Thomas Myddelton

Who was Thomas Myddelton?

Sir Thomas Myddelton was the fourth son of Richard Myddelton, Governor of Denbigh, and Jane Dryhurst.

As a youth, he was apprenticed to a grocer in London, and made his fortune in trade. He divided his time between London and Wales, and purchased Chirk Castle in 1595 for £5,000. He was a member of the Grocers' Company, a member of Parliament and a founder member of the East India Company, Sheriff of London in 1604 and Lord Mayor of London in 1613. His brother, Sir Hugh Myddleton, was instrumental in the creation of the New River which supplied London with fresh water from 1613.

He married four times. By his first wife Hester, a daughter of Sir Richard Saltonstall, he was the father of Thomas Myddelton of Chirk Castle. His younger son, Timothy, inherited his estates in Essex.

Along with Rowland Heylyn, Myddelton financed the publication of a Welsh language Bible suitable for everyday use.