The town of Calais

Calais

Calais is a town in Northern France in the department of Pas-de-Calais, of which it is a sub-prefecture. Although Calais is by far the largest city in Pas-de-Calais, the department's capital is its third-largest city of Arras....

, now part of France, was in English hands from 1347 to 1558, and this page lists the commanders of Calais, holding office from the English Crown, called at different times Captain of Calais, King's Lieutenant of Calais (Castle), or Lord Deputy of Calais.

Terminology and background

Commands were over the castle of Calais, the town, the march and its outlying castles; command was often divided, and deputies frequently appointed for commanders who might be absent. The terminology was flexible, changed over time, and may not be accurately given in some sources. The military, political and even financial situation, and the presence or absence of officers, did affect how the system operated. The terms used changed over nearly two centuries. The system of royal officials set up after Edward III took Calais consisted of captain, marshal, seneschal and constable. But changes were soon seen.

Calais refers properly here to the Pale of Calais

Pale of Calais

The Pale of Calais is a historical region of France that was controlled by the Kingdom of England until 1558.- History :After the Battle of Crécy in 1346, Edward III of England, having renounced the throne of France, kept some territory within France, namely Aquitaine and the area around Calais,...

, or March of Calais, part of the Kingdom of England

Kingdom of England

The Kingdom of England was, from 927 to 1707, a sovereign state to the northwest of continental Europe. At its height, the Kingdom of England spanned the southern two-thirds of the island of Great Britain and several smaller outlying islands; what today comprises the legal jurisdiction of England...

, namely the English bridgehead area between the County of Artois

County of Artois

The County of Artois was an historic province of the Kingdom of France, held by the Dukes of Burgundy from 1384 until 1477/82, and a state of the Holy Roman Empire from 1493 until 1659....

 and County of Flanders

County of Flanders

The County of Flanders was one of the territories constituting the Low Countries. The county existed from 862 to 1795. It was one of the original secular fiefs of France and for centuries was one of the most affluent regions in Europe....

; it varied in area according to the military position. The boundary took in wetlands and was not alway clear, but the area amounted to about 20 square miles.

The approaches to Calais, which is a port on the coast, were defended by two inland castles, that of Guînes

Guînes

Guînes is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in northern France.-Geography:Guînes is located on the border of the two territories of the Boulonnais and Calaisis, at the edge of the now-drained marshes, which extend from here to the coast. The Guînes canal connects with...

, somewhat to the south-east, and Hammes (Hampnes, Hammez) in the present commune of Hames-Boucres

Hames-Boucres

Hames-Boucres is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region of France.-Geography:A village located 6 miles southwest of Calais, at the junction of the D215 and D231E2.-History:...

, somewhat to the southwest. Calais had also castellan

Castellan

A castellan was the governor or captain of a castle. The word stems from the Latin Castellanus, derived from castellum "castle". Also known as a constable.-Duties:...

s (of Calais Castle); "Captain of Calais Castle" is a different post from "Captain of Calais", the title of the top commander and military governor of the Pale for most of the period.

Deputies

When "deputy" is used, it may or may not mean a second-in-command: there is no consistency across the period. From Latin records there come "vice" (in the place of) or "locum tenens" (holding the place of). "Lieutenant" is a direct French translation of "locum tenens"; it means generally the second-in-command to the "captain" or head commander. There is a mention of a "deputy lieutenant", however. Caveats are required because a "lord deputy" has to be understood as deputy to the king; and the term "deputy governor" should usually be read "lord deputy and governor", not "deputy to the governor".

The Lord Deputy of Calais, a Tudor title only, was the English king's representative and head of the Council of Calais. The title of Lord Deputy was used in Calais only from 1507. The Council existed in some form under Edward IV, and lasted until the French conquest of Calais in 1558. There could be more than one Deputy holding the title at a given time.

In practical terms the Lord Deputy was also the military governor of Calais, but the two posts were not formally the same: in 1552 Lord William Howard became "lord deputy and governor of Calais". "Governor of Calais" may also refer to the French post after 1558.

Captains and Lieutenants of Calais

Date(s)	Holder	Position, subordinates
1353	Reynold Cobham, 1st Baron Cobham of Sterborough	Captain. Thomas Holland, 1st Earl of Kent Thomas Holland, 1st Earl of Kent Thomas Holland, 1st Earl of Kent, 2nd Baron Holand, KG was an English nobleman and military commander during the Hundred Years' War.-Early Life:...  was Captain of Calais Castle in 1352.
1361	Henry Scrope, 1st Baron Masham	Warden of Calais and Guînes.
1375-1378	Hugh Calveley Hugh Calveley Sir Hugh Calveley was an English soldier and commander, who took part in the Hundred Years' War, gaining fame during the War of the Breton Succession and the Castilian Civil War...	Captain. Bernard Brocas was Captain of Calais Castle 1377-1379.
1379	William Montagu, 2nd Earl of Salisbury	Captain.
February 1380	Bryan Stapleton Bryan Stapleton Sir Bryan Stapleton KG was an English medieval knight from Yorkshire.-Life:He was the younger brother of Sir Miles Stapleton and the third son of Sir Gilbert Stapleton and his wife, Agnes , daughter and coheir of Brian, Lord Fitzalan , of Bedale and several other estates in the same county...	Captain of Calais Castle very briefly, becoming Captain of Guînes, under the Black Prince as governor.
1380	John Devereux, Baron Devereux	Captain.
1383-1389	William Beauchamp, 1st Baron Bergavenny William Beauchamp, 1st Baron Bergavenny William de Beauchamp, 1st Baron Bergavenny, KG was an English peer.A younger son of Thomas de Beauchamp, 11th Earl of Warwick and Katherine Mortimer, he was summoned to Parliament on 23 July 1392 as "Willilmo Beauchamp de Bergavenny", by which he is held to have become Baron Bergavenny.- Marriage...	Captain.
1389	Henry Percy, 1st Earl of Northumberland Henry Percy, 1st Earl of Northumberland Henry Percy, 1st Earl of Northumberland, 4th Baron Percy, titular King of Mann, KG, Lord Marshal was the son of Henry de Percy, 3rd Baron Percy and a descendent of Henry III of England. His mother was Mary of Lancaster, daughter of Henry, 3rd Earl of Lancaster, son of Edmund, Earl of Leicester and...	Captain.
1391-1398	Thomas Mowbray, 1st Duke of Norfolk	Captain.
1398-1399	John Holland, 1st Earl of Huntingdon and Duke of Exeter	Captain. William le Scrope, 1st Earl of Wiltshire William le Scrope, 1st Earl of Wiltshire Sir William le Scrope, 1st Earl of Wiltshire, King of Mann KG was a close supporter of King Richard II of England. He was a second son of Richard le Scrope, 1st Baron Scrope of Bolton.-Life:...  was Captain of Calais Castle in 1398.
1401-1410	John Beaufort, 1st Earl of Somerset John Beaufort, 1st Earl of Somerset John Beaufort, 1st Marquess of Somerset and 1st Marquess of Dorset, later only 1st Earl of Somerset, KG was the first of the four illegitimate children of John of Gaunt, 1st Duke of Lancaster, and his mistress Katherine Swynford, later his wife...	Captain.
1410-1413	Prince Henry 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....	Captain.
	William Zouche, 4th Baron Zouche	Lieutenant.
1414	Richard de Beauchamp, 13th Earl of Warwick Richard de Beauchamp, 13th Earl of Warwick Richard de Beauchamp, 13th Earl of Warwick, Count of Aumale, KG was an English medieval nobleman and military commander.-Early Life:...	Captain.
1427	Richard Woodville	Lieutenant.
1427	John of Lancaster, 1st Duke of Bedford John of Lancaster, 1st Duke of Bedford John of Lancaster, 1st Duke of Bedford, KG , also known as John Plantagenet, was the third surviving son of King Henry IV of England by Mary de Bohun, and acted as Regent of France for his nephew, King Henry VI....	Captain.
1435	Richard Woodville	Lieutenant.
1435	Humphrey of Lancaster, 1st Duke of Gloucester	Captain.
1437	Thomas Rempston Thomas Rempston (son) Sir Thomas Rempston , soldier, was son of Sir Thomas Rempston, by his wife Margaret, daughter of Sir Simon Leeke....	Lieutenant. John Sutton, 1st Baron Dudley John Sutton, 1st Baron Dudley John Sutton, 1st Baron Dudley, KG 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.-Family and peerage:John Sutton was born at 25 December 1400 and...  was lieutenant of Calais Castle from 1437 to 1442.
1439-1442	Thomas Kyriell	Lieutenant.
1441-1451	Humphrey Stafford, 1st Duke of Buckingham Humphrey Stafford, 1st Duke of Buckingham Humphrey Stafford, 1st Duke of Buckingham KG , an English nobleman, great grandson of King Edward III on his mother's side, was best known as a military commander in the Hundred Years' War and in the Wars of the Roses....	Captain. Ralph Boteler, 1st Baron Sudeley Ralph Boteler, 1st Baron Sudeley Ralph Boteler, 1st Baron Sudeley and 6th Baron Sudeley KG was an English baron and aristocrat. He was the Captain of Calais and Treasurer of England .-Family:...  was Captain of Calais Castle 1450-1452, and was sent to Calais in 1451. Sir John Stoughton was Lieutenant 1450-1.
1451	Edmund Beaufort, 2nd Duke of Somerset Edmund Beaufort, 2nd Duke of Somerset Edmund Beaufort, 2nd Duke of Somerset, KG , sometimes styled 1st Duke of Somerset, was an English nobleman and an important figure in the Wars of the Roses and in the Hundred Years' War...	Captain. Lionel de Welles, 6th Baron Welles Lionel de Welles, 6th Baron Welles Lionel de Welles, 6th Baron Welles, KG was an English nobleman and soldier. He was killed fighting on the Lancastrian side at the Battle of Towton.-Life:Born about 1405, he was son of Eudo de Welles by Maude de Greystoke... , connected to Somerset by marriage, was his deputy-captain (or lieutenant) after 1451; it is presumed he remained in post until Warwick arrived in April 1456.
1454-1455	Richard Plantagenet, 3rd 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...	Captain.
1455-1458	Richard Neville, 16th Earl of Warwick Richard Neville, 16th Earl of Warwick Richard Neville KG, jure uxoris 16th Earl of Warwick and suo jure 6th Earl of Salisbury and 8th and 5th Baron Montacute , known as Warwick the Kingmaker, was an English nobleman, administrator, and military commander...	Captain.
1459	Henry Beaufort, 3rd Duke of Somerset Henry Beaufort, 3rd Duke of Somerset Henry Beaufort, 3rd Duke of Somerset was an important Lancastrian military commander during the English Wars of the Roses. He is sometimes numbered the 2nd Duke of Somerset, since the title was re-created for his father after his uncle died...	Captain.
1461-1471	Richard Neville, 16th Earl of Warwick Richard Neville, 16th Earl of Warwick Richard Neville KG, jure uxoris 16th Earl of Warwick and suo jure 6th Earl of Salisbury and 8th and 5th Baron Montacute , known as Warwick the Kingmaker, was an English nobleman, administrator, and military commander...	Captain. His deputy was John Wenlock, 1st Baron Wenlock John Wenlock, 1st Baron Wenlock Sir John Wenlock KG was an English soldier, courtier and politician. He fought on the side of both the Yorkists and the Lancastrians in the Wars of the Roses... . Sir Walter Wrottesley took over while Warwick put Henry VI back on the throne. At the end of the period John Howard John Howard, 1st Duke of Norfolk John Howard, 1st Duke of Norfolk, KG, Earl Marshal was an English nobleman, soldier, and the first Howard Duke of Norfolk...  also acted as deputy lieutenant.
1471	Anthony Woodville, 2nd Earl Rivers Anthony Woodville, 2nd Earl Rivers Anthony Woodville, 2nd Earl Rivers was an English nobleman, courtier, and writer.He was the eldest son of Richard Woodville, 1st Earl Rivers and Jacquetta of Luxembourg. Like his father, he was originally a Lancastrian, fighting on that side at the Battle of Towton, but later became a Yorkist...	Lieutenant, appointed as successor to Warwick. But Hastings was brought in over his head.
1471-1483	William Hastings, 1st Baron Hastings William Hastings, 1st Baron Hastings William Hastings, 1st Baron Hastings KG was an English nobleman. A follower of the House of York, he became a close friend and the most important courtier of King Edward IV, whom he served as Lord Chamberlain...	Captain, mostly absent. John Howard acted as deputy, John Dynham at the end of the period; Ralph Hastings, his brother, was his man on the ground.
1483	John Dynham, 1st Baron Dynham John Dynham, 1st Baron Dynham John Dynham, 1st Baron Dynham was an English peer and politician. He was the Lord High Treasurer of England, Lord Chancellor of Ireland and Baron Dynham. He was the owner of Souldern...	Lieutenant.
	John Blount, 3rd Baron Mountjoy John Blount, 3rd Baron Mountjoy John Blount, 3rd Baron Mountjoy was an English peer and soldier.-Life:John Blount was born circa 1450 in Rock, Worcestershire, the second son of Walter Blount, 1st Baron Mountjoy and Helena Byron. He inherited his title on the death of his nephew Edward Blount, 2nd Baron Mountjoy in 1475...	Temporary governor of Calais, then Guînes. He had been lieutenant of Hammes since 1470, but under Richard III was an ill man, and left Hammes to his brother James Blount James Blount Sir James Blount was commander of the English fortress of Hammes, near Calais. When in 1484 the Earl of Oxford was imprisoned there, Blount was apparently persuaded to switch to the Lancastrian side. Blount and Oxford fled to join Henry Tudor , leaving his wife in charge...  who had held the position jointly with him from 1476; and had Thomas Montgomery as deputy. They all proved disloyal to Richard.
1485	John of Gloucester John of Gloucester John of Gloucester was an illegitimate son of Richard III of England. John is so called because his father was Duke of Gloucester at the time of his birth....	Captain. James Tyrrell James Tyrrell Sir James Tyrell was an English knight, a trusted servant of King Richard III of England. He is known for 'confessing' to the murders of the Princes in the Tower under Richard's orders. However, his statement may have been taken under torture, so the confession might not be genuine...  was appointed lieutenant of Guînes as Richard appointed loyalists.
1486	Giles Daubeney	Lieutenant-governor.
1492	Richard Nanfan	Deputy lieutenant.
1493	Edward Poynings Edward Poynings Sir Edward Poynings KG was an English soldier, administrator and diplomat, Lord Deputy of Ireland under King Henry VII of England.-Early life:...	Deputy lieutenant; but "deputy or governor" in the old DNB. Governor.

Lords Deputies of Calais

Date(s)	Holder	Position
1509	Sir Gilbert Talbot Gilbert Talbot (soldier) Sir Gilbert Talbot of Grafton, KG was an English Tudor knight, a younger son of John Talbot, 2nd Earl of Shrewsbury and 2nd Earl of Waterford, and Elizabeth Butler.-Life:...	Lord Deputy. He continued in a joint appointment with Richard Wingfield.
1513-1519	Richard Wingfield Richard Wingfield Sir Richard Wingfield, of Kimbolton Castle was an influential courtier and diplomat in the early years of the Tudor dynasty of England.-Life:...	Initially marshal in 1511, Lord Deputy from 1513. Robert Wingfield Robert Wingfield (diplomat) -Early life:Born about 1464, he was the seventh son of Sir John Wingfield of Letheringham, Suffolk. Humphrey Wingfield and Richard Wingfield were his brothers...  shared his duties from that time. At some point John Peche was a joint Deputy with the Wingfields. From 1513 to 1520 Nicholas Carew Nicholas Carew (courtier) Sir Nicholas Carew KG was an English courtier and statesman during the reign of Henry VIII. He was executed for his alleged part in the Exeter Conspiracy.-Early career:...  with his father Richard held the post of lieutenant of Calais Castle; Richard is described as a previous Captain of Calais. In 1519 Edward Guildford was appointed marshal of Calais.
1520-1526	John Bourchier, 2nd Baron Berners John Bourchier, 2nd Baron Berners John Bourchier, 2nd Baron Berners was a statesman and translator, born at Sherfield, Hertfordshire, England, to Sir Humphrey Bourchier and Elizabeth Tilney, and educated at Oxford University. He held various Offices of State, including that of Chancellor of the Exchequer to King Henry VIII, and...	Lord Deputy. John Wallop John Wallop Sir John Wallop was an English soldier and diplomatist who belonged to an old Hampshire family from the town of Farleigh Wallop....  was made high marshal in 1524.From 1520 until his death in 1523 the Lieutenant of Calais Castle was Maurice Berkeley, de jure 4th Baron Berkeley (1467–1523)
1526-1531	Robert Wingfield Robert Wingfield (diplomat) -Early life:Born about 1464, he was the seventh son of Sir John Wingfield of Letheringham, Suffolk. Humphrey Wingfield and Richard Wingfield were his brothers...	Lieutenant 1523-1526, Lord Deputy 1526-1531. Sir William FitzWilliam William Fitzwilliam, 1st Earl of Southampton William FitzWilliam, 1st Earl of Southampton, KG , English courtier, was the third son of Sir Thomas FitzWilliam of Aldwark and Lady Lucy Neville .His father died while FitzWilliam was in his infancy, and his mother remarried Sir Anthony Browne, the elder, so that...  was Captain of Calais Castle from 1526 to 1530, having been Captain of Guînes 1523-1526. In 1530 John Wallop was appointed lieutenant of Calais Castle.
1533-1540	Arthur Plantagenet, 1st Viscount Lisle Arthur Plantagenet, 1st Viscount Lisle Arthur Plantagenet, 1st Viscount Lisle, KG was an illegitimate son of King Edward IV of England, and an important figure at the court of Henry VIII...	Lord Deputy. His stepson John Dudley John Dudley, 1st Duke of Northumberland John 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...  was appointed deputy governor in 1538.
1540-1543	Lord Maltravers Henry FitzAlan, 19th Earl of Arundel Henry FitzAlan, 19th Earl of Arundel was an English nobleman, who over his long life assumed a prominent place at the court of all the later Tudor sovereigns, probably the only person to do so.-Court career:...	Lord Deputy. Edward Bray was lieutenant of Calais Castle in 1541.
1544-1550	George Brooke, 9th Baron Cobham George Brooke, 9th Baron Cobham George Brooke, 9th Baron Cobham was an aristocrat during the early Tudor dynasty in England. A soldier and magnate, he participated in the English wars of his days and in the political turmoil following the death of Henry VIII....	Lord Deputy.
1550-1552	William Willoughby, 1st Baron Willoughby of Parham William Willoughby, 1st Baron Willoughby of Parham William Willoughby, 1st Baron Willoughby of Parham was an English nobleman and soldier who in 1547 was made an hereditary peer of the House of Lords.-Life:...	Lord Deputy.
1552-1553	Lord William Howard William Howard, 1st Baron Howard of Effingham William Howard, 1st Baron Howard of Effingham , was the eldest son of Thomas Howard, 2nd Duke of Norfolk by his second wife, Agnes Tilney...	Lord Deputy.
1553-1558	Thomas Wentworth, 2nd Baron Wentworth	Lord Deputy, in charge when the French captured the town. Sir Ralph Chamberlaine was lieutenant of Calais Castle 1554-1558.
1555	William Herbert, 1st Earl of Pembroke (1501–1570)	In place as governor.