Thomas Griffin - Knight of Weston-Favell, Northamptonshire & Gumley, Leicestershire

- The Facts -
The Griffin’s ancestry can be traced back to Ralph Griffin (b.1190) who was descended from the Welsh Griffith family.
Thomas Griffin was born in 1323 – the son of Sir John Griffin of Weston-Favell in Northamptonshire and Elizabeth Favell – heiress of John Favell.
He is the first member of his family of note as he married Elizabeth De Latimer (in 1349) – the daughter & heiress of Warren De Latimer, Lord Latimer of Braybrooke & inherited his father-in-law’s title of Lord Latimer & Braybrooke Castle upon his father-in-law’s death in 1349.
Thomas & Elizabeth had 11 children: Richard, Thomas, Anne, Elizabeth, Hugh, Elizabeth & John plus 2 unnamed male & 2 unnamed female children.
He died in 1360 at the age of 37.
His son & heir Richard did not inherit the title of Lord Braybrooke as it was reclaimed by the widow of Elizabeth De Latimer’s brother. However, it was restored to his grandson John Griffin upon her death in 1421 .
The family mottoes of the Griffins is:
'Non quo, sed quo modo' meaning 'Not for whom, but in what manner'
& 'Fide Et Fortitudine' meaning ‘Faithful & Courageous’

- The Fiction -
I originally chose to play the character of Sir Thomas Griffin because of the coat of arms, which stands out well on the battlefield and looks rather dramatic. When I first began to research the background, some 20+ years ago, there was almost no information available and what little there was was inaccurate and mixed-up.
Apart from the facts, there seems to be no real evidence of what kind of person he was, except the fact that he obviously got on quite well with Elizabeth!. Therefore, I have been free to play the character as I choose.
In my interpretation, Thomas is strong of mind and body, faithful and courageous and rather inclined to draw his sword in order to redress injustice. He tends to see things as black or white (which is rather appropriate considering his coat of arms) and he definitely isn't a politician, more of a crusader for justice.

In the 20+ years that he has graced the battlefields of England, he has developed a reputation as a tough combatant, skilled with a blade (or two) and still fit enough to give some of the young pups a good thrashing, when needed.

He also has a darker side, which tends to come out at tournaments - when he turns into the archetypal "Black Knight" and causes utter mayhem - and that's on a good day!