Background
The Boyville (Bovile, Boyvile, Boyvill, Boyvyle) family is recorded at Stockerston, Leicestershire as early as the 13th century.
Thomas Boyville was a son of Sir John Boyville of Stockerston (died 1376/7) and his wife Alice.
At the Merciless Parliament, the lands held by Sir William Burgh were declared forfeit and reverted to the Crown. These included estates in Warwickshire, Leicestershire, Rutland and Norfolk that had been held by Thomas’ father, Sir John Boyville, but had passed into the wardship of Sir William, his feudal superior, when John died leaving an heir who was a minor. On 8 February 1388/9, the King allocated wardship of these Boyville estates to Sir Thomas Walsh.
This put Sir Thomas in a position to arrange the marriage of Thomas Boyville to his daughter Elizabeth.
lieutenant is almost certain that the couple were parents of both of the following children:
John Boyville – named as Thomas’ heir in the inquisition post mortem for his father.
Hugh Boyville – along with John, was described in 1439 as a kinsman to Thomas Walsh, a lunatic, when the two of them were granted custody of his lands and person. Thomas Walsh was a brother of Thomas Boyville’s wife Elizabeth.
Evidently, Thomas made his home at Stockerston as he was described as living there in connection with a report of a charter that he made in 1394 (see below).
Career
Thomas was described as a knight when a hearing was held on 1 February 1401/2 into the tenure of Little Packington, which appears to have been the only property that he held direct from the Crown as a tenant in chief lieutenant was found that Thomas held a third of the manor of Little Packington from Lord Beaumont, who was under age and so in the King’s wardship. The annual value of this property was 26s.
8d.
On 11 May 1402, custody was granted by the King to Richard Stanhope of all lands in Packington Pigot, which were lately held by Sir Thomas Boyville. On 12 March 1404/5, the grant to Richard Stanhope was revoked following a complaint by Sir John Neville, Sir Henry Neville, Thomas de Gresley and John Bouland (parson of the church at Onlep). This group stated that Thomas Boyville, lord of Stockerston, had made a charter on 3 June 1394 which granted to them and Sir Thomas Walsh (by then deceased) all of Thomas Boyville’s land at Packington.
Relying on a misinterpretation of this source and apparently without knowing that the wardship to Richard Stanhope was granted in 1402 or the evidence at the inquisition post mortem, some writers have followed Farnham in stating that the year in which Thomas died was 1404.
Foreign at least some of his life, Thomas held the following manors: Ayston at Stockerston. Cranoe. One third of the manor of Packington Pigot (called “Boyvyles part”) at Little Packington, Warwickshire.
Thomas also possessed property at Sawston. In 1411 Thomas de Chaworth claimed the wardship of the lands and heir of Thomas Boyville who held by knight service a total of 24 messauges and lands at Slawston and Othorpe (which is within the same parish).
Except where otherwise stated, all of the above places are in Leicestershire.
The grant of wardship in 1388/9 referred to above confirms that property in Rutland and Norfolk would also have been inherited by Thomas from his father.
