Sir Thomas Cooke & Elizabeth Malpas

475376. Sir Thomas Cooke & 475377. Elizabeth Malpas 

~1420, Thomas born in Suffolk, England, s/o §§Robert Cooke of Lavenham.

8/31/1422, Henry VI (an infant) succeeded Henry V as King of England.

~1435, Elizabeth, born in England, d/o 950754. Philip Malpas & 950755. Julian Beaumond.

12/19/1448, Commission during pleasure to Thomas Cook to levy and collect in the port of Southampton and in all adjacent ports and places the custom on wools, hides and woolfells. (S) CFRs.

6/26/1450, Philip Malpas, a Lancastrian, dismissed as alderman of London by insurrectioners, one being Thomas Cooke, draper and agent of “Jack Cade”, a Yorkist. Thomas was required to tax foreign merchants for equipment and 1000 marks. [Which Thomas apparently acquired.]

7/1450, Jack Cade arriving in London had members attack Philip’s house. [Not much was taken because he had been warned, possibly by Thomas Cooke, his future son-in-law.]

Aft. 7/1450, Thomas married Elizabeth, acquiring Appletons manor in Chigwell, and “belle hous”.

1453, Thomas, Mayor of London.

6/17/1453, Grant (by mainprise of Thomas Coke, ‘draper,’ and Henry Bray, 'draper,' both of London) to John Whittokesmede … (S) CFRs.

8/1453, King Henry VI had a mental breakdown. [Which started the War of the Roses.]

1453-54, Thomas a Sheriff of London.

3/27/1454, Richard, Duke of York, appointed Protector of the Realm.

4/4/1454, Commission during pleasure to Thomas Cook to levy and collect in the port of Southampton and in all adjacent ports and places subsidies on garments … cloths … and to keep the ‘coket’ seal in the said port, answering at the Exchequer for the moneys. (S) CFRs.

10/21/1454, John Norman mayor, John Walden and Thomas Cooke, Sheriffs, Stephen Forster, Alderman of the ward. (S) UKNA.

8/13/1455, Commission during pleasure to Thomas Cook to levy and collect in the port of Southampton and in all adjacent ports and places the custom on wools, hides and woolfells. (S) CFRs.

1456, Thomas, alderman of the Vintry Ward of London.

8/6/1457, John Forster made a jointure of 50 marks for his wife Joan for the term of her life bound to Thomas Cooke [and others] in £400. (S) CCRs, 11/7/1484.

6/28/1461, Edward IV crowned at Westminster.

1462-3, Thomas, Lord Mayor of London.

5/1465, Thomas created Knight of the Order of the Bath at the coronation of Elizabeth, Queen of Edward IV. (S) Hist. of Ramford in 1863 Whites Directory.

1465-71, Plaintiffs: Thomas Cooke, of London, goldbeater. (S) UKNA.

1467, Guidea Hall, near Romford, Essex, started by Thomas; a license obtained for a park and castle. [The wars of the roses prevented Sir Thomas from completing the mansion, finished by his grandson.]

1467, Thomas impeached for high treason for on charges of previously refusing to loan money to the Queen of King Henry VI. Chief Justice Markham directed the jury to find it only misprision of treason, whereby Thomas’ lands and life were saved. Elizabeth was committed to the custody of the Mayor.

1468, John Bataille mortgaged the manor of Magdalen Laver to Sir Thomas Cooke for £200. Soon afterwards Thomas became owner of the estate. (S) Magdalen Laver: Manor, A Hist. of the County of Essex: V4: 1956.

By 11/1468, Thomas was acquitted, but fined £8000 to the king and £800 to the Queen.

4/26/1469, Elizabeth in her father’s will left 500 marks of the 1000 Sir Thomas owed him. Philip left 100 marks to each of the 4 sons of Thomas and Elizabeth. Thomas and Elizabeth were also left most of the land and business holdings of Philip.

10/1469, Thomas reinstated as an alderman of London.

10/3/1470, Henry VI regained the throne of England. [Earl of Warwick & Duke of Clarance effectively ruling.] Edward IV fled to Flanders.

11/26/1470, Thomas requested parliament restore his property and funds.

3/1471, Aided by Charles of Burgundy, and his brother, Richard, duke of Gloucester, Edward IV re-invaded England, landing at York, and then marched on London.

4/1471, Thomas attempted to leave with his son for France. They were captured on a ship and returned to the Tower. [Thomas apparently only suffered fines, he died with vast land holdings.]

5/4/1471, Edward IV regained the crown at the Battle of Tewkesbury. [Edward, the heir to Henry VI killed in the battle.]

5/21/1471, King Henry VI died in the Tower.

1472-73, Plaintiffs: Thomas Edmond, of London, fishmonger. Defendants: [The mayor and aldermen of London.]. Subject: Action brought by Sir Thomas Cooke, knight, late of London, alderman, and also late sheriff of London, upon obligations extorted from complainant by duress. (S) UKNA.

1475-78, … given by complainant and Sir Thomas Cooke, knight, prisoner at the king's commandment, that the said Sir Thomas and his co-feoffees Ralph Josselyn, knight, and Thomas Urswyke, knight, … (S) UKNA.

1475-1478, Philip Cook, son of Thomas Cook, knight, and Elizabeth, his wife. v. George, son of Thomas, brother of Sir Ralph Joslen, knight, deceased [Philip’s uncle married to the sister of Elizabeth].: Manor of Chaldwell, and houses and land in London and Southwark, late of Philip Malpas [maternal grandfather], of London, merchant.: Essex, London, Surrey. (S) UKNA.

4/15/1478, Thomas wrote his will; ‘to be buried within the Church of the friers Augustines, set within Bradstreet Ward of London.’ He named sons Philip, John & William [neither yet 24], wife Elizabeth, and married daughter Johanne. Elizabeth got a third, Philip got a third, and John and William to split a third upon reaching the age of 24. To John Foster and Johanne his wife the tenement called “Cok” on the north side of Cornhill. … 10 marks to John Hawe of London, gentleman. (S) Trans. Of the London and Middlesex Arch. Soc., V3, 1870, P299. [[John Hawe’s granddaughter Anne Fitzwilliam (59423) would marry Sir Anthony Cooke (59422), Thomas’ great-grandson.]

Bef. 6/1/1478, Thomas of Gidea Hall, Magdalen Laver, Appletons, Belhouse and Chaldwell; Essex, died. (S) UKNA.

[––Elizabeth––]

6/25/1479, Elizabeth Cook widow, daughter of Philip Malpas, alderman of London, to William Hastynges, lord Hastynges, Richard Fenys lord Dacre, Thomas Bourgchier, Thomas Seyntleger knights, …, John Forster and John Wode esquires, Robert Basset, …, Robert Forster grocer, citizens of London, …. Gift and confirmation by charter of all her lands and tenements, rents, reversions and services in the parishes of St. Olaf and St. Mary Magdalen, Southwark, and elsewhere within the realm to be held of the same in capital demesne as of fee etc … (S) CCRs.

6/24/1483, The Duke of Buckingham [Sir Henry Stafford] at Guildhall in London in support of Richard’s claim to the throne talked about the injuries that Sir Thomas Cooke had received at the hands of the previous king.

1484, Elizabeth died, leaving son John as her heir.

(S) A Hist. of the co. of Essex, V4, 1956. (S) Magna Carta Ancestry, P797. (S) Trans. of the London and Middlesex Arch. Soc., 1870, PP285-307.

Family notes:

·         “Philip Malpas and Thomas Cooke lived in times of great political strife, and it would seem entertained widely different political opinions: both witnessed the commencement of the fatal contentions between the rival houses of York and Lancaster.”

·         At his house in the parish of St. Christopher Stocks, ward of Breadstreet, Thomas had a set of tapastries valued at £984. He also had a country residence at Gidea Park, Essex. (S) Richard III and his Rivals, Hicks, 1991, P420.

Children of Thomas and Elizabeth:

i. Philip Cooke (237688), born 1452 in England.

ii. John Cooke, born aft. 1454 in England. [Heir to his mother]

1484-85, John Coke, gentleman, son of dame Elizabeth, late the wife of Sir Thomas Coke, knight, and daughter of Philip Malpas, late citizen and draper of London. v. Master William Dunthorn, clerk of the city of London.: Deeds relating to the manor of Chaldewell and advowson of the church, deposited with defendant by Sir Ralph Joslyn, knight, late husband of Philippa, daughter of the said Philip Malpas.: Essex. (S) UKNA.. (S) UKNA.

8/20/1486, John died, Philip Coke, aged 34 and more, is his brother and heir.

iii. Johanne Cooke, born ? in England.

Johanne married John Forster, s/o 950670. Stephen Foster of London.

iv. William Cooke, born aft. 1455 in England.

1480-83, William, third son of Thomas Cook, knight. v. Thomas Rigby, surviving feoffee to uses.: Tenement in Colchester; fishing weirs between St. Osyes and Colchester; tenements between the forth of Stratford Bowe and Stratford Longthorn in Westham; messuage in Estham.: Essex. (S) UKNA.