Sir John Gates KB (1504–1553)Sil p. 69 was an English courtier, soldier and politician, holding influential household positions in 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 ...

and Edward VI. One of the Chief Gentlemen of the Privy Chamber under Edward VI, he became a follower of

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

and was a principal participant in the attempt to establish

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 English throne. For this he was executed for high treason under Mary I.

Serving Henry VIII and Edward VI

Originating from an ancient Essex gentry family going back to King Edward III, John Gates had a thorough training as a lawyer at

Lincoln's Inn The Honourable Society of Lincoln's Inn is one of the four Inns of Court in London to which barristers of England and Wales belong and where they are called to the Bar. (The other three are Middle Temple, Inner Temple and Gray's Inn.) Lincoln ...

. He married Mary Denny, sister of

Sir Anthony Denny Sir Anthony Denny (16 January 1501 – 10 September 1549) was Groom of the Stool to King Henry VIII of England, thus his closest courtier and confidant. He was the most prominent member of the Privy chamber in King Henry's last years, havin ...

, and served

Queen Catherine Parr Catherine Parr (sometimes alternatively spelled Katherine, Katheryn, Kateryn, or Katharine; 1512 – 5 September 1548) was Queen of England and Ireland as the last of the six wives of King Henry VIII from their marriage on 12 July 1543 until ...

from 1543–1545.Hutchinson p. 335 He was a member of

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 disag ...

's Privy Chamber, first as a groom, from 1542. From 1546 he was in charge, with his brother-in-law, of the King's personal finances and his "dry stamp", a substitute, to the King's convenience, for Henry's "sign manual" or personal signature. These positions of trust implied considerable influence. In December 1546, Gates was one of three commissioners (along with Sir Richard Southwell and Wymond Carew) sent to confiscate and inventory the houses of Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey, and Thomas Howard, 3rd Duke of Norfolk, following their arrests on suspicion of challenging the succession of Prince Edward. Gates and Southwell produced detailed inventories of Kenninghall, the duke's mansion,

Castle Rising Castle Rising is a village and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk. The village is situated some north-east of the town of King's Lynn and west of the city of Norwich. The River Babingley skirts the north of the village separating C ...

, and Surrey's house at St. Leonard's, Norwich, while Carew visited and inventoried the house of Elizabeth Holland, the duke's mistress, at Mendham, Suffolk. Under King Edward VI Gates became a Chief Gentleman of the Privy Chamber after the fall of

Protector Somerset Edward Seymour, 1st Duke of Somerset (150022 January 1552) (also 1st Earl of Hertford, 1st Viscount Beauchamp), also known as Edward Semel, was the eldest surviving brother of Queen Jane Seymour (d. 1537), the third wife of King Henry VI ...

in the autumn of 1549. He rose to Vice-Chamberlain of the Royal Household on 8 April 1551; a few days later he was admitted to 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 mon ...

under the leadership of

. In these positions Gates was a significant channel of communications between the Duke and the young King and was granted custody of the King's

signet Signet may refer to: *Signet, Kenya, A subsidiary of the Kenyan Broadcasting Corporation (KBC), specifically set up to broadcast and distribute the DTT signals * Signet ring, a ring with a seal set into it, typically by leaving an impression in sea ...

in December 1551. In July 1552 he was appointed Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster. He was a

justice of the peace A justice of the peace (JP) is a judicial officer of a lower or ''puisne'' court, elected or appointed by means of a commission ( letters patent) to keep the peace. In past centuries the term commissioner of the peace was often used with the sa ...

for Essex from 1532 until his execution and served as High Sheriff of Essex for 1549–50. Gates was also a soldier and as Sheriff went several times into Essex to arrest rioters and carry through the official destruction of "superstitious altars". He was also

Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

of the Gentlemen Pensioners (the royal guard) from April 1551.

Parliamentary career

Gates was elected MP for Wycombe in 1542, for New Shoreham in 1545, for

Southwark Southwark ( ) is a district of Central London situated on the south bank of the River Thames, forming the north-western part of the wider modern London Borough of Southwark. The district, which is the oldest part of South London, developed ...

in 1547 and for Essex in 1547 and 1553.

1553 succession crisis

John Gates was deeply involved in the succession crisis of 1553, and

claimed that he had confessed to have been the first to have induced King Edward to name her his successor. Notwithstanding Gates' commitment to Edward's will, his putative role in its conception has been questioned by Narasingha P. Sil on the grounds that he probably was not as close to the young King as traditionally believed. On 14 July 1553, Gates led the troops of the royal household to

East Anglia East Anglia is an area in the East of England, often defined as including the counties of Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire. The name derives from the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of the East Angles, a people whose name originated in Anglia, in ...

in the campaign against Mary I. He was arrested with Northumberland at Cambridge and tried at Westminster Hall on 19 August 1553. On 22 August 1553, he took the Catholic communion, recanting his Protestant faith in a ceremony at

St Peter ad Vincula Saint Peter ad Vincula (Saint Peter in Chains) alludes to the Bible story of the Liberation of Saint Peter, when the Apostle Peter, imprisoned by King Herod Agrippa, was rescued by an angel. Frequently seen translations are: *English – St Peter i ...

in the Tower precincts. Immediately afterward, he was executed, together with the Duke of Northumberland and Sir Thomas Palmer on Tower Hill. He was buried in St Peter ad Vincula. According to one chronicle the following scene had taken place shortly before at the

Lieutenant of the Tower 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 th ...

's garden gate:

"Sir John," sayeth the duke, "God have mercy upon us, for this day shall end both our lives. And I pray you forgive me whatsoever I have offended; and I forgive you with all my heart, although you and your counsel was a great occasion hereof." "Well, my lord," sayeth Sir John Gates, "I forgive you as I would be forgiven; and yet you and your authority was the only original cause of all together; but the Lord pardon you, and I pray you forgive me." So, either making obeisance to achother, the duke proceeded owards the scaffold

His Essex estates at

Rivenhall St Mary and All Saints' church Rivenhall is a village and civil parish near Witham in the Braintree district in the English county of Essex. It is near the small settlement of Rivenhall End. It has a primary school called Rivenhall Church of ...

and Shalford were confiscated by the Crown.

Notes

References

*Alford, Stephen (2002): ''Kingship and Politics in the Reign of Edward VI'' Cambridge University Press * Hutchinson, Robert (2006): ''The Last Days of Henry VIII: Conspiracy, Treason and Heresy at the Court of the dying Tyrant'' Phoenix *

Ives, Eric Eric William Ives (12 July 1931 – 25 September 2012) was a British historian who was an expert on the Tudor period, and a university administrator. He was Emeritus Professor of English History at the University of Birmingham. Early life ...

(2009): ''Lady Jane Grey: A Tudor Mystery'' Wiley-Blackwell * Loades, David (1996): ''John Dudley, Duke of Northumberland 1504–1553'' Clarendon Press * Nichols, J. G. (ed.) (1850)
''The Chronicle of Queen Jane''
Camden Society *Sil, N.P. (2001): ''Tudor Placemen and Statesmen: Select Case Histories'' Rosemont Publishing {{DEFAULTSORT:Gates, John (courtier) 1504 births 1553 deaths 16th-century English soldiers English MPs 1542–1544 English MPs 1545–1547 English MPs 1547–1552 English MPs 1553 (Edward VI) Knights of the Bath Gentlemen of the Privy Chamber High Sheriffs of Essex High Sheriffs of Hertfordshire People executed under the Tudors for treason against England Executions at the Tower of London Executed people from Essex People executed by Tudor England by decapitation People executed under Mary I of England Burials at the Church of St Peter ad Vincula English courtiers English politicians convicted of crimes Court of Henry VIII Chancellors of the Duchy of Lancaster

Serving Henry VIII and Edward VI

Parliamentary career

1553 succession crisis

See also

Notes

References