination of war and diplomacy, he dominate ...

Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...

in 1211 and in

Poitou Poitou ( , , ; ; Poitevin: ''Poetou'') was a province of west-central France whose capital city was Poitiers. Both Poitou and Poitiers are named after the Pictones Gallic tribe. Geography The main historical cities are Poitiers (historical ...

in 1214. In between, he obtained administrative posts, becoming

sheriff A sheriff is a government official, with varying duties, existing in some countries with historical ties to England where the office originated. There is an analogous, although independently developed, office in Iceland, the , which is common ...

of Lincolnshire from 1205 to 1208 and serving on royal enquiries in 1213 and 1214. Siding with the rebels when civil war broke out in the

First Barons' War The First Barons' War (1215–1217) was a civil war in the Kingdom of England in which a group of rebellious major landowners (commonly referred to as English feudal barony, barons) led by Robert Fitzwalter waged war against John of England, K ...

in 1215, he was captured by the king's forces at Rochester and imprisoned at

Corfe Castle Corfe Castle is a fortification standing above the Corfe Castle (village), village of the same name on the Isle of Purbeck peninsula in the English county of Dorset. Built by William the Conqueror, the castle dates to the 11th century and ...

. His lands were forfeited and he was excommunicated. However, he made his peace with the new regime in 1217 and in 1218 was appointed an itinerant justice in the five northern counties. From 1224 to 1236 he served as a justice at Westminster, ending as the senior justice of the common pleas. At the same time, from 1233 to 1236, he was sheriff of

Cumberland Cumberland ( ) is an area of North West England which was historically a county. The county was bordered by Northumberland to the north-east, County Durham to the east, Westmorland to the south-east, Lancashire to the south, and the Scottish ...

and constable of

Carlisle Castle Carlisle Castle is a stone keep medieval fortress located in the city of Carlisle near the ruins of Hadrian's Wall. First built during the reign of William II in 1092 and rebuilt in stone under Henry I in 1122, the castle is over 930 yea ...

Family

Before 1200 he married Sara, daughter of Richard Fleet (from Fleet in

), who was dead by 1218 after they had had three sons and a daughter: * Lambert de Multon (died 1246), married Mabel Lucy, sister of Alice, he and his wife eventually acquiring the barony of Egremont in Cumberland. * Alan de Multon, married Alice Lucy, he and his wife receiving half the honour of Papcastle in Cumberland. *Thomas, a cleric. *Juliana de Multon, in 1209 married Robert Vavasour. In 1218 he married Ada, who was the daughter of Hugh Morville of

Burgh by Sands Burgh by Sands () is a village and civil parish in the Cumberland unitary authority area of Cumbria, England, situated near the Solway Firth. The parish includes the village of Burgh by Sands along with Longburgh, Dykesfield, Boustead Hill, Moor ...

in Cumberland, the widow of Richard Lucy of Egremont and the mother of Alice and Mabel Lucy, his daughters-in-law. They had one son: * Thomas II de Multon (died 1271), married Maud Vaux, with her acquiring the barony of Gilsland in Cumberland.

References

Citations

Bibliography

* *''A General and Heraldic Dictionary of the Peerages of England, Ireland, and Scotland, Extinct, Dormant and in Abeyance'', (1831). John Burke, Esq. page 379 {{DEFAULTSORT:Moulton, Thomas 1240 deaths Year of birth unknown Chief justices of the common pleas High sheriffs of Lincolnshire High sheriffs of Cumberland People excommunicated by the Catholic Church Justices of the common pleas Medieval English knights 13th-century English Navy personnel 13th-century English landowners