Thomas Argall, Esq.

Thomas Argall was a Notary Public in the Winchester Diocese. He was probably born in his parents house on the Archbishop of Canterbury's estate at Lambeth. He is first mentioned in Court records on 23 May 1529 in correspondence between the Bishop of Norwich and Cardinal Wolsey. He was later Secretary (Scryvenor/Clerk) to Thomas Cromwell, who in turn was Secretary to Cardinal Wolsey, Chancellor of all England; Thomas Cromwell later succeeded Wolsey.

Thomas Argall played an important part in the legal processes surrounding the annulment of the marriages of King Henry VIII. He is recorded as party to the annulment of the marriage to Anne of Cleeves, and to Katherine. He is mentioned in the Court papers starting in June 1533.

He is also discussed in the Letters And Papers Foreign And Domestic Vol. XVIII, Part I as purchasing The Rectory of Crewenne (Crowan), Cornwall on 29 October 1543, although the purchase was never sealed (Page 555, 38b Books Of The Court Of Augmentation).

Thomas received a Royal Pardon (what for?) on 22 January 1549. Thomas, together with his father-in-law, John Tallakarne, had custody of Halden Wood and of land in Rolvynden (Kent?) on 23 May 1554.

Thomas was appointed Keeper of the records of the Court of First Fruits and Tenths on 10 March 1542 and was appointed Registrar of the Prerogative Court of Canterbury in February 1554. On 23 February 1560, he licensed various Manors in Sussex and Surrey to Sir Richard Sackvill, who likewise licensed the Manors of Tollepyddell in Dorset and Wydcombe to Thoma's sons Gabriel and Edmund (Edward), and the Manors of Byrncombe and Woodbourne to Thoma's sons John and Rowland.

He was born at Lambeth where his parents held a house and a close on the Archbishop of Canterbury's estate. He seemed to have lived in London mainly and is recorded as acquiring much property during his lifetime. He bought the estate at East Sutton in Kent in 1546 from Richard Covert, and was granted (acquired) the Manor of Walthamstow Bedyk (known as Low Hall), Essex, in 1553, and was an officer of the Royal Court in 1559. Argall Avenue in Walthamstow now commemorates the Argall connection. His Will reveals property in Ludgate (London), Essex, Buckinghamshire, Dorset, Southants (sic), Bedfordshire and Kent.

In the Harlean Record of PCC Wills, he is described of "St Michaells in the Querne, St Faythes, St Martins within Ludgate, London. Believed to be buried in the Church of St Faith in the Virgin, Bermondsey. His burial date is assumed as 2 days after his death. The Appendix to the 9th Report on the Manuscripts of the Dean and Chapter of St Paul's (A Box 9) refers to the demise by St Paul's to Thomas of their "great messuage in Ivy Lane", which is where he had house in the shadow of St Paul's, and where he almost certainly died.

Thomas was married twice, and Margaret Tallakarne was his second wife. Date of birth taken from article by James Alsop in the Catholic Recusant. Date of death taken from from PRO List of PCC Will information, but Ian O'Brian had the date as 1575.

He was granted the right to use the ARGALL Coat of Arms in about 1554. His son Richard succeeded to the property of East Sutton in 1563.

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• Letter patent of Henry VIII. Licence to alienate, John Tufton and Stephen Reames to 'Thomas Argall of London, gent. and w. Margaret' U120/T1/30/1 5 February 1546
• Contents:
• Manors of East Sutton and Densted, Chartham [as described in T1/29/2]
• Seal: almost whole Great Seal, poor condition, illegible and discoloured
• Endorsed: (i) Sol' ix li viij s. xd. ob. pro fine )
• Sol' xx s. iiij d. pro sigillo)Hales
• Sol' iiij s. pro ex. et irrotul')
• (ii) Enrolled in Exchequer, Hilary term 37 Henry VIII
• Conveyance for life of grantor U120/T1/31 7 April 1564
• Contents:
• 'Margaret Argall of London, widow of Thomas Argall, to son Richard
• Manors of East Sutton and Densted, Chartham
• Appointment of attorneys to deliver to deliver livery of seisin, Robert Welles and *John Spyllett
• Seal: ? badge
• 'Signature of Margaret Argall
• Miscellaneous families [no ref. or date]
• Contents:
• All Probates unless otherwise stated
• 'Thomas Argall of London U120/T201/11 1563
• Richard Argall of East Sutton [Extract] U120/T201/14 1588
• John Argall, son of Richard of East Sutton U120/T201/16 1643
• http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/a2a/records.aspx?cat=051-u120&ci...
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• The manor remained with the Crown from 1487 until 1550. In 1488 Sir Thomas Lovell was granted custody for 5 years. (fn. 107) In 1520 Low Hall was leased for 21 years to John Jenyns, (fn. 108) and in 1528 in reversion to John Lynsey, (fn. 109) but about that time the lease appears to have been acquired by Margaret, Lady Heron, who held the lease of Walthamstow Tony. (fn. 110) Both leases subsequently passed to Giles Heron (d. 1540), and then, in 1541, to Ralph Sadler. (fn. 111) In 1550, having previously disposed of his interest in Walthamstow Tony, Sadler was granted Low Hall at a rent of £10, (fn. 112) converted into a fee simple tenure nine years later. (fn. 113) Sadler sold the manor in1560 to 'Thomas Argall and his wife Margaret.' (fn. 114)
• 'Thomas Argall (d. 1562) settled Low Hall on his wife Margaret and his son Richard (d. 1589) successively. (fn. 115) Margaret married Sir Giles Allington after Argall's death, and they were deemed joint lords in 1582. (fn. 116) Margaret Allington, by then widowed again, made her will in 1592.' (fn. 117) Richard's heir, his second son Richard, (fn. 118) probably died between 1593 and 1599, and the manor descended successively to his brothers Thomas (d. 1605) and Sir Reginald (d. 1611). (fn. 119) While Sir Reginald's widow, Anne, Lady Argall (d. 1638), held Low Hall for life in dower, (fn. 120) his heir, a third brother John, of Great Baddow, sold the manor (presumably the reversion) in 1623 to a fourth brother, the adventurer, Sir Samuel Argall (d. 1626), who devised it to his nephew Samuel, then a minor. (fn. 121)
• From: 'Walthamstow: Manors ', A History of the County of Essex: Volume 6 (1973), pp. 253-263. URL: http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=42778 Date accessed: 21 January 2012.
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