Robert Southwell (sheriff)
Encyclopedia
Sir Robert Southwell was an English civil servant during the reigns of Henry VIII
, Edward VI
and Mary I
. He was elected Member of Parliament from Kent
in October 1553 and in 1555. In January-February 1554 Southwell, then the High Sheriff of Kent
, was one of the key loyalist officers engaged against the Wyatt's rebellion
. According to D. M. Loades, "Sir Robert Southwell and Lord Abergavenny
were almost the only significant gentlemen in the country whose loyalty was never in doubt. So resolute was Southwell's opposition to Wyatt that it is tempting to regard them as personal enemies, but .. there is no evidence for this."
. He was the son of Francis Southwell and the younger brother to Privy council
lor Sir Richard Southwell. Robert married Margaret Neville (daughter of Sir Thomas Neville, MP from Kent, and the third son of George, Lord Abergavenny
) in May 1536. Through the marriage he acquired the rights to Mereworth
, which became his principal residence and where he was buried. Southwell was Catholic.
He settled on a career in law, served at the Court of Augmentations
, and made a fortune through speculation in former monastery lands. Southwell temporarily controlled estates at Leveland, Ditton
, West Peckham
and Swanton Hall near Mereworth. D. M. Loades noted that "there was nothing to choose between Southwell and Wyatt", his future enemy, when it came to monastic lands. Southwell supported his brother Richard in his rivalry with the Howards; after their fall Southwell was rewarded with lands in Badlesmere, Kent
.
In 1543-1550 Southwell was the Master of the Rolls
although, according to D. M. Loades, he then lived in Kent where he gained "some influence" through his marriage connection. Michael Zell wrote that is was customary to have at least one high-ranking judge permanently living in Kent.
Southwell was appointed High Sheriff of Kent
. According to James Anthony Froude
, he was a vocal opponent of the proposed Spanish marriage of Mary and Philip II
. This made him and his faithful inlaw Henry Neville, Lord Abergavenny, valuable potential assets to Thomas Wyatt the younger
and his conspiracy circle. Whether Southwell and Abergavenny would join the revolt remained uncertain until it broke out in earnest on January 25, 1554. According to D. M. Loades, Southwell remained unconditionally loyal to Mary. He was not aware of the rebel's council held at Allington Castle
on January 22, but had other signals of the brewing revolt and actively spied upon the rebel Henry Isley
. On January 24, one day before the revolt, Southwell and Abergavenny began recruitment of the loyalist forces, although with little success. Eastern Kent countryside, influenced by loyalist families, remained largely unaffected by Wyatt's rebellion, but the larger towns leaned to Wyatt. On January 26 Wyatt declared Southwell and Abergavenny "traitors to God, the Crown and the Commonwealth" for "stirring up the Queen's most loyal subjects of the realm."
According to Froude, on January 25 Abergavenny raised two thousand men and attacked rebel Henry Isley
at Wrotham
. Abergavenny's men prevailed over the rebels and then deserted to Wyatt's army. According to D. M. Loades, on January 25 Southwell reported to the Council in London that recruitment made only "some headway" and advised that the Queen must leave London for a safer place. By January 27 the loyalists's position improved, and their combined forces in Kent matched the numbers of Wyatt's force in Rochester, at around two thousand men on each side. However, the loyalists were scattered, and Wyatt could rely on additional forces held by the Isleys in nearby Tonbridge
and Sevenoaks
. According to D. M. Loades, Southwell and Abergavenny with six hundred men blocked the road from Tonbridge to Rochester to prevent consolidation of the rebels. On January 27 Southwell realized that the townsfolks stood for Wyatt and did not dare to engage the rebels. On the next day Henry Isley
marched from Sevenoaks to Rochester. This time, Southwell was compelled to fight, and managed to defeat Isley's company at Wrotham
, taking around sixty prisoners.
On the same January 28 Duke of Norfolk
boldly led his unstable army into Kent. He did not notify Southwell and Abergavenny of his plans, and his forces deserted to Wyatt at the earliest convenience. After the defeat of Norfolk at Rochester Southwell fled to London. Wyatt marched to London himself with around three thousand men, but lost the initiative; Southwell and Thomas Cheney
managed to raise another loyalist company in his rear. On February 4 Southwell and Abergavenny marched to Greenwich
. Londoners rumoured that their force reached three thousand men (actual strength of the loyalists is unknown). Wyatt was cut off from his base in Kent, and could not count on reinforcements while the loyalists' forces gained strength every day.
By February 7 Wyatt's army disintegrated. Southwell was dispatched to mop up the rebels remaining in Kent and on February 10 set up his headquarters in Wyatt's Allington Castle. His men, supported by Earl of Pembroke's cavalry, tracked the rebels and soon filled the local jails to the point "that serious disruption was threatened to the life of the county". He interrogated the prisoners himself and reported their statements and his own opinions to Stephen Gardiner
in London. He requested the formation of a special court for speedy handling of his prisoners. This court, the Kent Commission, was formed on February 24. Of 230 prisoners indicted before the Kent Commission, only 42 were convicted. D. M. Loades wrote that the blunt of Marian justice mostly hit Londoners: 45 of 76 convicted Londoners were sentenced to death, compared to 30 out of 350 for the Kentish men. Southwell was obliged to execute the rebels convicted in London and sent to die in their home county. The first group of 18 men was executed on February 18, followed by two on February 24 and eight (including the Isley brothers) on February 28. More "transfers to Southwell" followed until the middle of March.
On the occasion of the marriage of Mary and Philip Southwell was rewarded with a pension of five hundred pounds per annum.
Henry 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...
, Edward VI
Edward 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...
and Mary I
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...
. He was elected Member of Parliament from 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...
in October 1553 and in 1555. In January-February 1554 Southwell, then the High Sheriff of Kent
High Sheriff of Kent
The High Sheriff is the oldest secular office under the Crown. Formerly the High Sheriff was the principal law enforcement officer in the county but over the centuries most of the responsibilities associated with the post have been transferred elsewhere or are now defunct, so that its functions...
, was one of the key loyalist officers engaged against the Wyatt's rebellion
Wyatt's rebellion
Wyatt's Rebellion was a popular uprising in England in 1554, named after Thomas Wyatt the younger, one of its leaders. The rebellion arose out of concern over Queen Mary I's determination to marry Philip II of Spain, which was an unpopular policy with the English...
. According to D. M. Loades, "Sir Robert Southwell and Lord Abergavenny
Henry Nevill, 6th Baron Bergavenny
Henry Nevill, 6th and de jure 4th Baron Abergavenny K.B. was an English peer. Son of Sir George Nevill, 5th Baron Bergavenny and Mary Stafford daughter of Edward Stafford, 3rd Duke of Buckingham...
were almost the only significant gentlemen in the country whose loyalty was never in doubt. So resolute was Southwell's opposition to Wyatt that it is tempting to regard them as personal enemies, but .. there is no evidence for this."
Early life
Robert Southwell belonged to a wealthy family from NorfolkNorfolk
Norfolk is a low-lying county in the East of England. It has borders with Lincolnshire to the west, Cambridgeshire to the west and southwest and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the North Sea coast and to the north-west the county is bordered by The Wash. The county...
. He was the son of Francis Southwell and the younger brother to Privy council
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...
lor Sir Richard Southwell. Robert married Margaret Neville (daughter of Sir Thomas Neville, MP from Kent, and the third son of George, Lord Abergavenny
George Nevill, 5th Baron Bergavenny
George Nevill, 5th and de jure 3rd Baron Bergavenny KG, PC was an English courtier. He held the office of Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports.-Life:...
) in May 1536. Through the marriage he acquired the rights to Mereworth
Mereworth
Mereworth is a village near the town of Maidstone in Kent, England. The Wateringbury Stream flows through the village and powered a watermill, the site of which now lies within the grounds of Mereworth Castle.-History:...
, which became his principal residence and where he was buried. Southwell was Catholic.
He settled on a career in law, served at the Court of Augmentations
Court of Augmentations
The Court of Augmentations was established during the reign of King Henry VIII of England along with three lesser courts following the dissolution of the monasteries. Its primary function was to gain better control over the land and finances formerly held by the Roman Catholic Church in the kingdom...
, and made a fortune through speculation in former monastery lands. Southwell temporarily controlled estates at Leveland, Ditton
Ditton, Kent
Ditton is a large village and civil parish in the Tonbridge and Malling District of Kent, England. The village is about north-west of Maidstone town centre and east of West Malling. The parish, which is long and narrow, straddles the A20 , with farmland to the south and industry to the north...
, West Peckham
West Peckham
West Peckham is a village in the local government district of Tonbridge and Malling in Kent, England. The River Bourne flows through the extreme west of the parish, and formerly powered a paper mill and corn mill . The Wateringbury Stream rises in the parish...
and Swanton Hall near Mereworth. D. M. Loades noted that "there was nothing to choose between Southwell and Wyatt", his future enemy, when it came to monastic lands. Southwell supported his brother Richard in his rivalry with the Howards; after their fall Southwell was rewarded with lands in Badlesmere, Kent
Badlesmere, Kent
Badlesmere is a village and civil parish in the Swale district of Kent, England, about five miles south of Faversham. According to the 2001 census it had a population of 111....
.
In 1543-1550 Southwell was the Master of the Rolls
Master of the Rolls
The Keeper or Master of the Rolls and Records of the Chancery of England, known as the Master of the Rolls, is the second most senior judge in England and Wales, after the Lord Chief Justice. The Master of the Rolls is the presiding officer of the Civil Division of the Court of Appeal...
although, according to D. M. Loades, he then lived in Kent where he gained "some influence" through his marriage connection. Michael Zell wrote that is was customary to have at least one high-ranking judge permanently living in Kent.
Wyatt's rebellion
In the first year of the reign of Queen MaryMary 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...
Southwell was appointed High Sheriff of Kent
High Sheriff of Kent
The High Sheriff is the oldest secular office under the Crown. Formerly the High Sheriff was the principal law enforcement officer in the county but over the centuries most of the responsibilities associated with the post have been transferred elsewhere or are now defunct, so that its functions...
. According to James Anthony Froude
James Anthony Froude
James Anthony Froude , 23 April 1818–20 October 1894, was an English historian, novelist, biographer, and editor of Fraser's Magazine. From his upbringing amidst the Anglo-Catholic Oxford Movement, Froude intended to become a clergyman, but doubts about the doctrines of the Anglican church,...
, he was a vocal opponent of the proposed Spanish marriage of Mary and Philip II
Philip II of Spain
Philip II was King of Spain, Portugal, Naples, Sicily, and, while married to Mary I, King of England and Ireland. He was lord of the Seventeen Provinces from 1556 until 1581, holding various titles for the individual territories such as duke or count....
. This made him and his faithful inlaw Henry Neville, Lord Abergavenny, valuable potential assets to Thomas Wyatt the younger
Thomas Wyatt the younger
Sir Thomas Wyatt the younger was a rebel leader during the reign of Queen Mary I of England; his rising is traditionally called "Wyatt's rebellion".-Birth and career:...
and his conspiracy circle. Whether Southwell and Abergavenny would join the revolt remained uncertain until it broke out in earnest on January 25, 1554. According to D. M. Loades, Southwell remained unconditionally loyal to Mary. He was not aware of the rebel's council held at Allington Castle
Allington Castle
Allington Castle is a stone-built moated castle in Allington, just north of Maidstone, Kent in England.-History:Allington Castle is a Grade I listed building. Much of the stonework was laid in an intricate herringbone pattern which is still visible today...
on January 22, but had other signals of the brewing revolt and actively spied upon the rebel Henry Isley
Henry Isley
Sir Henry Isley was an English nobleman involved in Wyatt's Rebellion.The Isley family were established landowners of Kent county. Henry Isley owned an estate in Brasted, his brother Thomas Isley in Vinters Park near Maidstone....
. On January 24, one day before the revolt, Southwell and Abergavenny began recruitment of the loyalist forces, although with little success. Eastern Kent countryside, influenced by loyalist families, remained largely unaffected by Wyatt's rebellion, but the larger towns leaned to Wyatt. On January 26 Wyatt declared Southwell and Abergavenny "traitors to God, the Crown and the Commonwealth" for "stirring up the Queen's most loyal subjects of the realm."
According to Froude, on January 25 Abergavenny raised two thousand men and attacked rebel Henry Isley
Henry Isley
Sir Henry Isley was an English nobleman involved in Wyatt's Rebellion.The Isley family were established landowners of Kent county. Henry Isley owned an estate in Brasted, his brother Thomas Isley in Vinters Park near Maidstone....
at Wrotham
Wrotham
Wrotham is a village situated on the Pilgrims' Way in Kent, at the foot of the North Downs. It is located one mile north of Borough Green and approximately five miles east of Sevenoaks. It is within the junction of the M20 and M26 motorways....
. Abergavenny's men prevailed over the rebels and then deserted to Wyatt's army. According to D. M. Loades, on January 25 Southwell reported to the Council in London that recruitment made only "some headway" and advised that the Queen must leave London for a safer place. By January 27 the loyalists's position improved, and their combined forces in Kent matched the numbers of Wyatt's force in Rochester, at around two thousand men on each side. However, the loyalists were scattered, and Wyatt could rely on additional forces held by the Isleys in nearby Tonbridge
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...
and Sevenoaks
Sevenoaks
Sevenoaks is a commuter town situated on the London fringe of west Kent, England, some 20 miles south-east of Charing Cross, on one of the principal commuter rail lines from the capital...
. According to D. M. Loades, Southwell and Abergavenny with six hundred men blocked the road from Tonbridge to Rochester to prevent consolidation of the rebels. On January 27 Southwell realized that the townsfolks stood for Wyatt and did not dare to engage the rebels. On the next day Henry Isley
Henry Isley
Sir Henry Isley was an English nobleman involved in Wyatt's Rebellion.The Isley family were established landowners of Kent county. Henry Isley owned an estate in Brasted, his brother Thomas Isley in Vinters Park near Maidstone....
marched from Sevenoaks to Rochester. This time, Southwell was compelled to fight, and managed to defeat Isley's company at Wrotham
Wrotham
Wrotham is a village situated on the Pilgrims' Way in Kent, at the foot of the North Downs. It is located one mile north of Borough Green and approximately five miles east of Sevenoaks. It is within the junction of the M20 and M26 motorways....
, taking around sixty prisoners.
On the same January 28 Duke of Norfolk
Thomas Howard, 3rd Duke of Norfolk
Thomas Howard, 3rd Duke of Norfolk, KG, Earl Marshal was a prominent Tudor politician. He was uncle to Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard, two of the wives of King Henry VIII, and played a major role in the machinations behind these marriages...
boldly led his unstable army into Kent. He did not notify Southwell and Abergavenny of his plans, and his forces deserted to Wyatt at the earliest convenience. After the defeat of Norfolk at Rochester Southwell fled to London. Wyatt marched to London himself with around three thousand men, but lost the initiative; Southwell and Thomas Cheney
Thomas Cheney
Sir Thomas Cheney KG was the Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports in South-East England, from 1536 until his death.-Early life:...
managed to raise another loyalist company in his rear. On February 4 Southwell and Abergavenny marched to Greenwich
Greenwich
Greenwich is a district of south London, England, located in the London Borough of Greenwich.Greenwich is best known for its maritime history and for giving its name to the Greenwich Meridian and Greenwich Mean Time...
. Londoners rumoured that their force reached three thousand men (actual strength of the loyalists is unknown). Wyatt was cut off from his base in Kent, and could not count on reinforcements while the loyalists' forces gained strength every day.
By February 7 Wyatt's army disintegrated. Southwell was dispatched to mop up the rebels remaining in Kent and on February 10 set up his headquarters in Wyatt's Allington Castle. His men, supported by Earl of Pembroke's cavalry, tracked the rebels and soon filled the local jails to the point "that serious disruption was threatened to the life of the county". He interrogated the prisoners himself and reported their statements and his own opinions to Stephen Gardiner
Stephen Gardiner
Stephen Gardiner was an English Roman Catholic bishop and politician during the English Reformation period who served as Lord Chancellor during the reign of Queen Mary I of England.-Early life:...
in London. He requested the formation of a special court for speedy handling of his prisoners. This court, the Kent Commission, was formed on February 24. Of 230 prisoners indicted before the Kent Commission, only 42 were convicted. D. M. Loades wrote that the blunt of Marian justice mostly hit Londoners: 45 of 76 convicted Londoners were sentenced to death, compared to 30 out of 350 for the Kentish men. Southwell was obliged to execute the rebels convicted in London and sent to die in their home county. The first group of 18 men was executed on February 18, followed by two on February 24 and eight (including the Isley brothers) on February 28. More "transfers to Southwell" followed until the middle of March.
On the occasion of the marriage of Mary and Philip Southwell was rewarded with a pension of five hundred pounds per annum.
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