Sir Thomas Palmer (died 1553)
Encyclopedia
Sir Thomas Palmer was an English soldier and courtier. His testimony was crucial in the final downfall of the Duke of Somerset
in 1551–1552. Palmer was executed for his support of Lady Jane Grey
in the succession crisis of 1553.
, Kent
. He was early attached to the court, and in 1515 he was serving at Tournai
. On 28 April 1517 he was one of the feodaries of the honour of Richmond
. The same year he became bailiff of the lordship of Barton-on-Humber, Lincolnshire
. He was a gentleman-usher to King Henry VIII in 1519, and at the Field of the Cloth of Gold
in 1520. On 22 August 1519 he was made overseer of petty customs, of the subsidy of tonnage and poundage, and regulator of the custom-house wherries; in 1521 he became surveyor of the lordship of Henley-in-Arden
.
He served in the military expedition of 1523, and the same year had a grant of the manor of Pollicot, Buckinghamshire
. The next year he had a further grant of ground in the parish of St Thomas the Apostle
, London. On 10 November 1532 he was knighted at Calais
, where he had become captain of Newenham Bridge. He was favourably noticed by Henry VIII, who played dice with him, and in 1533 he became knight-porter of Calais. He was taken prisoner by the French in an expedition from Guisnes, and had to ransom himself. He gave an account of this and other services to Thomas Cromwell in a letter of 1534. He acted as commissioner for Calais and its marches in 1535 in the collection of the tenths of spiritualities. Palmer was at the affair of the Bridge of Arde in 1540.
In July 1543, when treasurer of Guisnes, he went with the force under Sir John Wallop against the French, and in August 1545 William Grey, 13th Baron Grey de Wilton
sent him as a messenger to the King. In this year he was captain of the ‘Old Man’ at Boulogne, presumably resigning it to his brother. When Henry VIII died, Palmer had secured a reputation for courage. Though the Protector Somerset was a personal enemy, he was at first a member of his party, and was sent for service on the border with Scotland during the war of the Rough Wooing. In 1548 he several times distinguished himself by bringing provisions into Haddington; but, having command of the lances in an expedition from Berwick
, suffered a bad defeat. He continued to hold his appointments at Calais. On 11 June 1550 he was sent with Sir Richard Lee
to view the forts on the Scottish border, and provide for their repair.
Palmer, on 7 October 1551, was the first to disclose Somerset's treason, the declaration being made in the Earl of Warwick's garden. He had evidently hoped to rise with Warwick, shortly known as John Dudley, 1st Duke of Northumberland
. Having secured several monastic grants, he was building himself a house in the Strand
. On 18 February 1552 he had a pardon for all treasons, clearing him from suspicion as a former follower of Somerset; and on 3 March following he was appointed a commissioner for the division of the debatable land on the borders.
He was an adherent of Lady Jane Grey
, and had been too prominent to escape when Northumberland fell. He was sent to the Tower of London
on 25 July 1553, arraigned and condemned on 19 August 1553. Palmer was the only accused man on that day to protest and he shouted that the judges themselves had formed Jane's council and they deserved as much or more punishment than him, and the trial was unlawful. He was brought out for execution on 22 August, with Sir John Gates and the Duke of Northumberland. He had heard mass before execution, and taken the sacrament in one kind; but when he came on the scaffold, covered with the blood of those who had just been beheaded, he made a speech in which he said that he died a Protestant.
in Kent
. Thomas married Jane, daughter of Sir Richard Windebank of Guisnes, and left three sons—Sir Thomas Palmer
‘the Travailer,’ Arnold, and Edward.
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....
in 1551–1552. Palmer was executed for his support of Lady Jane Grey
Lady Jane Grey
Lady Jane Grey , also known as The Nine Days' Queen, was an English noblewoman who was de facto monarch of England from 10 July until 19 July 1553 and was subsequently executed...
in the succession crisis of 1553.
Life
He was the youngest of the three sons of Sir Edward Palmer, by his wife, the sister and coheiress of Sir Richard Clement, of Ightham MoteIghtham Mote
Ightham Mote is a medieval moated manor house close to the village of Ightham, near Sevenoaks in Kent .The name "mote" derives from "moot", "meeting [place]", rather than referring to the body of water....
, 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...
. He was early attached to the court, and in 1515 he was serving at Tournai
Tournai
Tournai is a Walloon city and municipality of Belgium located 85 kilometres southwest of Brussels, on the river Scheldt, in the province of Hainaut....
. On 28 April 1517 he was one of the feodaries of the honour of Richmond
Honour of Richmond
The Honour of Richmond in north-west Yorkshire was granted to Count Alan Rufus by William the Conqueror in 1071AD. The honour, which was assessed for the service of 60 knights, was one of the most important fiefs in Norman England. - Territory :...
. The same year he became bailiff of the lordship of Barton-on-Humber, Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire is a county in the east of England. It borders Norfolk to the south east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south west, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire to the west, South Yorkshire to the north west, and the East Riding of Yorkshire to the north. It also borders...
. He was a gentleman-usher to King Henry VIII in 1519, and at the Field of the Cloth of Gold
Field of the Cloth of Gold
The Field of Cloth of Gold is the name given to a place in Balinghem, between Guînes and Ardres, in France, near Calais. It was the site of a meeting that took place from 7 June to 24 June 1520, between King Henry VIII of England and King Francis I of France. The meeting was arranged to increase...
in 1520. On 22 August 1519 he was made overseer of petty customs, of the subsidy of tonnage and poundage, and regulator of the custom-house wherries; in 1521 he became surveyor of the lordship of Henley-in-Arden
Henley-in-Arden
Henley-in-Arden is a small town in Warwickshire, England. The name is a reference to the former Forest of Arden. In the 2001 census the town had a population of 2,011....
.
He served in the military expedition of 1523, and the same year had a grant of the manor of Pollicot, Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan home county in South East England. The county town is Aylesbury, the largest town in the ceremonial county is Milton Keynes and largest town in the non-metropolitan county is High Wycombe....
. The next year he had a further grant of ground in the parish of St Thomas the Apostle
St Thomas the Apostle
St Thomas the Apostle was a former church in the City of London.The Mortality Bill for the year 1665, published by the Parish Clerk’s Company, shows 97 parishes within the City of London. By September 6 the city lay in ruins, 86 churches having been destroyed...
, London. On 10 November 1532 he was knighted at 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....
, where he had become captain of Newenham Bridge. He was favourably noticed by Henry VIII, who played dice with him, and in 1533 he became knight-porter of Calais. He was taken prisoner by the French in an expedition from Guisnes, and had to ransom himself. He gave an account of this and other services to Thomas Cromwell in a letter of 1534. He acted as commissioner for Calais and its marches in 1535 in the collection of the tenths of spiritualities. Palmer was at the affair of the Bridge of Arde in 1540.
In July 1543, when treasurer of Guisnes, he went with the force under Sir John Wallop against the French, and in August 1545 William Grey, 13th Baron Grey de Wilton
William Grey, 13th Baron Grey de Wilton
William Grey, 13th Baron Grey de Wilton KG, was an English baron and military commander serving in France in the 1540s and 1550s, and in the Scottish wars of the 1540s.He was the thirteenth Baron Grey de Wilton....
sent him as a messenger to the King. In this year he was captain of the ‘Old Man’ at Boulogne, presumably resigning it to his brother. When Henry VIII died, Palmer had secured a reputation for courage. Though the Protector Somerset was a personal enemy, he was at first a member of his party, and was sent for service on the border with Scotland during the war of the Rough Wooing. In 1548 he several times distinguished himself by bringing provisions into Haddington; but, having command of the lances in an expedition from Berwick
Berwick
Berwick-upon-Tweed is a border town in the north of England.Berwick may also refer to:- England :*Berwick Street Market, London*Berwick, Sussex**Berwick railway station*Berwick St John, Wiltshire...
, suffered a bad defeat. He continued to hold his appointments at Calais. On 11 June 1550 he was sent with Sir Richard Lee
Richard Lee (engineer)
Sir Richard Lee was a military engineer in the service of Henry VIII of England, Edward VI and Elizabeth I. He was a commander of Henry VIII of England| and appointed surveyor of the King's works.-Surveyor of Calais:...
to view the forts on the Scottish border, and provide for their repair.
Palmer, on 7 October 1551, was the first to disclose Somerset's treason, the declaration being made in the Earl of Warwick's garden. He had evidently hoped to rise with Warwick, shortly known as 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...
. Having secured several monastic grants, he was building himself a house in the Strand
Strand, London
Strand is a street in the City of Westminster, London, England. The street is just over three-quarters of a mile long. It currently starts at Trafalgar Square and runs east to join Fleet Street at Temple Bar, which marks the boundary of the City of London at this point, though its historical length...
. On 18 February 1552 he had a pardon for all treasons, clearing him from suspicion as a former follower of Somerset; and on 3 March following he was appointed a commissioner for the division of the debatable land on the borders.
He was an adherent of Lady Jane Grey
Lady Jane Grey
Lady Jane Grey , also known as The Nine Days' Queen, was an English noblewoman who was de facto monarch of England from 10 July until 19 July 1553 and was subsequently executed...
, and had been too prominent to escape when Northumberland fell. He was 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 25 July 1553, arraigned and condemned on 19 August 1553. Palmer was the only accused man on that day to protest and he shouted that the judges themselves had formed Jane's council and they deserved as much or more punishment than him, and the trial was unlawful. He was brought out for execution on 22 August, with Sir John Gates and the Duke of Northumberland. He had heard mass before execution, and taken the sacrament in one kind; but when he came on the scaffold, covered with the blood of those who had just been beheaded, he made a speech in which he said that he died a Protestant.
Family
Of Sir Thomas's two elder brothers, the first, Sir John, known as ‘Buskin Palmer’ or ‘Long Palmer,’ was sheriff of Surrey and Sussex successively in 1533 and 1543. He became a noted dicer, and, having been constantly in the habit of winning money from Henry VIII at cards, he was hanged, though why or when is uncertain. His second brother was Sir Henry Palmer (d. 1559), of WinghamWingham
Wingham may refer to:Places:* Wingham, Kent, a village in England**River Wingham, a river flowing through Wingham, Kent, England* Wingham, New South Wales in Australia**St Andrew's Presbyterian Church, Wingham, Australia...
in 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...
. Thomas married Jane, daughter of Sir Richard Windebank of Guisnes, and left three sons—Sir Thomas Palmer
Thomas Palmer (High Sheriff)
Sir Thomas Palmer , ‘the Travailer,’ was an English knight and politician.-Life:Palmer was the third son of Sir Henry Palmer of Wingham, Kent, by his wife Jane, daughter of Sir Richard Windebank of Guisnes, and was nephew of Sir Thomas Palmer...
‘the Travailer,’ Arnold, and Edward.