Henry Stafford, 1st Baron Stafford
Encyclopedia
Henry Stafford, 1st Baron Stafford (18 September 1501 – 30 April 1563) was born in Penshurst
, Kent
, England
the eldest son of Edward Stafford, 3rd Duke of Buckingham
and Eleanor Percy, Duchess of Buckingham
. Eleanor (or Alianore) was the daughter of Henry Percy, 4th Earl of Northumberland
and Maud Herbert, Countess of Northumberland. After his father's execution he managed to regain some of his family's position and he was created Baron Stafford
in 1547.
, Kent
, England
. He was one of four children, the only son. One of the main family residences was Thornbury
, which had been in the family since 1087.
and Sir Richard Pole. The marriage had been arranged by the Duke of Buckingham, at the suggestion of Cardinal Thomas Wolsey. Ursula's dowry
was 3,000 marks
, which would be increased by 1,000 marks "if the Countess (of Salisbury) get back certain lands from the King". The Countess settled lands in Somerset
and Devon
worth 700 marks on the couple and their children. In return, the Duke of Buckingham was required to set aside lands worth £500 as Ursula's jointure
. He also paid for the wedding expenses, apart from Ursula's wedding clothes which were provided by her mother.
Following their marriage, Henry and Ursula made their home in the household of the Duke of Buckingham, where they had guardians to watch over them.
In November 1520, their first child was born; they would have a total of seven sons and seven daughters. The Duke paid a midwife 10 shillings to attend Ursula following the birth of the child. The following year, 1521, his father, the Duke of Buckingham was beheaded for treason. He was posthumously attainted by an Act of Parliament
in 1523, with his title and estates being forfeited to the Crown.
Henry and Ursula had a total of about fourteen children of whom twelve names are known:
. This was the 4th creation of the barony which eventually became extinct in 1639, the title being resigned due to poverty. The barony was initially regarded as a new creation, but in February 1558, he won the right to have it recognised as carrying precedence from 1299.
In 1554, after petitioning Mary
for financial assistance, he was made one of two chamberlains of the exchequer, a position that brought with it £50.
In 1531, Staffordshire elected him as a recorder for the borough; he was later appointed JP for both Staffordshire and Shropshire in 1536. Between 1558 and 1559, he was the Lord-Lieutenant of Staffordshire, a role that also included being appointed as Clerk of the Peace
, as "The True Dyfferens Betwen the Royall Power and the Ecclesiasticall Power", (original title De vera differentia regiae potestatis et ecclesiae). Under Mary, with his reconversion to Catholicism he translated two tracts by Erasmus against Luther (neither survives). He commissioned other translations, such as Humphrey Lloyd
's version of Vassaeus on urine, and influenced the publication of Mirror for Magistrates in 1559.
in Shropshire. He was buried in Worthen
church nearby on 6 May. He was succeeded in his titles by his eldest surviving son, Henry as 2nd Baron Stafford, who himself died two years later.
Penshurst
Penshurst is a village and civil parish in the Sevenoaks district of Kent, England. The parish is located on the northern slopes of the Weald, west of Tonbridge. Within the parish boundaries are the two villages of Penshurst and Fordcombe, with a combined population of some 1,479 persons. The...
, Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
the eldest son of Edward Stafford, 3rd Duke of Buckingham
Edward Stafford, 3rd Duke of Buckingham
Edward Stafford, 3rd Duke of Buckingham, KG was an English nobleman. He was the son of Henry Stafford, 2nd Duke of Buckingham and the former Lady Catherine Woodville, daughter of the 1st Earl Rivers and sister-in-law of King Edward IV.-Early life:Stafford was born at Brecknock Castle in Wales...
and Eleanor Percy, Duchess of Buckingham
Eleanor Percy, Duchess of Buckingham
Eleanor Percy, Duchess of Buckingham , also known as Alianore, was a daughter of Henry Percy, 4th Earl of Northumberland by his wife Lady Maud Herbert, herself a daughter of the first Earl of Pembroke. She married Edward Stafford, 3rd Duke of Buckingham, who was beheaded in 1521 on false charges of...
. Eleanor (or Alianore) was the daughter of Henry Percy, 4th Earl of Northumberland
Henry Percy, 4th Earl of Northumberland
Henry Percy, 4th Earl of Northumberland, KG son of Henry Percy, 3rd Earl of Northumberland and his wife Eleanor Poynings, daughter of Richard Poynings, Lord Poynings....
and Maud Herbert, Countess of Northumberland. After his father's execution he managed to regain some of his family's position and he was created Baron Stafford
Baron Stafford
The title Baron Stafford, referring to Stafford, has been created several times in the Peerage of England. In the 14th century, the barons of the 1st creation were made earls. Those of the fifth creation, in the century became first viscounts and then earls....
in 1547.
Early life
Stafford was born in PenshurstPenshurst
Penshurst is a village and civil parish in the Sevenoaks district of Kent, England. The parish is located on the northern slopes of the Weald, west of Tonbridge. Within the parish boundaries are the two villages of Penshurst and Fordcombe, with a combined population of some 1,479 persons. The...
, Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. He was one of four children, the only son. One of the main family residences was Thornbury
Thornbury Castle
Thornbury Castle is a castle in Thornbury, South Gloucestershire, England. It was begun in 1511 as a home for Edward Stafford, 3rd Duke of Buckingham. It is not a true castle , but rather an early example of a Tudor country house, with minimal defensive attributes. It is now a grade I listed...
, which had been in the family since 1087.
Marriage and children
On 16 February 1519, Henry married Ursula Pole, the daughter of Margaret Pole, 8th Countess of SalisburyMargaret Pole, 8th Countess of Salisbury
Margaret Pole, Countess of Salisbury was an English peeress, one of two women in sixteenth-century England to be a peeress in her own right with no titled husband, the daughter of George of Clarence, the brother of King Edward IV and King Richard III...
and Sir Richard Pole. The marriage had been arranged by the Duke of Buckingham, at the suggestion of Cardinal Thomas Wolsey. Ursula's dowry
Dowry
A dowry is the money, goods, or estate that a woman brings forth to the marriage. It contrasts with bride price, which is paid to the bride's parents, and dower, which is property settled on the bride herself by the groom at the time of marriage. The same culture may simultaneously practice both...
was 3,000 marks
Marks
Marks , also spelled Marx, named after Karl Marx, is a town in Saratov Oblast, Russia, located northeast of Saratov. Population: It was founded in 1767 as a Volga German community called Baronsk . It was soon renamed Yekaterinenshtadt , after Catherine the Great. In 1918, it was granted town...
, which would be increased by 1,000 marks "if the Countess (of Salisbury) get back certain lands from the King". The Countess settled lands in Somerset
Somerset
The ceremonial and non-metropolitan county of Somerset in South West England borders Bristol and Gloucestershire to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west. It is partly bounded to the north and west by the Bristol Channel and the estuary of the...
and Devon
Devon
Devon is a large county in southwestern England. The county is sometimes referred to as Devonshire, although the term is rarely used inside the county itself as the county has never been officially "shired", it often indicates a traditional or historical context.The county shares borders with...
worth 700 marks on the couple and their children. In return, the Duke of Buckingham was required to set aside lands worth £500 as Ursula's jointure
Jointure
Jointure is, in law, a provision for a wife after the death of her husband. As defined by Sir Edward Coke, it is "a competent livelihood of freehold for the wife, of lands or tenements, to take effect presently in possession or profit after the death of her husband for the life of the wife at...
. He also paid for the wedding expenses, apart from Ursula's wedding clothes which were provided by her mother.
Following their marriage, Henry and Ursula made their home in the household of the Duke of Buckingham, where they had guardians to watch over them.
In November 1520, their first child was born; they would have a total of seven sons and seven daughters. The Duke paid a midwife 10 shillings to attend Ursula following the birth of the child. The following year, 1521, his father, the Duke of Buckingham was beheaded for treason. He was posthumously attainted by an Act of Parliament
Act of Parliament
An Act of Parliament is a statute enacted as primary legislation by a national or sub-national parliament. In the Republic of Ireland the term Act of the Oireachtas is used, and in the United States the term Act of Congress is used.In Commonwealth countries, the term is used both in a narrow...
in 1523, with his title and estates being forfeited to the Crown.
Henry and Ursula had a total of about fourteen children of whom twelve names are known:
- Henry Stafford (b. November 1520, died in early infancy)
- Dorothy StaffordDorothy StaffordDorothy Stafford, Lady Stafford was an English noblewoman, and an influential person at the court of Queen Elizabeth I of England, to whom Dorothy served as Mistress of the Robes. Dorothy was the second wife of Sir William Stafford, widower of Mary Boleyn...
(1 October 1526- 22 September 1604), married Sir William Stafford, by whom she had six children. Dorothy was an influential person at the court of Queen Elizabeth IElizabeth I of EnglandElizabeth 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...
to whom she served in the capacity of Mistress of the RobesMistress of the RobesThe Mistress of the Robes is the senior lady of the British Royal Household. Formerly responsible for the Queen's clothes and jewellery, the post now has the responsibility for arranging the rota of attendance of the Ladies in Waiting on the Queen, along with various duties at State ceremonies...
. - Henry StaffordHenry Stafford, 2nd Baron StaffordHenry Stafford, 2nd Baron Stafford was a British peer in the peerage of England and MP.-Family life:Henry Stafford was the eldest surviving son of Henry Stafford, 1st Baron Stafford and Ursula Pole...
, 2nd Baron Stafford (died 1566), married Elizabeth Davy - Thomas StaffordThomas Stafford (c1533-1557)The Hon. Thomas Stafford was the ninth child of Henry Stafford, 1st Baron Stafford and Ursula Pole. He was involved in two rebellions against Queen Mary and was executed for treason in 1557.-Early life:...
, (c. 1533 – 28 May 1557) executed for High Treason. - Edward StaffordEdward Stafford, 3rd Baron StaffordEdward Stafford, 3rd Baron Stafford was the second surviving son of Henry Stafford, 1st Baron Stafford and Ursula Pole, the younger brother of Henry Stafford, 2nd Baron Stafford. He served in Parliament for Stafford...
, 3rd Baron Stafford (17 January 1535- 18 October 1603), married Maria Stanley, daughter of Edward Stanley, 3rd Earl of DerbyEdward Stanley, 3rd Earl of DerbyEdward Stanley, 3rd Earl of Derby was an English nobleman.At the age of thirteen, Edward received the titles and estates of his father, the 2nd Earl of Derby, and King Henry VIII took responsibility for bringing him up until he was of age...
, by whom he had issue. - Richard Stafford, married Mary Corbet, daughter of John Corbet and Anne Booth, by whom he had issue Roger Stafford, 6th Baron StaffordRoger Stafford, 6th Baron StaffordRoger Stafford, 6th Baron Stafford was the son of Richard Stafford, a younger son of Henry Stafford, 1st Baron Stafford and Ursula Pole. He was forced to give up the Stafford barony in 1637 on the grounds of poverty....
, born about 1572, and Jane Stafford, born about 1581 - Walter Stafford (c.1539- after 1571)
- William Stafford
- Elizabeth Stafford, married Sir William Neville
- Anne Stafford, married Sir Henry Williams
- Susan Stafford (after 1547)
- Jane Stafford
Titles, honours and positions
He was styled Earl of Stafford until the attainder of his father in 1521. In 1547, Henry petitioned Parliament for restoration in blood, but did not claim any of his father's land or titles. He was summoned to Parliament by writ in 1548 and was thus created 1st Baron Stafford by Edward VIEdward VI of England
Edward VI was the King of England and Ireland from 28 January 1547 until his death. He was crowned on 20 February at the age of nine. The son of Henry VIII and Jane Seymour, Edward was the third monarch of the Tudor dynasty and England's first monarch who was raised as a Protestant...
. This was the 4th creation of the barony which eventually became extinct in 1639, the title being resigned due to poverty. The barony was initially regarded as a new creation, but in February 1558, he won the right to have it recognised as carrying precedence from 1299.
In 1554, after petitioning 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...
for financial assistance, he was made one of two chamberlains of the exchequer, a position that brought with it £50.
In 1531, Staffordshire elected him as a recorder for the borough; he was later appointed JP for both Staffordshire and Shropshire in 1536. Between 1558 and 1559, he was the Lord-Lieutenant of Staffordshire, a role that also included being appointed as Clerk of the Peace
Literary interests
Stafford had an extensive library of some 300 books, mostly Latin. In 1548, he published an English translation of the 1534 tract by Edward FoxeEdward Foxe
Edward Foxe was an English churchman, Bishop of Hereford. He was the most Lutheran of Henry VIII's bishops, and assisted in drafting the Ten Articles of 1536....
, as "The True Dyfferens Betwen the Royall Power and the Ecclesiasticall Power", (original title De vera differentia regiae potestatis et ecclesiae). Under Mary, with his reconversion to Catholicism he translated two tracts by Erasmus against Luther (neither survives). He commissioned other translations, such as Humphrey Lloyd
Humphrey Lloyd
Humphrey Llwyd was a Welsh cartographer, author, antiquary and Member of Parliament. He was a leading member of the Renaissance period in Wales along with other such men as Thomas Salisbury and William Morgan...
's version of Vassaeus on urine, and influenced the publication of Mirror for Magistrates in 1559.
Death
Henry died on 30 April 1563, at the age of about 62, at Caus CastleCaus Castle
Caus Castle is a hill fort and medieval castle in the civil parish of Westbury in the English county of Shropshire. It is situated up on the eastern foothills of the Long Mountain guarding the route from Shrewsbury, Shropshire to Montgomery, Powys on the border between England and Wales.- History...
in Shropshire. He was buried in Worthen
Worthen
Worthen is a village in Shropshire, England approximately 13 miles west of Shrewsbury. The village forms part of the Worthen with Shelve civil parish, which includes the hamlet of Little Worthen immediately to the north-east and the villages of Brockton and Pennerley, in addition to several smaller...
church nearby on 6 May. He was succeeded in his titles by his eldest surviving son, Henry as 2nd Baron Stafford, who himself died two years later.