Thomas Smythe (customer)

Thomas Smythe
Thomas 'Customer' Smythe
Spouse(s)	Alice Judde
Issue Andrew Smythe John Smythe Thomas Smythe (died 1625) Henry Smythe Richard Smythe Robert Smythe Symon Smythe Elizabeth Smythe Mary Smythe Joan Smythe Katherine Smythe Alice Smythe Ursula Smythe
Father	John Smythe
Mother	Joan Brouncker
Born	1522
Died	7 June 1591
Buried	Ashford, Kent

Thomas Smythe or Smith of London, Ashford and Westenhanger, Kent,^[1] (1522–1591)^[2] was the collector of customs duties (also known as a "customer") in London during the Tudor period and a Member of Parliament for five English constituencies. His son and namesake, Sir Thomas Smythe, was the first governor of the East India Company, treasurer of the Virginia Company, and an active supporter of the Virginia colony.

Family

Thomas Smythe, born in 1522, was the second son^[3] of John Smythe (d.1538), a substantial yeoman and clothier of Corsham Wiltshire, and Joan Brouncker, the daughter of Robert Brouncker of Melksham, Wiltshire.^[4] John Smythe left Thomas a farm in the Hundred of Amesbury, Wiltshire, of the value of £20 per annum. After his father's death, Thomas, at the age of approximately 16, moved to London to seek his fortune.^[5]

Career

Thomas joined his father's merchant guild, the Haberdashers, and then the Worshipful Company of Skinners, which may account for his close connection with Sir Andrew Judde, Lord Mayor of London in 1550, whose daughter Alice he married circa 1554.^[6][7]

In the reign of Mary I of England, Smythe purchased the Office of the Customs from one Mr. Cocker for £2,500. He was confirmed in his appointment at the Customs on the accession of Elizabeth I in 1558, and he continued in the office for 11 years. In 1567 he appears to have incurred her Majesty's severe displeasure, having been accused of issuing privy warrants leading to a £6,000 loss; his friend William Cecil, Lord Burghley intervened and helped Smythe escape imprisonment. Cecil persuaded the Queen to be lenient, arguing that if Smythe was allowed more time he would repay this loss, but if he were imprisoned her Majesty would be the loser.^[8]

However Elizabeth started to require larger and larger fines to renew his leases in order to replenish her exchequer. Over time, Smythe became unable to meet these higher payment demands and again fell under her Majesty's severe displeasure. His October 1589 counteroffer of a more modest payment was rejected. Due to his increasing infirmities and perhaps the stress of trying to meet the Queen's demands, Smythe died only 18 months later, on 7 June 1591, leaving his widow, then 60 years old, and 12 children, 6 sons and 6 daughters.^[9]

Smythe was a Member of Parliament (MP) for Tavistock October 1553, for Aylesbury April 1554, Rye November 1554, Winchelsea 1555, and Portsmouth 1563.^[10]

Marriage and issue

Alice Judde, 1579/80.

Thomas Smythe had 13 children with his wife, Alice Judde. They are as follows:

• Andrew Smythe, eldest son, who died an infant.^[11]
• Sir John Smythe (1557–1608), second son,^[12] of Ostenhanger = Elizabeth Fineaux (m 1576) (d/o Sir John Fineaux, Chief Justice of the King's Bench).^[13]
• Sir Thomas Smythe (1558-1625),^[14] who married firstly, Judith Culverwell, the daughter of Richard Culverwell; secondly Joan Hobbs, the daughter of William Hobbs; and thirdly, Sarah Blount, the daughter of William Blount. He had no issue by his first two marriages; by his third marriage he had three sons and a daughter. After his death his widow, Sarah, married Robert Sidney, 1st Earl of Leicester.^[15]
• Henry Smythe^[16] of Corsham (d.before 1591) = Elizabeth Owen (d/o Thomas Owen, Justice of the Peace).
• Sir Richard Smythe^[17] (d.1628), also said to have been of Leeds Castle, who married firstly Elizabeth Scott, the daughter of Sir Thomas Scott (w/o John Knatchbull) (m 1589) = (2) Jane White (d/o John White of London) (w/o Samuel Thornhill).
• Sir Robert Smythe of Leeds Castle, fourth son, who married Elizabeth Scott, the daughter of Thomas Scott of Scott's Hall, Kent.^[18]
• Symon Smythe, killed at the siege of Cadiz in 1596.^[19] Also said to be of Highgate, and to have married Ann Lynford (d/o William Lynford).
• Elizabeth Smythe, who was unmarried at the time of Smythe’s death in 1591,^[20] and later married Sir Henry Fanshawe (s/o Thomas Fanshawe who married secondly Sir Henry's wife's sister).
• Mary Smythe, who married Robert Davy^[21] or Davis of London, Receiver for Wales.
• Joan Smythe, who married Thomas Fanshawe, Esquire of Ware Park (d. 1601)
• Katherine Smythe, who married, at age sixteen, Sir Rowland Hayward, Lord Mayor of London in 1571,^[22] (2) Sir John Scott (s/o Sir Thomas Scott, Scotts Hall & Elizabeth Baker of Sissinghurst) = (3) Sir Richard Sandys
• Alice Smythe, who married William Harris,^[23] also said to have been Sir William Harris of Crixes, Woodham, Essex.
• Ursula Smythe, who married William Butler.^[24] Also said to have married Simon Harding of London = (2) William Boteler (Butler) - of Bedford.

Notes

References

• Dietz, Brian (2004). "Smythe , Thomas (1522–1591)". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/37985.  (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
• Morgan, Basil (2004). "Smythe , Sir Thomas (c.1558–1625)". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/25908.  (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
• Wadmore, J.F. (1887). "Thomas Smythe, of Westenhanger, Commonly Called Customer Smythe". Archaeologia Cantiana. XVII. London: Mitchell & Hughes. pp. 193–208. Retrieved 11 April 2013. 
• Hearn, Karen, ed. Dynasties: Painting in Tudor and Jacobean England 1530-1630. New York: Rizzoli, 1995. ISBN 0-8478-1940-X.

External links

• Will of Sir Andrew Judde, proved 16 March 1559, National Archives Retrieved 13 April 2013