Son of Anthony Monke of Potheridge and Elizabeth Woode of London; born in 1516. He was twice married after the death of Lady Frances,—first, to Elizabeth Powell of Stroud, and lastly, to Katherine Hawkes. The third wife was childless; by the second he had one daughter, Dorothy. The male line of Monke failed in Christopher, only son of George Monk, Duke of Albemarle. In the female line the blood of the Plantagenets descended to many very obscure families. The wife of Colonel Pride, who conducted King Charles the First to his trial, was Elizabeth Monke of Potheridge, the eventual representative of the family. (Ancient Compotuses of Exchequer, Devon, 37-8 H. eight; Harl. Mss. 1538, folio 213; 3288, folio 50.)
Northumberland, John Dudley, Duke.
In some respects, this was the most remarkable man of his age. He may be said to have risen from nothing, for though his mother was Elizabeth, eleventh Viscountess Lisle in her own right, his father was Edmund Dudley, the mean and avaricious favourite of Henry the Seventh. The marriage of Dudley and Elizabeth was apparently forced upon the Viscountess, then a mere girl of some twenty years of age or under; and when she was left free, she re-married Sir Arthur Plantagenet (Viscount Lisle), to whom it seems probable that she had been originally betrothed. John Dudley was the eldest child of this ill-matched pair, and was born in 1502. The solitary object of his love was John Dudley, and the one aim of his existence was to advance that gentleman’s fortunes. From a worldly point of view, he succeeded remarkably well. He passed gradually through the several gradations of Knight, Viscount Lisle (March 12, 1542), Lord High Admiral (1544), Governor of Calais (about 1545), Earl of Warwick, (February 17, 1547), Duke of Northumberland (October 11, 1551). The last title placed him at the very summit of his ambition. There were only two other Dukes in England, Norfolk and Suffolk: and had he been proclaimed King, his power could scarcely have been any greater than it was. “Yet all this availed Haman nothing, so long as he saw Mordecai the Jew sitting at the King’s gate;” and so long as Edward Seymour drew the breath of life, there was bitterness in all the honours of John Dudley. He stooped to the lowest and vilest means of destroying his rival, and he effected his purpose; himself to be destroyed in his turn by the accession of Mary, not two years later. His attempt to make his daughter-in-law Queen was his last and most aspiring effort at his own aggrandisement. When that failed, all failed; and he sank “down as low as high he soared.” Through life he was the acknowledged head of the Lutheran party; but in respect of personal religion he was a By-ends, adopting the creed which he thought would best advance his interests; his own proclivity being towards Popery, as he showed in the last days of his life,—unless it be thought that this, his latest act, worthy of the life which had preceded it, was a mere attempt to curry favour with Queen Mary. Bad as the man was, I do not like to think that his dying act was a lie. He suffered on Tower Hill, August 22, 1553. Northumberland was but once married, though he left a large family. His wife was Jane, daughter of Sir Edmund Guilford; a fitting wife for such a husband, being as ambitious and unscrupulous as himself. His children were thirteen in number, of whom only two left issue—the famous Earl of Leicester, and Lady Mary Sidney. The entire Dudley race is now extinct, except in the female line.
Palmer, Sir Thomas.
In early life a great gamester and a notorious libertine, known as Long Palmer, on account of his height, and Busking Palmer—a term about equivalent to the modern “dandy.” He generally signs his name as above, but upon one occasion, “Thomas de Palmer.” He was at one time in the service of the Lord Privy Seal, Cromwell; and was one of the “gentlemen ushers daily wayters” at Court, before 1522; for three years he was knight porter at Calais. The part he took against the Gospellers during the Calais persecution is alluded to by Foxe (A. and M., five, 497, 505, 506, 520), and will be found fully detailed in my previous volume, “Isoult Barry of Wynscote.” At the sorrowful time of Lord Lisle’s arrest, his friend Palmer was jousting at Court. Edward Underhill names him as one of those “companions” with whom he was “conversant a while, until I fell to reading the Scriptures and following the preachers.” In the army of Boulogne, 1544, Palmer was one of the captains of the infantry, and was taken prisoner by the French. We meet with him next, October 7, 1551, when “Sir Thomas Paulmer” writes Edward the Sixth (and another hand has interlined, “Hating the Duke and hated of him”), “came to the Duke of Northumberland to deliver him his cheine... whereupon, in my Lord’s garden, he declared a conspiracy,” evolved out of his inner consciousness, of which Somerset was the supposed inventor and real victim. On the 16th, conspirators and informer were impartially arrested, Palmer “on the terrace walking there.” To Somerset, Palmer had denied every word he had uttered, when the Duke sent for him and charged him with the uttering: on the trial he was the principal witness, though the Duke denied his accusation, and “declared all the ill he could devise of Palmer.” It was not necessary to “devise” much. It was soon plain that Palmer’s arrest was a mere farce. He was not only released, but was appointed, March 4, 1552, one of the commissioners to treat with Scotland. In 1553 he proved true to his friend Northumberland, and shared his fate. Two versions of his dying speech are given, in the Chronicle of Queen Jane and Queen Mary, pages 22-24.
Lisle Papers, two, 125; nine, 10; seventeen, 94;—Cott. Ms., Nero, c. ten, 40, 41, 44-46, 51;—Harl. Mss., 69, folio 50; 283, folio 3; 425, folio 93;—Rutland Papers, page 102.
Pedigrees.
The story will be scarcely intelligible without some elucidation of the pedigrees of the three families whose members are constantly meeting the reader—Barry, Basset, and Lisle. I have tried to put them into a form at once as short and as easy of reference as possible.
Barry of Wynscote.—Richard Barry, descended from the Lords Barry of Ireland, died June 2, 1462. His son:—John, died September 16, 1510. His son;—John, born 1473, died July 25, 1538: married Anne, daughter of Patrick Bellewe of Aldervescot, and Anne Dennis of Oxleigh, county Devon (and half-sister of Anne and Margery Basset. See below). His issue:—1. Henry, born 1514, died 1566; married Margaret, daughter of Nicholas Specott (she died March 14, 1580) 2. Hugh, of Bindon, married Alice, daughter and co-heir of Richard Wikes. 3. Elizabeth, married John Dennis of Matcott (branch of D. of Oxleigh). 4. Isoult, married John Avery of Bradmond, Badmond, or Bodmin, county Cornwall. Issue of Henry Barry:—1. Michael, married 1566, Jane, daughter of George Pollard of Langlough (issue, Thomasine, born January 5, 1570). 2. William. 3. Henry. 4. Lawrence. 5. Anne. Issue of Hugh Barry:—1. Alexander, died S.P. 2. Giles, married—(issue, Eleanor and Giles). 3. John, married Grace, daughter of Richard Oliver of Barnstable (issue, John, born 1604; Levi, born 1607; John, born 1610; Patience, born 1613; Philip, born 1615). 4. Margaret. 5. Anne. Issue of Elizabeth Dennis:—1. William, married Lucy, daughter of John Cloberie, and left issue. 2. Nicholas. 3. Ellen. 4. Anne. 5. Henry. 6. Giles. 7. Robert. 8. Philip. Issue of Isoult Avery unknown; but the following, who appear in the Bodmin Registers, may have been her sons:—Edward Avery (son baptised, 1562); Thomas (ibidem. 1563); Walter (children baptised, 1585, 1595); Michael, buried September 28, 1569.
Basset of Umberleigh.—Sir John Basset, died January 31, 1528; married (a) Anne, daughter of John Dennis of Oxleigh, and Eleanor Gifford; widow of Patrick Bellewe of Aldervescot; (b) Jane, daughter of Thomas Beaumont of Devon; (c) Elizabeth, family unknown; (a) Honor, daughter of Sir Thomas Grenville of Stow, and Isabel Gilbert; born circa 1498, married circa 1515, died circa 1548. (See Lisle, below.) His issue:—a. 1. Anne, married Sir James Courtenay (issue unknown). 2. Margery, married Sir John Marres of Cornwall (issue, Margaret, married George Rolle). b or c (uncertain). 3. Jane, apparently died unmarried: born circa 1505. 4. Thomasine, born circa 1512; died unmarried, March 19, 1535. (d) 5. Philippa, born circa 1516, apparently died unmarried. 6. Katherine, born circa 1518, married Sir Henry Ashley, of Ashley and Wimborne (Shaftesbury family: issue, Henry and Edward, both S.P.) 7. John, born October 26, 1519; died at Crowe, April 3, 1545; married Frances, eldest daughter of Arthur Lord Lisle (see Lisle, below). 8. Anne, born circa 1520, married after 1554 Francis Hungerford (issue unknown). 9. George, born circa 1522; died in London, 1580: married Jaquit, daughter and heir of John Coffyn of Portledge, county Devon (she re-married Henry Jones, and died November 25, 1588). 10. Mary, born circa 1525, married John Wollacombe of Combe, county Devon (issue, John, Thomas, and Honor). 11. James, born 1527, servant of Bishop Gardiner, and afterwards Gentleman of the Chamber to Queen Mary; died November 1558; buried Black Friars’ Church, London: married Mary, daughter of William Roper. Issue of John Basset:—1. Honor, born at Calais, 1539, apparently died young. 2. Sir Arthur, born 1540, probably at Calais; married Eleanor, daughter of John Chichester of Rawley:—issue, 1. Anne, 2. Robert, who claimed the Crown as lineal descendant of Edward the Fourth, in 1603, and was compelled to fly to France; he married, at London, November 21, 1591, Elizabeth, daughter and co-heir of Sir William Perjam:—issue, 1. Arthur, died young; 2. Arthur, born circa 1597, died January 7, 1672; married—Leigh: 3. William, born March 28, 1602: 4. Anne, married Jonathan Rashley of Fox: 5. Ellen, married George Yeo of Hushe: 6. Eleanor. 7. Mary. Issue of George Basset:—1. James, born 1565, died at Illogan, February 8, 1604; married Jane, daughter of Francis Godolphin: left issue. 2. Katherine: 3. Blanche. Issue of James Basset:—Philip, married — Verney, and left female issue; died after October 1, 1583.