Sir Thomas Tyrrell, Kt.

THE TYRELL FAMILY

By Thomas L. Justice

Managing the Grand County of Essex

The Tyrell family, located primarily in Essex, played an important and integral role in the governing of feudal England. The Tyrells, were located primarily in Essex with some property in other adjoining counties. They are well known as the lords of Heron Hall, in the parish of East Thornton, located in Essex. Members of the family throughout the generations were called upon to serve their King. The king saw fit to call upon the Tyrells for matters of law and order, warring, the maintenance of the infrastructure, economic activities, the welfare of the state, record keeping, finances and even public policy. In each of these areas members of the Tyrells were commissioned by the king to maintain the realm for the greater good of Feudal England.

While the Tyrells were commissioned to handle affairs in all of the areas above, they were most commonly called upon to maintain law and order. This in part was because several members of the family were versed in the law. This ability also led them to participate to a large extent in the record keeping of the realm.

The family saw many ranks throughout the generations, including knight, sheriff, steward, treasurer and eventually a member of parliament as a knight of the shire. Throughout their history they were called upon by many kings. The family at first received only a few commissions from Edward III and Richard II but received numerous commissions from both Henry V and Henry VI.

Throughout their role in feudal England the family represented themselves with a simple coat of arms pictured here. Some second and third sons chose to vary this slightly but most members of the family kept this original family crest intact.

The Tyrells, were a family that played an important role in the governance of feudal England. Through them the king dealt with many issues both in their home county of Essex and throughout his realm. Below you will find a rough outline of the generations of the family as can be pieced together from the patent rolls and other various sources. Also a description of the property they held. Following that will be a brief description of the families religious affiliations and the churches they supported. This will then be followed by a detailed description the Tyrell’s service to the realm as documented in the Patent Rolls. Finally a brief summary of the importance the Tyrell family had on the governing of feudal England will be presented.

Many more of the ancient families of the nobility and gentry wore a Badge or Cognizance, in addition to their armorial bearings, which was used almost as much as the bearings themselves. It was embroidered on the habits of their domestics and retainers, it decorted their furniture and apartments, appeared painted in windows and was sculpted on the wall of their mansions and is often seen upon the walls of the churches of which they were founders, patrons or benefactors. It was especially conspicuous on their military standards.The design usually commemorated some important event in the history of the family.

Thomas Tyrrell of Gripping, Suffolk, in the reign of Henry VIII, (1509-1547) carried upon his standard a peculiar badge, namely an interlaced and endless knot, and it was called "the Tyrrell Knot." It was originally three long bows interaced.

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