Thomas atte Crosse, also called Thomas de Crosse (died after 1348) was an English cleric, Crown official and judge, who had a highly successful career in both

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

and

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

. Little is recorded about his early years, but by 1336 he was referred to as an official of long-standing, who had been put to great "labours and charges" on the King's business in England, Ireland and

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...

. He appears as a

prebendary A prebendary is a member of the Roman Catholic or Anglican clergy, a form of canon with a role in the administration of a cathedral or collegiate church. When attending services, prebendaries sit in particular seats, usually at the back of th ...

in St Patrick's Cathedral, Dublin in 1334, and in the same year was made a Baron of the

Court of Exchequer (Ireland) The Court of Exchequer (Ireland) or the Irish Exchequer of Pleas, was one of the senior courts of common law in Ireland. It was the mirror image of the equivalent court in England. The Court of Exchequer was one of the four royal courts of justic ...

. He was made

Chief Baron of the Irish Exchequer The Chief Baron of the Irish Exchequer was the Baron ( judge) who presided over the Court of Exchequer (Ireland). The Irish Court of Exchequer was a mirror of the equivalent court in England and was one of the four courts which sat in the build ...

in 1335, "so long as he was of good behaviour" and held that office for two years. In 1336, "in consideration of his long and good service" to the Crown, he was appointed Keeper of the Royal Market in Ireland, and Royal Clerk of the Wages. The ''Irish Exchequer Payments'' state that he was assigned the task of paying the wages of the

men at arms A man-at-arms was a soldier of the High Medieval to Renaissance periods who was typically well-versed in the use of arms and served as a fully-armoured heavy cavalryman. A man-at-arms could be a knight, or other nobleman, a member of a kni ...

being sent to

"to suppress the malice of the King's Scottish enemies" in 1335-6, and with purveying the necessary food and drink for the Scottish campaign. He returned to England in 1337: Ball states that he received many clerical

benefices A benefice () or living is a reward received in exchange for services rendered and as a retainer for future services. The Roman Empire used the Latin term as a benefit to an individual from the Empire for services rendered. Its use was adopted by ...

but does not specify them. He was probably the Thomas atte Crosse who was

rector Rector (Latin for the member of a vessel's crew who steers) may refer to: Style or title *Rector (ecclesiastical), a cleric who functions as an administrative leader in some Christian denominations *Rector (academia), a senior official in an edu ...

Bexwell Bexwell is a small village and former civil parish near Downham Market, now in the parish of Ryston, in the King's Lynn and West Norfolk district, in the county of Norfolk, England. In 1931 the parish had a population of 60. On 1 April 1935 the p ...

Norfolk Norfolk () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in East Anglia in England. It borders Lincolnshire to the north-west, Cambridgeshire to the west and south-west, and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the No ...

. He was appointed Keeper of the Royal Wardrobe in 1337 and was Chamberlain of the

Exchequer In the civil service of the United Kingdom, His Majesty’s Exchequer, or just the Exchequer, is the accounting process of central government and the government's '' current account'' (i.e., money held from taxation and other government revenu ...

from 1337 to 1348.

References

*Ball, F. Elrington ''The Judges in Ireland 1221-1921'' John Murray London 1926 *''Irish Exchequer Payments 1270-1446'' *O Riain, Flann "Where's that/Cronody 1355" ''Irish Times 11/6/2001'' {{authority control Chief Barons of the Irish Exchequer