Tomas de Courcy

Tomas deCourcy

Tomas deCourcy is a student at Oxford in This Year of our Lord 1538. The youngest of four brothers and he has mostly had to earn his way, traveling often to the Kingdom of An Tir, he has rendered such service to An Tir as to be granted an Award of Arms by Princess Bernadette In the Year of the Society XXXIX.

Tomas first came to An Tir in AS XXXVI after hearing about it from some traveling warriors. On his first voyage he was in time to see the annual war between the Barony of Lions Gate and the Barony of Seagirt. Since then he has spent as much time assisting the officers of the Shire as he can, even assisting in the organization side of the local Fencing group.

When he is not studying for his Artium Baccalaureus, Tomas studies the Arte of Defence in the Shire of Lionsdale (his home when he is not at school).

Tomas just recently autocratted his first event, Lionsdale Champion's Tourney, in June of AS XLI with his co-autocrat Lord John Shewan. Now that this event has passed and was successful he intends to co-autocrat next year's event with HL Johanna Morgenstochter.

Tomas deCourcy enjoys Rapier, Thrown Weapons, Missile combat, Dancing, Story Telling, Singing, Heraldry, and Marshaling.

His Lady, Kayleigh deLeis, is a young Irish woman whom Tomas has fallen in love with. She often accompanies him on his journeys to An Tir.

History

Family

The fourth son of a minor lord in Suffolk Tomas' early life was taken up mostly with lessons and learning about the local trades: sheep and wool. He has three brothers who all took different paths. The first is inheriting the manor and works with Tomas' father, learning how to run the land; the second is a lawyer in London, and the third married into a wealthy merchant's family and is learning the tricks of the wool trade. His family, not being very well to do, decided early to rent their land to the common people in exchange for a percentage of their production and their aid on the deCourcy land. Although this lead to their being considered by many neighbors to be little more than merchants, in the ensuing decades as their neighbors lost their tenants and their income and the deCourcys got more tenants and more money the scorn of the neighbors was muted somewhat.

Regardless of his family's income the deCourcys are a very minor noble family. As a result the three younger sons have had to go into the world to earn their living.

Oxford

Always interested in learning he set his goal as being Oxford, and his intent to earn his living through teaching.

He is currently studying for his Artium Baccalaureus, and will continue onto his Master of Arts and take his place in Convocation.

Heraldry

His proposed heraldic device is blazoned: Azure a eagle rising wings displayed & inverted argent

Proposed Device