- Excerpt from "Notices of an English Branch of the Malet Family", by Arthur Malet, published 1885, pp 40-41, appendices O1-O4:
THOMAS MALET OF ENMORE AND DEANDON.
Thomas Malet, the son and heir of Hugh Malet, by his wife Joan, the daughter of John Ronyon. The first entry that I find in Sir William Pole's collection concerning Thomas Malet is a portion of a deed executed by him in 1467,* which must have been near the time of his marriage to the mother of his eldest son, who was more than thirty years old at Thomas's death in 1501.**
Thomas Malet married three wives:
1st. Joan, daughter of Sir William Wadham.
2nd. Elizabeth.
3rd. Isabella, daughter of Sir William Courtney.
I do not find any information as to which of the wives the issue is to be attributed, but from the age of William I presume that he must have been the son of the first wife; the children were:
1. William Malet.
2. Baldwin Malet, of St. Audries, Somerset (West Quantockshead).
3. Margaret.
4. Hawise, married to John Coker, of Powderham.
5. Elizabeth, married firstly to John Ashley, secondly to Hugh Trow. The settlement on her first marriage is extant,*** and a copy of an extract from it from Sir William Pole's MS. is appended.
Thomas Malet's will was dated August 28th, 1500. The Rev. F. Brown's extract from it is appended,+ by it, among his other bequests, he leaves the manor of West Quantockshead to his son Baldwin, so that from this time the families of Enmore and St. Audries separate; William Malet taking the former, and Baldwin Malet the latter.
The inquest post-mortem was held at Bridgwater in 1502;++ it notes that Thomas Malet died on 9th July, 1502, and that his son William was then more than thirty years old, so that he was born towards the end of 1471 or at the beginning of 1472.
* Sir A.M.'s MSS., Vol. I, Sup. II, p. 13-14.
Omnibus, etc. Thomas Malet filius Hugonis, Armiger, sal: cum Robertus Stawell et Robertus Ronyon, Armigeri, et Willu's Bovez demiserunt, etc. Johannae Malet matri meae, nuper uxori Hugonis Malet, maneria mea de Sutton Malet, etc. Tes't Reginaldo Stourton, Milite, Rich: Warre, Nich: Francis, John Sidenham de Orchard, Jacobo Fitzjames et Philippo Pim. Dat: a'o 6'to Edward Iv. [A.D. 1467.]
** In Mr. Chisholm Batten's paper on Henry VII in Somersetshire, in the Somerset Archaeological and Natural History Society's Proceedings relative to Perkin Warbeck, he writes: "In October, 1498, some bonds were taken for good behaviour from persons in various counties who were not fined; among them is one from William Heron of Ford Castle, in Northumberland. In Somerset are such bonds taken from Thomas Malet of Enmore, Gentleman; Alex. Pym of Cannington, Gentleman; and John St. Abyn of Cannington, Esq., by three bonds; each of these three are made surety for the others. Their signatures are Thomas Malet, Alex. Pym, John Seynt Abyn. The documents are in the Record Office, Miscell. 916/14"
*** Sir Wm Pole's MSS., Vol. I, Sup. II, p. 20.
20 Edward IV [A.D. 1481]. Indenture of covenants between Thomas Malet, Esq., of the one part, and Edmund Ashley, Esq., of the other part. That is to say, that Thomas Ashley, son and heir of the said Edmund, shall marry before the Feast of the Nativity Elizabeth, eldest daughter of the said Thomas Malet. And the said Edmund shall assure twenty marks of yearly rents in Ashley, Sidbury, Trobridge, Bradford, and Salisbury, in the county of Wilts. And that the said Thomas Malet shall pay £100, with divers other covenants.
+ Thomas Malett, Aug. 28, 1500 [Blamyn.]-- To be buried in the Church of St. Michael Enmore, Som't--My son Wm Malet to have the manor of Corypool--Isabel my wife-- My son Baldwyn Malet to have the Manor of West Quantockshead--William Malet to find a priest at Enmore to pray for me and for the souls of Sir Baldwin Malet and Dame Avise his wife, of Hugh Malet and Johanna his wife, of Thomas Malet and Jone, Elizabeth, and Isabel, his wives, in perpetuity-- Isabel my wife to have Sutton Malet for her life-- She to be executrix-- My daughter Margaret-- and Jesus have mercy of my soul-- July 24, 1501.
++ Inq: post-mortem at Bridgwater, Nov. 12, 17 Henry VII [A.D. 1502.]
Thomas Malet held land in Enmer and some of Eleanor Strangwysh, etc.--Isabella his wife survived his husband-- Advowson of Charlinch, Manor of Sutton Malet, Lydeard Malet alias Punchardon, of West Quantockshead, and of Corypool and Charlinch--Charta quoted--Baldwin is a yougner son of the said Thomas-- Thomas Malet died July 9 last-- William his son aged 30 and more.
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