Image: Arms SirThomasScott(d.1594) OfScot'sHall Kent

Description: Coats of arms of Sir Thomas Scott (1535-1594), of Scot's Hall in Kent, MP, from a family pedigree illuminated on vellum, commissioned by his second son Sir John Scott (1570-1616) of Nettlestead Place, MP. The two shields show his quartered arms impaling the arms of each of his two wives: left: his first wife Elizabeth Baker (d. 17 November 1583), the daughter of Sir John Baker of Sissinghurst and sister-in-law of Thomas Sackville, 1st Earl of Dorset; right: his second wife Elizabeth Heyman (d.1595), daughter of Ralph Heyman of Somerfield.
Title: Arms SirThomasScott(d.1594) OfScot'sHall Kent
Credit: Bonhams catalogue entry: Illuminated pedigree of the Scott family of Scot's Hall, Kent, evidently prepared for Sir John Scott of Nettlestead, Kent, tracing his descent from the lines of Scott, Pympe, Pashley, and Woodville (or Wydeville), through whom with the alliance of Elizabeth Woodville to Edward IV the family could claim royal blood, emblazoned with coats of arms and two figures in armour, one of Sir John Scott, Kentish adherent of Edward IV; together with a later pedigree and a copy, the main pedigree on three skins of vellum, some creasing, dust-staining and a few marks, but overall in good and attractive condition, nearly 2000 x 750 mm., [c.1615]. This handsome illuminated pedigree traces the descent of nine children (out of seventeen) of Sir Thomas Scott (1534x6-1594), of Scot's Hall, Smeeth, Kent, and his first wife, Elizabeth, heiress of Sir John Baker of Sissinghurst Castle. It was evidently commissioned by his second son, Sir John Scott (d.1616) of Nettlestead Place, Kent. Sir Thomas had inherited from his father thirty manors centred in the Medway valley and Ashford area: "Related to Robert Dudley, earl of Leicester, and a correspondent of many aristocrats, Scott made lavish display of wealth and hospitality that caused his contemporaries in the county to view him 'like a reigning monarch'... He rebuilt Scot's Hall into a magnificent mansion about 1580, and also extensively rebuilt Nettlestead Place, his house by the Medway. He was said to have entertained hundreds at a time, and his Christmas feasts were renowned. He was knighted in 1570" (Louis A. Knafla, ODNB; see also the entry for the Scott Family of Scot's Hall, for members of the family between c.1400 and c.1525, many of whom appear on this pedigree, including Sir John Scott, the follower of Edward IV and founder of the family's fortunes, whose portrait it features). Sir Thomas's second son, Sir John Scott of Nettlestead Place, takes central place in the last line of this pedigree (rather than the eldest son, Thomas), indicating that it was he who commissioned it. Sir John had served under Willoughby in the Low Countries, been imprisoned in the Tower for his support of the Earl of Essex, and served as MP for Kent: "In Kent John Scott, rather than his elder brother, Thomas, seems to have wielded the local influence of his family... Scott's primary domestic occupation was in building works. He was preoccupied with building at Nettlestead, the expansion of his gardens there across the Medway, and construction of a new bridge across the river that was later pulled down... Scott died in his principal residence at Nettlestead Place about 28 December 1616... He left most of the estate he could dispose of to his wife, Catherine, but his debts (uncatalogued) were so large that he offered her £500 in cash (if the executors could raise it) if she declined her dower and took her jointure as the latter had been heavily mortgaged. In the end his debts were too large for his estate, and later Nettlestead, inherited by his younger brother, Edward, was pulled down and sold for its materials" (Knafla, op.cit.). This pedigree is clearly unfinished, with blank roundels having been made for eight of Sir Thomas's grandchildren and other details remaining to be filled in. Given Sir John's status and spending habits - and indeed the pedigree's high quality - it seems probable that it was prepared by one of the leading heraldic artists of the day, and abandoned when Sir John's estate crashed in 1616. Sold at Bonhams Auctioneers, London, 26 Jun 2007, Lot 46 "HERALDRY - SCOTT FAMILY OF KENT", for £3,840[1]
Author: Unknown heraldic artist
Usage Terms: Public domain
License: Public domain
Attribution Required?: No