Malet of St. Audries
The St. Audries line begins with Sir Baldwin Malet, the second son of Thomas Malet of Enmore (d. 1501) by his third wife Isabella Courtenay.
Sir Baldwin Malet c. 1481–1533
Baldwin was the Solicitor General to King Henry VIII. The above document regarding property in Cornwall was signed and sealed by him in 1519. It was also signed and sealed by Cardinal Thomas Wolsey, so obviously the King had some interest in the agreement. There may have been a Malet family interest as well.
A closeup view of the signatures and seals shows Thomas Wolsey, "legate a latere, Cardinal, Archbishop of York, Chancellor" on the left; followed by John Heron, knight; Baldwin Malet; and Adam Ralegh on the right.
Baldwin had 3 sons: Michael, John, and Thomas. Michael married and had children, but his line daughtered out at some point. John held the manor of "Ulleigh" or "Wooleigh" or "Wolley" which came to him through his mother. The st Audries line continued through his descendants. Thomas had no children of record.
Wooleigh Barton
Above is an enhanced image of the farmhouse at Woolleigh Barton. The photograph was taken in 2007. The thatched roof was added to make it look more like it might have at the time that John Malet held it.
Sir Thomas Malet, Judge of the King's Bench
Sir Thomas Malet of Poyntington was the grandson of John Malet of Wooleigh. Thomas followed Sir Baldwin in the legal profession and became Solicitor General to Charles I's Queen Henrietta Maria. He was appointed Judge of the Kings Bench in 1641.
Note the coat of arms in the upper left corner of this painting.
Thomas was imprisoned in the Tower of London by the Parliamentarians in 1642 but was released in 1644. His second son Baldwin was killed in a skirmish with the Parliamentary forces, aged 20. Sir Thomas received a patent of Baronetcy from Charles II (1663) but this was never sealed and was therefore ineffective to confer a Baronetcy on the family.
Sir John Malet 1622–1686
John was the son of Sir Thomas. He was the Recorder of the Borough of Bridgwater from 1669 to 1685. He also represented Bridgwater in Parliament.
Rev. Baldwyn Malet 1649–1724
Baldwyn was the son of John. He was Receiver General for Somerset and Dorset.
Rev. Alexander Malet 1704–1775
Alexander was the son of Baldwyn. He was Rector of Combe Florey, Somerset, and Maiden Newton, Dorset.
Sir Charles Warre Malet 1753–1815
Charles joined the East India Company at an early age, and after filling several responsible posts, was appointed Resident Minister at Poona at the Court of the Peshwa, the head of the Mahratta Confederacy, where under the instructions of the Governor-General of India, the Marquis Cornwallis, he concluded with Mahdeo Rao Narrayun the treaty of 1790 against Tippoo Sultan. For this service he was created a Baronet by King George III in 1791. He subsequently held office as Governor of the Bombay Presidency and retired in 1798.
Sir Charles Warre Malet, Concluding a Treaty in 1790 in Durbar with the Peshwa [Sawai Madhavrao Peshwa]of the Maratha Empire by Thomas Daniell, 1805.
Wilbury House, Newton Tony, Wiltshire
Sir Charles bought Wilbury House c. 1803. It remained in the hands of the Malet family for over 100 years. Many thanks to Tom Brooks for the exquisite pen and ink drawing.
Wilbury House as it looked in 2016.
Malet Arms Pub, Newton Tony, Wiltshire
A very nice pub. Named (obviously) for the Malet family living next door at Wilbury House.
Sir Edward Baldwin Malet, K. C. B. 1837–1908
Witness to History: Sir Edward Baldwin Malet had a distinguished and varied career in the British Foreign Service, which he joined at the age of 17 in 1854. His career spanned postings to Paraná (Argentina), Rio de Janeiro, Washington during the American Civil War, Constantinople (Istanbul), Paris during the Commune, Peking (Beijing), Athens, Rome, and finally Egypt. He retired from the Foreign Service in 1895, citing poor health.
The surviving branches of the family went on to produce notable military men and diplomats right up to WWII.
Sources:
- Malet, Arthur, "Notices of an English Branch of the Malet Family" (1885)
- Kresen Kernow, "A Home for "Corwall's Archives"
Author:
Bob Mallett
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
November 30, 2025.