FOURTEENTH GENERATION

12082. Thomas Lygon Esq. (29268) was born about 1436. He died on 10 Apr 1507 in Madresfield, co. Worcester, England. (29269) Thomas Lygon, second son, born at Madresfield Court, first appears
in the records in 1461 (Patent Rolls 1461, p. 98) when "Richard, Earl
of Warwick, John Beauchamp of Powyck, Knight, and Thomas Lygon were to
array the men of Worcester against the king's enemies." The king at
the time was Edward IV. and this definitely places Thomas Lygon as a
Yorkist in the War of the Roses. This arraying of the men of Worcester
was just before the battle of Towton, fought in March 1461, in which
the Yorkists led by Richard Neville, Earl of Warwick, the "Kingmaker,"
obtained a decisive victory over the Lancastrians. Before the battle,
Hume says (Vol XI, p. 311), "the Earl of Warwick dreading the
consequences of disaster at the time when a decisive action was every
hour expected, immediately ordered his horde to be brought him, which
he stabbed before the whole army, and kissing the hilt of his sword,
swore that he was determined that day to share the fate of the meanest
soldier."
Thomas Lygon was a commissioner of the peace for Worcester in the
1st, 2nd, and 3rd years of Edward IV, whose reign began in 1461 and
was on various commissions and inquests until 1470 when he was again
called upon to array the men of Worcester against the king's enemies.
This was before the battles of Barnet and Tewkesbury. In 1472, Thomas
Lygon, Esq., was granted lands of the king's enemies and was on
commissions to collect taxes. In 1475, he was on an inquisition to
determine what lands Richard de Beauchamp had left in Warwick. He was
on various commissions until 1484-85, when he was again called upon to
array the men of Worcester. Richard III was king at that time, and the
array was probably for the battle of Bosworth Field fought in 1485.
The succession of Henry VII, of the House of Lancaster, did not seem
to vary the fortunes of Thomas, for he kept on serving the reigning
monarch, as he was commissioner of array for Worcester in 1488 to
oppose the rebellion in the north. He was a Member of Parliament for
Worcester in 1477. In 1491 he was custodian of the Castle of
Gloucester, probably sheriff. He was commissioner of Oyer and Terminer
in 1495 and in 1496 was commissioner of array against the Scots
preparing at Berwick. He last appears in the records about 1499, when
he, together with Richard and William Grevyle, had royal license to
enfeoff John Grevyle and Joan, his wife, in the manors of "Milcote
super avon and Miolcote super Stowe" in Warwick. Thomas Lygon is first
mentioned in the settlement of 1456, and again in 1460, in a deed
which may possible imply that he was a lawyer. He probably succeeded
to the original Lygon lands; for in1470, he was made an enfeoffment of
his lands at Hightington, Stanford, Pensax, Foxley, Wyke Episcopi, and
St. John in Bedwardine in Worcestershire and Wulfirlowe in
Herefordshire, which lands were next year confirmed to him and his
wife, and to the heirs of his body, with remainder in default to his
son, William Lygon. This was presumably on the occasion of his
marriage to Anne Gifford; believed to be the daughter of Nicholas
Gifford, and seems to have brought her husband the manor of Bradwell.
In 1478, he acquired the messuage called `Childes' at Powye, and held
the Manor of Nether Mytton, 1479. He apparently succeeded his brother
William, at Madresfield, about 1484, and acquired lands at Madresfield
in 1485. The first mention of him as `Thomas Lygon of Madresfield'
occurs in 1495, and the latest mention of him in the Muniments, occurs
in 1497. He died on April 10, 1507, when he must have been well over
70 years of age. He and his wife had two children as follows:
1. Jane Lygon, married Thomas Salwey (Salway), and there was
issue.
2. Richard Lygon. He was married to Anne Gifford before 1470. (29270)

12083. Anne Gifford(29271) was born about 1440 in England. Children were:

child6041 i. Jane Lygon.
child ii. Richard Lygon(29272) was born before 1477 in Madresfield, co. Worcester, England. (29273) He died on 1 May 1512 in Madresfield, co. Worcester, England. (29274)