Thomas Fludd facts for kids

Sir Thomas Fludd (born around 1530, died 1607) was an important person in England during the time of Queen Elizabeth I. He was born to Welsh parents and grew up to own a lot of land in Kent. He also held many important jobs for the government. His youngest son, Robert Fludd, became a famous scientist.

Early Life and Family Roots

Thomas Fludd's father was John Fludd. The name "Fludd" is an English way of saying the Welsh name Llwyd. His family came from the village of St Martin's in Shropshire. John Fludd married Agnes, who was from the nearby village of Weston Rhyn. Her father was Meredith Bonner, and his name was likely an English version of the Welsh name ap Ynyr.

Thomas had a brother named Richard Fludd, who moved to Ireland. In Ireland, the family name is often spelled "Flood." Thomas also had two sisters who married men who owned land in Kent.

Thomas Fludd's Public Service Career

Thomas Fludd's education is not known, but around 1560, he bought a large house called Milgate House in Thurnham, Kent. After this, he became very active in local and national government.

Working for the Crown

In 1568, Thomas got a job as the Surveyor of Crown Lands for Kent and the cities of Rochester and Canterbury. This meant he was in charge of checking and managing lands owned by the Queen. In 1572, he was given a special symbol for his family, called a grant of arms. His family shield showed "Vert, a chevron between three wolves heads, erased, argent," which describes the colours and symbols on it.

Around 1579, he became a Justice of the Peace for Kent. This was an important role where he helped keep law and order in the area.

Roles in Government Finance

In 1582, Thomas Fludd was appointed to the Exchequer. The Exchequer was like the treasury department of the government. His job was Receiver of Revenue for Kent, Surrey, and Sussex. This meant he collected money for the Queen from these counties.

In 1588, people in the town of New Romney asked for help, so Thomas was put on a special group to look into their town's issues. The next year, he was made a knight, which gave him the title "Sir." He was also made a paymaster for English soldiers fighting in France. Later, in 1597, this job changed to Treasurer at War, meaning he was in charge of all the money for the army.

Dover Harbour Project

In 1591, Sir Thomas was asked to help fix up Dover Harbour, a very important port. By 1603, he was the treasurer for this big project.

Serving in Parliament

In 1593, he was chosen to be a MP for Maidstone. This meant he represented Maidstone in the House of Commons, which is part of the English Parliament. He worked on committees that dealt with taxes and types of cloth. He was chosen again as Maidstone's MP in 1597 and for a third time in 1601. In Parliament, he worked on a committee that looked at changing an old land law called gavelkind.

Sir Thomas Fludd's Family Life

Sir Thomas Fludd was married twice. His first wife was Elizabeth, the daughter of Philip Andrews from Wellington in Somerset. Elizabeth died on January 25, 1591, and was buried at Holy Cross Church in Bearsted. Later, he married Barbara, who was the widow of Sir Henry Cutts. Barbara outlived Sir Thomas and later married William Covert.

Sir Thomas and his wives had several children:

• Edward: He married Jane Sands and had a daughter named Mary. Edward died before his father, Sir Thomas.
• Thomas: He was the oldest son who lived to inherit his father's property. He married Catherine Bufkin and they had three children, including a son also named Thomas.
• Joan: She married Sir Nicholas Gilborne in 1583 and they had nine children.
• John: He was baptised in Bearsted in 1572. He married Mary Purefoy and had a son named Robert.
• Robert Fludd: He was baptised in Bearsted in 1574. He became a very famous scientist.
• Catherine: She was baptised in Bearsted in 1579. She married Thomas Lunsford and they had seven children, including Sir Thomas Lunsford who later moved to Virginia.
• Sarah: She was baptised in Bearsted in 1581. She married Henry Bufkin, who was Catherine's brother, and they had five children.

Death and What He Left Behind

Sir Thomas Fludd wrote his will on February 18, 1607. He died on May 30, 1607, and was buried in Bearsted. His will was officially approved on June 11.

In his will, he left small gifts to his household servants, the local church, poor people in nearby villages, and prisoners in Maidstone jail. He also left money to his sister Catherine and brother Hugh. Most of his large amount of land and personal belongings were shared among his three sons who were still alive: Thomas, John, and Robert. Robert also received 600 pounds in cash, which would be worth at least 120,000 pounds today!

His three daughters who were still alive – Joan, Catherine, and Sarah – received smaller gifts. This was probably because they had already received money or property when they got married. His wife Barbara kept her own belongings and lands that she had before they married. Sir Thomas also asked his son Thomas to let Barbara continue living at Milgate House.

Besides his house in London, Sir Thomas owned land mainly in Kent, but also in Surrey, Sussex, and his home county of Shropshire.