Early life
He was born in or before 1516, the son and heir of Sir Thomas Fiennes and Jane (d. 1539), daughter of Edward Sutton, 2nd Baron Dudley. When his father died in 1528 he became heir apparent to his Thomas Fiennes, 8th Baron Dacre, grandfather's title and the family seat at Herstmonceux Castle in Sussex, and he succeeded to the title at the age of approximately 19 in 1533.{{sfn, MacMahon, 2004Marriage
In 1536 he married Mary Nevill, Baroness Dacre, Mary, daughter of George Neville, 5th Baron Bergavenny and his third wife, Mary, daughter of Edward Stafford, 3rd Duke of Buckingham, by whom he had three children: *Thomas Fiennes, who died at the age of fifteen in 1553{{sfn, MacMahon, 2004 *Gregory Fiennes, 10th Baron Dacre, who may have been named after Thomas Cromwell's son, Gregory Cromwell, 1st Baron Cromwell, Gregory.{{sfn, MacCulloch, 2018, p=326 *Margaret Fiennes, 11th Baroness DacreCareer
He was a member of the jury at the trial of Anne Boleyn in 1536, and of Thomas Darcy, 1st Baron Darcy de Darcy, Thomas, Lord Darcy, and John Hussey, 1st Baron Hussey of Sleaford, John, Lord Hussey in May 1537 (for their part in the Pilgrimage of Grace), and of Henry Pole, 1st Baron Montagu, Baron Montagu and the Henry Courtenay, 1st Marquess of Exeter, Marquess of Exeter in 1538 for the Exeter Conspiracy.{{sfn, MacMahon, 2004 In October 1537, he attended the baptism of Edward VI, Prince Edward and bore the canopy at Jane Seymour, Queen Jane's funeral the following month. He was also among those lords who greeted Anne of Cleves at Rainham Down on New Year's Eve in 1539.{{sfn, MacMahon, 2004Downfall and death
On 30 April 1541 Dacre led a party of gentlemen including his brother-in-law John Mantell, John Frowds, George Roidon, Thomas Isleie, and two yeomen Richard Middleton and John Goldwell, to poach on the lands of Sir Nicholas Pelham (1517-60), Nicholas Pelham of Laughton, East Sussex, Laughton. During the escapade, they encountered John Busbrig (or Busbridge), James Busbrig, and Richard Summer who were servants of Pelham. The encounter turned into an affray during which John Busbrig was fatally wounded. Dacre and several others were charged with murder and arraigned before the Lord High Steward, Thomas Audley, 1st Baron Audley of Walden, Lord Audley of Walden on 27 June. Dacre originally entered a plea of not guilty but was later persuaded to change it to guilty and throw himself upon the King's mercy in the hope of a reprieve. Unlike many of his contemporaries, he was not executed by beheading but was hanged at Tyburn on 29 June 1541.{{sfn, Barrett-Lennard, 1908, pp=196-206 An account of the execution in Hall's Chronicle says: :''he was led on foot, between the two sheriffs of London, from the Tower through the city to Tyburn, where he was strangled as common murderers are, and his body buried in the church of St Sepulchre-without-Newgate, St. Sepulchre's.'' His only sister Anne's husband, John Mantell, was hanged along with his brother-in-law.{{sfn, MacMahon, 2004 Frowds and Roidon were also executed for the crime.Gallery
In popular culture
Fiennes's case was briefly mentioned in the Showtime (TV network), Showtime historical series ''The Tudors''.Notes
{{ReflistReferences
*{{Cite book, last=Barrett-Lennard , first=Thomas , url=https://archive.org/details/accountoffamilie02barr/page/193/mode/2up?view=2up , title=An Account of the Families of Lennard and Barrett , date=1908 , publisher=Printed by Spottiswoode , location=London , pages=192-206 , oclc=12273431 *{{cite book , last1=Benolte , first1=Thomas , author1-link=Thomas Benolt , last2=Philipot , first2=John , author2-link=John Philipot , last3=Owen , first3=George , author3-link=George Owen (herald) , last4=St George , first4=Richard , author4-link=Richard St George , editor1-last=Bannerman , editor1-first=W. Bruce , title=The visitations of the County of Sussex Made and Taken in the Years 1530, Thomas Benolte, Clarenceux king of arms; and 1633-4 by John Philipot, Somerset Herald, and George Owen, York Herald, for Sir John Burroughs, Garter, and Sir Richard St. George, Clarenceux , date=1905 , publisher=Harleian Society, The Harleian Society , location=London , pagExternal links