Biography of Thomas Cooke -1478
Paternal Family Tree: Cooke
Thomas Cooke was born to Robert Cooke of Lavenham in Suffolk.
In 1453 Thomas Cooke was appointed Sheriff of London.
In 1460 Thomas Cooke was elected MP City of London.
In 1462 Thomas Cooke was elected Lord Mayor of London.
Before 1467 Thomas Cooke and Elizabeth Malpas were married.
In 1467 Thomas Cooke commissioned the building of Gidea Hall, Essex [Map]. It was completed by his descendant [his great grandson] Anthony Cooke.
In 1467 Thomas Cooke was charged with high treason for lending money to Margaret (age 36), the queen of the deposed Lancastrian King Henry VI (age 45), on the strength of a confession of a statement obtained under torture from one Hawkins. Chief Justice Markham directed the jury to find it only misprision of treason, whereby Cooke's lands and life were saved, though he was heavily fined and long imprisoned. While awaiting his trial in the Tower his effects, both at his town house and at Gidea Hall [Map], were seized by Lord Rivers (age 62), then treasurer of England, and his wife was committed to the custody of the mayor. On his acquittal he was sent to the Bread Street compter [Map], and afterwards to the king's bench [Map], and was kept there until he paid eight thousand pounds to the king (age 24) and eight hundred pounds to the queen (age 30). Lord Rivers and his wife (age 52), the Duchess of Bedford, also obtained the dismissal of Markham from his office for having determined that Cooke was not guilty of treason.
In 1470 Thomas Cooke was elected MP City of London.
In 1478 Thomas Cooke died. He was buried at the Church of the Augustine Friars.
[his son] Philip Cooke was born to Thomas Cooke.