Thomas Mashiter Master 1870-1872
Thomas Mashiter the Younger was born in 1816 and seems to have lived the life of the son of a country gentleman. He was a keen hunting man and in "Essex Foxhounds" by Richard Ball and Tresham Gilbey it is quoted the he "was the hardest of all who threw their lot with the Essex Hounds in the 1850s and 1860s. He used to dress himself after the conventional portrait of John Bull and was indeed a merry soul".
The portrait (above right) held in Romford Library shows him on his favourite hunter "Van Dunk".
Thomas Mashiter was elected Renter Warden of the Worshipful Company of Bowyers for the period 1866 - 1868, and was Master of the Company from 1870 to 1872.
It is recorded that he brought action for damaging trees against V Parish the elder, Parish the younger and Tickner who were fined 15 shillings.
It is recorded on the rolls that he was the Quartermaster Sergeant in the Volunteers in 1860.
Thomas is said to have suffered severely from gout later in life due to his addiction to port, and even had to be fed by one of the maids!
He never married but at one time he lived in his mother's house Whybridge, Hornchurch.
In 1881 and 1882 he loaned his carriage to allow members of eh Company to go on a carriage drive to Purfleet and in Epping Forest.
In September 1881 he proposed that an annual subscription be given to encourage rifle shooting in the Army.
According to the Illustrated London news Thomas Mashiter of Priests, near Romford in Essex died on 15th December 1888.