Sir Nicholas Poyntz, by Hans Holbein the Younger

Sir Nicholas Poyntz (1510—circa 28 November 1556) was a prominent English courtier during the latter part of Henry VIII's reign. There is a portrait drawing by Hans Holbein the Younger in the Royal Collection and an oil portrait after the same artist based on the drawing in the National Portrait Gallery, London. One further portrait also exists after Holbein.

Life

He was the eldest son of Sir

Anthony Poyntz Sir Anthony Poyntz (1480? – 1533/1535) was an English diplomat and naval commander. Life He was knighted in 1513, when he commanded a ship in Thomas Howard's expedition against France. In September 1518 he was sent on an embassy to the French ...

(1480?–1533), vice-admiral, and his first wife Elizabeth Huddefield. His uncle was

John Poyntz John Poyntz (ca. 14851544) was an English courtier and politician, Member of Parliament for Devizes in 1529. Poyntz was the second son of Sir Robert Poyntz of Iron Acton, Gloucestershire, by Margaret, an illegitimate daughter of Anthony Woodv ...

. On Saturday 21 August 1535, Henry VIII and

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 ...

visited Nicholas Poyntz at Acton Court, Iron Acton, Gloucestershire. Poyntz had built a special new lodging for his royal guests which still survives. It contained three first floor state rooms and one of these still has painted decoration by an artist of the Tudor court. These state rooms connected to the older house by a covered walkway called a 'pentice.' Archaeological excavations found fragments of precious Venetian glass and maiolica which Nicholas probably bought for the visit. The evidence of lengthy preparations by Nicholas at Acton shows that Henry's progress in the west of England was planned in advance. In 1539 and 1545 he served as

High Sheriff of Gloucestershire This is a list of Sheriffs and High Sheriffs of Gloucestershire, who should not be confused with the Sheriffs of the City of Gloucester. The High Sheriff is the oldest secular office under the Crown (in England and Wales the office previously kn ...

and in 1547 represented

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 ...

in Parliament as a Knight of the Shire. Between 1544 and 1556 Poyntz built as a hunting lodge Newark Park, near the village of

Ozleworth Ozleworth is a village and civil parish in Gloucestershire, England, approximately south of Gloucester. It lies in the Cotswolds, an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. History Ozleworth was known as in 940, derived from the Old English words ...

Wotton-under-Edge Wotton-under-Edge is a market town within the Stroud district of Gloucestershire, England. Located near the southern fringe of the Cotswolds, the Cotswold Way long-distance footpath passes through the town. Standing on the B4058, Wotton is ab ...

. This was built at about the same time as nearby Siston Court was being built by Sir Maurice Denys (d.1563), first cousin of Poyntz's wife Jane Berkeley. He was elected MP for

Cricklade Cricklade is a town and civil parish on the River Thames in north Wiltshire, England, midway between Swindon and Cirencester. It is the first downstream town on the Thames. The parish population at the 2011 census was 4,227. History Cricklade ...

in 1555. During the war of the

Rough Wooing The Rough Wooing (December 1543 – March 1551), also known as the Eight Years' War, was part of the Anglo-Scottish Wars of the 16th century. Following its break with the Roman Catholic Church, England attacked Scotland, partly to break the ...

with Scotland (1543–1550), Poyntz commanded the warship the ''Great Galley''. In May 1544, the

Earl of Hertford Earl () is a rank of the nobility in the United Kingdom. The title originates in the Old English word ''eorl'', meaning "a man of noble birth or rank". The word is cognate with the Scandinavian form ''jarl'', and meant "chieftain", particular ...

sent him to burn

Kinghorn Kinghorn (; gd, Ceann Gronna) is a town and parish in Fife, Scotland. A seaside resort with two beaches, Kinghorn Beach and Pettycur Bay, plus a fishing port, it stands on the north shore of the Firth of Forth, opposite Edinburgh. Accordin ...

and other towns in Fife, while Edinburgh was sacked and burnt. He had married Joan, daughter of

Thomas Berkeley, 5th Baron Berkeley Thomas Berkeley, ''de jure'' 5th Baron Berkeley, (1472 – 22 January 1532) was an English soldier and aristocrat. He was born to Sir Maurice Berkeley, ''de jure'' 3rd Baron Berkeley, and Isabel Meade, in England. He was the younger brother t ...

(d.1533). with whom he had five or six sons and three daughters. He was succeeded by his eldest son, Nicholas.

References

;Attribution

External links

Acton Court, built by Nicholas Poyntz in 1535

{{DEFAULTSORT:Poyntz, Nicholas 1510 births 1557 deaths English people of the Rough Wooing High Sheriffs of Gloucestershire English MPs 1547–1552 English MPs 1555 Politicians from Gloucestershire Members of Parliament for Cricklade