Francis Yaxley
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Francis Yaxley (died 1565) was an English politician and conspirator.


Life

Yaxley was the eldest son of Richard Yaxley of Mellis, Suffolk, by his wife Anne, daughter of Roger Austin of Earlsham, Suffolk. The family were settled at
Yaxley Hall Yaxley is a small village just west of Eye in Suffolk, England. The name means 'cuckoo-clearing'. Church of St. Mary Pevsner describes the north porch of the 12th-century church as 'one of the most swagger in Suffolk'. Inside the church are t ...
, near
Eye, Suffolk Eye () is a market town and civil parish in the north of the English county of Suffolk, about south of Diss, Norfolk, Diss, north of Ipswich and south-west of Norwich. The population in the 2011 Census of 2,154 was estimated to be 2,361 in 2 ...
, where the descendants of Richard's uncle, John Yaxley, a
serjeant-at-law A Serjeant-at-Law (SL), commonly known simply as a Serjeant, was a member of an order of barristers at the English and Irish Bar. The position of Serjeant-at-Law (''servientes ad legem''), or Sergeant-Counter, was centuries old; there are wri ...
in the reign of Henry VII, lived until the eighteenth century. Richard Yaxley has been confused by David Elisha Davy with his physician half-brother, Robert Yaxley, M.D. Francis owed his introduction at court to William Cecil; about 1547 he obtained employment by the privy council, possibly in the signet office, and in September 1548 he was engaged in hiring Italian mercenaries for service in England. In 1550 he was sent to Italy to complete his diplomatic education, and was attached to the embassy of
Peter Vannes Peter Vannes (died 1563) was an Italian Catholic churchman who became a royal official in England, and Dean of Salisbury. Life Born at Lucca in northern Italy, he was son of Stephen de Vannes of that city. In one of his letters Erasmus calls him ...
. He returned to England in November 1552, was returned to parliament for
Dunwich Dunwich is a village and civil parish in Suffolk, England. It is in the Suffolk Coast and Heaths AONB around north-east of London, south of Southwold and north of Leiston, on the North Sea coast. In the Anglo-Saxon period, Dunwich was ...
on 22 February 1553, and was admitted a student of
Gray's Inn The Honourable Society of Gray's Inn, commonly known as Gray's Inn, is one of the four Inns of Court (professional associations for barristers and judges) in London. To be called to the bar in order to practise as a barrister in England and W ...
; but in the following April he was sent to join
Nicholas Wotton Nicholas Wotton (c. 1497 – 26 January 1567) was an English diplomat, cleric and courtier. Life He was a son of Sir Robert Wotton of Boughton Malherbe, Kent, and a descendant of Sir Nicholas Wotton, Lord Mayor of London in 1415 and 1430, wh ...
, the English ambassador in France. Yaxley returned to England early in the reign of
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. She ...
. After taking letters to Calais, he sent a letter with news from the court to William Cecil on 12 October 1554. He reported that Mary and
Philip II of France Philip II (21 August 1165 – 14 July 1223), byname Philip Augustus (french: Philippe Auguste), was King of France from 1180 to 1223. His predecessors had been known as kings of the Franks, but from 1190 onward, Philip became the first French m ...
danced at a masque where performers were dressed as mariners. He thought the masque was produced at the suggestion of the Lord Admiral,
William Howard, 1st Baron Howard of Effingham William Howard, 1st Baron Howard of Effingham (c. 151012 January 1573) was an English diplomat and military leader. He served four monarchs, Henry VIII, Edward VI, Mary I and Elizabeth I, in various official capacities, most notably on diplo ...
. A Spanish style equestrian entertainment called a ''Giuco di Canne'' was planned to take place at Smithfield. He explained that Spanish artisans in London had been ordered to close their shops, as they infringed the privileges of English traders.Alexander Samson, ''Mary and Philip'' (Manchester, 2020), p. 107. On 3 October 1555 he was elected member of parliament for Stamford. Before March 1557 he had become
clerk of the signet The Clerks of the Signet were English officials who played an intermediate role in the passage of letters patent through the seals. For most of the history of the position, four clerks were in office simultaneously. Letters patent prepared by the ...
, and in January 1558 he was returned to parliament for
Saltash Saltash (Cornish: Essa) is a town and civil parish in south Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It had a population of 16,184 in 2011 census. Saltash faces the city of Plymouth over the River Tamar and is popularly known as "the Gateway to Corn ...
. He retained his clerkship under
Elizabeth I Elizabeth I (7 September 153324 March 1603) was List of English monarchs, Queen of England and List of Irish monarchs, Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death in 1603. Elizabeth was the last of the five House of Tudor monarchs and is ...
, and letters to him from prominent men ( Sir Thomas Chaloner, Viscount Montague, Sir Thomas Wharton, the
Earl of Huntingdon Earl of Huntingdon is a title which has been created several times in the Peerage of England. The medieval title (1065 creation) was associated with the ruling house of Scotland ( David of Scotland). The seventh and most recent creation dates t ...
), requesting his co-operation in their suits, indicate that he had some influence. He was, however, according to the Spanish ambassador, a good Catholic. The ambassador also stated that in January 1561 he was in prison for talking about Elizabeth's proposed marriage with Lord Robert Dudley. In the same year he was said to be pushing a scheme for the queen's marriage with the king of Sweden. The Countess of Lennox employed him to obtain information from the Spanish ambassador, and to further the project of marriage between the countess's son
Henry Stewart, Lord Darnley Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley (1546 – 10 February 1567), was an English nobleman who was the second husband of Mary, Queen of Scots, and the father of James VI of Scotland and I of England. Through his parents, he had claims to both the Scottis ...
, and
Mary Queen of Scots Mary, Queen of Scots (8 December 1542 – 8 February 1587), also known as Mary Stuart or Mary I of Scotland, was Queen of Scotland from 14 December 1542 until her forced abdication in 1567. The only surviving legitimate child of James V of Sco ...
. On 14 February 1562 Yaxley wrote to Dudley from
Ipswich Ipswich () is a port town and borough in Suffolk, England, of which it is the county town. The town is located in East Anglia about away from the mouth of the River Orwell and the North Sea. Ipswich is both on the Great Eastern Main Line ...
, asking for his assistance: he had been summoned to appear before the council, and before the 22nd he was in the
Tower of London The Tower of London, officially His Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress of the Tower of London, is a historic castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, which is sep ...
. The articles against the Countess of Lennox were partly based on Yaxley's confession. Yaxley himself was examined by the privy council on 14 January 1563. The date of Yaxley's release is uncertain; but in July 1565 the Spanish ambassador reported to
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 ...
that he was going to
Flanders Flanders (, ; Dutch: ''Vlaanderen'' ) is the Flemish-speaking northern portion of Belgium and one of the communities, regions and language areas of Belgium. However, there are several overlapping definitions, including ones related to cultu ...
, and then to
Scotland Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...
. His stay in Flanders was short, and about 20 August he embarked for Scotland. On the way his vessel was chased and fired on by a slower English man-of-war. He landed at Edinburgh on the 25th, and at once became Darnley's confidant and secretary. Mary also told him all her secrets, and selected him to go to Philip II and place her cause at Philip's disposal and under his protection. Yaxley was, however, unable to control his tongue, and within a few days Thomas Randolph was able to describe the objects of his mission to the English government. Yaxley meanwhile sailed from
Dumbarton Dumbarton (; also sco, Dumbairton; ) is a town in West Dunbartonshire, Scotland, on the north bank of the River Clyde where the River Leven flows into the Clyde estuary. In 2006, it had an estimated population of 19,990. Dumbarton was the ca ...
on 16 September, and, travelling through Flanders, reached
Segovia Segovia ( , , ) is a city in the autonomous community of Castile and León, Spain. It is the capital and most populated municipality of the Province of Segovia. Segovia is in the Inner Plateau ('' Meseta central''), near the northern slopes of t ...
on 20 October. He was well received by Philip, and lodged at the house of Gonsalo Perez. Five days later he set out on his return, with Philip's assurances of support and a sum of money. His vessel was wrecked in the
North Sea The North Sea lies between Great Britain, Norway, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium. An epeiric sea, epeiric sea on the European continental shelf, it connects to the Atlantic Ocean through the English Channel in the south and the ...
, and Yaxley's body was washed up on the coast of
Northumberland Northumberland () is a county in Northern England, one of two counties in England which border with Scotland. Notable landmarks in the county include Alnwick Castle, Bamburgh Castle, Hadrian's Wall and Hexham Abbey. It is bordered by land ...
, the money on it being made the subject of a diplomatic dispute between Mary and Elizabeth. The body was removed for burial to Yaxley, to the poor and church of which he left bequests by his will, dated 3 July 1561.


Family

He married Margaret, third daughter of Sir Henry Hastings of Bramston, Leicestershire, but apparently had no issue, and bequeathed his property and interest in Yaxley Hall to his father, who survived him.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Yaxley, Francis Year of birth missing 1565 deaths English spies People from Mid Suffolk District Members of Gray's Inn Prisoners in the Tower of London English MPs 1553 (Edward VI) English MPs 1555 English MPs 1558 Deaths due to shipwreck at sea 16th-century spies