Thomas West, 2nd Baron West (1391 or 1392 – c. 30 September 1416) succeeded as Baron West at the age of 14. In less than a year, he married Ida de Saint Amand, younger daughter and coheiress of

Amaury de Saint Amand, 3rd Baron Saint Amand Amaury (from the Old French ''Amalric'') or Amauri may refer to: People Surname *Philippe Amaury (1940–2006), French publishing tycoon Given name * Amaury du Closel (1956–2024), French composer, conductor and writer *Amaury Duval (1760–1 ...

(1341–1402). He was knighted on the eve of Henry V's coronation. He fought at the

Battle of Agincourt The Battle of Agincourt ( ; ) was an English victory in the Hundred Years' War. It took place on 25 October 1415 (Saint Crispin's Day) near Azincourt, in northern France. The unexpected victory of the vastly outnumbered English troops agains ...

, and is listed on a

pipe-roll The Pipe rolls, sometimes called the Great rollsBrown ''Governance'' pp. 54–56 or the Great Rolls of the Pipe, are a collection of financial records maintained by the English Exchequer, or Treasury, and its successors, as well as the Exchequ ...

with a

retinue A retinue is a body of persons "retained" in the service of a noble, royal personage, or dignitary; a ''suite'' (French "what follows") of retainers. Etymology The word, recorded in English since circa 1375, stems from Old French ''retenue'', ...

of 14

lancers A lancer was a type of cavalryman who fought with a lance. Lances were used for mounted warfare in Assyria as early as and subsequently by India, Egypt, China, Persia, Greece, and Rome. The weapon was widely used throughout Eurasia during the M ...

and 40

archers Archery is the sport, practice, or skill of using a Bow and arrow, bow to shooting, shoot arrows.Paterson ''Encyclopaedia of Archery'' p. 17 The word comes from the Latin ''arcus'', meaning bow. Historically, archery has been used for hunting ...

. Afterwards, he was assigned to the garrison of

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 ...

. Next year, the

Earl of Warwick Earl of Warwick is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom which has been created four times in English history. The name refers to Warwick Castle and the town of Warwick. Overview The first creation came in 1088, and the title was held b ...

, who was Captain of Calais, sent out an expedition on 24 September 1416 to capture a Genoese

carrack A carrack (; ; ) is a three- or four- masted ocean-going sailing ship that was developed in the 14th to 15th centuries in Europe, most notably in Portugal and Spain. Evolving from the single-masted cog, the carrack was first used for Europea ...

, since the Genoese were allies of France. Thomas West was mortally wounded putting on his armoUr before the battle; he was arming himself at the foot of the mast when one of the stones being hauled up to the

catapult A catapult is a ballistics, ballistic device used to launch a projectile at a great distance without the aid of gunpowder or other propellants – particularly various types of ancient and medieval siege engines. A catapult uses the sudden rel ...

s on the masthead slipped; but he survived long enough to die in England. (His wife died that same fall; either a little before him, or on 15 December.) The ''

Gesta Henrici Quinti The ''Gesta Henrici Quinti'' ("Deeds of Henry the Fifth") is a medieval Latin chronicle written by an anonymous author. History The book was published in 1975 by Frank Taylor and John Roskell Smith. There are currently only two manuscripts o ...

'' puns in describing the manner of his death, suggesting that he received the chief of all evils (''verticem mali'') while pursuing the root of all evil (''radicem mali'').

References

* Cokayne's ''

Complete Peerage ''The Complete Peerage'' (full title: ''The Complete Peerage of England, Scotland, Ireland, Great Britain, and the United Kingdom Extant, Extinct, or Dormant''); first edition by George Edward Cokayne, Clarenceux King of Arms; 2nd edition rev ...

'' * ''Gesta Henrici Quinti'' = The deeds of Henry the Fifth / translated from the Latin, with introd. and notes by Frank Taylor and John S. Roskell.

Oxford Oxford () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and non-metropolitan district in Oxfordshire, England, of which it is the county town. The city is home to the University of Oxford, the List of oldest universities in continuou ...

Clarendon Press Oxford University Press (OUP) is the publishing house of the University of Oxford. It is the largest university press in the world. Its first book was printed in Oxford in 1478, with the Press officially granted the legal right to print books ...

, 1975, {{DEFAULTSORT:West, Thomas West, 2nd Baron 1390s births 1416 deaths 2 Medieval English knights People of the Hundred Years' War Accidental deaths in England Thomas West, 02 Baron West