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.
{125}
[Sidenote: 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 {126} 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.
======================================================================
{127}
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. {128} 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.
[Sidenote: The Royal Progress]
The King set out on a progress through England,[3] {129} 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, {130} 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 {131} 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
{132} 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]
{133}
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 {134} 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]
{135}
[Sidenote: 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 6_s._ 8_d._ on the sack of wool, and 13_s._ 4_d._
on the last of leather. The 'parva costuma' included 3_s._ 4_d._ on a
sack of wool, a small tax on cloth and other imports and exports, and
an _ad valorem_ duty of 2_d._ in the pound, and 3_d._ from foreigners,
on general merchandise. Tonnage and poundage was 1_s._ in the pound on
the value of most goods, except wool and leather, and 3_d._ 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 18,629_l._ in the first, and
20,743_l._ in the second year of King Richard's reign. The old crown
revenues yielded 17,900_l._, Hanaper 2,930_l._, and other receipts
5,297_l_. The total annual revenue was 50,356_l._ in the first, and
57,122_l._ in the second year.
[Sidenote: 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 {136} 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 5,600_l_.
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.
[Sidenote: 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 {137} 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, {138} 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 {139} 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.
[Sidenote: 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 {140} 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, {141} 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.
[Sidenote: 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 {142}
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 20,000_l._ had been received, out of 30,000_l._
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
Shaunde. Thus supported and accompanied, Henry Tudor landed at Milford
Haven on August 8, 1485. He had with him a few Lancastrian exiles.
======================================================================
{143}
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.
======================================================================
======================================================================
{144}
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.
======================================================================
======================================================================
{145}
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.
======================================================================
======================================================================
{146}
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.
======================================================================
======================================================================
{147}
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. 208_b_, 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 8_l._ 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 prae 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
Clarenciae, proclamatus est apparens Angliae 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
praeferrebatur nomine Johannes Pole, filius et heres Johannis Pole ducis
Suffolchiae.'--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.
{148}