Thomas Barowe facts for kids

Thomas Barowe (died around 1497) was an important English church leader and judge. He lived during a time of big changes in England, serving under King Richard III and then King Henry VII.

Thomas Barowe's Early Career

Thomas Barowe started his career as a church leader. He was the rector of a place called Olney, Buckinghamshire. A rector is like the main priest of a church parish.

In July 1483, Barowe got a special job in the church. He was appointed to a "prebend" in St. Stephen's Chapel. This chapel was inside the palace of Westminster, which was a very important royal building. This happened soon after Richard III became king.

Becoming Master of the Rolls

Just a few months later, in September 1483, Thomas Barowe got an even more important job. He was made the Master of the Rolls. This was a high-ranking legal position in England. The Master of the Rolls was in charge of keeping important government records. They also helped with legal cases.

Barowe took over this job from Robert Morton. Morton had been removed because people thought he was involved in secret plans. These plans were linked to his uncle, John Morton, who was a powerful bishop.

When Barowe became Master of the Rolls, he received a special gift. It was a "tun" of wine. A tun was a very large barrel, holding about two smaller barrels of wine. This became a tradition for new Masters of the Rolls.

Serving the King

In July 1485, King Richard III gave Barowe another big responsibility. He was made the Keeper of the Great Seal. The Great Seal was used to make official documents from the king valid. It was a symbol of the king's power. The previous Keeper, Bishop Russell, had been forced to give it up.

The Change of Kings

However, things changed very quickly. On August 22, 1485, King Richard III was defeated and died at the Battle of Bosworth. This battle marked the end of his reign. After the battle, Thomas Barowe had to give the Great Seal to the new king, Henry VII.

King Henry VII kept the Great Seal himself for a while. He did not give it to a new Keeper until March 1486.

Barowe's Later Life

Even though the king changed, Thomas Barowe was allowed to keep some of his positions. He kept his church job (the prebend). He also kept a job he had received from Richard III in the Court of Chancery. The Court of Chancery was a special court that dealt with fairness and justice.

However, Barowe did not get to keep the Master of the Rolls job. Robert Morton, the person he had replaced, got that job back. Morton did not even need a new official document to get it back.

Thomas Barowe was last mentioned in official records in 1496. At that time, he was helping to receive "petitions" in the parliament. Petitions were requests or complaints made to the government. He likely died around 1497.