Thomas Dymes

  General Notes:

Thomas is possible the brother of William Demes, a shearman and burgess of Southampton, who died in 1570. William Demes left his money to his brothers Thomas and John and his sister Agnes. These would be the siblings of our Thomas. He left the tools of his trade to his nephew WIlliam. This is likely to be our Thomas's son William, who also was a Shearer. If this is Thomas's son William, Willaim would have been 20 years old when left his Uncle's shaerman tools. William Demes had been admitted as a burgess (freeman) on 20th November 1560 when John Capelin was Mayor of Southampton. The Muster returns for August 1567 state that William Demes had rwo servants, John Blackburne and Thomas Taylor. William Demes had the following equipment
A pair of Almain rivets, (a sort of light armor from Germany, characterized by overlapping plates, arranged to slide on rivets, and thus afford great flexibility).
A hargobosier, (a kind of musket ?)
A morion, (A crested metal helmet with a curved peak in front and back, worn by soldiers in the 16th and 17th centuries).
A bow and sheaf of arrows.
A halbert, (A long-handled weapon, of which the head had a point and several long, sharp edges, curved or straight, and sometimes additional points. The heads were sometimes of very elaborate form. It could be used to split an enemies helmet)
In 1571, Agnes the widow of William Demes, of Holy Rood Ward, Southampton was taxed in goods at 6 pounds. SHe had been married before her marriage to William and had a son Hugh le Nevyn who inherited William's leasehold house.