John Stafford, 1st Earl of Wiltshire KG, KB (24 November 1427 – 8 May 1473) was an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

nobleman Nobility is a social class found in many societies that have an aristocracy. It is normally ranked immediately below royalty. Nobility has often been an estate of the realm with many exclusive functions and characteristics. The characteris ...

, the youngest son of

Humphrey Stafford, 1st Duke of Buckingham Humphrey Stafford, 1st Duke of Buckingham, 6th Earl of Stafford, 7th Baron Stafford, (December 1402 – 10 July 1460) of Stafford Castle in Staffordshire, was an English nobleman and a military commander in the Hundred Years' War and t ...

. In 1461 he was appointed Knight of the Order of the Bath.

Career

He fought 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

Battle of Hexham The Battle of Hexham, 15 May 1464, marked the end of significant Lancastrian resistance in the north of England during the early part of the reign of Edward IV. The battle was fought near the town of Hexham in Northumberland. John Neville, ...

in 1464. In 1469, he was made Steward of the Duchy of Cornwall for life. He was made

Earl of Wiltshire The title Earl of Wiltshire is one of the oldest in the Peerage of England, going back to the 12th century. It is currently held by the Marquess of Winchester, and is used as a courtesy title for the eldest son of the marquess. The earldom was f ...

on 5 January 1470 by King Edward IV, and was briefly arrested under Warwick's government and prevented from attending the Parliament of November 1470 (he was one of six Yorkist nobles not to receive a summons). In return for his loyalty he was made

Chief Butler of England The Chief Butler of England is an office of Grand Sergeanty associated with the feudal Manor of Kenninghall in Norfolk. The office requires service to be provided to the Monarch at the Coronation, in this case the service of ''Pincera Regis'', or C ...

, and was empowered, with Lord Mountjoy to pardon rebels who surrendered by 7 June that year. He was made a

Knight of the Garter The Most Noble Order of the Garter is an order of chivalry founded by Edward III of England in 1348. It is the most senior order of knighthood in the British honours system, outranked in precedence only by the Victoria Cross and the George ...

in 1472.

Diplomacy

He did act for some time as a diplomat, working with the Earl of Northumberland to deal with ambassadors of

James III of Scotland James III (10 July 1451/May 1452 – 11 June 1488) was King of Scots from 1460 until his death at the Battle of Sauchieburn in 1488. He inherited the throne as a child following the death of his father, King James II, at the siege of Roxburgh ...

about national grievances.

Personal life

He married Constance Green, daughter of Sir Henry Green of

Drayton House Drayton House is a country house south-west of the village of Lowick, Northamptonshire, England. History Aubrey de Vere I participated in the Norman conquest of England and was awarded the manor of Drayton near Northampton. In the early thi ...

Northamptonshire Northamptonshire (; abbreviated Northants.) is a county in the East Midlands of England. In 2015, it had a population of 723,000. The county is administered by two unitary authorities: North Northamptonshire and West Northamptonshire. It is ...

and Margaret de Ros. They only had one child, Edward, who succeeded him as Earl of Wiltshire, although during the latter's minority he was kept as a ward of the King, meaning revenues from his estates were paid to the Crown.Ross, C., ''Edward IV'', Trowbridge 1975, p.380; this 'provided up to £1,400 a year towards the rebuilding of St George's Chapel at Windsor'.

Ancestors

References

1427 births 1473 deaths Knights of the Bath Knights of the Garter Stafford, John Earls of Wiltshire {{England-earl-stub