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 Hundred Years' War (; 1337–1453) was a conflict between the kingdoms of Kingdom of England, England and Kingdom of France, France and a civil war in France during the Late Middle Ages. It emerged from feudal disputes over the Duchy ...

. The son of Robert de Scales, 5th Baron Scales (–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 Scales, 7th Baron Scales, Thomas.Philip Morant, ''The History and Antiquities of the County of Essex'' On 8 May 1410 an order to seize ...

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

Jack Cade Jack Cade's Rebellion or 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 ...

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 Calais ( , , traditionally , ) is a French port city in the Pas-de-Calais department, of which it is a subprefecture. Calais is the largest city in Pas-de-Calais. The population of the city proper is 67,544; that of the urban area is 144,6 ...

). 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: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...

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

Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 23 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 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, ...

'':

King Edward IV Edward IV (28 April 1442 – 9 April 1483) was King of England from 4 March 1461 to 3 October 1470, then again from 11 April 1471 until his death in 1483. He was a central figure in the Wars of the Roses, a series of civil wars in England ...

's brothers

George George may refer to: Names * George (given name) * George (surname) People * George (singer), American-Canadian singer George Nozuka, known by the mononym George * George Papagheorghe, also known as Jorge / GEØRGE * George, stage name of Gior ...

and

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

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/se ...

, and was baptized there. He was the second son of Robert de Scales, 5th Baron Scales (–1402), and Elizabeth Bardolf (d. 1441), daughter of

William Bardolf, 4th Baron Bardolf William Bardolf, 4th Baron Bardolf and 3rd Baron Damory (21 October 1349 – 29 January 1386) of Wormegay, Norfolk, was an extensive landowner in Norfolk, Lincolnshire, Suffolk and Surrey. He was the son of John Bardolf, 3rd Baron Bardolf and El ...

. 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 (; or ) is a geographical and cultural region in northwestern Europe, roughly coextensive with the historical Duchy of Normandy. Normandy comprises Normandy (administrative region), mainland Normandy (a part of France) and insular N ...

, and served as a lieutenant of

John, Duke of Bedford John of Lancaster, Duke of Bedford (20 June 1389 – 14 September 1435) was a medieval English prince, general, and statesman who commanded England's armies in France during a critical phase of the Hundred Years' War. Bedford was the third son ...

. 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 soldier, landowner, and knight who fought in the Hundred Years' War from 1415 to 1439, latterly as a senior commander against Joan of Arc, among others. He h ...

to recapture the fortress at

Maine Maine ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the United States, and the northeasternmost state in the Contiguous United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Provinces and ...

. 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 hea ...

in 1429 and later ransomed. In 1434, he commanded an assault against the French-held

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 France's north-western coast, at the mouth of the Couesnon River near Avranches and is in ...

, which ended in failure and led Scales to abandon his cannons behind him (since then displayed inside the city). 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 bod ...

, 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

, 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, known at the time and in following centuries as the Civil Wars, were a series of armed confrontations, machinations, battles and campaigns fought over control of the English throne from 1455 to 1487. The conflict was fo ...

Scales fought for

Lancaster Lancaster may refer to: Lands and titles *The County Palatine of Lancaster, a synonym for Lancashire *Duchy of Lancaster, one of only two British royal duchies *Duke of Lancaster *Earl of Lancaster *House of Lancaster, a British royal dynasty ...

, and as such appears in Shakespeare's ''

Henry VI, Part 2 ''Henry VI, Part 2'' (1591) is a Shakespearean history play about King Henry VI of England's inability to quell the bickering of his noblemen, the death of his trusted advisor Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester, and the political rise of Richard of ...

''. 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 citadel and castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London, England. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamle ...

, turned its weapons against the city which was supporting the

Yorkist The House of York was a cadet branch of the English royal House of Plantagenet. Three of its members became kings of England in the late 15th century. The House of York descended in the male line from Edmund of Langley, 1st Duke of York, th ...

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 Sa ...

in besieging the Tower.

Residences

Thomas held Rivenhall in

Essex Essex ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East of England, and one of the home counties. It is bordered by Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, the North Sea to the east, Kent across the Thames Estuary to the ...

; Newsells and

Barkway Barkway is a village and civil parish in the North Hertfordshire district of Hertfordshire, England, about five miles south-east of Royston, 35 miles from London and 15 miles from the centre of Cambridge. The Greenwich Prime Meridian passes a ...

Hertfordshire Hertfordshire ( or ; often abbreviated Herts) is a ceremonial county in the East of England and one of the home counties. It borders Bedfordshire to the north-west, Cambridgeshire to the north-east, Essex to the east, Greater London to the ...

; and

Ilsington Ilsington is a village and civil parish situated on the eastern edge of Dartmoor, Devon, England. It is one of the largest parishes in the county, and includes the villages of Ilsington, Haytor Vale, Liverton and South Knighton. The parish is s ...

, Middelton, Lynne, Hardwicke, Rongeton, Tylney and

Clenchwarton Clenchwarton is a village, civil parish and electoral ward in the English county of Norfolk. Clenchwarton is located west of King's Lynn, separated by the River Great Ouse, and west of Norwich. History Clenchwarton's name is of Anglo-Saxo ...

Norfolk Norfolk ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in England, located in East Anglia and officially part of the East of England region. It borders Lincolnshire and The Wash to the north-west, the North Sea to the north and eas ...

.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 ...

(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 ( – 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 grea ...

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 de Mortimer. She was the sister of Richard Plantagenet, 3rd Duke of York, and like him a great-grandchild of ...

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 7 People from King's Lynn and West Norfolk (district)