Sir Thomas Boyville

Sir Thomas Boyville (c.1370-1401) was a substantial landowner and both a son and father of Members of Parliament.

Background and family[1]

The Boyville (Bovile, Boyvile, Boyvill, Boyvyle) family is recorded at Stockerston, Leicestershire as early as the 13th century.

Thomas Boyville was a son of Sir John Boyville of Stockerston (died 1376/7) and his wife Alice.

At the Merciless Parliament, the lands held by Sir William Burgh were declared forfeit and reverted to the Crown. These included estates in Warwickshire, Leicestershire, Rutland and Norfolk that had been held by Thomas’ father, Sir John Boyville, but had passed into the wardship of Sir William, his feudal superior, when John died leaving an heir who was a minor. On 8 February 1388/9, the King allocated wardship of these Boyville estates to Sir Thomas Walsh.[2] This put Sir Thomas in a position to arrange the marriage of Thomas Boyville to his daughter Elizabeth; it is almost certain that the couple were parents of both of the following children:

  • John Boyville – named as Thomas’ heir in the inquisition post mortem for his father.
  • Hugh Boyville – along with John, was described in 1439 as a kinsman to Thomas Walsh, a lunatic, when the two of them were granted custody of his lands and person; Thomas Walsh was a brother of Thomas Boyville's wife Elizabeth.

Evidently, Thomas made his home at Stockerston as he was described as living there in connection with a report of a charter that he made in 1394 (see below).

Death

Thomas was described as a knight when a hearing was held on 1 February 1401/2 into the tenure of Little Packington, which appears to have been the only property that he held direct from the Crown as a tenant in chief. It was found that Thomas held a third of the manor of Little Packington from Lord Beaumont, who was under age and so in the King's wardship. The annual value of this property was 26s. 8d. It was reported that Thomas had died on 11 December 1401 and that John, his son and heir, is aged 10 on 24 June.[3]

On 11 May 1402, custody was granted by the King to Richard Stanhope of all lands in Packington Pigot, which were lately held by Sir Thomas Boyville. This grant was to continue during the minority of John, Thomas’ son and heir, giving Richard the rights of wardship and marriage.[4]

On 12 March 1404/5, the grant to Richard Stanhope was revoked following a complaint by Sir John Neville, Sir Henry Neville, Thomas de Gresley and John Bouland (parson of the church at Onlep). This group stated that Thomas Boyville, lord of Stockerston, had made a charter on 3 June 1394 which granted to them and Sir Thomas Walsh (by then deceased) all of Thomas Boyville's land at Packington. The record of the King's decision on this dispute mentions that Thomas Boyville's death had been followed by an inquisition conducted by the escheator, John Boteler of Sproxton; that Thomas had died on the “Sunday before the conception of St Mary then last past” (i.e. on 4 December 1401) and that his son and heir was aged ten years and more.[5] Relying on a misinterpretation of this source and apparently without knowing that the wardship to Richard Stanhope was granted in 1402 or the evidence at the inquisition post mortem, some writers have followed Farnham in stating that the year in which Thomas died was 1404.[6]

Property

For at least some of his life, Thomas held the following manors:

Thomas also possessed property at Sawston; in 1411 Thomas de Chaworth claimed the wardship of the lands and heir of Thomas Boyville who held by knight service a total of 24 messuages and lands at Slawston and Othorpe (which is within the same parish).[9]

Except where otherwise stated, all of the above places are in Leicestershire. The grant of wardship in 1388/9 referred to above confirms that property in Rutland and Norfolk would also have been inherited by Thomas from his father.

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References
  1. Farnham, George Francis (1925). Leicestershire Medieval Pedigrees. Leicester: W Thornley & Son. pp. 102–106.
  2. Calendar of Fine Rolls, volume 10, pages 279-280.
  3. Calendar of Inquisitions Post Mortem, 1st series, volume 18, No. 689.
  4. Calendar of Patent Rolls, Henry IV, volume 2 (1401-1405), page 92.
  5. Calendar of Patent Rolls, Henry IV, volume 2 (1401-1405), pages 499-500.
  6. Farnham, George Francis (1925). Leicestershire Medieval Pedigrees. Leicester: W Thornley & Son. pp. 102 & 105.
  7. Lee, JM; McKinley, RA (1964). "A History of the County of Warwick". British History Online. Victoria County History. pp. 81–84. Retrieved 2015-05-10.
  8. Calendar of Inquisitions Post Mortem, 1st series, volume 18, No. 689.
  9. Lee, JM; McKinley, RA (1964). "A History of the County of Warwick". British History Online. Victoria County History. pp. 297–303. Retrieved 2015-05-10.
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