Sir Thomas Wood KS (died 31 August 1502), in archaic spelling Wode, of Childrey in

Berkshire Berkshire ( ; abbreviated ), officially the Royal County of Berkshire, is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Oxfordshire to the north, Buckinghamshire to the north-east, Greater London ...

(now in

Oxfordshire Oxfordshire ( ; abbreviated ''Oxon'') is a ceremonial county in South East England. The county is bordered by Northamptonshire and Warwickshire to the north, Buckinghamshire to the east, Berkshire to the south, and Wiltshire and Glouceste ...

), was an English landowner, lawyer, administrator and politician who became

Chief Justice of the Common Pleas The chief justice of the common pleas was the head of the Court of Common Pleas, also known as the Common Bench, which was the second-highest common law Common law (also known as judicial precedent, judge-made law, or case law) is the body ...

Origins

There is no certainty over his origins. In 1936, the History of Parliament suggested that he was born before 1449 in or near Oxfordshire and that his father, a landowner who died before 1478, was also Thomas. In 2018, the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography rejected on heraldic grounds claims that he was from

gentry Gentry (from Old French , from ) are "well-born, genteel and well-bred people" of high social class, especially in the past. ''Gentry'', in its widest connotation, refers to people of good social position connected to Landed property, landed es ...

families named Wood in

Cambridgeshire Cambridgeshire (abbreviated Cambs.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East of England and East Anglia. It is bordered by Lincolnshire to the north, Norfolk to the north-east, Suffolk to the east, Essex and Hertfor ...

Cheshire Cheshire ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in North West England. It is bordered by Merseyside to the north-west, Greater Manchester to the north-east, Derbyshire to the east, Staffordshire to the south-east, and Shrop ...

and

Suffolk Suffolk ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East of England and East Anglia. It is bordered by Norfolk to the north, the North Sea to the east, Essex to the south, and Cambridgeshire to the west. Ipswich is the largest settlement and the county ...

, suggesting instead that he was born before 1452 in or close to either

Hampshire Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Berkshire to the north, Surrey and West Sussex to the east, the Isle of Wight across the Solent to the south, ...

Wiltshire Wiltshire (; abbreviated to Wilts) is a ceremonial county in South West England. It borders Gloucestershire to the north, Oxfordshire to the north-east, Berkshire to the east, Hampshire to the south-east, Dorset to the south, and Somerset to ...

. He is first mentioned in records as a gentleman living in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

in 1473, presumably studying and practising law.

Career

After training at the

Middle Temple The Honourable Society of the Middle Temple, commonly known simply as Middle Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court entitled to Call to the bar, call their members to the English Bar as barristers, the others being the Inner Temple (with whi ...

, by 1475 he was retained as counsel by

Winchester College Winchester College is an English Public school (United Kingdom), public school (a long-established fee-charging boarding school for pupils aged 13–18) with some provision for day school, day attendees, in Winchester, Hampshire, England. It wa ...

and in 1478 entered public life. Acquiring an estate at Childrey, he was appointed a JP of the

quorum A quorum is the minimum number of members of a group necessary to constitute the group at a meeting. In a deliberative assembly (a body that uses parliamentary procedure, such as a legislature), a quorum is necessary to conduct the business of ...

for Berkshire, staying on the bench for life, and was elected a Member of Parliament for Wallingford. He also obtained confirmation of his charters concerning his lands at Childrey. From 1483 he was appointed to various royal commissions for Berkshire. and was made a serjeant-at-law in 1486, From 1487 he was a JP for the five counties of the

Western Circuit Circuit courts are court systems in several common law jurisdictions. It may refer to: * Courts that literally sit 'on circuit', i.e., judges move around a region or country to different towns or cities where they will hear cases; * Courts that s ...

, acting as an assize judge there until 1500, and in 1488 was raised to a King's Serjeant. In 1489, jointly with

Thomas Englefield Sir Thomas Englefield (also known as ''Inglefield'Dictionary of National Biography, Englefield, Sir Thomas (1455–1514)'') (c. 1455 – 3 April 1514) was Speaker of the House of Commons of England in two sessions, 1497 for Henry VII and 15 ...

, he obtained custody of the lands of the late Nicholas Stucley, of Affeton in Devon, together with the right to select a wife for his heir Thomas Stucley, then aged 13. On 24 November 1495 he was made a

puisne justice Puisne judge and puisne justice () are terms for an ordinary judge or a judge of lesser rank of a particular court. The term comes from a combination of the two French words, (since, later) and (born) which have been combined as or ; meaning ...

of the

Court of Common Pleas A court of common pleas is a common kind of court structure found in various common law jurisdictions. The form originated with the Court of Common Pleas at Westminster, which was created to permit individuals to press civil grievances against one ...

, In 1496, when King Henry VII made his will, he was named as one of the trustees. On 28 October 1500 he became Chief Justice of the Common Pleas, followed next year by a knighthood. His presidency of the court was brief however, as he died in office on 31 August 1502. He was buried at

Reading Abbey Reading Abbey is a large, ruined abbey in the centre of the town of Reading, in the English county of Berkshire. It was founded by Henry I in 1121 "for the salvation of my soul, and the souls of King William, my father, and of King William, ...

in accordance with his will made three days earlier, in which he bequeathed a gold ring with a ruby and two books to Sir Thomas Frowick who succeeded him as Lord Chief Justice.

Family

With a first wife whose name is unknown and who died before 1491, he had a daughter and heiress Anne (or Elizabeth) Wood. She was married to her father's ward Thomas Stucley (1475-1542), later knighted and a

Sheriff of Devon The High Sheriff of Devon is the Kings's representative for the County of Devon, a territory known as his/her bailiwick. Selected from three nominated people, they hold the office for one year. They have judicial, ceremonial and administrative f ...

, and they were the parents of Sir

Hugh Stucley Sir Hugh Stucley (1496–1559) was the lord of Affeton in Devon, and Sheriff of Devon in 1545. His third son was Thomas Stukley (c. 1520 – 1578), known as "The Lusty Stucley". Origins He was the eldest son and heir of Sir Thomas Stucley (1473 ...

(1496-1560). Her

arms Arms or ARMS may refer to: *Arm or arms, the upper limbs of the body Arm, Arms, or ARMS may also refer to: People * Ida A. T. Arms (1856–1931), American missionary-educator, temperance leader Coat of arms or weapons *Armaments or weapons **Fi ...

were ''Gules crusily or, three demi-woodmen with clubs or''. After 1491 he married Margaret Delamare, widow of Robert Lenham, of Tidmarsh, and daughter of Sir Thomas Delamare, of

Aldermaston Aldermaston ( ) is a village and civil parish in Berkshire, England. In the 2011 census, the parish had a population of 1,015. The village is in the Kennet Valley and bounds Hampshire to the south. It is approximately from Newbury, Basin ...

, a Sheriff of Berkshire. She died on 5 December 1499 leaving a young son Henry Lenham, for whom her widower took responsibility, and was buried at Tidmarsh.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wood, Thomas Chief justices of the common pleas People from Childrey Serjeants-at-law (England) Burials at Reading Abbey Justices of the common pleas Medieval English knights 15th-century births 1502 deaths English MPs 1478 16th-century English judges 16th-century English lawyers