Thomas Cawarden facts for kids

Sir Thomas Cawarden (died August 25, 1559) was an important person in England during the time of King Henry VIII, King Edward VI, and Queen Mary I. He lived in places like Bletchingley, Nonsuch Park, and East Horsley in Surrey. His main job was being the Master of the Revels, which meant he was in charge of all the fun and entertainment for the royal family.

Early Life

Thomas Cawarden was the son of William Cawarden, who worked as a cloth-fuller in London. A cloth-fuller was someone who cleaned and thickened cloth. In 1528, Thomas started learning to be a mercer, which is a person who sells fine fabrics. He learned this trade from Owen Hawkins in London. By 1542, Thomas Cawarden was married to a woman named Elizabeth, but we don't know her last name.

Working for the King and Queen

Becoming Master of the Revels

In 1544, Sir Thomas Cawarden was given a special job: he became the first official Master of the Revels and Tents. This meant he was in charge of all the royal parties, plays, and celebrations. He also managed the tents used for big events, royal trips, and even military campaigns. He was made a knight in September of that year in a place called Boulogne.

Tents were very important for the royal family. For example, in 1547, Cawarden provided special tents like 'hales' and 'roundhouses' for a trip to Scotland during a war called the Rough Wooing. He even paid to have the tents dried and put away after they got wet on the ship.

Helping the Royal Family

Thomas Cawarden continued to serve the royal family. When Lady Jane Grey was queen for a short time in 1553, she asked him for tents. Later, on January 1, 1559, Queen Mary I ordered her officers to collect weapons and armor from Cawarden's house. This was to help stop a rebellion led by Wyatt. Seventeen wagon loads of items were taken from his home! His job also allowed him to have 40 armed servants at his home in Bletchingley Castle.

Where the Revels Were Kept

When Cawarden became Master of the Revels, the office and its supplies were moved to a former Dominican church building in Blackfriars. Before that, the royal entertainment supplies were kept in different places like Warwick Inn, the London Charterhouse, and a church building in Clerkenwell. After Cawarden passed away, the supplies were moved back to Clerkenwell.

Other Important Jobs

Besides being Master of the Revels, Cawarden had many other important jobs. He was the High Sheriff of Surrey and Sussex from 1547 to 1548. A High Sheriff was a top officer in a county. He also became the keeper of Hampton Court Palace in 1550. In 1558, he was one of the two people in charge of the Tower of London.

His Homes and Land

Thomas Cawarden officially received Bletchingley in 1547. This place had once been the home of Anne of Cleves, one of King Henry VIII's wives. He was also in charge of the house and gardens at Nonsuch Palace from 1543 to 1556. Between 1547 and 1559, he was chosen four times to represent Surrey in Parliament.

In 1551, Cawarden helped build a special banqueting house in Hyde Park. He was in charge of decorating the inside with famous painters like Antony Toto. Later, he built his own banqueting house at Nonsuch Park, near the original Nonsuch Palace. King Edward had given him this land in 1547.

Sir Thomas Cawarden died at East Horsley on August 25, 1559. His body was taken to Bletchingley. After his death, Sir Thomas Benger took over his role as Master of the Revels.

Old Papers and Records

The Loseley Manuscripts

Many of Thomas Cawarden's official papers were kept at the home of his friend, Sir William More, at Loseley Park. These papers are now in public collections, like the Folger Shakespeare Library. You can also find other papers about the royal revels at the National Archives, Kew, and the Surrey Record Office in Woking. People started publishing parts of these papers in the 1800s.

List of Costumes and Tents

An amazing list was made of all the costumes and royal tents that Thomas Cawarden was in charge of as Master of Revels. This list included fancy embroidered covers for horses.

The costumes for men included sets of 12 long outfits made of gold cloth, silver cloth, and red satin. There were also costumes for groups of performers. For example, eight performers dressed as "Turks" with special headpieces. There were also clothes for people to dress as falconers, Germans, or monks. The list also mentioned masks with and without beards, masks for disguises, and props like pilgrim's staffs and shepherd's crooks.

For women, there were dresses and sleeves, Italian gowns, and costumes for "frowes" (German wives). There were even costumes to make performers look like African people, with wigs made by a person named Niccolo da Modena. There were also costumes to look like Egyptians or Gypsies.

The royal tents were very grand. They included the king's main lodging tent, which was actually a group of tents connected together. There was also a smaller lodging tent, a dining tent, and many decorative hangings. Cawarden was also responsible for the tents sent with the army to Scotland during the Rough Wooing war.