Sir Arthur Pole of Lordington,

Sussex Sussex (), from the Old English (), is a historic county in South East England that was formerly an independent medieval Anglo-Saxon kingdom. It is bounded to the west by Hampshire, north by Surrey, northeast by Kent, south by the English ...

(1531 – between January 1570 and 12 August 1570) was an English conspirator.

Life

He was the eldest son and heir of Sir

Geoffrey Pole Sir Geoffrey Pole of Lordington, Sussex (c. 1501 or 1502 – November 1558) was an English knight who supported the Catholic Church in England and Wales when Henry VIII of England was establishing the alternative Church of England with him ...

and Constance Packenham who had some claim to the English throne as a Plantagenet descendant of

George, Duke of Clarence George Plantagenet, Duke of Clarence (21 October 144918 February 1478), was the 6th son of Richard Plantagenet, 3rd Duke of York, and Cecily Neville, and the brother of English kings Edward IV and Richard III. He played an important role in th ...

. He was raised at Lordington, and Gentian Hervet of Orléans served as his tutor. After the fall of his uncle, Henry Pole, Baron Montagu and his grandmother, Margaret, Countess of Salisbury, Arthur was imprisoned for a time. Upon release (before 1552), he served

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

. The Pole family was in favour during

Mary Mary may refer to: People * Mary (name), a feminine given name (includes a list of people with the name) Religious contexts * New Testament people named Mary, overview article linking to many of those below * Mary, mother of Jesus, also calle ...

's reign, and although Arthur requested to serve at the court of

Elizabeth I Elizabeth I (7 September 153324 March 1603) was Queen of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death in 1603. Elizabeth was the last of the five House of Tudor monarchs and is sometimes referred to as the "Virgin Queen". El ...

, his request was denied in 1561. He was imprisoned that same year for celebrating the mass. In 1562, he was named a potential heir to the throne. Pole attempted to persuade

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

and

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

to back the family's claims. Advised that the Guise faction would not support his claim, Arthur sought the dukedom of Clarence in exchange for his support of

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 Scot ...

claim to the English throne. He was imprisoned with his brothers, Edmund and Geoffrey, 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 separa ...

from October 1562 or 1563 for conspiring to advance his own or

' claims to the throne of England.

Dictionary of National Biography The ''Dictionary of National Biography'' (''DNB'') is a standard work of reference on notable figures from British history, published since 1885. The updated ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' (''ODNB'') was published on 23 September ...

''Arthur Pole'' On 26 February 1563 at the Tower of London, he was found guilty of treason, and imprisoned; he died in 1570.Charles Mosley, editor, Burke's Peerage and Baronetage, 106th edition, 2 volumes (Crans, Switzerland: Burke's Peerage (Genealogical Books) Ltd, 1999), volume 1, p. 16. Arthur was imprisoned in the Beauchamp Tower, where an inscription can be found that reads: ‘Deo Servire / Penitentiam Inire / Fato Obedire / Regnare Est / A Poole / 1564 / IHS’ (‘To be subject to God, to enter upon penance, to be obedient to fate, is to reign, A Poole, 1564, Jesus’).

Marriage

Between 15 September 1562 and 27 January 1563, he married Mary Holland, who died before 16 November 1570, daughter of Sir Richard Holland of Denton,

Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated Lancs) is the name of a historic county, ceremonial county, and non-metropolitan county in North West England. The boundaries of these three areas differ significantly. The non-metropolitan county of Lancashi ...

, and wife Eleanor Harbottle, who was the widow of Sir Thomas Percy (attainted and executed in 1537), son of

Henry Algernon Percy, 5th Earl of Northumberland Henry Algernon Percy, 5th Earl of Northumberland, KG (13 January 1477 – 19 May 1527) was an English nobleman and a member of the courts of both Kings Henry VII and Henry VIII. Origins Percy was son of Henry Percy, 4th Earl of Northumberla ...

and Catherine Spencer. The couple had no children.

References

1531 births 1570 deaths 16th-century English people English knights Prisoners in the Tower of London

Arthur Arthur is a common male given name of Brittonic languages, Brythonic origin. Its popularity derives from it being the name of the legendary hero King Arthur. The etymology is disputed. It may derive from the Celtic ''Artos'' meaning “Bear”. An ...

People from Chichester District {{UK-noble-stub