Thomas Gostwick of London

Date: 1467 to 1512
Location: London, England
Surname/tag: Gostwick

Gostwick Name Study Page

Thomas Gostwick b. bef. 1468, Bedfordshire, England d. aft. 1512, St Mary-le-Bow, London, England

Other Surnames: Gostewik

Contents 1 Biography 2 Research Notes 2.1 Logic for placement 2.2 Why pick John Gostwick & widow Elizabeth Myton as parents? 2.3 Missing supporting evidence 3 Sources

Biography

Thomas Gostewik is someone of obvious note, that exists outside any factual evidence of his relationship in the Gostwick lines. I could write fanciful maybe's here, but instead, we know he was a Master Mercer of London, circa 1500-1515, and held the role of Rent Collector of the Mercery.

We have no idea who exactly he was married to, though his unnamed wife had a separate ground floor apartment below her husband; indicating his marriage before 1505

No children or Will have been located.

Current evidence suggests he is son of John Gostwick & widow Elizabeth Myton, of Bedfordshire. I would place a surety of 2/5 or so with such scant evidence.

1492-1502, Mercer Co. Rents, 'Le Crowne', St Mary-Le-Bow, London, England^[1]

33f was held by Thomas Lymnor, mercer, from 1472 to 1486 for £1 rent. Lymnor had held part of the Crown from at least as early as 1460 onwards. Between 1486 and 1591 Thomas Gostewik paid the same rent for a shop that Lymnour had held and a chamber. This shop was at first floor level over 33c and was therefore next to the street. In 1491-2 John (perhaps an error for Thomas) Gostewik paid the £1 rent; between 1492 and 1495 Thomas Gostewik paid the rent and between 1495 and 1502 paid £2. 6s. 8d. for this shop and the shop beneath (33c) which had been held by his wife. Gostewik was admitted to the fellowship of the Mercers' Company in 1502 and on this account his rent was to be reduced to £1. 13s. 4d., but he seems to have paid the rent of £2. 6s. 8d. until 1504. He paid £1. 13s. 4d. in 1504-5, but 5s. less in 1505-6, when the warehouse over his shop was vacant for part of the year. In 1506-7 the whole property was vacant. In the rental for 1507-8 Gostewik was charged with £2. 6s. 8d. for 3 shops, one at ground level worth 13s. 4d. rent and 2 above worth £1. 13s. 4d.; the two upstairs shops were both vacant and probably occupied the first and second floors respectively (for the upper one at an earlier date, see 33h). In 1508-9 John Barton paid the £1. 13s. 4d. for the 3 shops, he owed the rent in 1509-10, but appears to have paid it from 1510 to 1514. Between 1514 and 1516 Barton paid £3. 13s. 4d. rent for this property and 33b. From 1516 to 1519 Barton held the property representing 33c, f, and h for £1. 13s. 4d. rent, but owed 1/4 year's rent in 1517-18. The property was vacant in 1519-20; John Gooche held it for £1. 13s. 4d. rent from 1520 to 1525, but it was vacant for 1/2 year in 1523-4.

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1505, St Mary Colechurch, London, England

William Butler, grocer, to James Yarford, and Thomas Gostwick, citizens and mercers, and Thomas More, gentleman, who were evidently to act on behalf of the company [Mercers Guild] [a parish not rebuilt after the fire of 1666]

(I have somehow misplaced this citation ref)

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15-Aug-1506, Rent Collector of Mercer's Guild, London, England^[2]

'The Charterhouse, London' 20s. rent for two houses against the stocks in Wolchyrche, to Thos. Gostwyke, rent gatherer of the wardens of the Fellowship of the Mercery, 15 Aug. 1506

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1512, Apprentice Accepted, London, England^[3]

John Thomas, new Freeman, to Master Thomas Gostewicke

John Thomas (Male), New freeman, Mercer Thomas Gostewicke (Male), Master; Ref: MCMM3121

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Research Notes

Mercer Co records have not been exhausted, but would be much better served by someone local since the references are likely hiding in secondary notes concerning mercer business. Few records are transcribed, fewer are digital.

Logic for placement

Select * from People where (birth <1476) and sex=male and Surname contains 'gos'

49 results

...and Where (birth>1425)

9 results...actually 8, since Thomas himself fell into this query.

John (b. bef 1429), John (abt 1445), Robert (abt 1430), Robert (abt 1464), Robert 'Brewer of London' (abt 1450), Sir John (bef 1466), Thomas 'Master Mercer' (this profile), Rev. Robert (bef 1440), Rev. Thomas (abt 1430)

none of these early profiles are created yet. Will link once published

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Why pick John Gostwick & widow Elizabeth Myton as parents?

1. This makes his maternal grandfather Thomas per Patronymic Given Name Rules, which aligns.
2. There is history of sending non-heir male children to London for apprenticeships
3. It wasnt cheap or easy to send your kid to become a Mercer...in fact it was the most expensive of the Liveries. This suggests a family of means.
4. No name collisions with brothers
5. Parents have proof of other kids vs. profiles with unknown status/offspring.

Missing supporting evidence

• If Thomas is from a family of means, he would be expected to attend College, either before or after entering a class/profession like mercer or priesthood. No education refs found yet.
• London materials get scarce as they approach the 1666 catastrophes in London.

Sources

1. ↑ St. Mary le Bow 104/33', in Historical Gazetteer of London Before the Great Fire Cheapside; Parishes of All Hallows Honey Lane, St Martin Pomary, St Mary Le Bow, St Mary Colechurch and St Pancras Soper Lane (London, 1987), D J Keene and Vanessa Harding, pp. 351-363. British History Online http://www.british-history.ac.uk/no-series/london-gazetteer-pre-fire/pp351-363 [accessed 8 October 2021].
2. ↑ 'Henry VIII: April 1535, 21-30', in Letters and Papers, Foreign and Domestic, Henry VIII, Volume 8, January-July 1535, ed. James Gairdner (London, 1885), pp. 218-241. British History Online http://www.british-history.ac.uk/letters-papers-hen8/vol8/pp218-241 [accessed 8 October 2021].
3. ↑ "Records of London's Livery Companies Online" [database on-line]. London Roll, Entry for Thomas Gostwick, 1512, Apprentice Acceptance, Ref: GSDM2080