Henry Norris, 1st Baron Norreys
Encyclopedia
Henry Norris Baron Norris (15257 May 1601) belonged to an old Berkshire
family, many members of which had held positions at the English court. He was the son of Sir Henry Norreys, who was beheaded
for his supposed adultery
with Queen Anne Boleyn
, and Mary Fiennes
(ca. 1495-1531), daughter of Thomas Fiennes, Lord Dacre
.
, and in December 1542 his uncle Sir John Norreys of Yattendon
, was licensed to settle his estates in reversion on Henry, who was his ward, and on Margery, the younger daughter of John Williams, Baron Williams of Thame
, and their heirs. The couple must therefore have been betrothed by this date.
Henry's prospects were bright. He was made a Knight of the Shire
for Berkshire
in 1547. His wife, Margery, was the coheir of her wealthy father, who had become treasurer of the court of augmentations and who was continuing to acquire land in Berkshire
. The deaths of Henry's uncle (1563) and father-in-law (1559) greatly increased Henry's already considerable wealth, bringing him properties in Oxfordshire
, where he and his wife settled, and in Berkshire
. These included Rycote
, Sydenham
and Yattendon Castle
.
. After the succession crisis, Queen Mary
did not hold this act against him, approving his appointment as butler of Poole
later in that same year. In 1554 he was assigned to guard Princess Elizabeth
at Woodstock
. Elizabeth believed his father had died for his loyalty to her mother, Queen Anne
, and brought him and his wife into her trusted circle, were he would stay for the remainder of his life.
In November 1565, on the occasion of the third marriage of Ambrose Dudley, Earl of Warwick
, another member of Elizabeth's trusted circle, Henry participated in a tournament in the Queen's presence.
Elizabeth visited the couple at their home twice; in September 1566 on her return from Oxford
, during which she knight
ed Henry, and in September 1592, on another journey from Oxford
. Upon the death of their son, Sir John Norreys
, who was a distinguished soldier in Elizabeth's
armies, the queen sent a stately letter of condolence to "my own dear crow", as the Queen still affectionately called Margery.
. In the autumn of 1566, he was appointed Ambassador to France
by the queen. He was recalled in August 1570 and replaced by Sir Francis Walsingham
. By way of recompense for his services abroad, he was summoned to the House of Lords
, as Baron Norreys
of Rycote, on 8 May 1572.
In October 1596, Henry was created Lord Lieutenant of Oxfordshire
. He already held the same office
for Berkshire
.
, where his son Edward was living. Finally, on 5 August, he was re-interred at Rycote, in a vault beneath the chapel of St Michael and All Angels, in the grounds of Rycote House. His will was dated 24 September 1589.
erected in honour of them and their six sons in St. Andrew's Chapel in Westminster Abbey
. Life-size effigies
of Lord and Lady Norreys lie beneath an elaborate canopy supported by marble pillar
s and they are surrounded by kneeling figures of their children.http://www.berkshirehistory.com/bios/hnorreys_1bnofr.html
Berkshire
Berkshire is a historic county in the South of England. It is also often referred to as the Royal County of Berkshire because of the presence of the royal residence of Windsor Castle in the county; this usage, which dates to the 19th century at least, was recognised by the Queen in 1957, and...
family, many members of which had held positions at the English court. He was the son of Sir Henry Norreys, who was beheaded
Decapitation
Decapitation is the separation of the head from the body. Beheading typically refers to the act of intentional decapitation, e.g., as a means of murder or execution; it may be accomplished, for example, with an axe, sword, knife, wire, or by other more sophisticated means such as a guillotine...
for his supposed adultery
Adultery
Adultery is sexual infidelity to one's spouse, and is a form of extramarital sex. It originally referred only to sex between a woman who was married and a person other than her spouse. Even in cases of separation from one's spouse, an extramarital affair is still considered adultery.Adultery is...
with Queen Anne Boleyn
Anne Boleyn
Anne Boleyn ;c.1501/1507 – 19 May 1536) was Queen of England from 1533 to 1536 as the second wife of Henry VIII of England and Marquess of Pembroke in her own right. Henry's marriage to Anne, and her subsequent execution, made her a key figure in the political and religious upheaval that was the...
, and Mary Fiennes
Mary Fiennes, Lady Norris
Mary Fiennes, Lady Norris was an English noblewoman and the wife of Sir Henry Norris who was executed for treason as one of the alleged lovers of her cousin, Anne Boleyn, the second wife of King Henry VIII of England...
(ca. 1495-1531), daughter of Thomas Fiennes, Lord Dacre
Baron Dacre
Baron Dacre is a title that has been created three times in the Peerage of England, every time by writ. The first creation came in 1321 when Ralph Dacre was summoned to Parliament as Lord Dacre. He married Margaret, 2nd Baroness Multon of Gilsland, heiress of a large estate in Cumbria centred on...
.
Early life
The early years of Henry's life are obscure. His mother had died in 1531, and his father was beheaded in 1536, leaving him and his younger sister Mary orphans. The children were brought up by their childless uncle, Sir John Norreys. Henry's patrimony was restored to him by an Act of 1539 by King Henry VIIIHenry VIII of England
Henry VIII was King of England from 21 April 1509 until his death. He was Lord, and later King, of Ireland, as well as continuing the nominal claim by the English monarchs to the Kingdom of France...
, and in December 1542 his uncle Sir John Norreys of Yattendon
Yattendon
Yattendon is a village and civil parish northeast of Newbury, Berkshire. The M4 motorway passes about south of the village.-Geography:Yattendon stretches from Everington in the west to the hamlet of Burnt Hill in the east and the woodland just east of Yattendon Court, including Mumgrove Copse,...
, was licensed to settle his estates in reversion on Henry, who was his ward, and on Margery, the younger daughter of John Williams, Baron Williams of Thame
John Williams, 1st Baron Williams of Thame
John Williams, 1st Baron Williams of Thame was Treasurer of the King's Jewels, Lord Chamberlain of England and Lord President of the Council of the Welsh Marches...
, and their heirs. The couple must therefore have been betrothed by this date.
Henry's prospects were bright. He was made a Knight of the Shire
Knights of the Shire
From the creation of the Parliament of England in mediaeval times until 1826 each county of England and Wales sent two Knights of the Shire as members of Parliament to represent the interests of the county, when the number of knights from Yorkshire was increased to four...
for Berkshire
Berkshire
Berkshire is a historic county in the South of England. It is also often referred to as the Royal County of Berkshire because of the presence of the royal residence of Windsor Castle in the county; this usage, which dates to the 19th century at least, was recognised by the Queen in 1957, and...
in 1547. His wife, Margery, was the coheir of her wealthy father, who had become treasurer of the court of augmentations and who was continuing to acquire land in Berkshire
Berkshire
Berkshire is a historic county in the South of England. It is also often referred to as the Royal County of Berkshire because of the presence of the royal residence of Windsor Castle in the county; this usage, which dates to the 19th century at least, was recognised by the Queen in 1957, and...
. The deaths of Henry's uncle (1563) and father-in-law (1559) greatly increased Henry's already considerable wealth, bringing him properties in Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire is a county in the South East region of England, bordering on Warwickshire and Northamptonshire , Buckinghamshire , Berkshire , Wiltshire and Gloucestershire ....
, where he and his wife settled, and in Berkshire
Berkshire
Berkshire is a historic county in the South of England. It is also often referred to as the Royal County of Berkshire because of the presence of the royal residence of Windsor Castle in the county; this usage, which dates to the 19th century at least, was recognised by the Queen in 1957, and...
. These included Rycote
Rycote
Rycote is a hamlet southwest of Thame in Oxfordshire.-Saint Michael's chapel:Richard and Sybil Quartermayne, lord and lady of the manor of Rycote, founded Saint Michael's chapel as a chantry in 1449. It is a Perpendicular Gothic building with a chancel, nave and west tower...
, Sydenham
Sydenham, Oxfordshire
Sydenham is a village and civil parish about southeast of Thame in Oxfordshire. To the south the parish is bounded by the ancient Lower Icknield Way, and on its other side largely by brooks that merge as Cuttle Brook, a tributary of the River Thame....
and Yattendon Castle
Yattendon Castle
Yattendon Castle was a fortified manor house located in the civil parish of Yattendon, in the hundred of Faircross, in the English county of Berkshire.-History:...
.
Royal friendship
In 1553, Henry was among the King's gentlemen who witnessed the device settling the crown upon Lady Jane GreyLady Jane Grey
Lady Jane Grey , also known as The Nine Days' Queen, was an English noblewoman who was de facto monarch of England from 10 July until 19 July 1553 and was subsequently executed...
. After the succession crisis, Queen Mary
Mary I of England
Mary I was queen regnant of England and Ireland from July 1553 until her death.She was the only surviving child born of the ill-fated marriage of Henry VIII and his first wife Catherine of Aragon. Her younger half-brother, Edward VI, succeeded Henry in 1547...
did not hold this act against him, approving his appointment as butler of Poole
Poole
Poole is a large coastal town and seaport in the county of Dorset, on the south coast of England. The town is east of Dorchester, and Bournemouth adjoins Poole to the east. The Borough of Poole was made a unitary authority in 1997, gaining administrative independence from Dorset County Council...
later in that same year. In 1554 he was assigned to guard Princess Elizabeth
Elizabeth I of England
Elizabeth I was queen regnant of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death. Sometimes called The Virgin Queen, Gloriana, or Good Queen Bess, Elizabeth was the fifth and last monarch of the Tudor dynasty...
at Woodstock
Woodstock, Oxfordshire
Woodstock is a small town northwest of Oxford in Oxfordshire, England. It is the location of Blenheim Palace, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.Winston Churchill was born in Blenheim Palace in 1874 and is buried in the nearby village of Bladon....
. Elizabeth believed his father had died for his loyalty to her mother, Queen Anne
Anne Boleyn
Anne Boleyn ;c.1501/1507 – 19 May 1536) was Queen of England from 1533 to 1536 as the second wife of Henry VIII of England and Marquess of Pembroke in her own right. Henry's marriage to Anne, and her subsequent execution, made her a key figure in the political and religious upheaval that was the...
, and brought him and his wife into her trusted circle, were he would stay for the remainder of his life.
In November 1565, on the occasion of the third marriage of Ambrose Dudley, Earl of Warwick
Ambrose Dudley, 3rd Earl of Warwick
Ambrose Dudley, 3rd Earl of Warwick, KG was an English nobleman and general, and an elder brother of Queen Elizabeth I's favourite, Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester...
, another member of Elizabeth's trusted circle, Henry participated in a tournament in the Queen's presence.
Elizabeth visited the couple at their home twice; in September 1566 on her return from Oxford
Oxford
The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...
, during which she knight
Knight
A knight was a member of a class of lower nobility in the High Middle Ages.By the Late Middle Ages, the rank had become associated with the ideals of chivalry, a code of conduct for the perfect courtly Christian warrior....
ed Henry, and in September 1592, on another journey from Oxford
Oxford
The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...
. Upon the death of their son, Sir John Norreys
John Norreys
Sir John Norreys , also frequently spelt John Norris, was an English soldier of a Berkshire family of court gentry, the son of Henry Norris, 1st Baron Norreys a lifelong friend of Queen Elizabeth....
, who was a distinguished soldier in Elizabeth's
Elizabeth I of England
Elizabeth I was queen regnant of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death. Sometimes called The Virgin Queen, Gloriana, or Good Queen Bess, Elizabeth was the fifth and last monarch of the Tudor dynasty...
armies, the queen sent a stately letter of condolence to "my own dear crow", as the Queen still affectionately called Margery.
Career
In 1561, Norris was made High Sheriff of Oxfordshire and BerkshireHigh Sheriff of Berkshire
The High Sheriff of Berkshire, in common with other counties, was originally the King's representative on taxation upholding the law in Saxon times. The word Sheriff evolved from 'shire-reeve'....
. In the autumn of 1566, he was appointed Ambassador to France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
by the queen. He was recalled in August 1570 and replaced by Sir Francis Walsingham
Francis Walsingham
Sir Francis Walsingham was Principal Secretary to Elizabeth I of England from 1573 until 1590, and is popularly remembered as her "spymaster". Walsingham is frequently cited as one of the earliest practitioners of modern intelligence methods both for espionage and for domestic security...
. By way of recompense for his services abroad, he was summoned to the House of Lords
House of Lords
The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster....
, as Baron Norreys
Baron Norreys
The title Baron Norreys of Rycote has been created in the Peerage of England, by writ. The creation was for Henry Norris in 1572. The 2nd Baron Norreys was created Viscount Thame and Earl of Berkshire, both titles became extinct on his death...
of Rycote, on 8 May 1572.
In October 1596, Henry was created Lord Lieutenant of Oxfordshire
Lord Lieutenant of Oxfordshire
This is a list of people who have served as Lord Lieutenant of Oxfordshire. Since 1689, all Lords Lieutenant have also been Custos Rotulorum of Oxfordshire.*Charles Brandon, 1st Duke of Suffolk 1545*vacant?*Sir Francis Knollys in 1565...
. He already held the same office
Lord Lieutenant of Berkshire
This is a list of people who have served as Lord Lieutenant of Berkshire. Since 1689, all Lords Lieutenant have also been Custos Rotulorum of Berkshire.-Lord Lieutenants of Berkshire:*Edward Seymour, 1st Duke of Somerset 1551 – 22 January 1552...
for Berkshire
Berkshire
Berkshire is a historic county in the South of England. It is also often referred to as the Royal County of Berkshire because of the presence of the royal residence of Windsor Castle in the county; this usage, which dates to the 19th century at least, was recognised by the Queen in 1957, and...
.
Marriage and issue
Henry married Margery (Margaret) Williams of Rycote, Oxfordshire (1521-December 1599) sometime between December 1542 and 26 August 1544. They were the parents of seven children. His six sons all distinguished themselves as soldiers.- Sir John NorreysJohn NorreysSir John Norreys , also frequently spelt John Norris, was an English soldier of a Berkshire family of court gentry, the son of Henry Norris, 1st Baron Norreys a lifelong friend of Queen Elizabeth....
(1547-3 July 1597) - Sir William Norreys (1548-27 December 1579 IrelandIrelandIreland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
) - Sir Edward NorreysEdward NorreysSir Edward Norreys was a 16th century Governor of Ostend and English Member of Parliament.Norreys was the third son of Henry Norris, 1st Baron Norreys and his wife, Lady Margery Williams, then of Wytham in Berkshire . He was elected as Member of Parliament for Abingdon in the Parliaments of...
(ca. 1550-October 1603 Englefield), Governor of OstendOstendOstend is a Belgian city and municipality located in the Flemish province of West Flanders. It comprises the boroughs of Mariakerke , Stene and Zandvoorde, and the city of Ostend proper – the largest on the Belgian coast....
in 1590. - Catherine Norreys (born ca. 1553), married Sir Anthony PauletAnthony PauletAnthony Paulet was Governor of the Isle of Jersey from 1588 until his death in 1600.Born at Hinton St George, Somerset to Sir Amyas Paulet and his wife Margaret Hervey, Anthony accompanied his father to Paris where Amyas was Ambassador.In 1579, Amyas took into his household a tutor, Jean Hotman ,...
, Governor of the Isle of Jersey about 1583 in Rycote, Oxfordshire. She is the 12th Great Grandmother of Diana, Princess of WalesDiana, Princess of WalesDiana, Princess of Wales was the first wife of Charles, Prince of Wales, whom she married on 29 July 1981, and an international charity and fundraising figure, as well as a preeminent celebrity of the late 20th century...
. - Sir Henry NorreysHenry Norreys (colonel-general)Henry Norris was an English soldier and politician during the Tudor period.-Early life:The fourth son of Henry Norris, 1st Baron Norreys, he matriculated at Magdalen College, Oxford in 1571, and was created M.A. in 1588...
(1554–1599), fought in the NetherlandsNetherlandsThe Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
and then in IrelandIrelandIreland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
, where he died. - Sir Thomas Norreys (1556–1599), Lord President of MunsterLord President of MunsterThe post of Lord President of Munster was the most important office in the English government of the Irish province of Munster from its introduction in the Elizabethan era for a century, to 1672, a period including the Desmond Rebellions in Munster, the Nine Years' War, and the Irish Rebellion of...
- Maximilian Norreys (ca. 1557-September 1593), killed in BrittanyBrittanyBrittany is a cultural and administrative region in the north-west of France. Previously a kingdom and then a duchy, Brittany was united to the Kingdom of France in 1532 as a province. Brittany has also been referred to as Less, Lesser or Little Britain...
while serving under his brother, John.
Death and burial
Henry died on 7 May 1601, having outlived his wife and five of his children, and was temporarily buried, on 21 May, in the church at EnglefieldEnglefield, Berkshire
Englefield is a village and civil parish in Berkshire, England. The village is mostly within the bounds of the private walled estate of Englefield House....
, where his son Edward was living. Finally, on 5 August, he was re-interred at Rycote, in a vault beneath the chapel of St Michael and All Angels, in the grounds of Rycote House. His will was dated 24 September 1589.
Monument
Both he and his wife are commemorated by the monumentChurch monument
A church monument is an architectural or sculptural memorial to a dead person or persons, located within a Christian church. It can take various forms, from a simple wall tablet to a large and elaborate structure which may include an effigy of the deceased person and other figures of familial or...
erected in honour of them and their six sons in St. Andrew's Chapel in Westminster Abbey
Westminster Abbey
The Collegiate Church of St Peter at Westminster, popularly known as Westminster Abbey, is a large, mainly Gothic church, in the City of Westminster, London, United Kingdom, located just to the west of the Palace of Westminster. It is the traditional place of coronation and burial site for English,...
. Life-size effigies
Effigy
An effigy is a representation of a person, especially in the form of sculpture or some other three-dimensional form.The term is usually associated with full-length figures of a deceased person depicted in stone or wood on church monuments. These most often lie supine with hands together in prayer,...
of Lord and Lady Norreys lie beneath an elaborate canopy supported by marble pillar
Column
A column or pillar in architecture and structural engineering is a vertical structural element that transmits, through compression, the weight of the structure above to other structural elements below. For the purpose of wind or earthquake engineering, columns may be designed to resist lateral forces...
s and they are surrounded by kneeling figures of their children.http://www.berkshirehistory.com/bios/hnorreys_1bnofr.html