John Brydges, 1st Baron Chandos (9 March 1492 – 12 April 1557) was an English courtier, Member of Parliament and later peer. His last name is also sometimes spelt Brugge or Bruges. He was a prominent figure at the English court during the reigns of kings

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 ...

and

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 E ...

and of

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. Sh ...

Biography

He was born at

Coberley Coberley is a village and civil parish in the Cotswold District of Gloucestershire in England, south of Cheltenham. It lies at the confluence of several streams ( Seven Springs) that form the River Churn, a tributary of the River Thames. The m ...

, Gloucestershire, the son of Sir Giles Brydges of Coberley (c. 1462 – 1511) and Isabel Baynham. His father was a knight of the body to Henry VII and his brother

Thomas Brydges Sir Thomas Brydges (died 14 November 1559) was an English landowner, a royal office holder and MP for Oxfordshire in first parliament of Elizabeth I (January 1559). Biography Brydges was the second son of Sir Giles Brydges (died 1511) of Coberley ...

of Cornbury, Oxfordshire also held public office and served as an MP. Bridges inherited his father's Oxfordshire and Wiltshire estates as a minor in 1511, and was for two years the ward of Sir Edward Darrell. He was knighted in 1513 after serving in France with Charles Brandon at Terouenne and

Tournai Tournai or Tournay ( ; ; nl, Doornik ; pcd, Tornai; wa, Tornè ; la, Tornacum) is a city and municipality of Wallonia located in the province of Hainaut, Belgium. It lies southwest of Brussels on the river Scheldt. Tournai is part of Euromet ...

. He attended Henry VIII on all subsequent state occasions in England and France (presumably including the famous meeting with

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 ...

at the

Field of the Cloth of Gold The Field of the Cloth of Gold (french: Camp du Drap d'Or, ) was a summit meeting between King Henry VIII of England and King Francis I of France from 7 to 24 June 1520. Held at Balinghem, between Ardres in France and Guînes in the English P ...

, where Gloucestershire was represented by, amongst others, a Sir John Brydges). His election in 1529 as junior knight of the shire for

Gloucestershire Gloucestershire ( abbreviated Glos) is a 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 is the city of Gl ...

was a tribute to his standing both locally and at court, but it was doubtless assisted by his influential connections, through his mother with the Baynhams and through his wife with the noble house of Grey of Wilton. Aerial photo of Sudeley Castle cropped

Brydges was

High Sheriff of Wiltshire This is a list of the Sheriffs and (after 1 April 1974) High Sheriffs of Wiltshire. Until the 14th century, the shrievalty was held ''ex officio'' by the castellans of Old Sarum Castle. On 1 April 1974, under the provisions of the Local Gov ...

for 1537, and took part in suppressing the

rebellion Rebellion, uprising, or insurrection is a refusal of obedience or order. It refers to the open resistance against the orders of an established authority. A rebellion originates from a sentiment of indignation and disapproval of a situation and ...

Sir Thomas Wyatt Sir Thomas Wyatt (150311 October 1542) was a 16th-century English politician, ambassador, and lyric poet credited with introducing the sonnet to English literature. He was born at Allington Castle near Maidstone in Kent, though the family was ...

in 1554. As

Lieutenant of the Tower of London The Lieutenant of the Tower of London serves directly under the Constable of the Tower. The office has been appointed at least since the 13th century. There were formerly many privileges, immunities and perquisites attached to the office. Like the ...

during the earlier part of Queen Mary's reign, he had the custody not only of

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 ...

and of Thomas Wyatt, but for a short time, of the Queen's half-sister as well, the Princess

Elizabeth Tudor Elizabeth I (7 September 153324 March 1603) was Queen of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death in 1603. Elizabeth was the last of the five House of Tudor monarchs and is sometimes referred to as the "Virgin Queen". Eliz ...

(who would later become Queen Elizabeth I of England). In 1554, Queen Mary I gave

Sudeley Castle Sudeley Castle is a Grade I listed castle in the parish of Sudeley, in the Cotswolds, near to the medieval market town of Winchcombe, Gloucestershire, England. The castle has 10 notable gardens covering some 15 acres within a 1,200-acre estate ...

to John Brydges and created him Baron Chandos of Sudeley on 8 April 1554. The castle remained his property throughout her reign and the reign of Queen Elizabeth I as well and then passed down to his descendants. It was at Sudeley Castle that Queen Elizabeth was entertained three times. Also, later on in 1592, a spectacular three-day feast was held there to celebrate the anniversary of the defeat of the

Spanish Armada The Spanish Armada (a.k.a. the Enterprise of England, es, Grande y Felicísima Armada, links=no, lit=Great and Most Fortunate Navy) was a Spanish fleet that sailed from Lisbon in late May 1588, commanded by the Duke of Medina Sidonia, an aris ...

Family

It was around 1512 when Brydges married Elizabeth Grey, daughter of Edmund Grey, 9th Baron Grey de Wilton (died 1511), and Florence Hastings, eldest daughter of Sir Ralph Hastings. They had eleven children. Their son Edmund succeeded to the Chandos barony on his father's death. Their son Charles married Jane, daughter of

Sir Edward Carne Sir Edward Carne (c. 1500 – 19 January 1561) was a Welsh Renaissance scholar, diplomat and English Member of Parliament. Life history Carne was born around 1500, the second son of Howell Carne of Cowbridge in Glamorgan, and his wife Cicily, the ...

. Their daughter Katherine married

Edward Sutton, 4th Baron Dudley Edward Sutton, 4th Baron Dudley (circa 1515 – 12 July 1586). The oldest son and heir of John Sutton, 3rd Baron Dudley. He was an English nobleman and soldier. Contemporary sources also refer to him as ''Sir Edward Dudley''. Life He served in Ir ...

Death

He died at

on 12 April 1557 and was buried with heraldic ceremony on 3 May in Sudeley Church. His will, dated 2 March 1556, was proved on 28 May 1557. In his will, he styles himself as Sir John Bruges, Knight, Lord Chandos of Sudeley. Lady Chandos died on 29 December 1559 and was buried on 6 January 1560.

Notes

References

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External links

Bydges, Sir John (1492–1557), of Coberley, Glos.
A biography
Sir John Brydges, 1st Lord Chandos
Family tree {{DEFAULTSORT:Chandos, John Brydges, 1st Baron 1492 births 1557 deaths Peers of England created by Mary I High Sheriffs of Wiltshire Lieutenants of the Tower of London 16th-century English nobility People from Cotswold District Jo English MPs 1529–1536 Burials at St Mary's Chapel, Sudeley Castle Members of the Parliament of England for Gloucestershire 1 Court of Mary I of England