Sir Thomas Bryan Knight

  Information about this person:

• Web Reference: From Thomas Bryan Chief Justice.

• Background Information. ¹²⁷⁶
Sir Thomas Bryan was the son son of a Londoner, most likely the son of John Bryan, dead in 1395, who was a fishmonger and had a son also named John who owned property in various part London, Buckinghamshire, Middlesex and Essex. Sir Thomas Bryan also owned property in London and Buckinghamshire.

Sir Thomas likely had already been a scholar before entering law school. By 1456 he was acting as a feoffee at Gray's Inn, and likely already a "bencher." H w was acting as counsel to several London Companies, and by 1459, he was stward of St. Bartholomew's Hospital. In 1460, he was elected common serjeant of London. He held this office until his creation as serjeant-at-law in 1463. He became one of the king's serjeants by April 1470. On the accession of Edward IV, in 1471, Sir Thomas was appointed chief justice of common pleas, and in 1475 was created knight of Bath. He srved in this office until his death.

Sir Thomas Bryan married Isabel, the widow of Thomas Blout, treasurer of Calais, whose jointure lands in lay in Lincolnshire. They lived in Buckinghamshire. His only son, Sir Thomas, was admitted to Gray's Inn, but became a knight of the body, and vice-chamberlain to Katherine of Aragon. The younger Sir Thomas Bryan kad a son, Sir Francis Bryan, who was a courtier, dipolmat and man of letters.

Summary of article in the Oxford Dictionary of Nation Biography, by J. H. Baker