In 1463, his father Sir John FitzJohn le Boteler was murdered and Thomas's elder brother, William, inherited the estates.

William died at the age of 22, fighting in the Lancastrian ranks at the Battle of Tewkesbury in 1471 and Thomas inherited the estates.

[3] In November 1480 Thomas married Margaret, daughter of Sir John Delves of Doddington, who also fell at Tewksbury.

[4] Thomas, by his marriage, was related to Margaret, Countess of Richmond and when Henry of Richmond, Lady Margaret's son, landed at Milford Haven to regain the Crown of England for the Lancastrians, Thoms was part of the troops who marched south to help in the overthrow of Richard III at the battle of Bosworth Field in 1485.

Sir Thomas was re-appointed a Justice of the Peace by Henry VIII and he busied himself with the duties of this office.

In 1520 Sir Thomas headed the list of subscriptions for the building of the steeple at Lymm and in the same year he made his last will, which provided for the foundation of the Boteler Grammar School.

Sir Thomas died at Bewsey on 27 April 1522 and was buried in the Boteler chapel of the St. Elphin's Church.

The passage from Sir Thomas Boeler's Will which provides for the school is:[5] And where I, the saide sir Thomas, have delyvered by indenture tripartite into the custody and kepynge of the right reverend father in God John th' abbot of Whalley that now is 500 marks in gold, savelie to be kept to myn use and to be disposed at my pleasure, it is my full will and mynde that myn executors shall have the dispocion and orderinge of the saide summe of 500 marks to purchase and obteyne lands and tennements or rents to the yerelie value of ten pound above all charges, or as much thereof as shall be unprovided and unpurchased by me the saide sir Thomas, and therwithe to founde a free grammar school in Weryngton to endure for ever... And it is my will that my executors during theire several lyves, and after theire decease that my heires from tyme to tyme shall denominate, name and appoynte an honest preste, groundely lernede in grammar, to be maister of the saide scole, whiche shall saye masse, pray and do dyvine service at the saide paroche churche of Weryngton for the soule of me the saide sir Thomas, dame Margaret my wyffe, myn ancestors, and myn heires after their deceases.Sir Thomas' wishes were carried into effect by a deed signed on 26 April 1526.

In 1534 he was made High Sheriff of Lancashire, and in the same year was granted the arms which his father had borne before him.

His son Edward rapidly wasted his inheritance and signed a series of deeds making over the succession of all the Boteler estates to Robert Dudley, 1st Earl of Leicester, who seems to have lent him much money and to have demanded this security.

[9] The new owner soon sold the estates, which eventually passed to the ancestors of Baron Lilford who continued to nominate two members of the Board of Governors of the Grammar School into the twentieth century.

In 1602, Sir Peter Warburton, a lawyer and bencher of Staples Inn, took upon himself the task of recovering the lost estates of the School.

Sir Peter added to the benefactions by granting to the School a rent charge of £5 per annum issuing out of a messuage in Chester.

[12] The first quarter of the 19th century was marked by two unfortunate choices of Head-master : Robert Atherton Rawstorne (1807–1814) and William Bordman (1815–1828).

The new Master left the entire management of the school to Bordman, who also occupied the School-house, thus converting the mastership into a sinecure.

Unfortunately the behaviour of Bordman was such that constant complaints were made against him, and in 1828 the Trustees of the School agreed to pay him to retire !

His interest was not only confined to his own school; at that time thoughtful people were beginning to realise that no provision at all was made for the elementary education of the masses.

Bayne and the Rector of Warrington raised the money for building and maintaining the National Schools in Church street, which were opened in 1833.