Sir Thomas Rempston (or Ramston) KG (died 1406) was

Constable of the Tower The Constable of the Tower is the most senior appointment at the Tower of London. In the Middle Ages a constable was the person in charge of a castle when the owner—the king or a nobleman—was not in residence. The Constable of the Tower had a ...

and an MP. He was born the son of John Rempston at

Rempstone Rempstone is a village and civil parish in the Rushcliffe district of Nottinghamshire, England. It is close to Nottingham, Loughborough, Melton Mowbray and Shepshed as well as the Leicestershire border. The population of the civil parish at t ...

Nottinghamshire Nottinghamshire (; abbreviated ''Notts.'') is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands of England. The county is bordered by South Yorkshire to the north-west, Lincolnshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south, and Derbyshire to the west. Th ...

, where the family had long been settled. In 1381, he was

Knight of the Shire Knight of the shire () was the formal title for a member of parliament (MP) representing a county constituency in the British House of Commons, from its origins in the medieval Parliament of England until the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885 ...

for

, which he also represented in the parliaments of 1382, 1393, and 1395, and served as Sheriff of Nottinghamshire for 1393. In 1398, he adopted the cause of Henry, Earl of Derby, who had been exiled by

Richard II Richard II (6 January 1367 – ), also known as Richard of Bordeaux, was King of England from 1377 until he was deposed in 1399. He was the son of Edward, Prince of Wales (later known as the Black Prince), and Joan, Countess of Kent. R ...

, and in the following year, made his way to

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

to join the earl. He was one of the fifteen lances who embarked with Henry at

Boulogne Boulogne-sur-Mer (; ; ; or ''Bononia''), often called just Boulogne (, ), is a coastal city in Hauts-de-France, Northern France. It is a Subprefectures in France, sub-prefecture of the Departments of France, department of Pas-de-Calais. Boul ...

and landed at

Ravenspur Ravenspurn was a town in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England, which was lost due to coastal erosion, one of more than 30 along the Holderness Coast which have been lost to the North Sea since the 19th century. The town was located close to the ...

in July 1399. In

Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 23 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's natio ...

's ''

'' (act ii. scene i. 298) his name is given as Sir John Ramston, probably to suit the metre. On 7 October, he was appointed Constable of the Tower, and in this capacity had custody of Richard II; he was present at Richard's

abdication Abdication is the act of formally relinquishing monarchical authority. Abdications have played various roles in the Order of succession, succession procedures of monarchies. While some cultures have viewed abdication as an extreme abandonment of ...

, and was one of the witnesses to the form of resignation signed by the king. In February 1400, he was on a commission to inquire into

treason Treason is the crime of attacking a state (polity), state authority to which one owes allegiance. This typically includes acts such as participating in a war against one's native country, attempting to Coup d'état, overthrow its government, spy ...

s in London and the neighbourhood, and shortly after, was appointed

admiral of the fleet An admiral of the fleet or shortened to fleet admiral is a senior naval flag officer rank, usually equivalent to field marshal and marshal of the air force. An admiral of the fleet is typically senior to an admiral. It is also a generic ter ...

from the

Thames The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the second-longest in the United Kingdom, after th ...

eastwards; in August, he was made a knight of the

Garter A garter is an article of clothing comprising a narrow band of fabric fastened about the leg to keep up stockings. In the eighteenth to twentieth centuries, they were tied just below the knee, where the leg is most slender, to keep the stocking f ...

, and about the same time, steward of the king's household. In 1401, he was made admiral of the fleet from the Thames westwards, and was placed on a commission to deal with infractions of the truce with France, and to settle the question of the still unpaid ransom of the late King John. He was summoned to the great council held in that year. In December 1402, he was negotiating with the

Duke of Orleans Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and above sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they are ...

, and, after prolonged negotiations, concluded a treaty with the French at Lůllingen on 17 June 1403. In 1404-05, he was made a member of the privy council, and was recommended by

parliament In modern politics and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...

to Henry IV as one of those whose services merited special recognition; in the same year, he was employed on a mission to the

Duke of Burgundy Duke of Burgundy () was a title used by the rulers of the Duchy of Burgundy, from its establishment in 843 to its annexation by the Crown lands of France, French crown in 1477, and later by members of the House of Habsburg, including Holy Roman E ...

. Early in 1406, he was captured by French pirates while crossing the Thames from

Queenborough Queenborough is a town on the Isle of Sheppey in the Swale borough of Kent in South East England. Queenborough is south of Sheerness. It grew as a port near the Thames Estuary at the westward entrance to the Swale where it joins the River ...

Essex Essex ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East of England, and one of the home counties. It is bordered by Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, the North Sea to the east, Kent across the Thames Estuary to the ...

, but was soon released; in the same year, he was vice-chamberlain to the king. He was drowned in the Thames, close to the Tower, on 31 October 1406. Rempston was the founder of his family's fortunes; he acquired extensive property in Nottinghamshire, including the manor of Bingham, which he made his seat. He married Margaret, daughter of Sir Simon Leeke, and widow of Sir Godfrey Foljambe; by her he had several children, including a notable son, Thomas Rempston. Margaret survived him.Common Plea Rolls: 1421
Margaret Remston, as defendant
aalt.law.uh.edu. Accessed 7 January 2023.

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Rempston, Thomas 1406 deaths Knights of the Garter High sheriffs of Nottinghamshire High sheriffs of Derbyshire Members of the Privy Council of England Year of birth unknown Medieval English knights English MPs 1381 English MPs May 1382 English MPs 1393 English MPs 1395 English MPs January 1397 English MPs September 1397