Thomas Strange

• Preferred Name: Thomas Strange
  
• Gender: M
  
• FSID: GZF9-3H8
  
• http://familysearch.org/v1/TitleOfNobility: Sir
  
• Death: Y
  
• Notes:

  === Life Sketch ===
  Amabel Grene has confusing information probably because she was confused with her niece, the daughter of Thomas Grene and Mary Talbot, Amabel Grene - mistaken by nineteenth and early twentieth century genealogists. The name Amabel, is also written as "Amabilia," which may be the Latin version of her name, recorded in church registers.
  
  Previous genealogies documented, most notably in the Greenes of Rhode Island, by Louise Brownell Clarke, and The House of Greene, by Robert Halstead (pseudonym of Henry Mordaunt) assign this Amabel Grene to the husband Richard Reynes of Clifton Reynes and the husbands Sir John Chetwode and Sir Thomas Strange to the younger Amabel Grene. However, the dates of birth for Sir John Chetwode, Sir Thomas Strange, and the Kings with whom they interacted, indicate that Sir John and Sir Thomas were married to this Amabel Grene. History of Parliament Trust, whose research was primarily considered for this profile, mentions Amabel Grene as being the niece of Henry Grene. It should be noted that the niece of Henry Grene, Lord of Drayton is not the younger Amabel Grene – he was her great-uncle. It seems logical that the Amabel Grene of discussion was the sister of Henry Grene, Lord of Drayton, which also puts the birth of this Amabel Grene, in line with her marriage and birth of her children with John Chetwode. Another important note is that the younger Amabel Grene did have an uncle Henry Grene de Boketon, who lived in Sewell, Bedfordshire.
  
  Sir John Chetwode inherited the manors of Chetwode, Buckinghamshire; Hockliffe, Bedfordshire; and land in Northamptonshire and Huntingdonshire from his father, Nicholas Chetwode. His primary inheritance, however, might have come from his maternal uncle, Sir John Lyons, who died in 1385. The inheritance from his uncle included a valuable estate at Warkworth, Northumberland. Lord Chetwode styled himself "Lord of Warkworth" and he used the arms of Lyons, as opposed to those of Chetwode: A lion rampant.
  
  John Chetwode was married first to a woman named Mary, who bore him both a son and daughter, John and Margery Chetwode. This Amabel Grene was his second wife, who also bore him a son and a daughter, Thomas and Elizabeth Chetwode. The children of John Chetwode's first wife both died in 1420, leaving Thomas Chetwode, his father's heir.
  
  John Chetwode was a Minister of Parliament for Buckinghamshire, elected in 1386 and 1395, but lived at his primary residence at Warkworth. He also had a strong presence in Northamptonshire, which might have been because of his marriage to Amabel. Despite Amabel's brother's connection to King Richard II, John Chetwode maintained a low profile in his personal life and mostly stayed out of politics – he served on only a single royal commission before the beheading of Henry Grene, Lord of Drayton – Commissioner of Inquiry for Northamptonshire, in October, 1398, for the lands of a deceased tenant-in-chief, and in October, 1402, for forfeited land. After the beheading of Henry Grene, Lord of Drayton, Sir John was appointed Sheriff of Northamptonshire from November 8, 1401 to November 29, 1402.
  
  A few years after John Chetwode's death, Amabel remarried Sir Thomas Strange, his first of two wives – they had no children. Thomas Strange was the heir of John Strange of Walton Deyville and Walton Maudit, Warwickshire, and Westbury Bucks, Buckinghamshire. Sir Thomas and his father were both of a cadet branch of the Strange family, the nobility of the family starting with John, First Lord Strange of Knockin, Shropshire. He acquired the manors which were eventually inherited by Sir Thomas. Relatives of Sir Thomas, notably Richard, Seventh Lord Strange, took legal ownership, through the courts, of properties passed to him through inheritance, but eventually, due to lack of heirs, the properties eventually came into his possession.
  
  Sir Thomas had a long career in government and worked as a soldier, directly for the Crown. He was Escheator for Northamptonshire and Rutland from November 4, 1418 to November 23, 1419; captain of Chirk castle, Denbyshire in 1422; constable of Ruthin castle, Denbyshire in 1423; sheriff of Salop, Shropshire from November 6, 1424 to January 15, 1426; constable of Wicklow castle, Éire from July 12, 1429 until his death; and Treasurer of Éire from February 26, 1430 until his death. This long career began at the time of his marriage to Amabel and it might seem that her family connections were helpful to his career.
  
  Despite his ongoing political career and a long involvement to pacify Cymru (Wales), Sir Thomas served well as a family man to the children and families of his wife – Thomas and Elizabeth Chetwode. In 1421, he was named as a trustee by Sir Thomas Woodhul (also Woodhill), who was the father of Thomas, the husband of Elizabeth Chetwode. In regards to his stepson, 26. Thomas Chetwode, he undertook a life interest in the Warkworth manor, and paid to 26. Thomas an annuity of 20 marks from the revenues, even after the death of Amabel. Sir Thomas Strange also offered substantial securities, on the behalf of Thomas Chetwode, in a property dispute in Northamptonshire, with Roland St. Liz.
  
  After the death of Amabel, Sir Thomas Strange married Elizabeth and with her had a son. In 1429, Sir Thomas was spending the majority of his time in Éire, as the constable to Wicklow castle and as the Treasurer of Éire and it was there, in 1429, that he died. Sir Thomas left detailed provisions for his wife and young son in his will, leaving the manor of Westbury to his son and, to his wife, his Warwickshire estates.
  
  By Shawn Buchanan Greene

• m. 1418