Thomas Erpingham KG (1357 - 1428)

Born 1357 in Erpingham, Norfolk, England

Ancestors

Husband of Joan Clopton — married about 1388 (to 1404) in Norwich, Norfolk, England [uncertain]

Died Jun 1428 at about age 71 in Norwich, Norfolk, England

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Biography

Thomas Erpingham KG was born in Erpingham, Norfolk, England.

Sir Thomas has a National Biography Entry^[1] and a well-souced Wikipedia article ^[2]. There is also a full account of Sir Thomas Erpingham in an M.A. Thesis^[3] by Robert Vane at The Indiana University at Indianoplis, presented in 1999. This thesis contains an extensive bibliography and a set of detailed notes that make it the definitive resource available.

Birth

Thomas Erpingham was born in Erpingham, Norfolk in 1357, the son of Sir John de Erpingham of Erpingham and Wickmere in Norfolk, England. Erpingham^[4] is a small village approximately 25 km northwest of Norwich in Norfolk. His grandfather, Sir Robert de Erpingham was recorded^[5] as holding Erpingham manor in 1316 and Erpingham and Wickmere in 1346.

Thomas has a older sister - Julian Philep who was born in Erpingham in 1353.

Professional Life

Thomas Erpingham had a long and distinguished career and served three generations of the House of Lancaster^[1][2][3]. He was only 13 years pld when his father died but was trained early in the profession of arms^[1]. He was knighted when a young man, certainly before^[2] 1380. By 1380 he was in teh service of John of Gaunt. On 8 March 1381 he was appointed one of the commiossioners to supress rebellions in Norfolk^[1]. In March 1386 he obtained letters of protection on setting out with John of Gaunt for Spain and sailed from Plymouth on 7 July 1386^[1].

There appeares to be a four year lull in his military activity when it is assumed that he returned to Norfolk. It was in this time that he met and married the young Joan Clopton who had been living at Hawsted^[6] with her mother Dame Mary (Cockerell) Clopton.

The interlude of marriage did not last long because in 1990, he accompanied John of Gaunt's son Henry on his expedition to Lithuania, sailing from Boston, Lincolnshire on 20 July 1392.

Military appointments followed as he accompanied Henry on adventurous passage across Europe to Palestine^[1]; to Paris in 1399 and in 1401 to Ireland landing at Dublin on 13 November. During this time he began to receive payments from the Crown in return for his services^[7][8].

His first wife Joan Clopton died in 1404 and he married again in 1409 to Joan Walton, the widow of Sir John Howard.

Battle of Agincourt

Sir Thomas Erpingham became famous as the commander of King Henry V's longbow wielding archers at the Battle of Agincourt on 25 October 1415.

The battle is reported in detail^[9] in a book by Nicholas Harris (1799-1848) that gives great detail (Page 254) of the battle. The Battle was remembered in detail by William Shakespeare in the play Henry V, in which Sir Thomas is a principal character.

Marriages

To Joan Clopton

Thomas Erpingham married^[10][6] Joan Clopton, the sister of Sir William Clopton before 1389. Joan was known to be a beautiful young lady^[6] who would have been 18 at the time of the marriage. It is noted however that the birth date of 1370 is uncertain and could have been earlier.

Sir Thomas Erpingham lived in Norwich when he was not serving overseas. However, when Sir Thomas was overseas, it seems that Joan went back to her family in Hawstead, Suffolk where there are acounts of the activities of Lady Erpingham^[6].

Joan (Clopton) Erpingham died^[2] in 1404 and was buried in Norwich.

To Joan Walton

Sir Thomas married again in 1413 to Joan Walton. Joan was the daughter of Richard Walton and the widow of Sir John Howard. Joan died in 1425.

Both marriages were childless.

Death

From 1417, Erpingham seems to have retired and lived out his remaining years in Norfolk, having relinquished his position as steward that May. King Henry V died in 1422, after which Erpingham had no further contact with the court. He died in June 1428, and was buried back in Erpingham. There is a monument on the north side of the presbytery of Norwich Cathedral to Sir Thomas and with both his wives.

Statue of Sir Thomas Erpingham in the Erpingham Gate outside Norwich Cathedral

Research Notes

Sir Thomas was finally granted ownership^[11] of Hawsted Manor by Henry VI in 1423. The information is from the Inquisition of Drury, who had assumed ownership of Hawstead Mannor from the Cloptons. The Letter shown to the court gave him the Priory of Toft Monks and manors of Toft Monks and Horstead (Hawsted), with all tithes, oblations, fees, rents, farms, advowsons, liberties, franchises, escheats, and other rights, commodities, and benefits, to the use of Thomas Erpyngham from the time of the death of ‪ Henry V, until he is provided with a sure estate for life with other lands and tenements to the same value [CPR 1422–1429, pp. 112–14].

The Essay Towards A Topographical History of the County of Norfolk: Volume 6- by Blomefield. Originally published by W Miller, London, 1807. Hundred of South Erpingham: Erpingham^[12] has a paragraph:

Sir William Phelip, Knt. son of Sir John Phelip, Knt. of Dennington in Suffolk, by Julian his daughter, by his second wife Joan, the beautiful daughter of Sir William Clopton of Clopton in Suffolk, in whose right Clopton manor descended also to him; and on April 22, 1428, Sir John Ratcliff was chosen Knt. of the Garter in his stead.

that is somewhat confusing! Joan Clopton was the first wife of Sir Thomas Erpingham. Her father was Sir William Clopton but Joan was never married to Sir John Phelip. It seems that a line or two have been missed from the transcription. There is also a curious story in the next paragraphs that is said to be from Thomas Heywood's [GYNAIKEION]. The story reads more like a script from a black comedy than something from real life. In particular, it refers to a Joan later in Sir Thomas Erpington's life than 1404. As Joan (Clopton) Erpington died in 1404, the story can hardly have applied to her, even if it was not a literary invention.

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5} National Biography - Sit Thomas Erpingham:
   Dictionary of National Biography, 1901 supplement/Erpingham, Thomas article download Author Albert Frederick Pollard
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3} Thomas Erpingham - Wikipedia Article:
   Wikipedia contributors, "Thomas Erpingham," Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, Wikipedia article (accessed March 26, 2024)
3. ↑ ^{3.0 3.1} A Knight in the Service of the House of Lancaster:
   M.A. Thesis (1999) by Robert Vane, Indiana University. Download available
4. ↑ Hundred of South Erpingham: Erpingham:
   Hundred of South Erpingham: Erpingham, in An Essay Towards A Topographical History of the County of Norfolk: Volume 6, (London, 1807) pp. 410-420. British History Online Download article [accessed 24 March 2024]
5. ↑ Hundred of South Erpingham: Wickmere:
   'Hundred of South Erpingham: Wickmere', in An Essay Towards A Topographical History of the County of Norfolk: Volume 6, (London, 1807) pp. 456-463. British History Online British History online (accessed 17 March 2024)
6. ↑ ^{6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3} History and antiquities of Hawsted: Cullum, John, Sir, 6th Bart., 1733-1785, The history and antiquities of Hawsted, in the County of Suffolk
   London : Printed by and for J. Nichols; 1784; page: 99
   Internet Archive (accessed 27 March 2024)
7. ↑ Calendar of the patent Rolls - 1413-1416 - Page 128: Great Britain., Calendar of the patent rolls preserved in the Public record office / prepared under the superintendence of the deputy keeper of the records 1413-1416 Henry V v.1
   London : H.M.S.O., 1891-; page: 128
   HathiTrust (accessed 26 March 2024)
8. ↑ Calendar of the patent rolls - 1413-1416 - Page 404: Great Britain., Calendar of the patent rolls preserved in the Public record office / prepared under the superintendence of the deputy keeper of the records 1413-1416 Henry V v.1
   London : H.M.S.O., 1891-; page: 404
   HathiTrust (accessed 26 March 2024)
9. ↑ History of the Battle of Agincourt: Nicolas, Nicholas Harris, Sir, 1799-1848, History of the Battle of Agincourt, and of the expedition of Henry the Fifth into France in 1415; to which is added the Roll of the men at arms in the English army
   London, Johnson; 1833; page: 254
   Internet Archive (accessed 27 March 2024)
10. ↑ Book: Scrope, Richard Le, Sir, 1327?-1403; Nicolas, Nicholas Harris, Sir, 1799-1848, ed, De controversia in curia militari inter Ricardum Le Scrope et Robertum Grosvenor milites: rege Ricardo Secundo, MCCCLXXXV-MCCCXC e recordis in turre Londinensi asservatis
    [London, Printed by Samuel Bentley; 1832; page: 195
    Internet Archive (accessed 24 March 2024)
11. ↑ Norfolk - Inquisition. Erpingham 2 November 1428. [Drury]:
    Letters patent dated 8 July 1423 [https://inquisitionspostmortem.ac.uk/view/inquisition/23-094/96 Download
12. ↑ Hundred of South Erpingham: Erpingham - British History on-line South Erpingham