Thomas atte Crosse, also called Thomas de Crosse, or simply Thomas Crosse (died after 1348) was an English

cleric Clergy are formal leaders within established religions. Their roles and functions vary in different religious traditions, but usually involve presiding over specific rituals and teaching their religion's doctrines and practices. Some of the ter ...

, Crown official and

judge A judge is a person who wiktionary:preside, presides over court proceedings, either alone or as a part of a judicial panel. In an adversarial system, the judge hears all the witnesses and any other Evidence (law), evidence presented by the barris ...

, who had a highly successful career in both

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

and

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

.Ball p.74 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 Kings or King's may refer to: *Kings: The sovereign heads of states and/or nations. *One of several works known as the "Book of Kings": **The Books of Kings part of the Bible, divided into two parts **The ''Shahnameh'', an 11th-century epic Persia ...

business in England, Ireland and

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

. He appears as a

prebendary A prebendary is a member of the Catholic Church, Catholic or Anglicanism , Anglican clergy, a form of canon (priest) , canon with a role in the administration of a cathedral or collegiate church. When attending services, prebendaries sit in part ...

St Patrick's Cathedral, Dublin Saint Patrick's Cathedral () in Dublin, Ireland is the national cathedral of the Church of Ireland. Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin, Christ Church Cathedral, also a Church of Ireland cathedral in Dublin, is designated as the local cathedral of ...

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 jus ...

. He was made

Chief Baron of the Irish Exchequer The Chief Baron of the Irish Exchequer was the Baron (judge) who presided over the Irish Court of Exchequer. This was a mirror of the equivalent court in England, and was one of the four courts which sat in the building in Dublin which is still ...

in 1335, "so long as he was of good behaviour"''Calendar of Patent Rolls Edward III Vol.3 1335'' 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 ''Men at Arms'' is a fantasy novel by British writer Terry Pratchett, the 15th book in the ''Discworld'' series, first published in 1993. It is the second novel about the Ankh-Morpork City Watch on the Discworld. Lance-constable Angua von Über ...

being sent to

with the Justiciar of Ireland "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. For this purpose, he was paid £400.''Close Roll 9 Edward III'' He was also paid 100 marks for repairs to military engines,

crossbows A crossbow is a ranged weapon using an elastic Elastic is a word often used to describe or identify certain types of elastomer, Elastic (notion), elastic used in garments or stretch fabric, stretchable fabrics. Elastic may also refer to: Alte ...

and other instruments.''Patent Roll 9 Edward III'' 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 of Bexwell,

Norfolk Norfolk ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in England, located in East Anglia and officially part of the East of England region. It borders Lincolnshire and The Wash to the north-west, the North Sea to the north and eas ...

. He was appointed Keeper of the

Royal Wardrobe The Royal Wardrobe (also known as the King's Wardrobe) was a building located between Carter Lane and St Andrew's Church, just to the north of what is now Queen Victoria Street in the City of London, near Blackfriars. It was used as a storeho ...

( i.e. the Royal Household) in 1337 and was Chamberlain of the

Exchequer In the Civil Service (United Kingdom), 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 ''Transaction account, current account'' (i.e., mon ...

from 1337 to 1348.

References

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

Footnotes

{{Authority control Chief Barons of the Irish Exchequer 14th-century deaths Year of birth unknown Year of death unknown