CHAPTER X
REIGN OF KING RICHARD III
King Richard was a young man in his thirtieth year when he came to the throne. During the previous ten years he had acquired considerable administrative experience, and had shown himself to possess ability, powers of application, and resolution. He was extremely popular in the north of England, where he had generally resided.
Young Richard was not tall, of slight build, with one shoulder a little higher than the other, but not so much as to be noticeable or to cause weakness. He was a formidable adversary in battle. The portrait at Windsor is so remarkable that it must have been taken from life. The eyes are a little closed, and give a thoughtful, almost dreamy look. The other features are regular. The lips thin and firm, the chin prominent. The whole expression is that of a thoughtful and earnest man, firm, resolute, and fearless. Dr. Parr remarked on the strong likeness between Richard III. and Lorenzo de' Medici, the Magnificent. His wife Anne inherited great beauty from the Nevills and Beauchamps, but she was fragile and delicate.
The young nephews
On July 4, 1483, King Richard III. and Queen Anne removed to the royal lodgings in the Tower, where their nephews Edward and Richard were residing. Owing to his illegitimacy the eldest boy, who had been proclaimed King and soon afterwards set aside, could not retain the titles of Wales and Cornwall, nor could the younger one continue to have the royal title of York. The younger boy had also lost his claim to the Mowbray titles of Norfolk and Nottingham by the death of the little Mowbray heiress to whom he had been betrothed. Those titles justly passed to the representatives of the aunts who succeeded Anne Mowbray as the heirs of that family, the Ladies Howard and Berkeley. Their sons were created Duke of Norfolk and Earl of Nottingham respectively, on June 28. But Edward, the eldest boy, retained the earldoms separately conferred on him by his father, of Pembroke and March.
It was the King's intention to bring his nephews up and provide for them as became their rank and their near relationship to himself. 'He promised that he would so provide for them, and so maintain them in honourable estate, as that all the realm ought and should be content.'[[1]] The allegation that they never left the Tower is derived from the insinuations of very unscrupulous enemies.
It is much more likely that they resided in the royal household, and were the companions of the King's other nephew, the Earl of Warwick; at least until it became necessary to place them in safe keeping on the invasion of the realm by Henry Tudor. In the regulations for King Richard's household, dated July 23, 1484, it is ordained that 'the children are to be together at one breakfast.' Who were these children, if not the King's nephews? They were evidently children of high rank,[[2]] and Richard's little son Edward had died in the previous April.
Before the coronation, the King created eighteen Knights of the Bath, four of them sons or brothers of peers.
The coronation of King Richard III. and Queen Anne took place on Sunday, July 6, 1483. Its splendour was greater than had ever been known before. The Cardinal Archbishop placed the crowns on the heads of the new sovereign and his consort. He was surrounded by bishops, and nearly the whole peerage was present. Never was accession received with such unanimous consent by all ranks of the people. The attendance of a Woodville bishop and a Grey viscount gave grounds for the hope that even faction was at an end. On scarcely any other occasion was the aristocracy of England so fully represented. The Duchess of Suffolk, as sister of the King, walked alone in state, in the procession. The intriguing wife of Stanley, mother of Henry Tudor, had the privilege of bearing the Queen's train.
CORONATION PROCESSION OF KING RICHARD III.
Serjeants of Arms
Heralds
Trumpets and Clarions
The Cross
Priests in grey amices
Bishops, with mitres and croziers
Abbots, with mitres
BISHOP OF ROCHESTER, bearing a cross
THE CARDINAL ARCHBISHOP
THE EARL OF NORTHUMBERLAND, bearing the pointless sword of mercy
LORD STANLEY, DUKE OF SUFFOLK, EARL OF LINCOLN
bearing the mace of bearing the sceptre bearing the orb
Constable
DUKE OF NORFOLK, bearing the crown
EARL OF SURREY, bearing the sword of state in scabbard
VISCOUNT LOVELL, B C B C EARL OF KENT
bearing the sword a i a i bearing the sword
(civil) of justice r n r n (ecclesiastical)
o q o q of justice
n u n u
s e s e
THE KING
o P o P
f o f o
r r
BISHOP OF BATH AND t t BISHOP OF DURHAM
WELLS s s
DUKE OF BUCKINGHAM, bearing the King's train
Earls
Barons
EARL OF HUNTINGDON, EARL OF WILTSHIRE, VISCOUNT LYLE,
bearing the Queen's bearing the Queen's bearing the rod
sceptre crown with dove
BISHOP OF EXETER THE QUEEN BISHOP OF NORWICH
LADY STANLEY, bearing the Queen's train
DUCHESS OF SUFFOLK (King's sister), in state, alone
Twenty peeresses
The Duke of Buckingham put forward an important claim, soon after the coronation, and its success was an example of the lavish generosity of Richard III. Humphrey de Bohun, Earl of Hereford and Essex, died in the year 1372, leaving his two daughters co-heiresses of his vast estates. Alianore, the eldest, married Thomas of Woodstock, Duke of Gloucester, the youngest son of Edward III. Their daughter and eventual heiress Anne married Edmund Earl of Stafford, great-grandfather of the Duke of Buckingham. Mary, the second daughter, married Henry of Bolingbroke, Earl of Derby, who became Earl of Hereford by right of his wife, and eventually usurped the crown as Henry IV. His male descendants ended with his grandson Henry VI. The Duke of Buckingham claimed that the moiety of the Bohun estates which Mary brought to Henry IV. and which had merged in the crown, should now revert to him as the male heir of both sisters. Legally, the claim was untenable, and it had been rejected by Edward IV. Richard, however, generously conceded all that Buckingham asked, making a formal grant of the lands in question under his own sign manual.
On his accession the generous young King was anxious to be reconciled with all his subjects with whom he had ever had differences. Among these was a certain Sir John Fogge, a low intriguer, with whom the King condescended to shake hands. This treacherous fellow soon afterwards joined in Buckingham's rebellion. Like Louis XII. of France King Richard forgot and forgave all offences against the Duke of Gloucester.
The Royal Progress
The King set out on a progress through England,[[3]] a fortnight after the coronation, accompanied by the Duke of Buckingham and a large retinue. The young Earl of Warwick, Richard's nephew, was also with him, having been liberated from durance in the Tower, where he had been kept by the Marquis of Dorset as his ward, ever since the death of his father Clarence. Young Warwick was also at his uncle's coronation.
The King left Windsor for Reading on the 23rd, arriving at Oxford on July 24, where he was received by old Dr. Waynflete, Bishop of Winchester, and the Bishops of Worcester, St. Asaph, and St. David's. He was lodged in Magdalen College, and on his departure the aged Dr. Waynflete caused to be entered in the College register—
VIVAT REX IN AETERNUM.
On August 1 the King was at Gloucester, and here the Duke of Buckingham took his leave and proceeded to his estates in Wales, accompanied by his intriguing prisoner Bishop Morton. Passing on to Tewkesbury on August 4, Richard arrived at Warwick on the 8th, where he was joined by the Queen, who came direct from Windsor.[[4]] The court remained a week at Warwick, and comprised the young Earl of Warwick, five Bishops,[[5]] the Earls of Lincoln, Surrey, and Huntingdon, Lords Stanley, Dudley, Morley, Scrope, and Lovell, the Chief Justice, the Scottish Duke of Albany, and the Spanish Ambassador. On the 10th the royal party was at Coventry, on the 17th at Leicester, on the 22nd at Nottingham. The King and Queen arrived at Pomfret on the 27th, where they were met by their little son Edward, who had travelled from Middleham to be with them. On the 30th they entered the city of York.
The people of York vied with each other in the loyalty and cordiality of their welcome. Richard III. was a most popular sovereign, and with good reason. Bishop Langton,[[6]] who accompanied him on this progress, thus wrote: 'He contents the people where he goes best that ever did Prince, for many a poor man that hath suffered wrong many days has been relieved and helped by him and his commands in his progress. And in many great cities and towns were great sums of money given him which he hath refused.[[7]] On my truth I never liked the conditions of any Prince so well as his. God hath sent him to us for the weal of us all.'[[8]] On September 8 King Richard and Queen Anne walked in solemn procession with the crowns on their heads, on the occasion of the creation of their son Edward as Prince of Wales.[[9]] The young Prince, his cousin the Earl of Warwick, and Galfridus de Sasiola, the Spanish Ambassador, were knighted. The royal party left York on the 20th, and proceeded by Gainsborough towards Lincoln, which city was entered on October 12.
Suddenly the news reached the King that the Duke of Buckingham had broken out in rebellion. Never was there an act so unprovoked and treacherous. The Duke seems to have been a weak unprincipled man, full of vanity and self-importance, and his worst qualities were worked upon by the insidious old intriguer Morton, who had been entrusted to his custody. Buckingham's ambition was to seize the crown. In accordance with the 'Titulus Regius,' only two persons stood in his way. These were King Richard III. and his delicate little son. The traitor's scheme was to strike them down and seize the coveted prize. The rebellion was carefully planned. All the Lancastrian and Woodville malcontents were invited to join, and there were to have been several simultaneous risings in the south of England, on October 18. On that day Buckingham unfurled his standard at Brecknock, while Dorset and Sir Thomas St. Leger rose in the west; and even the cautious Henry Tudor sailed across from Brittany, but feared to land. His mother, the wife of Stanley, intrigued actively with the Queen Dowager and the Woodville faction.
The energy and decision with which the King met the danger baffled the policy of the rebels. As Buckingham was Constable of England, it became necessary to appoint a Vice-Constable to try rebels in conjunction with the Earl Marshal, and Sir Ralph Ashton was selected for the post.[[10]] Owing to a great flood in the Severn the forces of Buckingham were unable to cross the river, their provisions failed, and they disbanded. The wretched traitor put on a disguise and fled; but he was betrayed and apprehended by the Sheriff of Shropshire. Meanwhile, the King had organised a sufficient force, and advanced rapidly to Salisbury, whither Buckingham was brought a prisoner. The traitor sought an interview with his injured sovereign, with the intention of assassinating him.[[11]] Fortunately the request was refused. He had been caught red-handed, and the Earl Marshal's court condemned him to death.[[12]] He was beheaded at Salisbury on November 2. Richard treated the Duke's widow, who was a Woodville, with his habitual generosity; granting her a pension out of the lordship of Tunbridge.
The other rebels fled. Dorset and old Morton escaped abroad. Sir Thomas St. Leger was caught and beheaded at Exeter, with Thomas Ramme and one other delinquent. Seven rebels suffered in London. There are a hundred names in the bill of attainder against the rebels; but most of them were subsequently pardoned, including Stanley's intriguing wife, who was merely given into the custody of her perfidious husband, an act of unwise leniency which amounted to recklessness.[[13]]
Richard had destroyed all opposition, and he now entered upon the serious business of government. Although his administration was profusely liberal, he checked corruption, reformed the public offices, and promoted economy in the service of the state. Parliament met on January 23, 1484, and Master William Catesby was chosen Speaker. Its first business was to give full validity to the 'Titulus Regius' by embodying it in an Act of Parliament. The public acts of Richard's parliament are noted for their wisdom and beneficial effects. One of them gave security to purchasers of land against secret feoffments, another conferred power on magistrates to accept bail from persons accused of felony, another was intended to prevent the intimidation of juries. The abolition of benevolences was a most beneficent measure, designed to put an end to an oppressive system of extorting money. An elaborate statute was also passed to check malpractices in the manufacture of woollen goods. The statutes of Richard III. were the first that were published in English. The distinction between public and private acts was also first made in this parliament. The latter included the reversal of the attainder of the Percys, several other restitutions, and grants for endowments, including a grant for the endowment of Bishop Stillington's college at Acaster.
Lord Bacon, no friendly critic, said of Richard III. that he was 'a prince in military virtue approved, jealous of the honour of the English nation, and likewise a good law maker for the ease and solace of the common people.'[[14]] In speaking of the parliament of Richard III. Lord Campbell says: 'We have no difficulty in pronouncing Richard's parliament the most meritorious national assembly for protecting the liberty of the subject, and putting down abuses in the administration of justice that had sat in England since the reign of Henry III.'[[15]]
The revenue
King Richard III. introduced reforms in the revenue departments, which were prepared under his own eye. He ordered the Auditor of the Exchequer to submit an annual return of all revenues, issues, and profits; while the Lord Treasurer was to make a return of all money received and disbursed in his office. Formerly the Pell Issue and Receipt Rolls only showed net sums paid into the Exchequer, 'reprises' and direct payments being ignored.
The principal source of revenue was from the customs. The 'antiqua costuma' consisted of 6s. 8d. on the sack of wool, and 13s. 4d. on the last of leather. The 'parva costuma' included 3s. 4d. on a sack of wool, a small tax on cloth and other imports and exports, and an ad valorem duty of 2d. in the pound, and 3d. from foreigners, on general merchandise. Tonnage and poundage was 1s. in the pound on the value of most goods, except wool and leather, and 3d. on each tun of wine. The 'antiqua costuma' and 'parva costuma' were hereditary, but tonnage and poundage had to be voted by parliament at the beginning of each reign. Customs duties brought in 18,629l. in the first, and 20,743l. in the second year of King Richard's reign. The old crown revenues yielded 17,900l., Hanaper 2,930l., and other receipts 5,297l. The total annual revenue was 50,356l. in the first, and 57,122l. in the second year.
The navy
The navy in those days was small, indeed it had ceased to exist during the wretched misrule of Henry VI. Richard had, as Lord Admiral during his brother's reign, been gradually restoring the navy to efficiency, and in 1480 his brother appointed a 'Keeper of the Ships,' the officer who had control of naval organisation. Thomas Rogers, a merchant and fishmonger of London, was continued as 'Keeper of the Ships' during King Richard's reign, the navy consisting of seven ships, the 'Nicholas,' 'Governor,' 'Grace Dieu,' 'Mary of the Tower,' 'Martin Garcia,' 'Falcon,' and 'Trinity.'
While parliament was sitting the Convocation also assembled. The bishops and clergy presented an adulatory address to the King, praying that he would redress their grievances, 'seeing your most noble and blessed disposition in all things.' In reply Richard granted a charter to the clergy, confirming their liberties and immunities; and he took the opportunity of enjoining a closer attention to their spiritual duties. With this object he issued a Royal Letter calling upon Churchmen to enforce discipline and promote morality among the people. The Convocation voted the King three-tenths, which yielded 5,600l.
Before the prorogation the King took measures to induce the Queen Dowager to come out of sanctuary with her daughters. He promised that, if they would be guided and ruled by him, he would treat them kindly and honourably as his kinswomen, marry them to gentlemen born, and give them suitable allowances. Elizabeth agreed to these terms, which were faithfully observed; and the King also undertook to grant a pension of 700 marks a year for her own maintenance. She not only came out of sanctuary with her daughters, but showed so much confidence in Richard's good faith that she sent to her son, the Marquis of Dorset, to return to England and submit himself to the King.
Death of the Prince of Wales
In March, 1484, the King and Queen left London, and proceeded northwards by way of Cambridge, reaching Nottingham on April 20. Here they received intelligence of the death of the young Prince of Wales, which took place at Middleham on the 9th of the same month. The unhappy parents were distracted with the most violent grief. 'You might have seen his father and mother in a state almost bordering on madness by reason of their sudden grief.'[[16]] The child was interred in the chapel built by Richard himself, on the north side of Sheriff Hutton church. The King had placed 'the sun in splendour,' the favourite device of his brother Edward, in one of the windows. An alabaster effigy of the young Prince of Wales, habited in a loose gown with a coronet on his head, was fixed on an altar tomb. The south side of the tomb is divided into compartments. In the centre one the heart-broken father is represented in armour, offering up prayer to the Almighty, who is supporting a crucifix. On each side, in other compartments, there are shields now quite plain, probably once painted, supported by angels; and on the window jamb there is a shield charged with a cross of St. George in bold relief, the badge of the garter. The charges on the other shields have probably been wilfully defaced, as well as any crowns or ensigns of royalty, to conceal the identity of the monument. This was perhaps done to avoid complete desecration at Tudor hands. Some months after the child's death, when Richard had to sign a warrant for the last expenses connected with the funeral of his 'most dear son,' he touchingly added, in his own handwriting, 'whom God pardon.'[[17]] This prayer may have suggested the subject of the sculptured panel on the tomb, where the petition is made to pass, in form of a scroll, from the suppliant's lips to the ear of God.
King Richard, after the death of his own son, declared his nephew Edward, Earl of Warwick, son of his brother Clarence, to be heir to the throne. It was no doubt intended to reverse the attainder in due time. Meanwhile young Warwick was given precedence before all other peers. He resided sometimes at Sheriff Hutton, sometimes with his aunt, as a member of the King's household.[[18]]
It is asserted by Rous that the King changed his mind soon afterwards, and declared his nephew the Earl of Lincoln to be his heir, closely imprisoning young Warwick.[[19]] Rous was a dishonest and unscrupulous writer, and this particular statement is disproved by documentary evidence. For on May 13, 1485, the Mayor and Corporation of York determined to address a letter to the Lords of Warwick and Lincoln and other of the Council at Sheriff Hutton.[[20]] The precedence here given to young Warwick above Lincoln, and the fact of his being addressed as one of the Council, prove the statement of Rous to be false. It shows also that Warwick had not been superseded, and that he was still heir to the throne, just before the battle of Bosworth.[[21]] He was probably a member of the King's household, and one of the children mentioned in the Royal Ordinance of July 23, 1484.
Richard III. made a progress in the north of England during the summer of 1484, superintending the coast defences, and in August he was again at Nottingham receiving an embassy from Scotland. The King gave audience to the Scottish envoys in the great hall of Nottingham Castle on September 16, seated under a royal canopy and surrounded by the chief officers of state. A truce was established for three years, and a marriage was agreed upon between the eldest son of James III. and the Lady Anne de la Pole,[[22]] niece of the King of England. At about the same time a friendly treaty was ratified between Richard and the Duke of Brittany.
In the autumn of 1484 the body of Henry VI. was, by the King's order, removed from Chertsey and interred in St. George's Chapel at Windsor, on the south side of the high altar, the tomb of Edward IV. being on the north side. The chapel was then nearly finished.
Popularity of the King
Richard III. returned to London on November 9. He was met by the Lord Mayor and Aldermen with upwards of four hundred citizens, who escorted him to his residence at the Wardrobe in Blackfriars. Christmas was kept at Westminster with all gaiety and splendour, the young niece Elizabeth being richly attired in a dress similar to that of the Queen, according to the gossiping old monk of Croyland. But the beloved consort of so many years, the playfellow of Richard's early days, who had shared all his joys and sorrows, the mother of his lost child, was passing away. Like her sister Isabella, Queen Anne was delicate, and she was now in a rapid decline. She died on March 16, 1485,[[23]] and was buried in Westminster Abbey; her sorrowing husband shedding tears over her grave.[[24]] As an aggravation of the King's grief, an odious report, probably originating in the wishes of the Queen Dowager and her daughter, was spread abroad that he meditated a marriage with his illegitimate niece. As soon as it came to Richard's ears, he gave it formal and public contradiction.[[25]]
As the spring of 1485 advanced it became known that, encouraged and aided by the French court, the Lancastrian malcontents intended to attempt an invasion of England, and that, probably at the suggestion of Bishop Morton, they had put forward a pretender as a claimant of the crown. This was Henry Tudor, who was born at Pembroke Castle on January 28, 1457. His father, Edmund Tudor, was the son of a Welsh esquire with whom the widow of Henry V. had formed a clandestine connection. Thus Edmund was a half-brother of Henry VI., who created him Earl of Richmond, and his brother Jasper Earl of Pembroke. Henry Tudor was born two months after his father's death, when the widow was only in her fifteenth year. She was daughter of John Beaufort, Duke of Somerset, and at this time was the wife of Lord Stanley, her third husband. In 1471 Jasper Tudor fled into Brittany with his nephew Henry. Both Edmund and Jasper Tudor had been attainted and deprived of their earldoms. Edward IV. had created his brother Richard Earl of Richmond,[[26]] and the title had since merged in the crown. The earldom of Pembroke had been conferred on King Edward's son Edward. Henry Tudor, who was never Earl of Richmond, had lived in Brittany for many years, but in 1484 he had gone to France, where the desire to injure her English neighbours induced the Lady of Beaujeu, daughter of Louis XI. and Regent for her young brother Charles VIII., to encourage the conspirators. Henry's claim to relationship with the Kings of the House of Lancaster was derived from his mother's descent from an illegitimate son of John of Gaunt.[[27]] It was afterwards considered unadvisable to put this untenable claim forward, except in vague terms, and Henry's title was based on conquest.
Threatened invasion
The King, in anticipation of the threatened invasion, took up a central position at Nottingham Castle in the spring of 1485, and issued commissions of array. In the early part of the year he had found the treasury nearly exhausted, and had been obliged to resort to a loan, in order to raise funds for the defence of the country. His parliament had abolished the system of 'benevolences,' or forced contributions, which had often been resorted to by former kings and were very oppressive. Richard, in his difficulties, would not sanction this illegal practice, but he appealed to the people for a loan, delivering 'good and sufficient pledges' for its repayment.[[28]] Full payment was to be made in eighteen months, in two instalments. By Good Friday, April 1, about 20,000l. had been received, out of 30,000l. that had been asked for.
On June 23 a royal proclamation was issued declaring Henry Tydder alias Tudor and his followers to be traitors and outlaws, and announcing that this Henry, son of Edmund, son of Owen Tydder, actually pretended to have a title to the crown. The Earl of Warwick and the King's niece Elizabeth were sent to Sheriff Hutton for safety. Edward and Richard, the young sons of Edward IV., must have been sent to the Tower with the same object.
Meanwhile the French Regent, although there was no war and no pretext for hostilities with England, furnished the necessary funds to enable an expedition to be fitted out at Harfleur, and allowed French troops to be embarked under the command of a French officer named Philibert de Shaundé. Thus supported and accompanied, Henry Tudor landed at Milford Haven on August 8, 1485. He had with him a few Lancastrian exiles.
PEERAGE OF RICHARD III.
(Those printed in italic type were present at the Coronation.)
DUKES
1. Duke of Buckingham, K.G. (Stafford),[1] held the train.
2. Duke of Suffolk, K.G. (Pole), bore the sceptre.
3. Duke of Norfolk, K.G (Howard), bore the crown.
ROYAL MINORS
4. Earl of Salisbury (Plantagenet),[2] son of the King.
5. Earl of Warwick " son of Clarence.
6. Earl of March and Pembroke, K.G. (Plantagenet), illegitimate
son of Edward IV.
EARLS
7. Earl of Lincoln (Pole),[2] bore the orb.
8. Earl of Surrey, K.G. (Howard),[2] bore the sword of state.
9. Earl of Arundel, K.G. (FitzAlan).[1]
10. Earl of Northumberland, K.G. (Percy),[1] bore the sword of mercy.
11. Earl of Westmoreland (Nevill), sick.
12. Earl of Wiltshire (Herbert), bore the queen's crown.
13. Earl of Kent (Grey), bore the ecclesiastical sword of justice.
14. Earl of Nottingham (Berkeley).
15. Earl of Huntingdon, bore the queen's sceptre.
16. Earl of Shrewsbury (Talbot) } minors
17. Earl of Essex (Bourchier) }
VISCOUNTS
18. Viscount Lovell, K.G., bore the civil sword of justice.
19. Viscount Lisle (Grey),[1] bore the rod with dove.
BARONS
20. Lord Abergavenny (Nevill).
21. Lord Maltravers, K.G. (Fitz-Alan).[2]
22. Lord Grey of Codnor. 23. Lord Grey of Wilton. 24. Lord Grey of Powys. 25. Lord Morley. 26. Lord Scrope of Bolton, K.G. 27. Lord Scrope of Masham. 28. Lord Beauchamp. 29. Lord Lumley. 30. Lord Audley. 31. Lord Stourton. 32. Lord FitzHugh. 33. Lord Zouch. 34. Lord Dacre. 35. Lord Ferrers, K.G. 36. Lord Cobham. 37. Lord Stanley, K.G.,[1] bore the mace of constable.
[1] Turned traitors.
[2] Eldest sons raised to the Upper House.
BARONS--Continued
38. Lord Strange.[2]
39. Lord Welles.[1]
40. Lord Greystoke, in the marches.
41. Lord Mountjoy, at Calais.
42. Lord Dudley, K.G., very old.
43. Lord Hungerford,[2] a minor.
44. Lord Ogle, in the marches.
45. Lord de la Warre, abroad.
PRELATES
1. Archbishop of Canterbury (Bourchier).
2. Bishop of Durham (Dudley).
3. " " Rochester (Audley).
4. " " Exeter (Courtenay).
5. " " Norwich (Goldwell).
6. " " Wells (Stillington).
7. " " Salisbury (Woodville).
8. " " Lincoln (Russell).
UNDER ATTAINDER
1. Earl of Oxford, Lancastrian.
2. Earl of Devonshire, "
3. Lord Rivers, "
4. Lord Dynham, "
5. Lord Beaumont, "
6. Lord Clifford (minor) "
7. Marquis of Dorset, Woodville faction.
8. Jasper Tudor, late Earl of Pembroke.[3]
9. Henry Tudor, calling himself Earl of Richmond.[4]
MINISTERS OF RICHARD III.
Earl Marshal--The Duke of Norfolk.
Lord Chancellor--Dr. John Russell, Bishop of Lincoln.
Lord Chamberlain--Viscount Lovell, K.G. (at Bosworth). Slain at Stoke.
Lord Steward--Lord Stanley (traitor).
Lord Constable--Duke of Buckingham (traitor), then Sir Ralph Ashton.
Lord Admiral--Duke of Norfolk, K.G. (at Bosworth). Slain in battle.
'Keeper of the Ships'--Thomas Rogers.
Lord Privy Seal--John Gunthorpe, Dean of Wells.
Lord Treasurer--Lord Audley (died 1491).
Chancellor of the Exchequer--William Catesby (at Bosworth). Killed
by Henry VII.
[1] Turned traitors.
[2] Eldest sons raised to the Upper House.
[3] The earldom of Pembroke belonged to young Edward, eldest
illegitimate son of Edward IV.
[4] The earldom of Richmond had merged in the crown, having been
granted to the Duke of Gloucester.
Chancellor of the Duchy--Thomas Metcalfe.
Secretary of State--John Kendall (at Bosworth). Slain in battle.
Lord Deputy of Ireland--Earl of Kildare (ob. 1513).
Clerk of the Council--James Harington (at Bosworth). Slain in battle.
Treasurer of the Household--Walter Hopton (at Bosworth). Slain
in battle.
Comptrollers of the Household--Sir Robert Percy (of Scotton, near
Knaresborough), (at Bosworth). Slain in battle. And Sir John
Buck (at Bosworth). Killed by Henry VII.
Keeper of the Great Wardrobe--Pierce Courteys.
COMMISSIONERS FOR PEACE WITH SCOTLAND, 1484.
John Bishop of Lincoln
Richard of St. Asaph
Duke of Norfolk
Earl of Northumberland
Lord Privy Seal
Sir W. Stanley
Lord Stanley
Lord Strange
Lord Powys
Lord FitzHugh
Lord Dacre
Master of the Rolls
Sir Richard Ratcliffe
William Catesby
Richard Salkeld.
JUDGES AND LAW OFFICERS OF RICHARD III.
Lord Chief Justice of the King's Bench . . William Hussey.
Lord Chief Justice of Common Pleas . . . . Thomas Brian.
Chief Baron of the Exchequer . . . . . . . Sir Humphrey Starbury.
Master of the Rolls . . . . . . . . . . . Thomas Barrow.
Judges--King's Bench . . . . . . . . . . . Roger Townshend.
" . . . . . . . . . . . Guy Fairfax.
Common Pleas . . . . . . . . . . . William Jenney.
" . . . . . . . . . . . Richard Neele.
Exchequer . . . . . . . . . . . Brian Roucliffe.
" . . . . . . . . . . . Ralph Wolseley.
Attorney-General . . . . . . . . . . . . . Morgan Kidwelly.[1]
Solicitor-General . . . . . . . . . . . . Thomas Lymon.[2]
[1] Morgan Kidwelly, King Richard's Attorney-General, was supposed,
even by Miss Halsted, to have turned traitor and joined Henry
Tudor. But Mr. Gairdner has cleared his character, and shown
that the idea was due to a resemblance of names. The
Attorney-General was true and loyal to the end.
[2] The Solicitor-General married Jane Shore, with the consent of
King Richard.
King's Serjeants . . . . . . . . . . . . . Thomas Tremayne.
" . . . . . . . . . . . . . Roger Townshend.
" . . . . . . . . . . . . . John Vavasour.
Recorder of London . . . . . . . . . . . . Nicholas Fitzwilliam.
KING RICHARD'S BISHOPS
1454-86. Thomas Bourchier,[1][4] Cardinal Archbishop of Canterbury. 1480-1501. Thomas Rotherham,[4] Archbishop of York.
1448-89. Thomas Kempe[4] (then aged 79), Bishop of London.
1447-87. William de Waynflete,[2] Bishop of Winchester. 1476-85. William Dudley,[1][2][3] Bishop of Durham. 1465-92. Robert Stillington,[1] Bishop of Bath and Wells. 1478-1504. Edward Story,[4] Bishop of Chichester.
1478-86. John Morton (traitor),[4] Bishop of Ely.
1478-86. Peter Courtenay (traitor),[1][4] Bishop of Exeter. 1474-92. Thomas Milling (Abbot of Westminster), Bishop of Hereford.
1459-92. William Smith,[3] Bishop of Lichfield. 1480-95. John Russell,[1] Bishop of Lincoln. 1472-99. James Goldwell,[1][4] Bishop of Norwich. 1480-92. Edmund Audley,[1][4] Bishop of Rochester. 1482-85. Lionel Woodville (traitor),[1] Bishop of Salisbury. 1476-86. John Alcock,[2][3] Bishop of Worcester. 1478-95. Richard Bell,[4] Bishop of Carlisle.
1464-96. Thomas Ednam,[4] Bishop of Bangor.
1478-96. John Marshall,[4] Bishop of Llandaff.
1472-95. Richard Redman,[2][3] Bishop of St. Asaph. 1483. Thomas Langton,[2] Bishop of St. David's. 1480-87. Richard Oldham, Bishop of Sodor and Man.
1474-98. John Esteney,[1] Abbot of Westminster.
KNIGHTS OF THE GARTER, CREATED BY RICHARD III.
1. Sir John Conyers (at Bosworth). Escaped.
2. The Earl of Surrey (at Bosworth). Taken prisoner.
3. Viscount Lovell (at Bosworth). Escaped. Slain at Stoke. The
King's dearest friend.
[1] At the coronation.
[2] Received the King at Oxford.
[3] With the King at Warwick
[4] At Henry Tudor's first Parliament.
4. Sir Richard Ratcliffe (at Bosworth). Slain in the battle.
5. Sir Thomas Burgh.
6. Lord Stanley (traitor).
7. Sir Richard Tunstall.
KNIGHTS
Sir Robert Dymoke (the champion) was knighted on July 5, 1483.
Sir Robert Percy . . . . . . . . . " " "
Sir Walter Hopton . . . . . . . . " " "
Sir William Jenney (Judge) . . . . " " "
Sir Robert Brackenbury . . . . . . " " " 1485.
KNIGHTS OF THE BATH, CREATED AT THE CORONATION OF RICHARD III.[1]
1. Sir Edmund de la Pole (son of the Duke of Suffolk).
2. Sir John Grey (son of the Earl of Kent).
3. Sir William Zouch (brother of Lord Zouch).
4. Sir George Neville (son of Lord Abergavenny).
5. Sir Christopher Willoughby.
6. Sir William Berkeley, of Beverston (traitor).
7. Sir Henry Babington. (Buck has Bainton.)
8. Sir Thomas Arundell.
9. Sir Thomas Boleyn. (Buck has Bullen.)
10. Sir Edmund Bedingfield.
11. Sir Gervase Clifton. Wounded at Bosworth.
12. Sir William Saye (son of Lord Saye, who fell at Barnet).
13. Sir William Enderby.
14. Sir Thomas Lewknor (traitor).
15. Sir Thomas Ormonde.
16. Sir John Browne.
17. Sir William Berkeley, of Wyldy.
18. Sir Edmund Cornwall, Baron of Burford.
[1] From Grafton, p. 799, and Holinshed, p. 733; Harl. MS. 293,
fol. 208b, and 2115, fol. 152; Buck, p. 26.
[[1]] Morton in Grafton, p. 127.
[[2]] Harl MSS. 433, fol. 269. Their high rank is shown by the order that no livery is to exceed the allowance, 'but only to my Lord (Lincoln?) and the children.' See Davies, York Records, p. 212 n., who also makes the suggestion that these children were the offspring of Edward IV. and the young Earl of Warwick.
[[3]] King Richard's progress:
Windsor 22 July, 1483 | Gloucester 1 Aug. 1483
Reading 23 " " | Tewkesbury 4 " "
Oxford 24 " " | Worcester 6 " "
Warwick* 8 Aug. " | Doncaster 25 " "
Coventry 15 " " | Pontefract 27 " "
Leicester 17 " " | York 30 " "
Nottingham+ 22 " "
* A week.
+ Letter of Secretary Kendal to Mayor of York, Aug. 23; Drake, p. 116.
[[4]] Rous.
[[5]] Worcester, Lichfield, Durham, St. Asaph, and Bangor (Rous, 217).
[[6]] Of St. David's.
[[7]] See also Rous, p. 216.
[[8]] Sheppard's Christ Church Letters, 46, quoted by Gairdner, p. 115.
[[9]] Rymer, xii. 200, quoted by Gairdner, p.
[[10]] Buck, p. 31, who gives the Letters Patent.
[[11]] Confession of his son.
[[12]] It is generally alleged that there was no trial. The appointment of Sir Ralph Ashton proves that there was.
[[13]] King Richard's Traitors, Oct. 1483
In the bill of attainder (Rot. Part. v. p. 294) there are 100 persons. Of these were executed
The Duke of Buckingham at Salisbury.
Sir Thomas St. Leger at Exeter.
A person named Ramme at Exeter.
Some executed after trial at Torrington by Lord Scrope.
Wm. Collingbourne had offered another man 8l. to go to Hy. Tudor in Brittany and urge him to invade England. If they would land at Poole, he would get people to rise. Executed in London, and 6 others, 2 taken in Kent, 4 in Southwark.
Courtenay, Bishop of Exeter }
Woodville, Bishop of Salisbury }
Morton, Bishop of Ely }
Marquis of Dorset } escaped abroad.
(son of the Queen Dowager) }
Lord Welles }
(uncle of Henry Tudor) }
Proclaimed Traitors—
Henry Tudor, calling himself Earl of Richmond.*
Jasper Tudor, late Earl of Pembroke.*
Sir E. Courtenay.
Margaret, wife of Lord Stanley.
Sir William Cheney, to induce the Duke of Brittany to help.
John Cheney at Salisbury, and others.
Wm. Noreys, of Yachendon }
Sir Wm. Berkeley, of Beverton }
Sir Roger Tocotes, of Bromham, pardoned } 44 at Newbury and in
Sir Wm. Stonor, in Berks. } Berks.
Sir John Fogge, with 26 others }
Richard Beauchamp, of St. Amand }
William Knyvett, of Bodenham } with Buckingham at
John Hush, merchant of London } Bechurch
Thomas Nandike, necromancer of Cambridge }
Sir George Brown, of Bletchworth, and others executed at
Maidstone (Oct. 18), Rochester (Oct. 20), Gravesend (Oct. 22).
Sir John Gifford.
Sir Thomas Lewknor.
Sir Richard Gilford.
Reynald Pympe.
Sir Edward Poynings.
Sir William Brandon.
Sir John Wingfield.
Arthur Keane.
Sir William Hunter, pardoned.
Sir Thomas Ferveys, "
Nicholas Gaynsford, "
One hundred named in the Bill, a considerable number afterwards
pardoned.
Harl. MSS. No. 433, p. 128; Halsted, ii. 276 n.; Sharon Turner.
* Henry Tudor had never been Earl of Richmond. His father was attainted, and the title was given to Richard Duke of Gloucester, with whom it merged in the crown. Jasper Tudor had been Earl of Pembroke before his attainder. Hence Henry Tudor is named as 'calling himself Earl of Richmond,' while Jasper is 'late Earl of Pembroke.' After the attainder the Earldom of Pembroke was conferred by Edward IV. on his son Edward.
[[14]] Life of Henry VII.
[[15]] Lives of the Lord Chancellors, i. p. 407.
[[16]] 'Vidisses tantisper patrem et matrem, iis novis apud Nothinghaniam ubi tunc residebant, auditis præ subitis doloribus pene insanire'—Croyland, p. 571.
[[17]] Harl. MS. No. 433, fol. 183.
[[18]] Rous, pp. 217-218. 'Non multo post principe, ut dicitur, mortuo, juvenis comes Warwici Edwardus, filius primogenitus Georgii ducis Clarenciæ, proclamatus est apparens Angliæ in curia regali, et in serviciis ad mensam et cameram post regem et reginam primo ei serviebatur.'
[[19]] 'Postea sub arta custodia positus, conies Lincolniensis ei præferrebatur nomine Johannes Pole, filius et heres Johannis Pole ducis Suffolchiæ.'—Rous, p. 218.
[[20]] Davies, York Records, p. 210.
[[21]] Moreover, Lincoln fell at Stoke, fighting for the Earl of Warwick as rightful king, not for himself.
[[22]] This marriage never took place, and the Lady Anne became a nun at Sion.
[[23]] It is said by the Croyland monk (572) that there was an eclipse of the sun on the day of her death. This would make it March 16. Some authorities have the 11th.
[[24]] Buck, p. 129. 'Non cum minore honore quam sicut reginam decuit sepeliri.'—Croyland, i. 572.
[[25]] Croyland, York Records, pp. 208, 210.
[[26]] Rot. Parl. vi. 227.
[[27]] John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster, the third son of Edward III., who lived to marry, had for his first wife Blanche, heiress of Henry Duke of Lancaster, through whom he acquired the title. By her he had Henry IV., who usurped the crown, Edward and John, who died young, Philippa, married to Joam I., King of Portugal, and Elizabeth Duchess of Exeter. He married secondly Constanza, heiress of Pedro King of Castille and Leon, and had a daughter Catalina, wife of Enrique III., King of Castille and Leon. A governess was engaged for the daughters of the Duke of Lancaster. This was Catharine, daughter of a herald of Hainault, named Payn Roet, who had married Sir Hugh Swynford in 1367. The Duke had four children by this woman, named John, Henry, Thomas, and Joan, surnamed Beaufort from the castle in France where they were born. All were born during the lifetime not only of the Duke's wife, but also of the governess's husband. The Duchess died in 1394, and the realm was scandalised by the marriage of the Duke of Lancaster with this woman on January 13, 1396. The Duke died in February 1399, Catharine Swynford on May 10, 1403. Their children were granted letters of legitimation by Richard II. in February 1397, confirmed by Henry IV. on February 10, 1407, 'excepta dignitate regali.' Henry Tudor's mother was granddaughter of John, the eldest of the Beauforts.
[[28]] Every act of Richard III. has been persistently misrepresented. This loan is usually alleged to have been a return to the illegal system of 'benevolences,' which Richard had himself abolished a year before, by Act of Parliament. Even Miss Halsted is led into this error. But Mr. Gairdner has completely disposed of the accusation. See Croyland, p. 572, and Lingard's remarks, iv. 255. Gairdner, p. 198.