Thrale history

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A New Thraliana (1973)

for Bedfordshire in 1376 and Chevalier M.P. in 1381. The family were not to provide another M.P. for another 160 years. From this time until 1474 there is a minor parade of grants, witnesses and transactions all relating to the same area although one dated 1425 is of note in that there was a grant by Thomas Eyresham of West Hyde, Luton, to William Anable of rent due for a messuage once held by the late John Thrall in Thrallesend, Westhyde, Luton, lying near Wellcroft.⁷ William Anable quite likely gave his name to Annables, a manor close to Thrales End, and an undated memorandum tells of certain nefarious activities of Richard Thrale recording that John Balard of Kynnysborn Wodesyde acknowledges to the lord of Annables that whereas Richard Smythe of the Soke of Luton held of the lord thirty acres of customary land and Richard Thrall of the same desired to buy one acre, the latter made John Balard his 'chapman' to arrange the matter and promised him 'a peyre of hosyn'em>. The business was done but John Balard 'desyned and defrauded of his hosyn and for anger thereof acknowledges all to the lord, at whose court the homage gave back the one acre to the lord. Richard Smith had fixed a rent for the acre of a "halfpenny and a pennyworth of peper to be payed to Langleys". This memorandum is endorsed: "md. that this writtying and books may be looked upon".⁸

It was on the 12th May of 1474 that a licence was issued of tremendous influence. Thomas Rotherham (Archbishop of York from 1474 - 1499) obtained from his King, Edward IV, a licence for himself, his brother John Rotherham, John Lammer, Vicar of Luton, John Thrale (senior) of Thrales End, West Hyde, and others, to form a guild in connection with Luton Church and when the guild should be established to found a chantry in the Church with two Chaplains.⁹ The origins and aims were brotherly love, charity and social intercourse. One wonders however if the emphasis was not really on the last object.

A cursory glance at the ownership of the Hundred of Flitt shows that the earlier owners' estates were escheated to the Crown before 1475 and granted to Thomas Rotherham, Bishop of Lincoln. Thomas Rotherham died in 1500 and the Hundred passed to Thomas Rotherham, son of his brother John who held the Hundred until his death in 1504. It then passed from one Rotherham to another - Thomas, George and finally Sir John Rotherham who sold the Hundred in 1612 for £700¹⁰ Through these years dealings between the Thrales, Rotherhams and other families of similar standing were frequent. The Rotherhams were to furnish London with Mayors and Sheriffs and were inter-married with

Footnotes

7. Hertfordshire Muniment Room Misc. Vol. V.↩︎
8. Ibid.↩︎
9. Cal. Patent Rolls 1467 - 1477. Austin: History of Luton.↩︎
10. Victoria History of Bedfordshire.↩︎