John Sutton, 1st Baron Dudley
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John Sutton, 1st Baron Dudley, KG
(25 December 1400 – 30 September 1487) was an English nobleman. A diplomat and councillor of Henry VI
, he fought in several battles during the Hundred Years War and the Wars of the Roses
, and acted as Lord Lieutenant of Ireland
1428–1430.
, Staffordshire
, became 1st Baron Dudley and a Knight of the Garter, and died at Stafford
, Staffordshire. His father was Sir John de Sutton V and his mother was Constance Blount. John 1st Baron Dudley married Elizabeth de Berkeley, of Beverstone (died 1478), widow of Edward Charleton, 5th Baron Cherleton
and daughter of Sir John Berkeley, of Beverstone, Gloucestershire
(1349–1428) and Elizabeth Bettershorne and sister of Eleanor FitzAlan, wife of John FitzAlan, 13th Earl of Arundel
, sometime after 14 March 1420. The sons of Dudley by this marriage were:
Dudley was summoned to Parliament from 15 February 1440, by writs directed to "Johanni de Sutton de Duddeley militi", whereby he obtained a Barony by writ as Lord Dudley. He was the first of his family to adopt the surname of Dudley as an alias
for Sutton. "John Dudley, Knyght, Lord Dudley" died testate in his 87th year. His will is dated 17 August 1487. The barony was inherited by his grandson, Edward Sutton, 2nd Baron Dudley, Lord Dudley, son of Edmund de Sutton who was the heir but died after 6 July 1483 but before his father.
in 1422 Sutton brought home the body of King Henry V
to England, and was chief mourner and standard bearer at his funeral. From 1428–1430 he served as Lord Lieutenant of Ireland
. Dudley fought in several campaigns throughout the period of the wars with France, and on several occasions acted as a diplomat in the mid-1440s, when he also met Charles VII of France
. In 1443 he was made a king's councillor
and became one of the favourite companions of King Henry VI
. In 1451 he became a Knight of the Garter. Early on in the Wars of the Roses
he was a resolute defender of the House of Lancaster
, but changed his allegiance to York before the Battle of Towton
in 1461.
John Lord Dudley took part with his son Edmund, where he was taken prisoner along with Henry VI. At the Battle of Blore Heath
he was present on 23 September 1459, equally with his son Edmund Sutton. Dudley was wounded and again captured. At Towton (1461) he was rewarded after the battle for his participation on the side of Edward, Earl of March
, son of Richard, Duke of York
. On June 28 of that year, Edward IV was proclaimed King in London. Following the Battle of Bosworth Field
in August 1485, Dudley was created Sheriff of Sussex
by the new King Henry VII
.
Order of the Garter
The Most Noble Order of the Garter, founded in 1348, is the highest order of chivalry, or knighthood, existing in England. The order is dedicated to the image and arms of St...
(25 December 1400 – 30 September 1487) was an English nobleman. A diplomat and councillor of Henry VI
Henry VI of England
Henry VI was King of England from 1422 to 1461 and again from 1470 to 1471, and disputed King of France from 1422 to 1453. Until 1437, his realm was governed by regents. Contemporaneous accounts described him as peaceful and pious, not suited for the violent dynastic civil wars, known as the Wars...
, he fought in several battles during the Hundred Years War and the Wars of the Roses
Wars of the Roses
The Wars of the Roses were a series of dynastic civil wars for the throne of England fought between supporters of two rival branches of the royal House of Plantagenet: the houses of Lancaster and York...
, and acted as Lord Lieutenant of Ireland
Lord Lieutenant of Ireland
The Lord Lieutenant of Ireland was the British King's representative and head of the Irish executive during the Lordship of Ireland , the Kingdom of Ireland and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland...
1428–1430.
Family and peerage
John Sutton was born at 25 December 1400 and baptised at Barton-under-NeedwoodBarton-under-Needwood
Barton-under-Needwood is a large village in Staffordshire, England, a mile from the A38 between Burton upon Trent and Lichfield. It has a population of about 5000, many of whom commute to Burton or Lichfield or further afield to places such as Derby or Birmingham- Overview :The village has a...
, Staffordshire
Staffordshire
Staffordshire is a landlocked county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. Part of the National Forest lies within its borders...
, became 1st Baron Dudley and a Knight of the Garter, and died at Stafford
Stafford
Stafford is the county town of Staffordshire, in the West Midlands region of England. It lies approximately north of Wolverhampton and south of Stoke-on-Trent, adjacent to the M6 motorway Junction 13 to Junction 14...
, Staffordshire. His father was Sir John de Sutton V and his mother was Constance Blount. John 1st Baron Dudley married Elizabeth de Berkeley, of Beverstone (died 1478), widow of Edward Charleton, 5th Baron Cherleton
Edward Charleton, 5th Baron Cherleton
Edward Charleton , 5th Baron Cherleton, KG , 5th and last Lord Charlton of Powys, was the younger son of John Charlton, the third baron, and his wife, Joan, daughter of Lord Stafford....
and daughter of Sir John Berkeley, of Beverstone, Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn, and the entire Forest of Dean....
(1349–1428) and Elizabeth Bettershorne and sister of Eleanor FitzAlan, wife of John FitzAlan, 13th Earl of Arundel
John FitzAlan, 13th Earl of Arundel
John FitzAlan, 13th Earl of Arundel, 3rd Baron Maltravers was an English nobleman.He was the son of John FitzAlan, 2nd Baron Arundel, and Elizabeth le Despenser, and became Baron Arundel on his father's death in 1390 and Baron Maltravers on his grandmother's death in 1405...
, sometime after 14 March 1420. The sons of Dudley by this marriage were:
- Sir Edmund SuttonEdmund SuttonSir Edmund Sutton was a Knight of Dudley Castle and Gatescombe. Sutton was born in Dudley, the eldest son of John Sutton, 1st Baron Dudley, KG, and his wife Elizabeth, daughter of Sir John Berkeley....
- John Sutton Dudley, Knt.KnightA 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....
of AtheringtonAtheringtonAtherington is a village and civil parish in the North Devon district of Devon, England, about 8 miles south of Barnstaple. According to the 2001 census the parish had a population of 391....
, whose son was Henry VIIHenry VII of EnglandHenry VII was King of England and Lord of Ireland from his seizing the crown on 22 August 1485 until his death on 21 April 1509, as the first monarch of the House of Tudor....
's minister Edmund DudleyEdmund DudleyEdmund Dudley was an English administrator and a financial agent of King Henry VII. He served as Speaker of the House of Commons and President of the King's Council. After the accession of Henry VIII, he was imprisoned in the Tower of London and executed the next year on a treason charge...
, and whose grandson was John Dudley, 1st Duke of NorthumberlandJohn Dudley, 1st Duke of NorthumberlandJohn Dudley, 1st Duke of Northumberland, KG was an English general, admiral, and politician, who led the government of the young King Edward VI from 1550 until 1553, and unsuccessfully tried to install Lady Jane Grey on the English throne after the King's death...
. - William Dudley Bishop Of Durham: (1476–1483)
- Oliver Dudley.
Dudley was summoned to Parliament from 15 February 1440, by writs directed to "Johanni de Sutton de Duddeley militi", whereby he obtained a Barony by writ as Lord Dudley. He was the first of his family to adopt the surname of Dudley as an alias
Pseudonym
A pseudonym is a name that a person assumes for a particular purpose and that differs from his or her original orthonym...
for Sutton. "John Dudley, Knyght, Lord Dudley" died testate in his 87th year. His will is dated 17 August 1487. The barony was inherited by his grandson, Edward Sutton, 2nd Baron Dudley, Lord Dudley, son of Edmund de Sutton who was the heir but died after 6 July 1483 but before his father.
Royal service
As Lord StewardLord Steward
The Lord Steward or Lord Steward of the Household, in England, is an important official of the Royal Household. He is always a peer. Until 1924, he was always a member of the Government...
in 1422 Sutton brought home the body of King Henry V
Henry V of England
Henry V was King of England from 1413 until his death at the age of 35 in 1422. He was the second monarch belonging to the House of Lancaster....
to England, and was chief mourner and standard bearer at his funeral. From 1428–1430 he served as Lord Lieutenant of Ireland
Lord Lieutenant of Ireland
The Lord Lieutenant of Ireland was the British King's representative and head of the Irish executive during the Lordship of Ireland , the Kingdom of Ireland and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland...
. Dudley fought in several campaigns throughout the period of the wars with France, and on several occasions acted as a diplomat in the mid-1440s, when he also met Charles VII of France
Charles VII of France
Charles VII , called the Victorious or the Well-Served , was King of France from 1422 to his death, though he was initially opposed by Henry VI of England, whose Regent, the Duke of Bedford, ruled much of France including the capital, Paris...
. In 1443 he was made a king's councillor
Privy council
A privy council is a body that advises the head of state of a nation, typically, but not always, in the context of a monarchic government. The word "privy" means "private" or "secret"; thus, a privy council was originally a committee of the monarch's closest advisors to give confidential advice on...
and became one of the favourite companions of King Henry VI
Henry VI of England
Henry VI was King of England from 1422 to 1461 and again from 1470 to 1471, and disputed King of France from 1422 to 1453. Until 1437, his realm was governed by regents. Contemporaneous accounts described him as peaceful and pious, not suited for the violent dynastic civil wars, known as the Wars...
. In 1451 he became a Knight of the Garter. Early on in the Wars of the Roses
Wars of the Roses
The Wars of the Roses were a series of dynastic civil wars for the throne of England fought between supporters of two rival branches of the royal House of Plantagenet: the houses of Lancaster and York...
he was a resolute defender of the House of Lancaster
House of Lancaster
The House of Lancaster was a branch of the royal House of Plantagenet. It was one of the opposing factions involved in the Wars of the Roses, an intermittent civil war which affected England and Wales during the 15th century...
, but changed his allegiance to York before the Battle of Towton
Battle of Towton
In 1461, England was in the sixth year of the Wars of the Roses, a series of civil wars between the Houses of York and Lancaster over the English throne. The Lancastrians backed the reigning King of England, Henry VI, an indecisive man who suffered bouts of madness...
in 1461.
Wars of the Roses
At the Battle of St Albans 1455First Battle of St Albans
The First Battle of St Albans, fought on 22 May 1455 at St Albans, 22 miles north of London, traditionally marks the beginning of the Wars of the Roses. Richard, Duke of York and his ally, Richard Neville, Earl of Warwick, defeated the Lancastrians under Edmund, Duke of Somerset, who was killed...
John Lord Dudley took part with his son Edmund, where he was taken prisoner along with Henry VI. At the Battle of Blore Heath
Battle of Blore Heath
The Battle of Blore Heath was the first major battle in the English Wars of the Roses. It was fought on 23 September 1459, at Blore Heath in Staffordshire, two miles east of the town of Market Drayton in Shropshire, England.- Background :...
he was present on 23 September 1459, equally with his son Edmund Sutton. Dudley was wounded and again captured. At Towton (1461) he was rewarded after the battle for his participation on the side of Edward, Earl of March
Edward IV of England
Edward IV was King of England from 4 March 1461 until 3 October 1470, and again from 11 April 1471 until his death. He was the first Yorkist King of England...
, son of Richard, Duke of York
Richard Plantagenet, 3rd Duke of York
Richard Plantagenêt, 3rd Duke of York, 6th Earl of March, 4th Earl of Cambridge, and 7th Earl of Ulster, conventionally called Richard of York was a leading English magnate, great-grandson of King Edward III...
. On June 28 of that year, Edward IV was proclaimed King in London. Following the Battle of Bosworth Field
Battle of Bosworth Field
The Battle of Bosworth Field was the penultimate battle of the Wars of the Roses, the civil war between the House of Lancaster and the House of York that raged across England in the latter half of the 15th century. Fought on 22 August 1485, the battle was won by the Lancastrians...
in August 1485, Dudley was created Sheriff of Sussex
Sussex
Sussex , from the Old English Sūþsēaxe , is an historic county in South East England corresponding roughly in area to the ancient Kingdom of Sussex. It is bounded on the north by Surrey, east by Kent, south by the English Channel, and west by Hampshire, and is divided for local government into West...
by the new King Henry VII
Henry VII of England
Henry VII was King of England and Lord of Ireland from his seizing the crown on 22 August 1485 until his death on 21 April 1509, as the first monarch of the House of Tudor....
.