Thomas Witham (or Wytham; c. 1420 – 15 April 1489) was an English

Chancellor of the Exchequer The chancellor of the Exchequer, often abbreviated to chancellor, is a senior minister of the Crown within the Government of the United Kingdom, and head of HM Treasury, His Majesty's Treasury. As one of the four Great Offices of State, the Ch ...

under Kings Henry VI and

Edward IV Edward IV (28 April 1442 – 9 April 1483) was King of England from 4 March 1461 to 3 October 1470, then again from 11 April 1471 until his death in 1483. He was a central figure in the Wars of the Roses, a series of civil wars in Englan ...

. He was the son of Robert Witham of Grantham, Lincolnshire and the brother of William Witham, the

Dean of Wells The Dean of Wells is the head of the Chapter of Wells Cathedral in the Mendip district of Somerset, England. The dean's residence is The Dean's Lodging, 25 The Liberty, Wells. List of deans High Medieval *1140–1164: Ivo *1164–1189: Ric ...

. He was appointed Chancellor of the Exchequer by Henry VI in 1454 and again (for life) in 1456, which was confirmed in 1461 by Edward IV. He was reappointed in 1465 (possibly after illness) and finally resigned the post in 1469 to be replaced by Richard Fowler. Witham's tenure as Chancellor occurred during the

Great Bullion Famine The Great Bullion Famine was a shortage of precious metals that struck Europe in the 15th century, with the worst years of the famine lasting from 1457 to 1464. During the Middle Ages, gold and silver coins saw widespread use as currency in Euro ...

and the Great Slump in England. He then served the future

Richard III Richard III (2 October 145222 August 1485) was King of England and Lord of Ireland from 26 June 1483 until his death in 1485. He was the last king of the House of York and the last of the Plantagenet dynasty. His defeat and death at the Bat ...

as a counsellor. He died in 1489 and was buried at

Sheriff Hutton Sheriff Hutton is a village and civil parish in the Ryedale district of North Yorkshire, England. It lies about north by north-east of York. History The village is mentioned twice in the Domesday Book of 1086, as ''Hotun'' in the Bulford hun ...

church where he had endowed a chapel. He had married Agnes Thweng of Cornburgh but left no surviving children. However, his will of 1474 left money to several grandchildren.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Witham, Thomas 1489 deaths People from Grantham Chancellors of the Exchequer of England 1420s births