GARE, Thomas

By the second decade of the fifteenth century the Gares were long established among the mercantile elite of York. One Robert del Gare had been made free of the city in 1356 and had served as bailiff in 1364-5, while the later MP’s grandfather, William, had been admitted to the freedom in 1377. By the latter half of the fourteenth century several members of the family were prominent in the wool export trade and at least one of them had lived in Calais and was buried there. Although Robert Gare (probably the son of the Robert who had served as bailiff in 1364-5) appears to have trained in the law and served as recorder of York in 1419, it was in trade that most members of the family made their fortunes into the fifteenth century. The MP’s synonymous father served as bailiff of York in 1394, as an alderman before 1419 and was elected mayor in February 1420, as well as twice sitting in the Commons. By the end of the fourteenth century he had also branched out into the wool trade and at the time of his death in 1434 or 1435 he was one of the richest merchants in York.4 The Commons 1386-1421, iii. 158-9.

Thomas junior was admitted to the freedom of York by patrimony in 1418.5 Freemen of York (Surtees Soc. xcvi), 127. Like his father he was a merchant, trading principally in wool and cloth, and it was probably he, rather than his father, who was licensed in December 1426 (with his uncle, William Ormshead*) to ship ten sarplers of wool from Kingston-upon-Hull free of customs by way of compensation for losses incurred as a result of enemy action.6 CPR, 1422-9, p. 385. He remained active in overseas trade throughout his life: in 1430-1 he shipped 92 unfinished cloths from Hull, and in 1440 he was among a group of York merchants, including John Catterick*, who sued several Dutch merchants before the council of Holland.7 E122/61/32; Bronnen tot de Geschiedenis van den Handel Met Engeland, Schotland en Ierland ed. Smit, ii. 732. The extent of his mercantile connexions at home is apparent from the range of individuals who in the early 1430s owed him money: these included a dyer and a chapman from Westmorland, a Cumberland gentleman, and – interestingly – a bookbinder from York.8 CP40/677, rots. 20d, 264.

By the second half of the 1420s Thomas senior may have begun to relinquish his commercial interests to his son. On 7 Apr. 1427 he settled his property in Coney Street, Over and Nether Ousegate and the Shambles on Thomas junior in return for an annual rent £20 p.a. during his lifetime.9 York Memoranda Bk. iii (Surtees Soc. clxxxvi), 83. Gare also followed his father in an active career in civic government. In February 1427 he was appointed as one of the chamberlains of York and in September 1428 he was chosen as one of the city’s sheriffs. In this capacity he presided over the city’s parliamentary election on 12 Sept. 1429, just days before the end of his term of office.10 C219/14/1. If this was a relatively straightforward task, the same was not true of all his official duties, some of which had repercussions years later. Thus, in August 1429 Gare had been required by the controller and searcher of customs in Hull to arrest Alexander Lovache, a Dutchman accused of attempting to smuggle uncustomed goods from York. Lovache apparently evaded the sheriffs and escaped with his illicit cargo. Some six years later, in Michaelmas term 1433, the customs officials sued Gare and his fellow sheriff, John Raghton, in the court of the Exchequer. Perhaps by virtue of his membership of the Commons of 1432 Gare had been able to avoid a similar challenge a year earlier, but in Trinity term 1434 the sheriffs’ attorney appeared in the Exchequer to make fine for their misdemeanour.11 E159/210, recorda Mich. rot. 42.

Following the end of his shrieval year Gare probably joined the council of 24, but by 1 Jan. 1431 he had been elevated to the ranks of the aldermen. In this capacity, and along with his still surviving father, he witnessed that year’s parliamentary election. On 24 Mar. the following year he found himself elected to Parliament alongside another wool merchant, Nicholas Blackburn*.12 C219/14/2, 3. Nothing is known of their activities at Westminster, but the Parliament dealt with several items of business that related to the Calais staple and as both men were active in the wool trade their election may have secured the representation of the interests of the city’s powerful wool merchants at the assembly. Both were, however, soon back in York, as the Parliament, which had met on 12 May, was dissolved on the following 17 July. On 8 June 1433 Gare was present in the council chamber to witness the parliamentary election, and the following February he was elected mayor of York. Once again, his official conduct was challenged in the royal courts. Days into his mayoralty, on 12 Feb., Gare was instructed to hold an inquisition post mortem into the property held in the city by Sir Brian Stapleton†. The original writ of diem clausit extremum, dated 12 Dec. 1417, had not been executed, allegedly because the mayor at the time had left office before it could be served. Gare claimed never to have received the new writ, but information was presented to the court that he had indeed received it and had subsequently held inquisitions into Stapleton’s property. It was further alleged that he had concealed these inquisitions thus defrauding the King of revenues due on lands held in chief. Gare’s attorney successfully asked for the case to be respited until Michaelmas term 1437, but its final outcome is unknown.13 CIPM, xx. 720-2; E159/211, recorda Trin. rot. 5d. Nevertheless, Gare continued to be involved in the government of the city until his death. The Crown now also called upon his services: having been charged with the delivery of the city’s gaol during his mayoralty, in February 1436 he was named to a commission to raise a loan in York for the defence of Calais, and on the following 1 May he, along with his fellow aldermen and staplers John Bolton* and Nicholas Wispington*, delivered the sum of £145 5d. to the Exchequer.14 E403/723, m. 2.

Gare’s commercial activities aside, scant evidence survives of his private affairs. He was clearly a man of some wealth and in 1436 he was assessed to pay tax on an annual income of £26 from property in the city.15 E179/217/42. Furthermore, his property concerns extended beyond York to include interests elsewhere in Yorkshire and in Calais, some of which he probably acquired in the context of his commercial dealings. At some point before 1435 the London grocer, William Burton†, had sold him land in Burton, Yorkshire, for £90, perhaps in settlement of a debt. The transaction turned sour, and before long Burton complained to the chancellor that Gare had reneged on the deal.16 C1/69/165. It was also through his mercantile activities that he met and married Ellen, the daughter of the leading Hull merchant, John Bedford.17 Test. Ebor. ii. (Surtees Soc. xxx), 109. The exact date of the match has not been established, but it had been solemnized by 1430 when Ellen and her brother, Nicholas Bedford, were admitted to the guild of Corpus Christi.18 Reg. Guild Corpus Christi, York (Surtees Soc. lvii), 31.

Gare made his will on 1 Dec. 1438. He asked to be buried in his parish church of All Saints, Pavement, and made provision for his funeral there, as well as providing for masses for his soul (some doubtless to be sung by his brother, Master John Gare, who was bequeathed a silver gilt cup decorated with stars for his trouble). A similar bequest of silverware was left to his aunt, the recently-widowed Ellen Ormshead, and to her daughter. set aside 100 marks for the marriage of each of his daughters, to be spent at the discretion of his widow. The property in York that he held in fee simple was to fall to his widow with remainder to his eldest son, Thomas, and his heirs, and if Thomas should die childless, it was to descend to his second son, John, with successive remainders to his daughters, Elizabeth and Anne. The widow was also to enjoy the residue of his goods, on condition that she remained unmarried. Other property in the city was to be disposed of to pay his debts and meet the costs of executing his will. In a codicil added three days later Gare settled a plot of wasteland in Calais on his sons: each was to have an equal share, perhaps in the hope that they would continue the family wool business. In the event of their deaths without issue the land was to pass to Gare’s brother-in-law, Nicholas Bedford. The testator’s son Thomas already held some of his property in Calais and this was now settled on him and his heirs with remainder to Gare’s daughters, sister (Katherine Heseham), and Nicholas Bedford. The date of Gare’s death has not been established with absolute certainty, for while his public career came to a close about the time that he made his will, probate was not granted to his widow until 1 Oct. 1445.19 York registry wills, prob. reg. 2, ff. 110v-11v, 113. It is possible that his eldest son, Thomas, predeceased him, for he died intestate within a year of his father making his will.20 York registry wills, prob. reg. 3, f. 570. There is no evidence of disputes at law over Gare’s complicated arrangements for the disposal of his property in York and Calais, but over another matter his widow was subsequently sued in Chancery by the Austin Friars of York. In August 1425 Gare’s father had made a gift of 100 marks to the friars to assist in the building of their new dormitory in return for a perpetual obit there. On his father’s death, Gare had retained the money while promising to repay it to the friars in due course, but had died before the debt had been settled. Ellen had repaid £7 of the sum concerned, but had failed to submit the balance.21 C1/18/87. She survived her husband for some years and was still alive in 1460 when she was renting a tenement in Gillygate from the masters of Ouse Bridge.22 York Bridgemasters’ Accts. ed. Stell (York Arch. Trust, 2003), 357.