Sir Geoffrey Pole of
Lordington,
Sussex
Sussex (), from the Old English (), is a historic county in South East England that was formerly an independent medieval Anglo-Saxon kingdom. It is bounded to the west by Hampshire, north by Surrey, northeast by Kent, south by the English ...
(c. 1501 or 1502 – November 1558) was an English knight who supported the
Catholic Church in England and Wales
The Catholic Church in England and Wales ( la, Ecclesia Catholica in Anglia et Cambria; cy, Yr Eglwys Gatholig yng Nghymru a Lloegr) is part of the worldwide Catholic Church in full communion with the Holy See. Its origins date from the 6th ce ...
when
Henry VIII
Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is best known for his six marriages, and for his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. His disa ...
of England was establishing the alternative
Church of England
The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britain ...
with himself as leader.
Early life
He was fourth son of
Sir Richard Pole
Sir Richard Pole, KG (1462 – October 1504) was a supporter and first cousin of King Henry VII of England. He was created a Knight of the Garter and was married to Margaret Plantagenet, Countess of Salisbury, a member of the Plantagenet dynast ...
(d. 1505), by his wife
Margaret Pole, 8th Countess of Salisbury, and the younger brother of
Henry Pole, 1st Baron Montagu and of
Cardinal
Cardinal or The Cardinal may refer to:
Animals
* Cardinal (bird) or Cardinalidae, a family of North and South American birds
**''Cardinalis'', genus of cardinal in the family Cardinalidae
**''Cardinalis cardinalis'', or northern cardinal, the ...
Reginald Pole
Reginald Pole (12 March 1500 – 17 November 1558) was an English cardinal of the Catholic Church and the last Catholic archbishop of Canterbury, holding the office from 1556 to 1558, during the Counter-Reformation.
Early life
Pole was born a ...
. He was one of the
knight
A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a head of state (including the Pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood finds origins in the Gr ...
s made by Henry VIII at York Place in 1529. Soon afterwards, or before 9 July 1528, he married Constance Pakenham, the elder of the two daughters and co-heirs of Sir Edmund Pakenham,
Gentleman Usher Gentleman Usher is a title for some officers of the Royal Household of the United Kingdom. See List of Gentlemen Ushers for a list of office-holders.
Gentlemen Ushers as servants Historical
Gentlemen Ushers were originally a class of servants fou ...
to
Catherine of Aragon
Catherine of Aragon (also spelt as Katherine, ; 16 December 1485 – 7 January 1536) was Queen of England as the first wife of King Henry VIII from their marriage on 11 June 1509 until their annulment on 23 May 1533. She was previously ...
. Sir Edmund Pakenham died in 1528 and Geoffrey became
possessed
Possessed may refer to:
Possession
* Possession (disambiguation), having some degree of control over something else
** Spirit possession, whereby gods, demons, animas, or other disincarnate entities may temporarily take control of a human body
*** ...
of the
Manors of
Eastcourt and
Lordington at
Racton
Racton is a hamlet in the Chichester district of West Sussex, England. It lies on the B2147 road 2.1 miles (3.4 km) northeast of Emsworth and within the civil parish of Stoughton. The hamlet lies along the River Ems. 0.4 miles north of th ...
in
West Sussex
West Sussex is a county in South East England on the English Channel coast. The ceremonial county comprises the shire districts of Adur, Arun, Chichester, Horsham, and Mid Sussex, and the boroughs of Crawley and Worthing. Covering an ar ...
, Sussex. From 1531, his name is met with in commissions of various kinds, including Justice of the Peace for both for
Hampshire
Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants) is a ceremonial county, ceremonial and non-metropolitan county, non-metropolitan counties of England, county in western South East England on the coast of the English Channel. Home to two major English citi ...
and for
Sussex
Sussex (), from the Old English (), is a historic county in South East England that was formerly an independent medieval Anglo-Saxon kingdom. It is bounded to the west by Hampshire, north by Surrey, northeast by Kent, south by the English ...
, and member of Parliament for Wilton beginning in 1529.
Like the rest of his family, he greatly disliked
Henry VIII
Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is best known for his six marriages, and for his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. His disa ...
's proceedings for a divorce from
Catherine of Aragon
Catherine of Aragon (also spelt as Katherine, ; 16 December 1485 – 7 January 1536) was Queen of England as the first wife of King Henry VIII from their marriage on 11 June 1509 until their annulment on 23 May 1533. She was previously ...
. In 1532, when the king went over to
Calais
Calais ( , , traditionally , ) is a port city in the Pas-de-Calais department, of which it is a subprefecture. Although Calais is by far the largest city in Pas-de-Calais, the department's prefecture is its third-largest city of Arras. Th ...
with
Anne Boleyn
Anne Boleyn (; 1501 or 1507 – 19 May 1536) was Queen of England from 1533 to 1536, as the second wife of King Henry VIII. The circumstances of her marriage and of her execution by beheading for treason and other charges made her a key ...
to meet
Francis I of France
Francis I (french: François Ier; frm, Francoys; 12 September 1494 – 31 March 1547) was King of France from 1515 until his death in 1547. He was the son of Charles, Count of Angoulême, and Louise of Savoy. He succeeded his first cousin once ...
, he crossed the sea in disguise, and keeping himself unseen in the apartments of his brother, Henry Pole, 1st Baron Montagu, who had gone over with the king, stole out at night to collect news. Montagu sent him back to England to inform
Queen Catherine that Henry had not succeeded in persuading Francis to countenance his proposed marriage with
Anne Boleyn
Anne Boleyn (; 1501 or 1507 – 19 May 1536) was Queen of England from 1533 to 1536, as the second wife of King Henry VIII. The circumstances of her marriage and of her execution by beheading for treason and other charges made her a key ...
.
Next year, however, his name appears set down, not with his own good will, among the knights appointed 'to be servitors' at Anne Boleyn's coronation on 1 June 1533. He was paid £40 for that service. A week after, on Thursday 5 June, he dined with Henry's daughter
Mary. When
Anne Boleyn
Anne Boleyn (; 1501 or 1507 – 19 May 1536) was Queen of England from 1533 to 1536, as the second wife of King Henry VIII. The circumstances of her marriage and of her execution by beheading for treason and other charges made her a key ...
was queen, he frequently visited the Spanish imperial ambassador,
Eustace Chapuys, to assure him that the emperor would find the hearts of the English people with him if he invaded England to redress the wrong done to the former queen,
Catherine of Aragon
Catherine of Aragon (also spelt as Katherine, ; 16 December 1485 – 7 January 1536) was Queen of England as the first wife of King Henry VIII from their marriage on 11 June 1509 until their annulment on 23 May 1533. She was previously ...
. He added that he himself wished to go to the emperor in
Spain
, image_flag = Bandera de España.svg
, image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg
, national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond")
, national_anthem = (English: "Royal March")
, i ...
, which Chapuys wisely dissuaded him from doing. Geoffrey was also in the confidence of French ambassador and the bishop of London,
John Stokesley
John Stokesley (8 September 1475 – 8 September 1539) was an English clergyman who was Bishop of London during the reign of Henry VIII.
Life
Stokesley was born at Collyweston in Northamptonshire, and became a fellow of Magdalen College, Oxford ...
. As T.F. Mayer puts it "In short, Geoffrey had a much higher profile in the opposition to Henry VIII's policies than his mother or his brother, Henry Pole, Lord Montagu."
Pilgrimage of Grace and imprisonment
In 1536, on the suppression of the smaller monasteries, he purchased from the commissioners such goods as then remained of the
abbey of Dureford
An abbey is a type of monastery used by members of a religious order under the governance of an abbot or abbess. Abbeys provide a complex of buildings and land for religious activities, work, and housing of Christian monks and nuns.
The conce ...
in Sussex, near Lordington. In the end of that year, he is said to have commanded a company, under the
Duke of Norfolk, against the northern rebels at
Doncaster
Doncaster (, ) is a city in South Yorkshire, England. Named after the River Don, it is the administrative centre of the larger City of Doncaster. It is the second largest settlement in South Yorkshire after Sheffield. Doncaster is situated in ...
; but his sympathies were really with the rebels, and he was determined beforehand not to act against them. Norfolk, however, was aware that the insurgents were too strong to be attacked, and Sir Geoffrey had no occasion to desert the royal standard. A letter of
Lord De la Warr
Earl De La Warr ( ) is a title in the Peerage of Great Britain. It was created in 1761 for John West, 7th Baron De La Warr.
The Earl holds the subsidiary titles of Viscount Cantelupe (1761) in the Peerage of Great Britain, Baron De La Warr ( ...
, perhaps misplaced in the ' Calendar' in October 1536, speaks of his causing a riot by a forcible entry into
Slindon Park, which he was afterwards ordered in the king's name immediately to quit. In October 1537, he came to court and the king refused to see him. A letter of his to the lord chancellor, dated at Lordington, 5 April, in which he hopes for a return of the king's favour, was probably written in 1538, though placed among the state papers of 1537. On 29 August 1538, he was arrested and sent to the
Tower of London
The Tower of London, officially His Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress of the Tower of London, is a historic castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, which is separa ...
.
This was a blow aimed at his whole family, whom the king had long meant to crush on account of the opposition to his policies by his brother,
Reginald
Reginald is a masculine given name in the English language.
Etymology and history
The meaning of Reginald is “King". The name is derived from the Latin ''Reginaldus'', which has been influenced by the Latin word ''regina'', meaning "queen". Th ...
, the cardinal. For nearly two months, Geoffrey lay in prison; on 26 October a set of interrogations was administered to him, first about words dropped by himself in private conversation, when he had discussed an English religious policy with his brother, Henry, and next about letters and messages he, his mother, or others of his family had received. Much of the evidence he gave was instrumental in condemning both his brother and mother to the scaffold, primarily because of their loyalty to Princess Mary and the Catholic church.
On 4 December 1538, he pleaded guilty at his trial for treason and then attempted twice to commit suicide. He was pardoned on 4 January 1539, but the experience seems to have led to a mental breakdown.
Exile
After his mother's execution, many of the Pole family lands were seized by the crown, but some were returned to Geoffrey in 1544. In 1548, he fled England and found his way to Rome, and threw himself at the feet of his brother, Cardinal
Reginald
Reginald is a masculine given name in the English language.
Etymology and history
The meaning of Reginald is “King". The name is derived from the Latin ''Reginaldus'', which has been influenced by the Latin word ''regina'', meaning "queen". Th ...
Pole, saying he was unworthy to be called his brother for having caused another brother's death. Cardinal Pole brought him to the pope for absolution and afterwards sent him into
Flanders
Flanders (, ; Dutch: ''Vlaanderen'' ) is the Flemish-speaking northern portion of Belgium and one of the communities, regions and language areas of Belgium. However, there are several overlapping definitions, including ones related to culture, ...
to the bishop of
Liege, allowing him an allowance of forty crowns a month. There he chiefly lived until the close of
Edward VI's reign. His wife and family, however, were still at Lordington, and he had a strong desire to return to England. In 1550, he visited
Sir John Mason
Sir John Mason (1503 – 20 April 1566) was an English diplomat and spy.
Origins and education
Mason was born to humble parents in Abingdon in Berkshire (now Oxfordshire) in 1503. His father is said to have been a cowherd,* his mother was t ...
at
Poissy
Poissy () is a commune in the Yvelines department in the Île-de-France region in north-central France. It is located in the western suburbs of Paris, from the centre of Paris. Inhabitants are called ''Pisciacais'' in French.
Poissy is one of ...
, while on a journey to
Rouen
Rouen (, ; or ) is a city on the River Seine in northern France. It is the prefecture of the Regions of France, region of Normandy (administrative region), Normandy and the Departments of France, department of Seine-Maritime. Formerly one of ...
. He explained that he was riding up and down that summer to see countries and begged Mason to procure leave for him to return to England. He continued to campaign to return home. In 1552, his son Arthur was released from prison and went to serve the Duke of Northumberland. Geoffrey wrote to the duke, asking for a safe conduct home. Despite these efforts, he was excepted from the general pardon granted at the end of the parliament in 1552. After
Queen Mary's accession in 1553, he returned to England.
Death and issue
He died in 1558, a few days before
Reginald
Reginald is a masculine given name in the English language.
Etymology and history
The meaning of Reginald is “King". The name is derived from the Latin ''Reginaldus'', which has been influenced by the Latin word ''regina'', meaning "queen". Th ...
, and was buried at
Stoughton Church Stoughton may refer to:
Places
in the United States of America:
*Stoughton, Massachusetts
**Stoughton (MBTA station)
*Stoughton, Wisconsin
*Stoughton Hall, Harvard Yard, Cambridge, Massachusetts
In England:
*Stoughton, Leicestershire
*Stoughton, S ...
. He was attended in his last illness by Father Peter de Soto. His widow Constance, who made her
will
Will may refer to:
Common meanings
* Will and testament, instructions for the disposition of one's property after death
* Will (philosophy), or willpower
* Will (sociology)
* Will, volition (psychology)
* Will, a modal verb - see Shall and will
...
on 1 or 2 August 1570 and died after 12 August 1570, desired to be buried beside him. He had five sons (the eldest son Arthur) and six daughters, two of whom were married, and one a
nun of
Syon Abbey. One of the married daughters was the mother of John Fortescue, whose daughter Elizabeth Fortescue (died aft. 16 April 1652) married
Sir John Beaumont, 1st Baronet
Sir John Beaumont, 1st Baronet (c.1582/3 – April 1627) of Grace Dieu in the parish of Belton in Leicestershire, England, was a poet best known for his work ''Bosworth Field'' (a poem about the Battle of Bosworth Field).
Origins
He was born ...
:
*
Arthur Pole of Lordington, Sussex (1531 – bet. January 1570 and 12 August 1570).
* Thomas Pole of Lordington, Sussex, and of
West Stoke
West or Occident is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from east and is the direction in which the Sun sets on the Earth.
Etymology
The word "west" is a Germanic word passed into some R ...
, Sussex (between 1532 and 1540 – between 12 August 1570 and 2 November 1570), married to Mary, who died around March 1576, widow of John Lewes, who then married thirdly to Francis Cotton, without issue.
* Edmund Pole of Lordington, Sussex, and of West Stoke, Sussex (?) (1541 – after 12 August 1570), who was imprisoned with his brother Arthur before 12 August 1570 in the
Tower of London
The Tower of London, officially His Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress of the Tower of London, is a historic castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, which is separa ...
, after conspiring with him to advance his own or
Mary, Queen of Scots
Mary, Queen of Scots (8 December 1542 – 8 February 1587), also known as Mary Stuart or Mary I of Scotland, was Queen of Scotland from 14 December 1542 until her forced abdication in 1567.
The only surviving legitimate child of James V of Scot ...
' claims to the throne of England, in the
Tower of London
The Tower of London, officially His Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress of the Tower of London, is a historic castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, which is separa ...
from October 1562 or 1563; on 26 February 1563 at the Tower of London, his brother was found guilty of treason, and imprisoned there, where he died.
* Geoffrey Pole of Lordington, Sussex, and of West Stoke, Sussex (1546 – before 9 March 1590/1591), was educated at
Winchester College
Winchester College is a public school (fee-charging independent day and boarding school) in Winchester, Hampshire, England. It was founded by William of Wykeham in 1382 and has existed in its present location ever since. It is the oldest of the ...
,
Winchester
Winchester is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city in Hampshire, England. The city lies at the heart of the wider City of Winchester, a local government Districts of England, district, at the western end of the South Downs Nation ...
,
Hampshire
Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants) is a ceremonial county, ceremonial and non-metropolitan county, non-metropolitan counties of England, county in western South East England on the coast of the English Channel. Home to two major English citi ...
, imprisoned with his brothers in the Tower of London in 1570 but released, married before 1573 Catherine Dutton, and died after 1608, and had nine children, including the following:
** Henry Pole (bef. 1570 – aft. 1570)
** Arthur Pole of Lordington, Sussex, and of West Stoke, Sussex (c. 1575 – murdered, Rome, 23 June 1605), who was educated at the
Palazzo Farnese
Palazzo Farnese () or Farnese Palace is one of the most important High Renaissance List of palaces in Italy#Rome, palaces in Rome. Owned by the Italian Republic, it was given to the French government in 1936 for a period of 99 years, and cur ...
, in
Rome
, established_title = Founded
, established_date = 753 BC
, founder = King Romulus (legendary)
, image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg
, map_caption ...
,
Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...
, along with the son of
Alexander Farnese, Duke of Parma
Alexander Farnese ( it, Alessandro Farnese, es, Alejandro Farnesio; 27 August 1545 – 3 December 1592) was an Italian noble and condottiero and later a general of the Spanish army, who was Duke of Parma, Piacenza and Castro from 1586 to 1592 ...
, and became
Lord of the Manor
Lord of the Manor is a title that, in Anglo-Saxon England, referred to the landholder of a rural estate. The lord enjoyed manorial rights (the rights to establish and occupy a residence, known as the manor house and demesne) as well as seig ...
of
Walderton
Walderton is a hamlet in the Chichester district of West Sussex, England. It lies on the B2146 road 4 miles (6.4 km) northeast of Emsworth. It is in the civil parish of Stoughton.
The village lies just below the source of the River Ems. I ...
, Sussex, and a Member of the
Household
A household consists of two or more persons who live in the same dwelling. It may be of a single family or another type of person group. The household is the basic unit of analysis in many social, microeconomic and government models, and is im ...
of
Cardinal Odoardo Farnese
Odoardo Farnese (6 December 1573 – 21 February 1626) was an Italian nobleman, the second son of Alessandro Farnese, Duke of Parma and Maria of Portugal, known for his patronage of the arts. He became a Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church in 1 ...
, unmarried and without issue; died in Rome.
** Geoffrey Pole of Lordington, Sussex, and of West Stoke, Sussex (c. 1577 – assassinated, Rome, bef. 7 January 1619), who was educated at the
seminaries, in
Douai,
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
, and at the
English College, in Rome, Italy, unmarried and without issue. Owned Wirehall in Cheshire, which was forfeited to the crown by his relative, James Pole, son of Richard Pole.
** Jane
** Catherine
** Constance
** Martha
** Mary
* Henry Pole
* Catherine Pole, died young.
* Catherine Pole, who married Sir Anthony Fortescue.
* Elizabeth Pole, who married William Neville.
* Mary Pole, who married William Cowfeld.
* Margaret Pole, who married Walter Windsor.
* Ann Pole, who married Thomas Hildersham and had at least one son,
Arthur, born 6 October 1553 at
Stetchworth
Stetchworth is a small village and civil parish in East Cambridgeshire, England, to the south of the horse-racing centre of Newmarket and around east of Cambridge.
History
The parish of Stetchworth is long and thin in shape, around six miles l ...
. After Hildersham's death, Anne remarried a man named Ward.
Ancestors
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pole, Geoffrey
1502 births
1558 deaths
People from Chichester District
Geoffrey
English MPs 1529–1536
Prisoners in the Tower of London
English knights
English justices of the peace
Younger sons of earls