Ralph Vane
Encyclopedia
Sir Ralph Vane, also known as Ralph Fane (d. 26 February 1552) was a supporter of Edward Seymour, 1st Duke of Somerset
,and hanged on Tower Hill
as a result of factional strife.
in the reign of Henry VIII. He was a descendant of Sir John Fane who had received extensive estates in Kent as his reward for capturing John II
king of France at the Battle of Poitiers
in 1356. He was only son of Henry Fane or Vane of Hadlow
, Kent, who was sheriff of Kent in 1508, and grandson of Henry Fane or Vane of Hildenborough
, Tunbridge
. He distinguished himself at the siege of Boulogne in 1544, when he was knighted.
He was nominated under Henry VIII's will steward (with Sir William Goring) of Lord Lincoln's lands. He took part in the Scottish campaign of 1547 under the Protector Somerset
, and after the battle of Pinkie Cleugh
at Musselburgh
was created Knight banneret
. Two others so honoured were Sir Francis Bryan and Sir Ralph Sadler, and Fane was one of the last three soldiers ever to be so knighted on the field of combat. As a supporter of the Protector he shared the favour of Edward VI, and received from him in 1550 a grant of the mansion and estates of Penshurst Place
and manor of Lyghe, the forfeited property of Edward Stafford, 3rd Duke of Buckingham
.
In October 1551, when John Dudley, 1st Duke of Northumberland
moved against Somerset and his supporters, Fane was one of those charged with conspiring to murder Northumberland. He was arrested in a stable in Lambeth
and sent to the Tower of London
. On 27 January 1552 he was put on his trial on the treasonable charge of conspiring to kill various privy councillors. In spite of his appeals to his military services and his strong denial of guilt, he was sentenced to death. The king described him at the trial as "answering like a ruffian". A warrant was signed by Edward, 25 February, and Fane was hanged the next day on Tower Hill
. On the scaffold Fane repeated his plea of innocence. Of three companions also executed on 26 February 1552, Sir Miles Partridge
was hanged, and the other two, Sir Thomas Arundell and Sir Michael Stanhope
, were beheaded.
Fane's forfeited manor of Penshurst was given the same year to Sir William Sidney
, and all the goods and chattels found in Fane's house at Westminster to Sir John Gate, a follower of Northumberland. John Strype
states that Elizabeth Brugge (daughter of Rouland Brugge d. 1540 and Margery Kelom), Lady Fane or Vane, a benefactor to Protestants under Queen Mary
, and corresponded with Philpot and John Bradford
, was Fane's widow. She died in Holborn, London, in 1568.
Edward Seymour, 1st Duke of Somerset
Edward Seymour, 1st Duke of Somerset, 1st Earl of Hertford, 1st Viscount Beauchamp of Hache, KG, Earl Marshal was Lord Protector of England in the period between the death of Henry VIII in 1547 and his own indictment in 1549....
,and hanged on Tower Hill
Tower Hill
Tower Hill is an elevated spot northwest of the Tower of London, just outside the limits of the City of London, in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. Formerly it was part of the Tower Liberty under the direct administrative control of Tower...
as a result of factional strife.
Life
Ralph Fane (or Vane as he also signed his name) was born at the manor of Badsell in Tudely, KentKent
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...
in the reign of Henry VIII. He was a descendant of Sir John Fane who had received extensive estates in Kent as his reward for capturing John II
John II of France
John II , called John the Good , was the King of France from 1350 until his death. He was the second sovereign of the House of Valois and is perhaps best remembered as the king who was vanquished at the Battle of Poitiers and taken as a captive to England.The son of Philip VI and Joan the Lame,...
king of France at the Battle of Poitiers
Battle of Poitiers (1356)
The Battle of Poitiers was fought between the Kingdoms of England and France on 19 September 1356 near Poitiers, resulting in the second of the three great English victories of the Hundred Years' War: Crécy, Poitiers, and Agincourt....
in 1356. He was only son of Henry Fane or Vane of Hadlow
Hadlow
Hadlow is a village in the Medway valley, near Tonbridge, Kent; it is in the Tonbridge and Malling district. The Saxon name for the settlement was Haeselholte...
, Kent, who was sheriff of Kent in 1508, and grandson of Henry Fane or Vane of Hildenborough
Hildenborough
Hildenborough is a village and rural parish in the District of Tonbridge and Malling, Kent. It is two miles north-west of Tonbridge and five miles south-east of Sevenoaks...
, Tunbridge
Tonbridge
Tonbridge is a market town in the English county of Kent, with a population of 30,340 in 2007. It is located on the River Medway, approximately 4 miles north of Tunbridge Wells, 12 miles south west of Maidstone and 29 miles south east of London...
. He distinguished himself at the siege of Boulogne in 1544, when he was knighted.
He was nominated under Henry VIII's will steward (with Sir William Goring) of Lord Lincoln's lands. He took part in the Scottish campaign of 1547 under the Protector Somerset
Edward Seymour, 1st Duke of Somerset
Edward Seymour, 1st Duke of Somerset, 1st Earl of Hertford, 1st Viscount Beauchamp of Hache, KG, Earl Marshal was Lord Protector of England in the period between the death of Henry VIII in 1547 and his own indictment in 1549....
, and after the battle of Pinkie Cleugh
Battle of Pinkie Cleugh
The Battle of Pinkie Cleugh, on the banks of the River Esk near Musselburgh, Scotland on 10 September 1547, was part of the War of the Rough Wooing. It was the last pitched battle between Scottish and English armies, and is seen as the first modern battle in the British Isles...
at Musselburgh
Musselburgh
Musselburgh is the largest settlement in East Lothian, Scotland, on the coast of the Firth of Forth, six miles east of Edinburgh city centre.-History:...
was created Knight banneret
Knight banneret
A knight banneret, sometimes known simply as banneret, was a Medieval knight who led a company of troops during time of war under his own banner and were eligible to bear supporters in English heraldry.The military rank of a knight banneret was...
. Two others so honoured were Sir Francis Bryan and Sir Ralph Sadler, and Fane was one of the last three soldiers ever to be so knighted on the field of combat. As a supporter of the Protector he shared the favour of Edward VI, and received from him in 1550 a grant of the mansion and estates of Penshurst Place
Penshurst Place
Penshurst Place is a historic building near Tonbridge, Kent, south east of London, England. It is the ancestral home of the Sidney family, and was the birthplace of the great Elizabethan poet, courtier and soldier, Sir Philip Sidney. The original medieval house is one of the most complete examples...
and manor of Lyghe, the forfeited property 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...
.
In October 1551, when John Dudley, 1st Duke of Northumberland
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...
moved against Somerset and his supporters, Fane was one of those charged with conspiring to murder Northumberland. He was arrested in a stable in Lambeth
Lambeth
Lambeth is a district of south London, England, and part of the London Borough of Lambeth. It is situated southeast of Charing Cross.-Toponymy:...
and sent to the Tower of London
Tower of London
Her Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress, more commonly known as the Tower of London, is a historic castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London, England. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, separated from the eastern edge of the City of London by the open space...
. On 27 January 1552 he was put on his trial on the treasonable charge of conspiring to kill various privy councillors. In spite of his appeals to his military services and his strong denial of guilt, he was sentenced to death. The king described him at the trial as "answering like a ruffian". A warrant was signed by Edward, 25 February, and Fane was hanged the next day on Tower Hill
Tower Hill
Tower Hill is an elevated spot northwest of the Tower of London, just outside the limits of the City of London, in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. Formerly it was part of the Tower Liberty under the direct administrative control of Tower...
. On the scaffold Fane repeated his plea of innocence. Of three companions also executed on 26 February 1552, Sir Miles Partridge
Miles Partridge
Sir Miles Partridge was an English courtier during the reigns of Henry VIII and Edward VI. He was arrested in 1551, convicted of treason and hanged, as part of the factional struggle that followed the fall of Protector Somerset.-Life:...
was hanged, and the other two, Sir Thomas Arundell and Sir Michael Stanhope
Sir Michael Stanhope
Sir Michael Stanhope was a Nottinghamshire landowner and suspected rebel against the English Crown. He was a descendant of the ancient Stanhope family of Rampton, Nottinghamshire....
, were beheaded.
Fane's forfeited manor of Penshurst was given the same year to Sir William Sidney
Sir William Sidney
Sir William Sidney was an English courtier under Henry VIII and Edward VI.-Life:He was eldest son of Nicholas Sidney, by Anne, sister of Sir William Brandon...
, and all the goods and chattels found in Fane's house at Westminster to Sir John Gate, a follower of Northumberland. John Strype
John Strype
John Strype was an English historian and biographer. He was a cousin of Robert Knox, a famous sailor.Born in Houndsditch, London, he was the son of John Strype, or van Stryp, a member of a Huguenot family whom, in order to escape religious persecution within Brabant, had settled in East London...
states that Elizabeth Brugge (daughter of Rouland Brugge d. 1540 and Margery Kelom), Lady Fane or Vane, a benefactor to Protestants under 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...
, and corresponded with Philpot and John Bradford
John Bradford
John Bradford was a prebendary of St. Paul's. He was an English Reformer and martyr best remembered for his utterance "'There, but for the grace of God, goes John Bradford". These words were uttered by Bradford while imprisoned in the Tower of London when he saw a criminal on his way to execution;...
, was Fane's widow. She died in Holborn, London, in 1568.