Ursula Pole, Baroness Stafford
Encyclopedia
Ursula Pole, Baroness Stafford (c. 1504 – 12 August 1570) was an English noblewoman, a wealthy heiress, and the only daughter of Margaret Pole, 8th Countess of Salisbury
, the last surviving member of the Plantagenet dynasty who was executed for treason by the command of King Henry VIII
in 1541. Ursula was the wife of Henry Stafford, 1st Baron Stafford
.
and Margaret Pole, suo jure 8th Countess of Salisbury, who as the daughter of George Plantagenet, 1st Duke of Clarence
and Isabella Neville was the last surviving member of the Plantagenet dynasty. Therefore through her mother, Ursula had a claim to the English throne.
Ursula's father died in 1505 when she was a baby. The Pole's chief residence was Warblington
Castle in Hampshire
. Ursula's mother would stand as godmother
to the Princess Mary
, and later hold the post of Royal Governess.
Ursula had four older brothers, Henry Pole, 1st Baron Montagu
, Reginald Pole, Cardinal and last Roman Catholic Archbishop of Canterbury
, Sir Geoffrey Pole
, and Sir Arthur Pole. Her eldest brother Henry, who was one of the peers at the trial of Queen Anne Boleyn
, was executed for treason in 1539; two years later her mother followed him to the block, her titles and honours having been forfeited to the Crown. Another brother, Geoffrey was suspected of treason, and went into exile on the Continent.
(18 September 1501 - 30 April 1563), the only son of Edward Stafford, 3rd Duke of Buckingham
and Lady Alianore Percy
. She was about 15 years old, and he was not yet 18. His eldest sister, Elizabeth Stafford
was married to Thomas Howard, 3rd Duke of Norfolk
. The marriage had been arranged by the Duke of Buckingham, at the suggestion of Cardinal Thomas Wolsey. Ursula's dowry
was 3,000 marks
, which would be increased by 1,000 marks "if the Countess (of Salisbury) get back certain lands from the King". The Countess settled lands in Somerset
and Devon
worth 700 marks on the couple and their children. In return, the Duke of Buckingham was required to set aside lands worth £500 as Ursula's jointure
. He also paid for the wedding expenses, apart from Ursula's wedding clothes which were provided by her mother.
Following their marriage, Ursula and Henry made their home in the household of her father-in-law, the Duke of Buckingham, where they had guardians to watch over them.
In November 1520, Ursula gave birth to her first child; she would have a total of seven sons and seven daughters. The Duke paid a midwife 10 shillings to attend Ursula following the birth of the child.
Five months earlier, Ursula had been in France at the Field of the Cloth of Gold
despite being in her fourth month of pregnancy. The following year, 1521, her father-in-law was beheaded for treason and posthumously attainted by an Act of Parliament
, with his title and estates being forfeited to the Crown. Ursula's husband was created 1st Baron Stafford by King Henry's son and successor, Edward VI
in 1547. From that time onward, Ursula was styled Baroness Stafford.
Henry and Ursula had a total of about fourteen children of whom twelve names are known:
Ursula appeared to have had a cordial relationship with her sister-in-law the Duchess of Norfolk, with whom Ursula's husband had quarrelled. Upon her death in 1558, the Duchess bequeathed to Ursula, whom she affectionately described as her "suster Stafford", all her apparel and jewellery, as well as a French hood and a velvet-covered saddle.
Margaret Pole, 8th Countess of Salisbury
Margaret Pole, Countess of Salisbury was an English peeress, one of two women in sixteenth-century England to be a peeress in her own right with no titled husband, the daughter of George of Clarence, the brother of King Edward IV and King Richard III...
, the last surviving member of the Plantagenet dynasty who was executed for treason by the command of King Henry VIII
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...
in 1541. Ursula was the wife of Henry Stafford, 1st Baron Stafford
Henry Stafford, 1st Baron Stafford
Henry Stafford, 1st Baron Stafford was born in Penshurst, Kent, England the eldest son of Edward Stafford, 3rd Duke of Buckingham and Eleanor Percy, Duchess of Buckingham. Eleanor was the daughter of Henry Percy, 4th Earl of Northumberland and Maud Herbert, Countess of Northumberland...
.
Family
Lady Ursula was born in about 1504, the only daughter and youngest child of Sir Richard PoleSir Richard Pole
Sir Richard Pole, KG was a Welsh supporter of King Henry VII created Knight of the Garter and married to Margaret Pole, 8th Countess of Salisbury, a member of the Plantagenet dynasty, to reinforce the Tudor alliance between the houses of Lancaster and York.-Family:A descendant of an ancient Welsh...
and Margaret Pole, suo jure 8th Countess of Salisbury, who as the daughter of George Plantagenet, 1st Duke of Clarence
George Plantagenet, 1st Duke of Clarence
George Plantagenet, 1st Duke of Clarence, 1st Earl of Salisbury, 1st Earl of Warwick, KG was the third son of Richard Plantagenet, 3rd Duke of York, and Cecily Neville, and the brother of kings Edward IV and Richard III. He played an important role in the dynastic struggle known as the Wars of the...
and Isabella Neville was the last surviving member of the Plantagenet dynasty. Therefore through her mother, Ursula had a claim to the English throne.
Ursula's father died in 1505 when she was a baby. The Pole's chief residence was Warblington
Warblington
Warblington, historically part of the Hundred of Bosmere , is a suburb of Havant, a town in Hampshire, England.-History:It is part of the parish of St Thomas à Becket, Warblington and St James, Emsworth. Pevsner describes the church of St Thomas as essentially late 12th century and praises the...
Castle in Hampshire
Hampshire
Hampshire is a county on the southern coast of England in the United Kingdom. The county town of Hampshire is Winchester, a historic cathedral city that was once the capital of England. Hampshire is notable for housing the original birthplaces of the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force...
. Ursula's mother would stand as godmother
Godparent
A godparent, in many denominations of Christianity, is someone who sponsors a child's baptism. A male godparent is a godfather, and a female godparent is a godmother...
to the Princess 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 later hold the post of Royal Governess.
Ursula had four older brothers, Henry Pole, 1st Baron Montagu
Henry Pole, 1st Baron Montagu
Henry Pole, 1st Baron Montagu , the only holder of the title Baron Montagu under its 1514 creation, was most famous as one of the peers in the trial of Anne Boleyn.-Life:...
, Reginald Pole, Cardinal and last Roman Catholic Archbishop of Canterbury
Archbishop of Canterbury
The Archbishop of Canterbury is the senior bishop and principal leader of the Church of England, the symbolic head of the worldwide Anglican Communion, and the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of Canterbury. In his role as head of the Anglican Communion, the archbishop leads the third largest group...
, Sir Geoffrey Pole
Geoffrey Pole
Sir Geoffrey Pole of Lordington, Sussex was an English knight who supported the Catholic Church in England and Wales when Henry VIII of England was establishing the alternative Church of England with himself as leader....
, and Sir Arthur Pole. Her eldest brother Henry, who was one of the peers at the trial of Queen Anne Boleyn
Anne Boleyn
Anne Boleyn ;c.1501/1507 – 19 May 1536) was Queen of England from 1533 to 1536 as the second wife of Henry VIII of England and Marquess of Pembroke in her own right. Henry's marriage to Anne, and her subsequent execution, made her a key figure in the political and religious upheaval that was the...
, was executed for treason in 1539; two years later her mother followed him to the block, her titles and honours having been forfeited to the Crown. Another brother, Geoffrey was suspected of treason, and went into exile on the Continent.
Marriage and issue
On 16 February 1518/1519, Lady Ursula married Henry Stafford, 1st Baron StaffordHenry Stafford, 1st Baron Stafford
Henry Stafford, 1st Baron Stafford was born in Penshurst, Kent, England the eldest son of Edward Stafford, 3rd Duke of Buckingham and Eleanor Percy, Duchess of Buckingham. Eleanor was the daughter of Henry Percy, 4th Earl of Northumberland and Maud Herbert, Countess of Northumberland...
(18 September 1501 - 30 April 1563), the only son 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...
and Lady Alianore Percy
Eleanor Percy, Duchess of Buckingham
Eleanor Percy, Duchess of Buckingham , also known as Alianore, was a daughter of Henry Percy, 4th Earl of Northumberland by his wife Lady Maud Herbert, herself a daughter of the first Earl of Pembroke. She married Edward Stafford, 3rd Duke of Buckingham, who was beheaded in 1521 on false charges of...
. She was about 15 years old, and he was not yet 18. His eldest sister, Elizabeth Stafford
Elizabeth Howard, Duchess of Norfolk
Elizabeth Howard was the eldest daughter of Edward Stafford, 3rd Duke of Buckingham and the wife of Thomas Howard, 3rd Duke of Norfolk...
was married to Thomas Howard, 3rd 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...
. The marriage had been arranged by the Duke of Buckingham, at the suggestion of Cardinal Thomas Wolsey. Ursula's dowry
Dowry
A dowry is the money, goods, or estate that a woman brings forth to the marriage. It contrasts with bride price, which is paid to the bride's parents, and dower, which is property settled on the bride herself by the groom at the time of marriage. The same culture may simultaneously practice both...
was 3,000 marks
Marks
Marks , also spelled Marx, named after Karl Marx, is a town in Saratov Oblast, Russia, located northeast of Saratov. Population: It was founded in 1767 as a Volga German community called Baronsk . It was soon renamed Yekaterinenshtadt , after Catherine the Great. In 1918, it was granted town...
, which would be increased by 1,000 marks "if the Countess (of Salisbury) get back certain lands from the King". The Countess settled lands in Somerset
Somerset
The ceremonial and non-metropolitan county of Somerset in South West England borders Bristol and Gloucestershire to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west. It is partly bounded to the north and west by the Bristol Channel and the estuary of the...
and Devon
Devon
Devon is a large county in southwestern England. The county is sometimes referred to as Devonshire, although the term is rarely used inside the county itself as the county has never been officially "shired", it often indicates a traditional or historical context.The county shares borders with...
worth 700 marks on the couple and their children. In return, the Duke of Buckingham was required to set aside lands worth £500 as Ursula's jointure
Jointure
Jointure is, in law, a provision for a wife after the death of her husband. As defined by Sir Edward Coke, it is "a competent livelihood of freehold for the wife, of lands or tenements, to take effect presently in possession or profit after the death of her husband for the life of the wife at...
. He also paid for the wedding expenses, apart from Ursula's wedding clothes which were provided by her mother.
Following their marriage, Ursula and Henry made their home in the household of her father-in-law, the Duke of Buckingham, where they had guardians to watch over them.
In November 1520, Ursula gave birth to her first child; she would have a total of seven sons and seven daughters. The Duke paid a midwife 10 shillings to attend Ursula following the birth of the child.
Five months earlier, Ursula had been in France 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...
despite being in her fourth month of pregnancy. The following year, 1521, her father-in-law was beheaded for treason and posthumously attainted by an Act of Parliament
Act of Parliament
An Act of Parliament is a statute enacted as primary legislation by a national or sub-national parliament. In the Republic of Ireland the term Act of the Oireachtas is used, and in the United States the term Act of Congress is used.In Commonwealth countries, the term is used both in a narrow...
, with his title and estates being forfeited to the Crown. Ursula's husband was created 1st Baron Stafford by King Henry's son and successor, 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...
in 1547. From that time onward, Ursula was styled Baroness Stafford.
Henry and Ursula had a total of about fourteen children of whom twelve names are known:
- Henry Stafford (born November 1520 - died in early infancy)
- Dorothy StaffordDorothy StaffordDorothy Stafford, Lady Stafford was an English noblewoman, and an influential person at the court of Queen Elizabeth I of England, to whom Dorothy served as Mistress of the Robes. Dorothy was the second wife of Sir William Stafford, widower of Mary Boleyn...
(1 October 1526 - 22 September 1604), married Sir William Stafford, by whom she had six children. Dorothy was an influential person at the court of Queen Elizabeth IElizabeth I of EnglandElizabeth I was queen regnant of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death. Sometimes called The Virgin Queen, Gloriana, or Good Queen Bess, Elizabeth was the fifth and last monarch of the Tudor dynasty...
to whom she served in the capacity of Mistress of the RobesMistress of the RobesThe Mistress of the Robes is the senior lady of the British Royal Household. Formerly responsible for the Queen's clothes and jewellery, the post now has the responsibility for arranging the rota of attendance of the Ladies in Waiting on the Queen, along with various duties at State ceremonies...
. - Henry StaffordHenry Stafford, 2nd Baron StaffordHenry Stafford, 2nd Baron Stafford was a British peer in the peerage of England and MP.-Family life:Henry Stafford was the eldest surviving son of Henry Stafford, 1st Baron Stafford and Ursula Pole...
, 2nd Baron Stafford (died 1566), married Elizabeth Davy - Thomas StaffordThomas Stafford (c1533-1557)The Hon. Thomas Stafford was the ninth child of Henry Stafford, 1st Baron Stafford and Ursula Pole. He was involved in two rebellions against Queen Mary and was executed for treason in 1557.-Early life:...
, (c. 1533 - 28 May 1557) executed for High Treason. - Edward StaffordEdward Stafford, 3rd Baron StaffordEdward Stafford, 3rd Baron Stafford was the second surviving son of Henry Stafford, 1st Baron Stafford and Ursula Pole, the younger brother of Henry Stafford, 2nd Baron Stafford. He served in Parliament for Stafford...
, 3rd Baron Stafford (17 January 1535 - 18 October 1603), married Maria Stanley, daughter of Edward Stanley, 3rd Earl of DerbyEdward Stanley, 3rd Earl of DerbyEdward Stanley, 3rd Earl of Derby was an English nobleman.At the age of thirteen, Edward received the titles and estates of his father, the 2nd Earl of Derby, and King Henry VIII took responsibility for bringing him up until he was of age...
, by whom he had issue. - Richard Stafford, married Mary Corbet, by whom he had issue, including Roger Stafford, 6th Baron StaffordRoger Stafford, 6th Baron StaffordRoger Stafford, 6th Baron Stafford was the son of Richard Stafford, a younger son of Henry Stafford, 1st Baron Stafford and Ursula Pole. He was forced to give up the Stafford barony in 1637 on the grounds of poverty....
- Walter Stafford (c.1539 - after 1571)
- William Stafford
- Elizabeth Stafford, married Sir William Neville
- Anne Stafford, married Sir Henry Williams
- Susan Stafford (after 1547)
- Jane Stafford
Ursula appeared to have had a cordial relationship with her sister-in-law the Duchess of Norfolk, with whom Ursula's husband had quarrelled. Upon her death in 1558, the Duchess bequeathed to Ursula, whom she affectionately described as her "suster Stafford", all her apparel and jewellery, as well as a French hood and a velvet-covered saddle.