Like most families of nobility during the early modern period, the Cheynes could trace their lineage back to the Norman Conquest. Thomas Cheyne was born c. 1485, the son of William de Cheyne and Margaret Young of Shurland Hall, Sheppey. The family was influential on the Isle of Sheppey but also at the Tudor court. Thomas’s father, William, was Constable of Queenborough Castle, and Sheriff of Kent. However, his father died when Thomas was very young and his uncle John Cheyne of Berkshire, who was Henry Tudor’s standard bearer at the Battle of Bosworth Field, became his guardian.1 Thomas with his half-brother Francis grew up in and around court, where their uncle John, who was known as the “Vigorous Knight” was influential. At Henry VII’s funeral in 1509, Thomas, Francis and John Cheny [sic] (a cousin) were listed as squires for the body of the King2 and at the Coronation of the new king, Francis was one of 26 “honourable persons” to be made a Knight of the Bath .3

Thomas and Francis enjoyed life at court and took part in the ‘feats of arms’. As one of Henry’s loyal supporters, Thomas was given an annuity of 20 l during pleasure in August 1509.4 In late May/early June 1510, during a week of tournaments, Francis fought in combat against Lord Howard, whilst Thomas was pitted against the King.5 After the birth of his first son, Henry Duke of Cornwall, Henry VIII held a public tournament, to mark the occasion. Cheyne’s presence is recorded, “Signed for the first day: Rycharde Gray, Thomas Cheyny, William Par, Robert Morton, Richard Blunt, Thomas Tyrell, Sr. Rowland, Cristoffer Willoughby.” Henry wanted this event to be documented, and a roll of honour was produced, with an illustrated manuscript of the tournament.6

The Westminster Tournament Challenge
The Westminster Tournament Challenge

Thomas Cheyne also experienced combat in battle. On the 25th April 1513 he entered Brest harbour with Admiral Howard to “burn the French vessels lying there” Howard lost his life but, “Cheyne came out of the conflict unscathed,”7 Cheyne would also join Henry in the August of that year at the Battle of Spurs where he was given orders to supply twenty men to fight in the war.8 This was a significant battle for Henry who had joined with the forces of the ‘Holy League’ comprising the Papal States under Pope Julius II, Spain under Ferdinand II of Aragon, the Holy Roman Empire under Maximillian I and the Swiss Confederacy. A victory for Henry not only served the interests and objectives of the ‘Holy League’ in their war against the French; but was also an opportunity for the young Tudor king, to demonstrate England’s power under his leadership and cement himself as a powerful figure of state.

Sir Thomas Cheyne was appointed to serve alongside Henry VIII again in 1520, at the ‘Field of Cloth and Gold’ - a diplomatic event between Henry VIII and Francis I, designed to strengthen relations between England and France. Cheyne, gained a reputation as an international diplomat for the Tudor court.9 In May 1522, Cheyne received instruction to encourage Francis to make a truce with The Emperor ‘of the Holy Roman Empire’ Charles V. This period coincided with the Visit from Charles V to England in May 1522. Cheyne’s sphere within the Tudor Court was not limited to international diplomacy. He was the king’s personal envoy charged with sourcing horses for Henry’s interest in equestrian sports.10

Spanning the reign of Henry VIII, Cheyne held many positions of responsibility and power. He was appointed Constable of Queenborough (1512), Rochester (1525), Dover (1536) and Saltwood Castles (1540). Other positions included: Sherrif of Kent (1515); Knight of the Garter; Justice of the Peace; Knight of the Shire; Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports; Treasurer of the household; and Privy Councillor.

The Coat of Arms of Sir Thomas Cheney
The Coat of Arms of Sir Thomas Cheney

In 1532, Cheyne extended a personal invitation to King Henry, and his soon to be bride Anne Boleyn, to stay at his family home, Shurland Hall.11 Anne was related to Thomas’s half-brother Francis, whose mother was Isabel Boleyn. The visit lasted for a period of three days and incurred a total expenditure of “£30 13s. 4d”12 an enormous sum at the time.

Cheyne benefitted greatly from his relationship with Henry and after the dissolution of the monasteries was granted “the site of the [Minster] Abbey, together with all its lands, the windmill, sundry premises, and all other possessions whatsoever”.13 As a result, he became the “paramount Lord over all Sheppey”.14 At the time of the dissolution, the Abbey had around 470 sheep.”15 Cheyne obtained royal licences to export “no less than five hundred sacks of wool”16 which benefitted the island’s economy greatly. Queenborough became a prosperous shipping port and a staple for wool.17 Cheyne’s loyalty to Henry VIII was rewarded. At his death, Henry VIII left Cheyne £200 “in token of his special love and favour” and named him as an assistant executor.18

During his lifetime, Thomas became one of the most powerful men in Kent.19 His life spanned the reigns of all the Tudor monarchs and as such he had to maintain a certain religious fluidity, flip-flopping between Catholicism and Protestantism to retain favour.20 He died on the 16 December 1558 of the the ‘new ague’ at the Tower of London21; his remains were returned to Sheppey and he was buried at the chapel of St John-at-Minster.22

The Tomb of Sir Thomas Cheney
The Tomb of Sir Thomas Cheney

References

  1. Fleming, Peter. Sir Thomas Cheyne, Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports, 1536-1558: Central Authority and the Defence of Local Privilege, Hambledon Press, 1998, p.125. ↩︎

  2. Letters and Papers, Foreign and Domestic, Henry VIII, vol. 1, 1509–1514, ed. J. S. Brewer (London, 1920), “Henry VIII: July 1511,” 14. British History Online ↩︎

  3. Brewer, J. S.; Brodie, R. H., eds. Letters and Papers, Foreign and Domestic of the Reign of Henry VIII, Preserved in the Public Record Office, the British Museum, and Elsewhere. Vol. 1, Pt. 1 (2nd ed.). London: His Majesty’s Stationery Office, 1920, pp. 14. ↩︎

  4. Letters and papers, foreign and domestic of the reign of Henry VIII, London :H.M. Stationery Office,; Great Britain. Public Record Office; Henry VIII, King of England, 1491-1547, 1862. p.81. ↩︎

  5. Letters and papers, foreign and domestic of the reign of Henry VIII, London :H.M. Stationery Office,; Great Britain. Public Record Office; Henry VIII, King of England, 1491-1547 , 1862 p.1551 ↩︎

  6. Letters and Papers, Henry VIII, 1:377. ↩︎

  7. Augustus A. Daly, The History of the Isle of Sheppey from the Roman Occupation to the Reign of King Edward VII. (1904; reprint., Sheerness: Arthur J. Cassell, 1975), 136. ↩︎

  8. Daly, History of the Isle of Sheppey, 138. ↩︎

  9. Letters and Papers, Henry VIII, 3:943-959. ↩︎

  10. Letters and Papers, Henry VIII, 3:167. ↩︎

  11. Daly, History of the Isle of Sheppey, 142. ↩︎

  12. Daly, History of the Isle of Sheppey, 175. ↩︎

  13. Daly, History of the Isle of Sheppey, 147. ↩︎

  14. Daly, History of the Isle of Sheppey, 147. ↩︎

  15. Daly, History of the Isle of Sheppey, 146. ↩︎

  16. Daly, History of the Isle of Sheppey, 138. ↩︎

  17. Daly, History of the Isle of Sheppey, 175. ↩︎

  18. Lehmberg, “Cheyne, Sir Thomas(c. 1485–1558), administrator and diplomat.” Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. January 03, 2008. Oxford University Press. Date of access 21 May. 2026, https://www.oxforddnb.com/view/10.1093/ref:odnb/9780198614128.001.0001/odnb-9780198614128-e-5263 ↩︎

  19. Lehmberg, “Cheyne, Sir Thoma (c. 1485–1558), administrator and diplomat.” Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. January 03, 2008. Oxford University Press. Date of access 21 May. 2026, https://www.oxforddnb.com/view/10.1093/ref:odnb/9780198614128.001.0001/odnb-9780198614128-e-5263 ↩︎

  20. Daly, History of the Isle of Sheppey, 166. ↩︎

  21. Lehmberg, “Cheyne, Sir Thomas(c. 1485–1558), administrator and diplomat.” Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. January 03, 2008. Oxford University Press. Date of access 21 May. 2026, https://www.oxforddnb.com/view/10.1093/ref:odnb/9780198614128.001.0001/odnb-9780198614128-e-5263 ↩︎

  22. Lehmberg, “Cheyne, Sir Thomas(c. 1485–1558), administrator and diplomat.” Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. January 03, 2008. Oxford University Press. Date of access 21 May. 2026, https://www.oxforddnb.com/view/10.1093/ref:odnb/9780198614128.001.0001/odnb-9780198614128-e-5263 ↩︎