Sir Robert Southwell (born c. 1506
[Southwell, Robert (c.1506–59), of London and Mereworth, Kent, History of Parliament]
Retrieved 22 May 2013. in
Windham Manor, Norfolk – died 1559 in
Mereworth
Mereworth is a village and civil parish near the town of Maidstone in Kent, England. The Wateringbury Stream flows through the village and powered a watermill, the site of which now lies within the grounds of Mereworth Castle.
Mereworth is pronou ...
) was an English civil servant during the reigns 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 disa ...
,
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
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 ...
. He was elected Member of Parliament from
Kent
Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...
in October 1553 and in 1555.
[Zell, p. 36.] In January–February 1554 Southwell, then the
High Sheriff of Kent
The high sheriff is the oldest secular office under the Crown (prior to 1974 the office previously known as sheriff)."Sheriffs appointed for a county or Greater London shall be known as high sheriffs, and any reference in any enactment or instrum ...
, was one of the key loyalist officers engaged against the
Wyatt's rebellion. According to D. M. Loades, "Sir Robert Southwell and
Lord Abergavenny
Marquess of Abergavenny (pronounced Aber''genn''y) in the County of Monmouth, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom created on 14 January 1876, along with the title Earl of Lewes (pronounced "Lewis"), in the County of Sussex, for the ...
were almost the only significant gentlemen in the country whose loyalty was never in doubt. So resolute was Southwell's opposition to Wyatt that it is tempting to regard them as personal enemies, but .. there is no evidence for this."
[Loades, p. 84.]
Early life
Robert Southwell belonged to a wealthy family from
Norfolk
Norfolk () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in East Anglia in England. It borders Lincolnshire to the north-west, Cambridgeshire to the west and south-west, and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the No ...
.
[Loades, p. 84.] He was the son of Francis Southwell and the younger brother of
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 mon ...
lor Sir
Richard Southwell[ and the elder brother of Francis Southwell and Anthony Southwell who married Anne Le Strange, daughter of Sir Thomas Le Strange. On 1 May 1536, he married Margaret Neville (d. 25 December 1575), the daughter of ]Sir Thomas Neville
Thomas Fauconberg or Thomas Neville, sometimes called Thomas the Bastard, or the Bastard of Fauconberg (1429 – 22 September 1471), was the natural son of William Neville, Lord Fauconberg, who was a leading commander in the Hundred Years' War ...
, MP from Kent, fifth son of George Neville, 2nd Baron Bergavenny[Philipott, p. 31.] Through the marriage he acquired Mereworth
Mereworth is a village and civil parish near the town of Maidstone in Kent, England. The Wateringbury Stream flows through the village and powered a watermill, the site of which now lies within the grounds of Mereworth Castle.
Mereworth is pronou ...
in Kent, which became his principal residence and where he was buried.[ Southwell was Catholic.][Zell, p. 34.]
He settled on a career in law, became a reader at the Middle Temple
The Honourable Society of the Middle Temple, commonly known simply as Middle Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court exclusively entitled to call their members to the English Bar as barristers, the others being the Inner Temple, Gray's Inn an ...
and served at the Court of Augmentations
Thomas Cromwell established the Court of Augmentations, also called Augmentation Court or simply The Augmentation in 1536, during the reign of King Henry VIII of England. It operated alongside three lesser courts (those of General Surveyors (1540 ...
, making a fortune through speculation in former monastery lands.[ In 1543, he was granted the manor of Hoxne in Suffolk, which was later inherited by his son, ]Thomas
Thomas may refer to:
People
* List of people with given name Thomas
* Thomas (name)
* Thomas (surname)
* Saint Thomas (disambiguation)
* Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) Italian Dominican friar, philosopher, and Doctor of the Church
* Thomas the Ap ...
. He temporarily controlled estates at Leveland, Ditton, West Peckham
West Peckham is a village and civil parish in the borough of Tonbridge and Malling in Kent, England. The River Bourne flows through the extreme west of the parish, and formerly powered a paper mill ( Hamptons Mill) and corn mill ( Oxenhoath Mill) ...
and Swanton Hall near Mereworth. D. M. Loades noted that "there was nothing to choose between Southwell and Wyatt", his future enemy, when it came to monastic lands.[Loades, p. 86.] Southwell supported his brother Richard in his rivalry with the Howards; after their fall Southwell was rewarded with lands in Badlesmere, Kent
Badlesmere is a village and civil parish in the Swale district of Kent, England, and about five miles south of Faversham.
It was once called ''Basmere''.
There has been a recorded settlement (under the name 'Badelesmere') as far back as the ...
.[
He was elected Member of Parliament for the constituency of ]King's Lynn
King's Lynn, known until 1537 as Bishop's Lynn and colloquially as Lynn, is a port and market town in the borough of King's Lynn and West Norfolk in the county of Norfolk, England. It is located north of London, north-east of Peterborough, no ...
in 1529, 1536, and 1539.[ He was knighted in 1537.
He served as Common Serjeant of London from 1535 to 1536 and Master of Requests in 1540. In 1543–1550 he was appointed ]Master of the Rolls
The Keeper or Master of the Rolls and Records of the Chancery of England, known as the Master of the Rolls, is the President of the Court of Appeal (England and Wales)#Civil Division, Civil Division of the Court of Appeal of England and Wales a ...
although, according to D. M. Loades, he then lived in Kent where he gained "some influence" through his marriage connection.[ Michael Zell wrote that it was customary to have at least one high-ranking judge permanently living in Kent.][Zell, p. 18.]
Wyatt's rebellion
In the first year of the reign of Queen Mary Southwell was appointed High Sheriff of Kent
The high sheriff is the oldest secular office under the Crown (prior to 1974 the office previously known as sheriff)."Sheriffs appointed for a county or Greater London shall be known as high sheriffs, and any reference in any enactment or instrum ...
. According to James Anthony Froude
James Anthony Froude ( ; 23 April 1818 – 20 October 1894) was an English historian, novelist, biographer, and editor of ''Fraser's Magazine''. From his upbringing amidst the Anglo-Catholic Oxford Movement, Froude intended to become a clergy ...
, he was a vocal opponent of the proposed Spanish marriage of Mary and Philip II Philip II may refer to:
* Philip II of Macedon (382–336 BC)
* Philip II (emperor) (238–249), Roman emperor
* Philip II, Prince of Taranto (1329–1374)
* Philip II, Duke of Burgundy (1342–1404)
* Philip II, Duke of Savoy (1438-1497)
* Philip ...
.[Froude, p. 106.] This made him and his faithful in-law Henry Neville, Lord Abergavenny, valuable potential assets to Thomas Wyatt the younger
Sir Thomas Wyatt the Younger (152111 April 1554) was an English politician and rebel leader during the reign of Queen Mary I; his rising is traditionally called " Wyatt's rebellion". He was the son of the English poet and ambassador Sir Thomas ...
and his conspiracy circle. Whether Southwell and Abergavenny would join the revolt remained uncertain until it broke out in earnest on 25 January 1554. According to D. M. Loades, Southwell remained unconditionally loyal to Mary. He was not aware of the rebel's council held at Allington Castle
Allington Castle is a stone castle in Allington, Kent, just north of Maidstone, in England. The first castle on the site was an unauthorised fortification, built during "The Anarchy" (1135–1153) and torn down later in the century when royal con ...
on 22 January, but had other signals of the brewing revolt and actively spied upon the rebel Henry Isley
Sir Henry Isley was an English nobleman involved in Wyatt's Rebellion.
The Isley family were established landowners of Kent county.Loades, p. 79. Henry Isley owned Sundridge manor estate in Brasted, his brother Thomas Isley (Jr.) in Vinters Park n ...
.[Loades, p. 52.] On 24 January, one day ''before'' the revolt, Southwell and Abergavenny began recruitment of the loyalist forces, although with little success. Eastern Kent countryside, influenced by loyalist families, remained largely unaffected by Wyatt's rebellion,[Loades, p. 78.] but the larger towns leaned to Wyatt. On 26 January Wyatt declared Southwell and Abergavenny "traitors to God, the Crown and the Commonwealth" for "stirring up the Queen's most loyal subjects of the realm."
According to Froude, on 25 January Abergavenny raised two thousand men and attacked rebel Henry Isley
Sir Henry Isley was an English nobleman involved in Wyatt's Rebellion.
The Isley family were established landowners of Kent county.Loades, p. 79. Henry Isley owned Sundridge manor estate in Brasted, his brother Thomas Isley (Jr.) in Vinters Park n ...
at Wrotham
Wrotham ( ) is a village on the Pilgrims' Way in Kent, England, at the foot of the North Downs. It is north of Borough Green and approximately east of Sevenoaks. It is between the M20 and M26 motorways.
History
The name first occurs as ''U ...
.[Froude, p. 108.] Abergavenny's men prevailed over the rebels and then deserted to Wyatt's army. According to D. M. Loades, on 25 January Southwell reported to the Council in London that recruitment made only "some headway" and advised that the Queen must leave London for a safer place.[Loades, p. 56.] By 27 January the loyalists's position improved, and their combined forces in Kent matched the numbers of Wyatt's force in Rochester
Rochester may refer to:
Places Australia
* Rochester, Victoria
Canada
* Rochester, Alberta
United Kingdom
*Rochester, Kent
** City of Rochester-upon-Medway (1982–1998), district council area
** History of Rochester, Kent
** HM Prison ...
, at around two thousand men on each side.[Loades, p. 58.] However, the loyalists were scattered, and Wyatt could rely on additional forces held by the Isleys in nearby Tonbridge
Tonbridge ( ) is a market town in Kent, England, on the River Medway, north of Royal Tunbridge Wells, south west of Maidstone and south east of London. In the administrative borough of Tonbridge and Malling, it had an estimated population ...
and Sevenoaks
Sevenoaks is a town in Kent with a population of 29,506 situated south-east of London, England. Also classified as a civil parishes in England, civil parish, Sevenoaks is served by a commuter South Eastern Main Line, main line railway into Lon ...
.[ According to D. M. Loades, Southwell and Abergavenny with six hundred men blocked the road from Tonbridge to Rochester to prevent consolidation of the rebels.][ On 27 January Southwell realised that the townsfolks stood for Wyatt and did not dare to engage the rebels.][Loades, p. 59.] On the next day Henry Isley
Sir Henry Isley was an English nobleman involved in Wyatt's Rebellion.
The Isley family were established landowners of Kent county.Loades, p. 79. Henry Isley owned Sundridge manor estate in Brasted, his brother Thomas Isley (Jr.) in Vinters Park n ...
marched from Sevenoaks to Rochester. This time, Southwell was compelled to fight, and managed to defeat Isley's company at Wrotham
Wrotham ( ) is a village on the Pilgrims' Way in Kent, England, at the foot of the North Downs. It is north of Borough Green and approximately east of Sevenoaks. It is between the M20 and M26 motorways.
History
The name first occurs as ''U ...
, taking around sixty prisoners.[
On the same 28 January ]Duke of Norfolk
Duke of Norfolk is a title in the peerage of England. The seat of the Duke of Norfolk is Arundel Castle in Sussex, although the title refers to the county of Norfolk. The current duke is Edward Fitzalan-Howard, 18th Duke of Norfolk. The dukes ...
boldly led his unstable army into Kent. He did not notify Southwell and Abergavenny of his plans, and his forces deserted to Wyatt at the earliest convenience.[Loades, p. 61.] After the defeat of Norfolk at Rochester Southwell fled to London. Wyatt marched to London himself with around three thousand men,[Zell, p. 220.] but lost the initiative; Southwell and Thomas Cheney
Sir Thomas Cheney (or Cheyne) Order of the Garter, KG (c. 1485 – 16 December 1558) of the Blackfriars, City of London and Shurland, Isle of Sheppey, Kent, was an English administrator and diplomat, Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports in South ...
managed to raise another loyalist company in his rear.[Froude, p. 119.][Loades, p. 63.] On 4 February Southwell and Abergavenny marched to Greenwich
Greenwich ( , ,) is a town in south-east London, England, within the ceremonial county of Greater London. It is situated east-southeast of Charing Cross.
Greenwich is notable for its maritime history and for giving its name to the Greenwich ...
. Londoners rumoured that their force reached three thousand men (actual strength of the loyalists is unknown). Wyatt was cut off from his base in Kent, and could not count on reinforcements while the loyalists' forces gained strength every day.[
By 7 February Wyatt's army disintegrated. Southwell was dispatched to mop up the rebels remaining in Kent and on 10 February set up his headquarters in Wyatt's Allington Castle.][Loades, p. 108.] His men, supported by Earl of Pembroke
Earl of Pembroke is a title in the Peerage of England that was first created in the 12th century by King Stephen of England. The title, which is associated with Pembroke, Pembrokeshire in West Wales, has been recreated ten times from its origin ...
's cavalry, tracked the rebels and soon filled the local jails to the point "that serious disruption was threatened to the life of the county".[ He interrogated the prisoners himself and reported their statements and his own opinions to ]Stephen Gardiner
Stephen Gardiner (27 July 1483 – 12 November 1555) was an English Catholic bishop and politician during the English Reformation period who served as Lord Chancellor during the reign of Queen Mary I and King Philip.
Early life
Gardiner was b ...
in London.[ He requested the formation of a special court for speedy handling of his prisoners. This court, the ''Kent Commission'', was formed on 24 February. Of 230 prisoners indicted before the Kent Commission, only 42 were convicted.][Loades, p. 112.] D. M. Loades wrote that the blunt of Marian justice mostly hit Londoners: 45 of 76 convicted Londoners were sentenced to death, compared to 30 out of 350 for the Kentish men.[ Southwell was obliged to execute the rebels convicted in London and sent to die in their home county. The first group of 18 men was executed on 18 February, followed by two on 24 February and eight (including the Isley brothers) on 28 February.][Loades, p. 113.] More "transfers to Southwell" followed until the middle of March.[Loades, p. 113.]
On the occasion of the marriage of Mary and Philip Southwell was rewarded with a pension of five hundred pounds per annum.
Marriage and issue
On 1 May 1536 Southwell married Margaret Neville, the daughter of Sir Thomas Neville
Thomas Fauconberg or Thomas Neville, sometimes called Thomas the Bastard, or the Bastard of Fauconberg (1429 – 22 September 1471), was the natural son of William Neville, Lord Fauconberg, who was a leading commander in the Hundred Years' War ...
, fifth son of George Neville, 2nd Baron Bergavenny, and Katherine (née Dacre), widow of George FitzHugh, 7th Baron FitzHugh (d. 28 January 1513), and daughter of Humphrey Dacre, 1st Baron Dacre
Humphrey Dacre, 1st Baron Dacre of Gilsland ( 1424 – 30 May 1485), was an Kingdom of England, English soldier, Cumberland landed gentry, landowner and Peerage of England, peer.
He remained loyal to the House of Lancaster when Henry VI of England ...
of Gilsland, and Mabel Parr, the daughter of Sir Thomas Parr
Sir Thomas Parr (c. 1483 – 11 November 1517) of Kendal in Westmorland (now Cumbria), England, was a courtier and is best known as the father of Queen Catherine Parr, the Wives of Henry VIII, sixth and final wife of King Henry VIII of England, ...
(d. 24 November 1464). The birth dates of five of their children are recorded in a Book of hours
The book of hours is a Christian devotional book used to pray the canonical hours. The use of a book of hours was especially popular in the Middle Ages and as a result, they are the most common type of surviving medieval illuminated manuscrip ...
:
* Thomas Southwell (b. 24 March 1537 – 1568), who married firstly, Mary, daughter of Sir Henry Jerningham of Costessey
Costessey ( ) is a civil parishes in England, civil parish centred boxing the compass, WNW of Norwich in Norfolk, England. Three dispersed village, centres of population exist: the long-established town/village of Costessey (now commonly Old C ...
, Norfolk, by whom he had no issue; secondly Mary Mansell, the daughter of Sir Rice Mansell of Glamorganshire
, HQ = Cardiff
, Government = Glamorgan County Council (1889–1974)
, Origin=
, Code = GLA
, CodeName = Chapman code
, Replace =
* West Glamorgan
* Mid Glamorgan
* South Glamorgan
, Motto ...
, Wales, by whom he had a son and heir, Sir Robert Southwell
Sir Robert Southwell PRS (31 December 1635 – 11 September 1702) was a diplomat. He was Secretary of State for Ireland and President of the Royal Society from 1690.
Background and education
Robert Southwell was born near Kinsale in County ...
, and thirdly Nazareth Newton
Nazareth or Nazaret Newton (died 1583) was a courtier and lady-in-waiting.
Nazareth Newton was the youngest daughter of Sir John Newton (d. 1568) of East Harptree, Somerset, and Barrs Court, Gloucestershire, and Margaret, daughter of Sir Anthony ...
(d. 1583), daughter of Sir John Newton, of Hawtrey, Somerset
( en, All The People of Somerset)
, locator_map =
, coordinates =
, region = South West England
, established_date = Ancient
, established_by =
, preceded_by =
, origin =
, lord_lieutenant_office =Lord Lieutenant of Somerset
, lord_ ...
, by whom he had a daughter, Elizabeth
Elizabeth or Elisabeth may refer to:
People
* Elizabeth (given name), a female given name (including people with that name)
* Elizabeth (biblical figure), mother of John the Baptist
Ships
* HMS ''Elizabeth'', several ships
* ''Elisabeth'' (sch ...
, who married Sir Barentyne Molyns of Clapcot by Wallingford in Berkshire (now Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the north west of South East England. It is a mainly rural county, with its largest settlement being the city of Oxford. The county is a centre of research and development, primarily ...
) (son of Michael Molyns MP). After Thomas Southwell's death his widow, Nazareth, married Thomas Paget, 4th Baron Paget.
*Francis Southwell (b. 14 December 1538).
*Henry Southwell (b. 4 September 1543).
*Anne Southwell (b. 18 March 1540).
*Dorothy Southwell (b. 21 September 1542).
Although the birth of Southwell's fourth son, Robert, is not recorded in the Book of Hours, he is mentioned in connection with the manor of Merstham
Merstham is a town in the borough of Reigate and Banstead in Surrey, England. It lies 25 miles south of Charing Cross and 2 miles south of the Greater London border. Part of the North Downs Way runs along the northern boundary of the town. Mers ...
in 1569.'Parishes: Merstham', A History of the County of Surrey: Volume 3 (1911), pp. 213–221
Retrieved 22 May 2013.
Sir Robert Southwell died 26 October 1559, and on 13 November 1561 Margaret married William Plumbe. She died 25 December 1575, and was buried in the Church of St Giles at Wyddial
Wyddial is a village and civil parish in the East Hertfordshire district of Hertfordshire, England. It is located around a mile and a half north-east of Buntingford (OS grid reference ), and lies due north of Greenwich on the Prime Meridian.
...
, Hertfordshire, where she is commemorated by a memorial brass.
Notes
References
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
* Froude, J. A. (1889).
The Reign of Mary Tudor
'. 2008 reprint: Bibliobazaar LLC, .
* Loades, D. M. (1965).
The Two Tudor Conspiracies
'. Cambridge University Press.
*
* Philipott, Thomas (1776).
Villare cantianum: or, Kent surveyed and illustrated
'. Second edition: London.
*
*
* Zell, Michael (2000).
Early modern Kent, 1540–1640
'. Boydell & Brewer. .
External links
*Subarticle in
Will of Sir Robert Southwell of Mereworth, Kent, proved 5 November 1560, PROB 11/43/577, National Archives
Retrieved 22 May 2013
Will of Thomas Southwell of Woodrising, Norfolk, proved 30 June 1568, National Archives
Retrieved 22 May 2013
{{DEFAULTSORT:Southwell, Robert
1500s births
1559 deaths
People from Wymondham
High Sheriffs of Kent
Masters of the Rolls
English MPs 1553 (Mary I)
English MPs 1555
Common Serjeants of London
People from Mereworth
Robert
The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of '' Hruod'' ( non, Hróðr) "fame, glory, honou ...