Sir Henry Jerningham KB (1509/10 – 6 September 1572) was an English courtier during the Tudor period. He was a Gentleman Pensioner during the reign of

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 disagr ...

. In the succession crisis of 1553 he was one of the foremost supporters of Mary Tudor, and after her accession was one of her most trusted servants, being appointed Vice-Chamberlain of the Household,

Captain of the Yeomen of the Guard The Captain of the King's Bodyguard of the Yeomen of the Guard is a UK Government post usually held by the Government Deputy Chief Whip in the House of Lords. The present Captain is The 9th Earl of Courtown, who was appointed to the position i ...

, and a member of the

Privy Council A privy council is a body that advises the head of state of a state, typically, but not always, in the context of a monarchic government. The word "privy" means "private" or "secret"; thus, a privy council was originally a committee of the m ...

Family

Henry Jerningham was the son of Edward Jerningham (died 6 January 1515) of Somerleyton, Suffolk, and Mary Scrope (died 15 August 1548), in her first marriage. His mother was one of the nine daughters of Richard Scrope (died 1485) of

Upsall Upsall is a hamlet in and civil parish in the Hambleton district of North Yorkshire, England. It is situated approximately four miles north-east of Thirsk. Upsall is part of the Upsall and Roxby estates owned by the Turton family. The populat ...

, Yorkshire (second son of Henry Scrope, 4th Baron Scrope of Bolton (1418–1459)), by Eleanor (died 1505/06), daughter of Norman Washbourne (1433–1482).K.L. Emerson (comp.)
''A Who's Who of Tudor Women: Sa-Sn''
(update and correction of ''Wives and Daughters: The Women of Sixteenth-Century England'' (1984)). . Retrieved 26 May 2013. Through his mother he was a nephew of Elizabeth Scrope (died 1537), who married first William Beaumont, 2nd Viscount Beaumont, and secondly,

John de Vere, 13th Earl of Oxford John de Vere, 13th Earl of Oxford (8 September 1442 – 10 March 1513), the second son of John de Vere, 12th Earl of Oxford, and Elizabeth Howard, a first cousin of John Howard, 1st Duke of Norfolk (2nd creation), was one of the principal ...

, and also of Margaret Scrope (died 1515), who married

Edmund de la Pole, 3rd Duke of Suffolk Edmund de la Pole, 3rd Duke of Suffolk, 6th Earl of Suffolk, KG (c. 147130 April 1513), Duke of Suffolk, was a son of John de la Pole, 2nd Duke of Suffolk and his wife Elizabeth of York. Although the male York line ended with the death of ...

. By his mother (in this her first marriage) Henry Jerningham is said to have had three brothers and a sister.W. Betham, ''The Baronetage of England'' (Burrell and Bransby, Ipswich 1801), I
pp. 227–9
(Google). *Ferdinand Jerningham. *Edmund Jerningham (died 9 February 1546), whose wardship was granted to his mother's second husband, Sir

William Kingston Sir William Kingston, KG ( – 14 September 1540) was an English courtier, soldier and administrator. He was the Constable of the Tower of London during much of the reign of Henry VIII. Among the notable prisoners he was responsible for wer ...

. He was a

Gentleman of the Bedchamber Gentleman of the Bedchamber was a title in the royal household of the Kingdom of England from the 11th century, later used also in the Kingdom of Great Britain. A Lord of the Bedchamber was a courtier in the Royal Household; the term being fir ...

King 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 disagr ...

S. Lehmberg, 'Kingston, Sir William (c.1476–1540)', ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' (OUP 2004). *Edward Jerningham, born after the death of his father. *Elizabeth Jerningham,

Maid of Honour A maid of honour is a junior attendant of a queen in royal households. The position was and is junior to the lady-in-waiting. The equivalent title and office has historically been used in most European royal courts. Role Traditionally, a queen ...

Queen Mary I Mary I (18 February 1516 – 17 November 1558), also known as Mary Tudor, and as "Bloody Mary" by her Protestant opponents, was Queen of England and Ireland from July 1553 and Queen of Spain from January 1556 until her death in 1558. ...

. By his father's first marriage to Margaret Bedingfield, Jerningham had several brothers and sisters of the half blood, including Sir John Jerningham of Somerleyton, and Lady Anne Grey. Jerningham's father died in 1515, and by 1532 his mother had married Sir William Kingston, who had been appointed

Constable of the Tower The Constable of the Tower is the most senior appointment at the Tower of London. In the Middle Ages a constable was the person in charge of a castle when the owner—the king or a nobleman—was not in residence. The Constable of the Tower had a ...

of London on 28 May 1524.

Career

St Olave's Priory in St Olaves - geograph

Jerningham was admitted to the

Inner Temple The Honourable Society of the Inner Temple, commonly known as the Inner Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court and is a professional associations for barristers and judges. To be called to the Bar and practise as a barrister in England and Wa ...

in 1528, and in the same year was appointed

Constable A constable is a person holding a particular office, most commonly in criminal law enforcement. The office of constable can vary significantly in different jurisdictions. A constable is commonly the rank of an officer within the police. Other peop ...

of Gloucester Castle.M.K. Dale, 'Jerningham, Sir Henry (1509/10-72), of Costessey, Norfolk; Herringfleet and Wingfield, Suffolk; Painswick, Gloucestershire, and London', in S.T. Bindoff (ed.), ''The History of Parliament: the House of Commons 1509-1558'' (from Boydell and Brewer 1982),
History of Parliament Online
At about the same time he entered the service of

's elder daughter, Mary Tudor, as a sewer.A. Weikel, 'Jerningham, Sir Henry (1509/10–1572)', ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' (OUP 2004). He became one of Henry VIII's

Gentlemen Pensioners His Majesty's Body Guard of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen at Arms is a bodyguard to the British Monarch. Until 17 March 1834, they were known as The Honourable Band of Gentlemen Pensioners. Formation The corps was formed as the Troop of Gen ...

about 1540, and thereafter was present at "major state occasions", and took part in the King's campaign in France in 1544 with his own contingent of five horsemen. In 1544 he and his wife were granted the manor of Wingfield in Suffolk,W.A. Copinger, ''The Manors of Suffolk'' (Taylor, Garnett, Evans & Co. Ltd, Manchester 1909), IV
p. 111
(Internet Archive). and in 1546 he was granted the site of the former St Olave's Priory in Herringfleet. Little is known of his career under

King Edward VI Edward VI (12 October 1537 – 6 July 1553) was King of England and Ireland from 28 January 1547 until his death in 1553. He was crowned on 20 February 1547 at the age of nine. Edward was the son of Henry VIII and Jane Seymour and the first ...

. However he was among the first to join the future

Kenninghall Kenninghall is a village and civil parish in Norfolk, England, with an area of and a population of 950 at the 2011 census. It falls within the local government district of Breckland. Home to the kings of East Anglia, after the Norman invasion o ...

when

John Dudley, 1st Duke of Northumberland John Dudley, 1st Duke of Northumberland (1504Loades 2008 – 22 August 1553) was an Kingdom of England, English general, admiral, and politician, who led the government of the young King Edward VI from 1550 until 1553, and unsuccessfully tried ...

, attempted to place

Lady Jane Grey Lady Jane Grey ( 1537 – 12 February 1554), later known as Lady Jane Dudley (after her marriage) and as the "Nine Days' Queen", was an English noblewoman who claimed the throne of England and Ireland from 10 July until 19 July 1553. Jane was ...

on the throne after King Edward's death in 1553. He raised troops in

Suffolk Suffolk () is a ceremonial county of England in East Anglia. It borders Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south; the North Sea lies to the east. The county town is Ipswich; other important towns include Lowes ...

on Mary's behalf, and at her accession to the throne she appointed him Vice-Chamberlain of the Household, and Captain of the Guard. He was created a

Knight of the Bath The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate medieval ceremony for appointing a knight, which involved bathing (as a symbol of purification) as on ...

at Mary's coronation, and shortly thereafter was sworn to the

. His wife, Frances, became one of the Queen's gentlewomen. Further rewards followed in the form of grants of lands, including the manor of Costessey, one of the largest manors in Norfolk, where he rebuilt Costessey Hall. He played a decisive role in the suppression of Wyatt's rebellion in 1554, and "was clearly one of the Queen's most trusted servants". In December 1557 he became

Master of the Horse Master of the Horse is an official position in several European nations. It was more common when most countries in Europe were monarchies, and is of varying prominence today. (Ancient Rome) The original Master of the Horse ( la, Magister Equitu ...

, an appointment accompanied by the grant of an annuity of £300. He was a

Knight of the Shire Knight of the shire ( la, milites comitatus) was the formal title for a member of parliament (MP) representing a county constituency in the British House of Commons, from its origins in the medieval Parliament of England until the Redistributi ...

throughout Queen Mary's reign, four times for

between 1553 and 1555, and once for

Gloucestershire Gloucestershire ( abbreviated Glos) is a Counties of England, county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn and the entire Forest of Dean. The county town ...

in 1558. Queen Mary appointed Jerningham one of the six assistant executors of her will. However Queen Elizabeth dismissed him from office. He retired to Costessey Hall, where he made his will on 15 August 1572, and died on 6 September at the age of sixty-three. He was buried in the parish church at Costessey. He was survived by his wife, Frances, by two of his sons, Henry and William, and by one of his daughters, Jeronyma. His will was proved on 27 May 1573.

Marriage and issue

Jerningham's marriage is said to have been arranged by his stepfather, Sir William Kingston. In 1536 he married Kingston's granddaughter, Frances Baynham, the daughter of Sir George Baynham of Clearwell, Gloucestershire. By her he had three sons and two daughters, as follows: * Henry Jerningham * William Jerningham * Francis Jerningham * Mary Jerningham, who married Sir Thomas Southwell (died 1568) of Woodrising, Norfolk * Jeronyma Jerningham, who married Charles Waldegrave of Stanninghall.

References

External links

Will of Edward Jerningham, proved 19 February 1515, PROB 11/18/104, National Archives
Retrieved 26 May 2013
Will of Sir Henry Jerningham of Costessey, Norfolk, proved 27 May 1573, PROB 11/55/240, National Archives
Retrieved 26 May 2013
Will of Frances Jerningham, widow, of Costessey, Norfolk, proved 15 February 1584, PROB 11/66/340, National Archives
Retrieved 26 May 2013
Will of Mary Kingston, widow, proved 25 January 1549, PROB 11/32/320, National Archives
Retrieved 26 May 2013 {{DEFAULTSORT:Jerningham, Henry 1500s births 1572 deaths Knights of the Bath Members of the Privy Council of England People from Suffolk Coastal (district) English MPs 1553 (Mary I) English MPs 1554 English MPs 1554–1555 English MPs 1555 English MPs 1558 Politicians from Gloucestershire People from Costessey