Sir Thomas de Foxley1,2

M, b. 1305, d. 1360
FatherSir John de Foxley b. c 1260, d. 1325
MotherConstancia de Bramshill b. c 1277, d. 1333
     Thomas was born in Bray, Berkshire, England, at the Manor of Foxley.3 Thomas married Catherine Ifeld circa 1329. Sir Thomas purchased the Manor of Foxley from Sir Ralph Dayrell in 1314. He was Knight of Foxley in Berkshire & Bramshill in county Hants. He elected to be a member of Parliament for Berkshire in 1327-1328.4 Thomas departed this life in 1360 in Bray, Berkshire, England, at the Manor of Foxley.5

Family

Catherine Ifeld

Citations

  1. [S489] David Nash Ford, Royal Berkshire History, Moated Manors: Foxley Manor (Bray): Known as Pokemere in the 13th century. Home of the Foxley Family. Site of Foxley Green Farm, north of the Ascot Road (A330) at Touchen End. Rectangular moat survives in good condition. John De Foxley - whose fine brass can be seen in Bray Church - made a park here in 1321 around lands inherited from his father Sir Thomas De Foxley, Constable of Windsor Castle. 1344: Fence broken down and deer stolen. Arms: Gules, two bars argent. The Family also had a Castle at Bramshill (Hants).
  2. [S489] David Nash Ford, Royal Berkshire History, Bray, St. Michael's Church: The present parish church at Bray was built to replace a previous Saxon building around 1294. The old church is said to have stood some way outside the main village at Water Oakley. The villagers weren't best pleased by the long walk and tore it down. Everyone had to contribute to the rebuilding, but some were reluctant to pay up and the beadle had to be sent in to sort the situation out. A more romantic tale tells of demons destroying the old church in at the dead of night!
    Today only a few odd carvings brought from the old building remain: A dog (or a horse?) is built into the outer wall of the Chantry Chapel of Our Lady in the churchyard and an unusual "Sheela-Na-Gig" sits high up between the church's rafters. This latter is a pre-Christian fertility symbol, often found in Ireland, showing a female figure proudly displaying her nether regions. It was meant to remind the faithful of the sinful pagan rights from which they had escaped.
    The church was, of course, originally constructed in the Early English style, but it was given many perpendicular additions and alterations in the early 14th century - including the fine tower. It is a surprisingly large building for a small village, but this reflects the size of the parish which covers many manors and associated hamlets scattered throughout Windsor Forest. The lords of these manors made great patrons and this can be seen in the many monuments and memorial chapels throughout the church. The Foxley Chapel (of All Saints) stood at the east end of the South Aisle and it was from here that the superb brass to Sir John Foxley and his two wives came (1378) . John lived at the moated manor house at nearby Foxley Green, but also held a small castle at Bramshill just over the Hampshire border. His first wife (with the heraldic lion decorating her dress) was the sister of Sir Bernard Brocas of Clewer, the great friend of the Black His second wife was apparently of low birth as she has only her husband's arms on her dress. Several generations of the family were Constables of Windsor Castle, including their son, Thomas, whose brass of 1436 has, sadly, disappeared.
  3. [S747] David Nash Ford, Berkshire History, Sir Thomas Foxley, son of Sir John Foxley & Constance Bramhill.
  4. [S483] Wharton Dickinson, Genealogy of the Fowlers In England and America, page 6.
  5. [S483] Wharton Dickinson, Genealogy of the Fowlers In England and America, page 5 - Sir Thomas Foxley d. 1360 age 55.