Thomas Kytson the Elder
Encyclopedia
Sir Thomas Kytson was a wealthy English merchant, sheriff of London, and builder of Hengrave Hall
.
was admitted a freeman of the Mercers' Company in 1507. He twice served the office of warden of the company, in 1526 and 1534, and held the office of master in 1535.
He had financial dealings with the crown on a large scale; his mercantile transactions were also extensive. He was a member of the Merchant Adventurers' Company, and traded at the cloth fairs or staples held by the company at Antwerp, Middelburg
, and other places in Flanders
. He served the office of sheriff of London in 1533, and on 30 May in that year was knighted, an honour which was not conferred on his co-sheriff, William Forman. In May 1534 he was associated with Rowland Lee
, bishop of Coventry and Lichfield, in receiving oaths of fealty from priests and monks.
Kytson died 11 September 1540, and was buried in Hengrave Church. In the north-east angle of the chapel is a tomb to the memory of Margaret, countess of Bath, his widow, and her three husbands. A recumbent figure of Kytson in armour is placed on the step in front of the tomb.
(with a chapel attached), a garden in Coleman Street, and a house and chapel in Stoke Newington
. Like oher wealthy London merchants, he appears to have had a house and staff at Antwerp.
In 1521 Kytson purchased from Edward Stafford, 3rd Duke of Buckingham
the manor of Hengrave
, Suffolk
, and the manor of Colston Basset in Nottinghamshire
. On the attainder and execution of the Duke of Buckingham in the following year, Kytson was for a time deprived of the estates, but they were restored to him, confirmed by an act of parliament of 1524. At Hengrave he obtained a license from Henry VIII to build an embattled manor-house on a magnificent scale. The building was begun in 1525, and finished in 1538. A later inventory of the furniture and goods at Hengrave shows its extent and elegance.
Subsequently he purchased several other manors in Suffolk from the crown. Besides Hengrave, he had houses at Westley
and Risby in Suffolk, and at Torbrian in Devon
.
, Warwickshire
; (2) Dorothy, married to Sir Thomas Packington of Westwood, Worcestershire; (3) Frances, wife of John Bourchier, 5th Baron FitzWarin, eldest son of John Bourchier, 2nd Earl of Bath
; and (4) Anne, wife of Sir William Spring
of Pakenham, Suffolk.
Dame Margaret (died 1561) was married secondly to Sir Richard Long, and afterwards to the Earl of Bath.
Hengrave Hall
Hengrave Hall is a Tudor manor house near Bury St. Edmunds in Suffolk, England and was the seat of the Kytson and Gage families 1525-1887. Both families were Roman Catholic Recusants.-Architecture:...
.
Life
He was son of Robert Kytson of Warton, Lancashire. He came to London when young, and was apprenticed to Richard Glasyer, a mercer, and on the expiration of his indentureIndenture
An indenture is a legal contract reflecting a debt or purchase obligation, specifically referring to two types of practices: in historical usage, an indentured servant status, and in modern usage, an instrument used for commercial debt or real estate transaction.-Historical usage:An indenture is a...
was admitted a freeman of the Mercers' Company in 1507. He twice served the office of warden of the company, in 1526 and 1534, and held the office of master in 1535.
He had financial dealings with the crown on a large scale; his mercantile transactions were also extensive. He was a member of the Merchant Adventurers' Company, and traded at the cloth fairs or staples held by the company at Antwerp, Middelburg
Middelburg
Middelburg is a municipality and a city in the south-western Netherlands and the capital of the province of Zeeland. It is situated in the Midden-Zeeland region. It has a population of about 48,000.- History of Middelburg :...
, and other places in Flanders
Flanders
Flanders is the community of the Flemings but also one of the institutions in Belgium, and a geographical region located in parts of present-day Belgium, France and the Netherlands. "Flanders" can also refer to the northern part of Belgium that contains Brussels, Bruges, Ghent and Antwerp...
. He served the office of sheriff of London in 1533, and on 30 May in that year was knighted, an honour which was not conferred on his co-sheriff, William Forman. In May 1534 he was associated with Rowland Lee
Rowland Lee
Bishop Rowland Lee was an English administrator and bishop of Coventry and Lichfield.He belonged to a Northumberland family and was educated at Cambridge. Having entered the Church he obtained several livings owing to the favour of Cardinal Wolsey; after Wolsey's fall he rose high in the esteem of...
, bishop of Coventry and Lichfield, in receiving oaths of fealty from priests and monks.
Kytson died 11 September 1540, and was buried in Hengrave Church. In the north-east angle of the chapel is a tomb to the memory of Margaret, countess of Bath, his widow, and her three husbands. A recumbent figure of Kytson in armour is placed on the step in front of the tomb.
Property owner
He had a London dwelling-house in Milk StreetMilk Street
Milk Street is a street in the financial district of Boston, Massachusetts.Milk Street was one of Boston's earliest highways. The name "Milk Street" was given to the street in 1708 due to the milk market at the location...
(with a chapel attached), a garden in Coleman Street, and a house and chapel in Stoke Newington
Stoke Newington
Stoke Newington is a district in the London Borough of Hackney. It is north-east of Charing Cross.-Boundaries:In modern terms, Stoke Newington can be roughly defined by the N16 postcode area . Its southern boundary with Dalston is quite ill-defined too...
. Like oher wealthy London merchants, he appears to have had a house and staff at Antwerp.
In 1521 Kytson purchased from Edward Stafford, 3rd Duke of Buckingham
Edward Stafford, 3rd Duke of Buckingham
Edward Stafford, 3rd Duke of Buckingham, KG was an English nobleman. He was the son of Henry Stafford, 2nd Duke of Buckingham and the former Lady Catherine Woodville, daughter of the 1st Earl Rivers and sister-in-law of King Edward IV.-Early life:Stafford was born at Brecknock Castle in Wales...
the manor of Hengrave
Hengrave
Hengrave is a small village in Suffolk, England. It is near the town of Bury St Edmunds....
, Suffolk
Suffolk
Suffolk is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in East Anglia, England. It has borders with Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south. The North Sea lies to the east...
, and the manor of Colston Basset in Nottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire is a county in the East Midlands of England, bordering South Yorkshire to the north-west, Lincolnshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south, and Derbyshire to the west...
. On the attainder and execution of the Duke of Buckingham in the following year, Kytson was for a time deprived of the estates, but they were restored to him, confirmed by an act of parliament of 1524. At Hengrave he obtained a license from Henry VIII to build an embattled manor-house on a magnificent scale. The building was begun in 1525, and finished in 1538. A later inventory of the furniture and goods at Hengrave shows its extent and elegance.
Subsequently he purchased several other manors in Suffolk from the crown. Besides Hengrave, he had houses at Westley
Westley
-Places:United Kingdom*Westley, Shropshire*Westley, Suffolk*Westley, Unree, CambridgeshireUnited States*Westley, California-People:*David Westley, Papua New Guinean rugby league footballer*Westley, a character in The Princess Bride...
and Risby in Suffolk, and at Torbrian in Devon
Devon
Devon is a large county in southwestern England. The county is sometimes referred to as Devonshire, although the term is rarely used inside the county itself as the county has never been officially "shired", it often indicates a traditional or historical context.The county shares borders with...
.
Family
Kytson was twice married. By his first wife, whose name is not known, he had Elizabeth, wife of Edmund Crofts of Westowe in Suffolk. By his second wife, Margaret, only child of John Donnington of Stoke Newington in Middlesex and Elizabeth Pye, he had a posthumous son, afterwards Sir Thomas Kytson, and four daughters: (1) Katherine, married to Sir John Spencer of WormleightonWormleighton
Wormleighton is a village in the county of Warwickshire, England.Although founded in the 15th century, it was abandoned after the English Civil War when the Spencer family home Wormleighton Manor was burned down in 1645. The village, however, refounded in the 19th century...
, Warwickshire
Warwickshire
Warwickshire is a landlocked non-metropolitan county in the West Midlands region of England. The county town is Warwick, although the largest town is Nuneaton. The county is famous for being the birthplace of William Shakespeare...
; (2) Dorothy, married to Sir Thomas Packington of Westwood, Worcestershire; (3) Frances, wife of John Bourchier, 5th Baron FitzWarin, eldest son of John Bourchier, 2nd Earl of Bath
John Bourchier, 2nd Earl of Bath
Sir John Bourchier, 2nd Earl of Bath, PC was an Earl in the peerage of England. He also succeeded to the titles of 4th Baron FitzWarin, Baron of Daubeney and 4th Count of Eu....
; and (4) Anne, wife of Sir William Spring
William Spring of Lavenham
Sir William Spring of Lavenham was an English politician and merchant, the son of Sir John Spring and Dorothy Waldegrave. Spring was MP for Suffolk in 1570. He was High Sheriff of Suffolk in 1578/9 and oversaw Elizabeth I's visit to the county in 1578...
of Pakenham, Suffolk.
Dame Margaret (died 1561) was married secondly to Sir Richard Long, and afterwards to the Earl of Bath.