Roy Family Genealogy
Genealogy of the Roy family, including Boudreau, Burnett, Myers, Ward, Whelpley, and Woodman
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Sir Thomas Swynford, Sheriff of Lincoln

Male 1367 - 1433  (66 years)


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  • Name Thomas Swynford 
    Relationshipwith Robert Alan Roy
    Birth 1366/67  [2
    History birth to death 
    • By 1382, Sir Thomas had taken his father's place in John of Gaunt's retinue. [3]
    • In the struggle for the throne between Richard II and his cousin, Henry of Derby (future Henry IV), he supported his step-brother, Henry, and is said to have acted as constable of Pontefract Castle where Richard was kept in custody before dying under mysterious circumstances. [3]
    • Before 1402, he became the Sheriff of Lincoln. [2, 3]
    • In 1402, his household wine provision was curtest of Henry IV. [3]
    • By 1404, he was captain of Calais. For the next few years he was on official duty for Henry IV as one of the two people negotiating a treaty with France and Flanders. [3]
    • But this overseas engagement is the beginning of troubles that were to plague Thomas to the end of his life. His reports and dealings in Calais were apparently the cause of some international concern due to Thomas' lack of fluency in French and, one might infer, his abilities as a diplomat. His father was not retained for diplomacy, and there is no evidence that Thomas, as his father's heir, received the education necessary to succeed in this role. Additionally, Thomas' term as sheriff of Lincoln was marred by the
      escape of at least one prisoner, for which he was fined. The fine was forgiven; perhaps a realistic assessment of Thomas' financial condition, smoothed by his familial relationship with Henry IV and his half-brothers. That Thomas Swynford suffered financial problems is also suggested by a 1409 notice of his outlawry on account of indebtedness to a London draper. In this same year, he is also only late sheriff of Lincoln and as such is pardoned by the king of £116 of the £135 he owed as sheriff. Is it any surprise, then,
      that in 1411 he is making a desperate bid to try to obtain a reputed inheritance in Hainault? [3]
    • In 1411, he tried to retrieve an inheritance in Hainault that had come to him through his mother. [1, 3]
    • At his death, his inquisition post mortem shows he had alienated Coleby and Kettlethorpe as he held no lands in Lincoln. [3]
    Death 1432/33  [2, 3
    Siblings 2 Siblings 
    Person ID I21801 
    Last Modified 29 Nov 2019 

    Father Sir Hugh Swynford,   b. Abt 1340 
    Mother Katherine Roet,   b. 1350   d. 10 May 1403 (Age 53 years) 
    Marriage Abt 1363 
    Age at Marriage He : ~ 23 years - She : ~ 13 years
    Family ID F6040  Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

    Family 1 Joan Crophill   d. 1416 - 1421  [2, 3
    Marriage 1383 - 1393  [3
    • Issue:
      1. Catherine Swynford
      2. Thomas Swynford (1406-____) [2, 3]
    Age at Marriage He : ~ 26 years - She : ??. 
    Family ID F8064  Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
    Last Modified 29 Nov 2019 

    Family 2 Margaret Grey, Lady Darcy  [2, 3
    Marriage
    • Issue:
      1. William Swynford (____-1483) [2]
    Family ID F8065  Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
    Last Modified 29 Nov 2019 

  • Sources 
    1. [S1456] Brook, Lindsay L. "The Ancestry of Sir Paon de Ruet, father-in-law of Geoffrey Chaucer and John of Gaunt" , (Chobham, Woking, UK: Foundations: Journal of the Foundation for Medieval Genealogy, volume 1, January 2003).

    2. [S1457] Perry, Judy. "Katherine Roet's Swynfords: A Re-examination of Interfamily Relationships and Descent" , (Chobham, Woking, UK: Foundations: Journal of the Foundation for Medieval Genealogy, volume 1, July 2003).

    3. [S1536] Perry, Judy. "Katherine Roet's Swynfords: A Re-Examination of Interfamily Relationships and Descent - Part 2", (Vowchurch, UK: Foundations: Journal of the Foundation for Medieval Genealogy, volume 1, January 2004).

    4. [S2000] ------------- Sources Below not Reviewed -------------.