1622
ecords about the Ramms in Riga date back to as early as 1463. Thomas Ramm, born in Riga as a son of a minter, went to study law at the University of Helmstedt in Germany in 1585, and then attended the universities of Jena and Heidelberg, returned to his home town and was elected magistrate in 1600 and then burgomaster in 1620, i.e. the mayor. When the Swedish army led by king Gustavus Adolphus laid a siege to Riga at the end of August 1621, Thomas Ramm was one of those who insisted that peace negotiations should start with the attackers. Riga, which until then had been part of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, surrendered already on 25th September. A couple of weeks later king Gustavus Adolphus, after hearing that Thomas Ramm had shown great friendliness towards the Swedish, appointed him a burgomaster again and, a year later, on 22nd August 1622 granted him a large tract of land in the western Harju county. It included the royal manor with its centre at Padise, but also Vihterpalu and Vasalemma. Thomas Ramm did not obtain full ownership of the manorial estates until 29th August 1624 when the king awarded him a nobility title. Ramm was the burgomaster of Riga until his death in February 1631, but a little before his death in 1630, he was elected Vice President of the Tartu Court.of Appeal, the highest court in this region.
