Thomas Myddelton made part of his fortune trading in sugar. He was apprenticed to Fernando Poyntz, a London grocer with extensive dealings in the Netherlands especially in refined sugar and by 1578 Thomas was factor to Poyntz at Flushing. Four years later he was out of his apprenticeship and a freeman of the Company of Grocers trading in sugar in Antwerp.
His Journal shows sugar transactions amounting to a turnover of over £6,000 in three months in 1583. Dealings with the Antwerp 'sugar baekers' continued till 1586. It was probably during this period that he reconstructed his business setting up his own 'sugarhowse' in Mincing Lane, London, one of only seven in the country in partnership with Nicholas Farrar and Erasmus Harby.
Thomas Myddelton's first wife was Hestor Saltonstall daughter of Alderman Richard Saltonstall, Governor of the Merchant Adventures by 1588 and Lord Mayor in 1597. Thomas was to be associated with him in many commercial ventures and voyages.
In 1585 Thomas Myddelton moved to St Mary Aldermanbury in Cripplegate, close to the home of the Walsingham family and soon after Thomas appears at court and is appointed one of the four surveyors of the outports and collectors of the custom and excise. This gave him access to the large sums of money from the time of collection until they had to be accounted to the exchequer. Normal practise was that in the meantime this could be used for private speculation.
Myddelton helped to finance voyages between 1588 and 1596 - sometimes as treasurer of the voyage, sometimes victualling ships of others, sometimes as a shareholder in the vessels. The names Drake, Hawkins, Frobisher and Raleigh appear regularly in his accounts.
Most notably in 1592 he was investor in and treasurer of the voyage principally financed by Raleigh and led by Frobisher of which detailed accounts survive. This voyage captured the Portuguese ship, a Carrack, the 'Madre de Dios' the richest prize of the Elizabethan reign. The Madre de Dios was travelling from Cochin, India to Lisbon, but had called at Angola, Africa. When the carrack was brought into Dartmouth, Myddelton was sent to Dartmouth as one of the five commissioners (with Robert Cecil, Walter Raleigh, Francis Drake, Richard Killygrewe), to assess and dispose of the fabulous cargo for some £150,000 which was divided among the venturers, including the monarchy.
According to The Principal Navigations Voyages Traffiques & Discoveries of the English Nation, Richard Hakluyt, Vol. VII:
"The Carrack in addition to her crew and passengers had on board a large number of negroes who were, under the General's direction, landed on the island of Corvo."
Corvo is the smallest of the islands of the Azores.
History tell us that the newly rich Tudor Welsh flocked to London and the court, to fat livings in and around the city and the service of the great ones of the land. But many returned to provide a more effective leadership by settling themselves and their sons back in their home country and providing a much-needed inflow of capital to Wales.
An outstanding example of this is Thomas Myddelton. As his interest in the merchant voyages declined he became increasingly a financier, providing loans to many hundreds of his country men. To name a few, Sir Thomas Morgan "the warrior", the Bishop of St Asaph, Sir Richard Clough, John Philipps of Picton, and the Salusburys of Bachymbyd and Rûg.
In many instances his capital had a stimulating effect on the Welsh economy, for example his investment in the copper works at Neath, his purchases of grain and foodstuffs for the provisioning of voyages and expeditions because of his involvement in the creation of the East India Company.
He financed new building such as Vaenol Fawr, provided mortgages on family estates and successfully invested money for those who wished to speculate.
Finally, and certainly without profit, Sir Thomas invested in the publication of religious works in the Welsh language, most notably 'Beibl Bach', the first portable bible in the Welsh language.
Among his other achievements were the fact that he became Lord Mayor of London in 1613.
Made his fortune trading in sugar. His family lived at 
