THOMAS HENEAGE, KT

Financial papers of Richard Eton, especially relating to his dealings with the Heneage family, and a number of items relating to that family alone.

Richard Eton was a London mercer and, from the reign of Henry VIII to at least that of Edward VI a customs official in the port of London. It appears from his personal papers that he was a wealthy man who both traded on his own account and who acted as agent for others.

His relationship with Robert Heneage (d 1556), Auditor of the Duchy of Lancaster, Surveyor of the woods north of Trent, and a Customer of London, and with his brother, the courtier Thomas Heneage (knighted 1537, d 1553) is unclear. Both were addressed as 'master' by Eton; and a number of Eton's private account books concerning the customs of London, acting either on his own behalf, or as deputy to Robert, are in the record class E 122. Both men borrowed money from Eton. Robert appears to have been heavily indebted to him; whereas in Thomas's case it is possible that Eton acted as a financial controller rather than a financier