Sir Thomas Tunstall

  General Notes:

THOMAS TUNSTALL, K.B., younger son. He fought as a man-at-arms at the battle of Agincourt in 1415. He was heir male in 1425 to his older brother, William Tunstall, by which he inherited the manors of Thurland (in Tunstall), Burrow (in Tunstall), Cantsfield (in Tunstall), and Leck, co. Lancaster. He was knighted in 1426 for his conduct at the battle of Verneuil in 1424. He married before 18 February 1427 (date of pardon for marrying without a license) ELEANOR FITZ HUGH, widow of Philip Darcy [5th Lord Darcy] (died 2 August 1418), and daughter of Henry Fitz Hugh, Knt., 3rd Lord Fitz Hugh, of Ravensworth, co. York, by his wife, Elizabeth, daughter and heiress of Robert de Grey, Knt. (descendant of King John). They had three sons, Richard, Knt., Thomas, Esq., and William, Esq., and two daughters, Elizabeth (or Isabel) (wife of Simon Norwich, Esq.) and Joan (wife of Roger Warde). SIR THOMAS TUNSTALL died c. 1434/5, leaving a will appointing his wife and his uncle, William Harington, Knt., his executors. His widow married (3rd) HENRY (or HARRY) BROMFLETE (or BROUNFLETE), Knt. (died 16 Jan. 1468/9), Lord Vescy, of Londesborough, co. York. She died 30 September 1457 at Newington, Middlesex.

Thomas D. Whitaker Hist. of Richmondshire 2 Pt. 2 (1823), unpaginated, Tunstall chart.

H.S.P. 16 (1881): 327-328 (1563/4 Vis. Yorkshire) ("Sir Thomas Tunstall Knight son & heyr = Elenor doughter of .. Fytzhugh").

George H.S.N. Plantagenet Harrison Hist. of Yorkshire: Wapentake of Gilling West (1885): 137, 300 (misdates will of Sir Thomas Tunstall as 13 Henry VI).

Surtees Soc. 144 (1930): 80-81 (c. 1480-1500 Vis. North) (Tunstall pedigree) ("Dominus Thomas Tunstall miles = Aleonora filia domini Fitzhugh").

C. T. Clay Yorkshire Deeds 7 (Yorkshire Arch. Soc. Record Series, vol. 83) (1932): 141-142.

Col. W. H. Chippingdall Hist. of the Parish of Tunstall (Chetham Soc., n.s., vol. 104) (1940): 20-21, 28-29.

  Events

• Manorial Estate, 1425, Thurland Manor, Cantsfield, Cantforth, Lancashire, LA6, GB. ¹ The lordship of THURLAND, a name which may have been used from the first, though it does not occur till 1402, has an obscure origin. In 1201 Gilbert de Notton released to Akarias de Austwick all his title to three plough-lands in Cantsfield. A year afterwards Akarias came to an agreement with William de Tunstall and Thomas his son respecting boundaries and common rights. Akarias held the manor of Cantsfield at the beginning of 1208, when he had a dispute with Hugh de Morewich, lord of Farleton and Cantsfield\emdash six plough-lands in all. This dispute was settled at the end of the same year by Richard de Heggefeld, Godith his wife, Thomas de Tunstall, Maud his wife, Ingrith, John and Akarias on one side and Hugh de Morewich on the other, the former party releasing all their right in the multure of the three plough-lands in Farleton, and Hugh releasing 12s. 4d. out of the 39s. due to him for the manor and mill of Cantsfield and from the multure of the said six plough-lands held of him. It is probable that Godith, Maud and Ingrith were daughters and heirs of Akarias de Austwick, John and Akarias being near of kin and tenants also. Thomas de Tunstall had a son William, who in 1241 obtained from Sarah daughter of Robert de Stanton a release of 6 oxgangs of land in Austwick and 2 out of 5 oxgangs in Cantsfield. William son of Thomas de Tunstall was living in 1246, when Joan widow of Roger de Tunstall claimed dower against him. In the same year he acquired from John de Cansfield 7 oxgangs of land in Cantsfield, with a further messuage and 6 oxgangs there, an eighth part of Old Wennington, and land in Wrayton.

William de Tunstall was succeeded by a son and a grandson, each named John. The chief messuage of the family had been fixed in Cantsfield before 1292. William son and heir of John de Tunstall was a minor in 1315, when his wardship was claimed by John son of Robert de Harrington. He had come into possession by 1328, when the Abbot of Croxton claimed a debt of 20 marks from him, and his son William was in possession in 1359. William added the manors of Over Burrow, Nether Burrow and part of Leck to the family inheritance in 1370, and thus made the Tunstalls more prominent. He is probably the William de Tunstall who was knight of the shire in 1384. He obtained a charter of free warren in his demesne lands in Tunstall, Cantsfield, Burrow, Leck and Newton in 1376, and in 1381 received a general pardon. He died in 1387.

He was succeeded by Sir Thomas Tunstall, probably his son, who was already a knight in 1382, and who in 1402 obtained the king's licence to crenellate his manor of Thurland and to inclose and impark 1,000 acres of meadow, &c., called Fairthwaite. Sir Thomas died in 1415 holding the manor of Cantsfield of John Harrington in socage by a rent of 3s. 4d.; also the manors of Tunstall, Burrow and Leck, Newton and Hubberthorn. His son and heir, William Tunstall, was twenty-four years old. The new lord made a feoffment of his castle or manor of Thurland in 1417 and of his other possessions. He did not long survive, for in 1425\endash 6 his widow Anne made agreements with Thomas Tunstall, his brother and heir male, as to her dower, for which she received £40 a year.

Thomas Tunstall was serving in the French wars in 1418. He was made a knight in 1426 for his conduct at the battle of Verneuil in 1424. Sir Thomas and Eleanor his wife were pardoned in 1427 for having married without the king's consent; she was the widow of Sir Philip Darcy. Sir Thomas was on a commission of array in the same year. There is again a slight defect in the evidence, the next to appear being Sir Richard Tunstall, a Lancastrian who was attainted in 1461, but was afterwards pardoned and restored. Sir Richard, who made a settlement of his manors in 1490 and died in or before 1492, had a son William, who died in 1499, and a daughter Eleanor, whose son and heir Christopher Askew was then aged twentyone. The heir male was Thomas son of Thomas brother of Sir Richard, aged twenty, and his wardship was granted to Sir Edward Stanley of Hornby.

Thomas was dead in February 1503\endash 4, when his brother Brian was allowed to enter on the inheritance. Brian enjoyed the lordship for less than ten years, being slain at Flodden 9 September 1513.

Thomas married Eleanor FitzHugh before 18 Feb 1427. (Eleanor FitzHugh was born about 1398 and died on 30 Sep 1457 in Newington, Southwark, London, GB.)