Sir Robert Poynings (c.1419 – 17 February 1461), was the second son of Robert Poynings, 4th

Baron Poynings The title of Baron Poynings was created twice in the Peerage of England. The first creation was for Sir Michael Poynings, who was summoned to Parliament from 20 November 1348 to 24 February 1368 by writs directed Michaeli de Ponynges, 'whereby ...

(1382–1446). He joined the rebellion of

Jack Cade Jack Cade's Rebellion was a popular revolt in 1450 against the government of England, which took place in the south-east of the country between the months of April and July. It stemmed from local grievances regarding the corruption, maladmini ...

in 1450, and was slain fighting on the

Yorkist The House of York was a cadet branch of the English royal House of Plantagenet. Three of its members became kings of England in the late 15th century. The House of York descended in the male line from Edmund of Langley, 1st Duke of York, t ...

side at the

Second Battle of St Albans The Second Battle of St Albans was fought on 17 February 1461 during the Wars of the Roses in England. It took place at St Albans in Hertfordshire, the first battle having been fought in 1455. The army of the Yorkist faction under the Earl of W ...

in 1461.

Family

Robert Poynings was the second son of Robert Poynings, 4th Baron Poynings (1382 – 2 October 1446), by his first wife Eleanor Grey, the daughter of

Reginald Grey, 3rd Baron Grey de Ruthyn Reynold Grey, 3rd Baron Grey of Ruthyn (c. 1362 – 30 September 1440), a powerful Welsh marcher lord, succeeded to the title on his father's death in July 1388. Lineage Reginald Grey was the eldest son of Reynold Grey, 2nd Baron Grey of Ruth ...

, and Margaret Roos (or Ros). By his father's first marriage, he had an elder brother, Sir Richard Poynings (d. 10 June 1429), slain near Orleans in France, and a younger brother, Edward Poynings (d.1484), Master of Trinity College in Arundel, Sussex, and rector of

North Cray North Cray is a village in south-east London, England, within the London Borough of Bexley. It is south-east of Charing Cross. It lies on the River Cray, east of Sidcup and south of Bexley, and is in the Cray Meadows electoral ward, which als ...

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 ...

. By his father's second marriage to Margaret Squery (d. 3 November 1448), elder daughter of Thomas Squery of

Westerham Westerham is a town and civil parish in the Sevenoaks District of Kent, England. It is located 3.4 miles east of Oxted and 6 miles west of Sevenoaks, adjacent to the Kent border with both Greater London and Surrey. It is recorded as early as t ...

and widow of

William Cromer William Cromer (occasionally also spelt Crowmer) (died 1434) was an English Sheriff and Lord Mayor of London and a Member of Parliament for the city. He was described as the son of John Cromer of Aldenham, Hertfordshire but was probably original ...

(d. January 1434),

Lord Mayor of London The Lord Mayor of London is the mayor of the City of London and the leader of the City of London Corporation. Within the City, the Lord Mayor is accorded precedence over all individuals except the sovereign and retains various traditional powe ...

, Robert Poynings had a half sister, Eleanor Poynings, who married Thomas Palmer.

Career

The 4th Baron had settled the manors of Tirlingham, Newington, Eastwell and Westwood in Kent on his granddaughter, Eleanor Poynings (1428–1484), wife of

Henry Percy, 3rd Earl of Northumberland Henry Percy, 3rd Earl of Northumberland, (25 July 1421 – 29 March 1461) was an English magnate. The Earldom of Northumberland was then one of the greatest landholdings in northern England; Percy also became Lord Poynings on his marr ...

, and daughter of Robert Poynings' elder brother, Sir Richard Poynings, by his second wife, Eleanor Berkeley. Robert Poynings claimed these manors against Eleanor 'as heir by

gavelkind Gavelkind () was a system of land tenure chiefly associated with the Celtic law in Ireland and Wales and with the legal traditions of the English county of Kent. The word may have originated from the Old Irish phrases ''Gabhaltas-cinne'' or ''Gav ...

', claiming as well the manor of Great Perching in Sussex. He also claimed the 4th Baron's moveable goods against William Cromer, son of Margaret Squery by her first husband, Sir William Cromer. In the summer of 1450 Poynings joined the rebel

, and is said to have acted as Cade's 'carver and sword-bearer'. He was imprisoned and outlawed as a result, despite which he was elected a

Member of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members of ...

for Sussex in 1450 and 1451. In 1457 he sued a pardon for his participation in Cade's rebellion. Poynings was slain on 17 February 1461 while fighting on the

side at the

Marriage and issue

In 1458 he married

Elizabeth Paston Elizabeth Paston (1429 – 1 February 1488) was a member of the English gentry who is regularly referred to in the extensive collection of Paston Letters. She was the only daughter of a Norfolk lawyer, William Paston and Agnes Barry. In her late t ...

(1 July 1429 – 1 February 1488), the daughter of

William Paston William Paston may refer to: *William Paston (died 1444) (1378–1444), Justice of the Common Pleas *William Paston, 2nd Earl of Yarmouth (1654–1732), British peer and politician *Sir William Paston, 1st Baronet (1528–1610), English benefactor ...

, by whom he had an only son, Sir Edward Poynings, who married Elizabeth Scott (d. 15 August 1528), daughter of

Sir John Scott John Scott, 1st Earl of Eldon, (4 June 1751 – 13 January 1838) was a British barrister and politician. He served as Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain between 1801 and 1806 and again between 1807 and 1827. Background and education Eldon ...

(d.1485), and who also fathered seven illegitimate children by several mistresses, including

Thomas Poynings, 1st Baron Poynings Thomas Poynings, 1st Baron Poynings (c.1512 – 17 August 1545) was an English soldier and courtier. Family Thomas Poynings was one of seven illegitimate children of Sir Edward Poynings of Westenhanger, Kent. His mother may have been his fat ...

, and Sir Adrian Poynings.Isabel Scott (1459-15 August 1528) A Who’s Who of Tudor Women: Sa-Sn, compiled by Kathy Lynn Emerson to update and correct ''Wives and Daughters: The Women of Sixteenth-Century England'' (1984)
Retrieved 19 September 2013. After Poynings' death his widow married Sir George Browne of

Betchworth Castle Betchworth Castle is a mostly crumbled ruin of a fortified medieval stone house with some tall, two-storey corners strengthened in the 18th century, in the north of the semi-rural parish of Brockham. It is built on a sandstone spur overlooking ...

Surrey Surrey () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South East England, bordering Greater London to the south west. Surrey has a large rural area, and several significant urban areas which form part of the Greater London Built-up Area. ...

, (beheaded on

Tower Hill Tower Hill is the area surrounding the Tower of London in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It is infamous for the public execution of high status prisoners from the late 14th to the mid 18th century. The execution site on the higher grou ...

4 December 1483), by whom she had two sons, Sir Matthew Browne (d. 6 August 1557), who married Frideswide Guildford, daughter of

Richard Guildford Sir Richard Guildford (alias ''Guilford, Guldeford'', etc.), KG (c. 1450 – 1506) was an explorer, naval commander, and English courtier who held important positions at the court of Henry VII, including the office of Master of the Ordnance. L ...

, and George, and a daughter, Mary.

Notes

References

* * * * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Poynings, Robert 1410s births 1461 deaths 16th-century English soldiers Members of Parliament for Sussex