Henry Clifford, 10th Baron Clifford
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{{Infobox noble, name=Henry Clifford, christening_date=, noble family=, house-type=, father=, mother=, birth_name=, birth_date=c. 1454, birth_place=, christening_place=, styles=, death_date=23 April 1523, death_place=, burial_date=, burial_place=, occupation=, memorials=, website=, other_titles=, native_name=, title=10th Baron Clifford, reign-type=, image=Arms of Clifford.svg, caption=Arms of Clifford, ''Chequy or and azure a fess gules'', alt=, CoA=, more=no, succession=, reign=, predecessor=
John Clifford, 9th Baron Clifford John Clifford, 9th Baron Clifford, 9th Lord of Skipton (8 April 1435 – 28 March 1461) was a Lancastrian military leader during the Wars of the Roses in England. The Clifford family was one of the most prominent families among the northern E ...
, full name=, successor=
Henry Clifford, 1st Earl of Cumberland Henry Clifford, 1st Earl of Cumberland (1493 – 22 April 1542) was a member of The Cliffords, the Clifford family which was seated at Skipton Castle, Yorkshire from 1310 to 1676. Origins He was born at Skipton Castle, a son of Henry Clifford ...
, suc-type=, spouse=, spouse-type=, issue-type=, issue=, issue-link=, issue-pipe=, module=Henry Clifford, 10th Baron Clifford {{postnominals, country=GBR, KB ({{circa, 1454{{snd23 April 1523){{sfn, Summerson, 2004a was an English nobleman. His father,
John Clifford, 9th Baron Clifford John Clifford, 9th Baron Clifford, 9th Lord of Skipton (8 April 1435 – 28 March 1461) was a Lancastrian military leader during the Wars of the Roses in England. The Clifford family was one of the most prominent families among the northern E ...
, was killed in the
Wars of the Roses The Wars of the Roses, known at the time and in following centuries as the Civil Wars, were a series of armed confrontations, machinations, battles and campaigns fought over control of the English throne from 1455 to 1487. The conflict was fo ...
fighting for the
House of Lancaster The House of Lancaster was a cadet branch of the royal House of Plantagenet. The first house was created when King Henry III of England created the Earldom of Lancasterfrom which the house was namedfor his second son Edmund Crouchback in 1267 ...
when Henry was around five years old. A local legend later developed that—on account of John Clifford having killed one of the
House of York 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 ...
's royal princes in battle, and the new Yorkist King Edward IV seeking revenge—Henry was spirited away by his mother. As a result, it was said, he grew up ill-educated, living a pastoral life in the care of a shepherd family. Thus, ran the story, Clifford was known as the "shepherd lord". More recently, historians have questioned this narrative, noting that for a supposedly ill-educated man, he was signing
charters A charter is the grant of authority or rights, stating that the granter formally recognizes the prerogative of the recipient to exercise the rights specified. It is implicit that the granter retains superiority (or sovereignty), and that the reci ...
only a few years after his father's death, and that in any case, Clifford was officially
pardon A pardon is a government decision to allow a person to be relieved of some or all of the legal consequences resulting from a criminal conviction. A pardon may be granted before or after conviction for the crime, depending on the laws of the j ...
ed by King Edward in 1472. It may be that he deliberately avoided attracting Yorkist attention in his early years, although probably not to the extent portrayed in the local mythology. The Yorkist regime came to an end in 1485 with the invasion of Henry Tudor, who defeated Edward's brother, Richard III, at the
Battle of Bosworth Field The Battle of Bosworth or Bosworth Field ( ) was the last significant battle of the Wars of the Roses, the civil war between the houses of House of Lancaster, Lancaster and House of York, York that extended across England in the latter half ...
. Henry's victory meant that he needed men to control the
North of England Northern England, or the North of England, refers to the northern part of England and mainly corresponds to the historic counties of Cheshire, Cumberland, Durham, Lancashire, Northumberland, Westmorland and Yorkshire. Officially, it is a gr ...
for him, and Clifford's career as a loyal Tudor servant began. Soon after Bosworth, the King gave him responsibility for crushing the last remnants of rebellion in the north. Clifford was not always successful in this, and his actions were not always popular. On more than one occasion, he found himself at loggerheads with the city of
York York is a cathedral city in North Yorkshire, England, with Roman Britain, Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers River Ouse, Yorkshire, Ouse and River Foss, Foss. It has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a Yor ...
, the civic leadership of which was particularly independently minded. When another Yorkist rebellion broke out in 1487, Clifford suffered an embarrassing military defeat by the rebels outside the city walls. Generally, however, royal service was extremely profitable for him: King Henry needed trustworthy men in the region and was willing to build up their authority in order to protect his own. Although Clifford's later years were devoted to service in the north and fighting the Scots (he took part in the decisive English victory at
Flodden The Battle of Flodden, Flodden Field, or occasionally Branxton or Brainston Moor was fought on 9 September 1513 during the War of the League of Cambrai between the Kingdom of England and the Kingdom of Scotland and resulted in an English victory ...
in 1513) he fell out with the King on numerous occasions. Clifford was not an easy-going personality; his abrasiveness caused trouble with his neighbours, occasionally breaking out in violent feuds. This was not the behaviour the King expected from his lords. Furthermore, Clifford had married a cousin of the King, yet Clifford's infidelity to her was notorious among his contemporaries. This also drew the King's ire, to the extent that the couple's separation was mooted. Clifford's first wife had died by 1511, and Clifford remarried. This was also a tempestuous match, and on one occasion he and his wife ended up in court accusing each other of
adultery Adultery is extramarital sex that is considered objectionable on social, religious, moral, or legal grounds. Although the sexual activities that constitute adultery vary, as well as the social, religious, and legal consequences, the concept ...
. Clifford's relations with his eldest son and heir, the eventual
Henry Clifford, 1st Earl of Cumberland Henry Clifford, 1st Earl of Cumberland (1493 – 22 April 1542) was a member of The Cliffords, the Clifford family which was seated at Skipton Castle, Yorkshire from 1310 to 1676. Origins He was born at Skipton Castle, a son of Henry Clifford ...
, were equally turbulent. Clifford rarely attended the
royal court A royal court, often called simply a court when the royal context is clear, is an extended royal household in a monarchy, including all those who regularly attend on a monarch, or another central figure. Hence, the word ''court'' may also be app ...
himself, but sent his son to be raised with the King's heir, Prince Arthur. Clifford later complained that young Henry not only lived above his station, he consorted with men of bad influence; Clifford also accused his son of regularly beating up his father's servants on his return to Yorkshire. Clifford outlived the King and attended the coronation of Henry{{nbsVIII in 1509. While continuing to serve as the King's man in the north, Clifford carried on his feuds with the local gentry. He also indulged his interests in
astronomy Astronomy is a natural science that studies celestial objects and the phenomena that occur in the cosmos. It uses mathematics, physics, and chemistry in order to explain their origin and their overall evolution. Objects of interest includ ...
, for which he built a small castle for observation purposes. Clifford grew ill in 1522 and died in April of the following year; his widow later remarried. Young Henry inherited the title as 11th Baron Clifford as well as a large fortune and estate, the result of his father's policy of frugality and avoiding the royal court for most of his life.


Background

The Clifford family, originally from
Normandy Normandy (; or ) is a geographical and cultural region in northwestern Europe, roughly coextensive with the historical Duchy of Normandy. Normandy comprises Normandy (administrative region), mainland Normandy (a part of France) and insular N ...
, settled in England after the conquest of 1066. The family was elevated to the
peerage A peerage is a legal system historically comprising various hereditary titles (and sometimes Life peer, non-hereditary titles) in a number of countries, and composed of assorted Imperial, royal and noble ranks, noble ranks. Peerages include: A ...
in 1299 as
Barons Clifford Barons may refer to: *Baron (plural), a rank of nobility *Barons (surname), a Latvian surname *Barons, Alberta, Canada * ''Barons'' (TV series), a 2022 Australian drama series * ''The Barons'', a 2009 Belgian film Sports * Birmingham Barons, a Min ...
, and also held the minor baronies of
Skipton Skipton (also known as Skipton-in-Craven) is a market town and civil parish in North Yorkshire, England. Historically in the East Division of Staincliffe Wapentake in the West Riding of Yorkshire, it is on the River Aire and the Leeds ...
in North Yorkshire{{sfn, Sanders, 1960, p=143 and of Appleby in Westmoreland.{{sfn, Sanders, 1960, p=140 The historian
Chris Given-Wilson Chris Given-Wilson (born 1949) is a British historian and academic, specialising in medieval history. He was Professor of History of the University of St Andrews, where he is now professor emeritus. He is the author of a number of books. Car ...
has described the Clifford family as one of the greatest 15th-century families never to receive an earldom.{{sfn, Given-Wilson, 1996, p=64 By the time of Clifford's birth, the King, Henry{{nbsVI, was politically weak and occasionally incapacitated, which prevented him from ruling effectively. His failure to control his nobility, combined with the loss of England's French territories during the latter years of the
Hundred Years' War The Hundred Years' War (; 1337–1453) was a conflict between the kingdoms of Kingdom of England, England and Kingdom of France, France and a civil war in France during the Late Middle Ages. It emerged from feudal disputes over the Duchy ...
had seen the political situation in England deteriorate into what the scholar
David Loades David Michael Loades (19 January 1934 – 21 April 2016)Debretts.com
has called a "chaos of factional quarrels".{{sfn, Loades, 1988, p=11 Civil war (known to historians as the
Wars of the Roses The Wars of the Roses, known at the time and in following centuries as the Civil Wars, were a series of armed confrontations, machinations, battles and campaigns fought over control of the English throne from 1455 to 1487. The conflict was fo ...
) broke out in 1455. By 1461 a number of battles had been fought between nobles loyal to the Lancastrian King and those of 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, th ...
s, led by
Richard, Duke of York Richard of York, 3rd Duke of York (21 September 1411 – 30 December 1460), also named Richard Plantagenet, was a leading English magnate and claimant to the throne during the Wars of the Roses. He was a member of the ruling House of Plantag ...
, who had claimed the throne in 1460.{{sfn, Carpenter, 1997, pp=253–254 These engagements became increasingly bloody, comments the author
Robin Neillands Robin Hunter Neillands (3 December 1935 – 30 January 2006) was a British writer, born in Glasgow, who specialized in travel and military history. He also wrote under several pen names: Robin Hunter, Rob Hunter, Neil Lands and Debbie Hunter. Bi ...
, "either in the actual battle or the subsequent rout".{{sfn, Neillands, 1992, p=93 At the
Battle of Wakefield The Battle of Wakefield took place in Sandal Magna near Wakefield in northern England, on 30 December 1460. It was a major battle of the Wars of the Roses. The opposing forces were an army led by nobles loyal to the captive King Henry VI o ...
in December 1460 Clifford's father supposedly encountered York's second son
Edmund, Earl of Rutland Edmund, Earl of Rutland (17 May 1443 – 30 December 1460) was the fourth child and second surviving son of Richard Plantagenet, 3rd Duke of York, and Cecily Neville. He was a younger brother of Edward IV, Edward, Earl of March, the future King ...
, on Wakefield Bridge, as the latter was attempting to flee the destruction of his father's army. John, Lord Clifford, crying "by God's blood, thy father slew mine and so shall I slay thee", stabbed Rutland to death.{{sfn, Neillands, 1992, p=98{{refn, Shakespeare immortalised the scene in his '' Henry VI, Part 3'', with some adjustments for dramatic effect. Comments the
Shakespearean William Shakespeare ( 23 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...
scholar, Peter Saccio, "following the Tudor historians, Shakespeare made Rutland a child at the time of his death. The cruelty of Rutland's slaughter, compounded when Margaret flourished in York's face a handkerchief dipped in Rutland's blood, is an outrage many times recalled by the Yorkist characters in '' Richard{{nbsIII".{{sfn, Saccio, 1977, p=160, group=note Lord Clifford himself died on 28 March the following year during another clash at Ferrybridge, North Yorkshire. Tradition states that he was killed by a headless arrow to the throat and buried, along with those who died with him, in a common burial pit.{{sfn, Summerson, 2004b{{sfn, Cokayne, 1913, pp=293–294 The next day, the bulk of the Yorkist and Lancastrian armies faced each other at the
Battle of Towton The Battle of Towton took place on 29 March 1461 during the Wars of the Roses, near Towton in North Yorkshire, and "has the dubious distinction of being probably the largest and bloodiest battle on English soil". Fought for ten hours between a ...
. After what is believed to be the biggest and possibly bloodiest battle ever to take place on English soil,{{Sfn, Boardman, 1996, p=ix{{Sfn, Breverton, 2014, p=131 the Lancastrians were
rout A rout is a Panic, panicked, disorderly and Military discipline, undisciplined withdrawal (military), retreat of troops from a battlefield, following a collapse in a given unit's discipline, command authority, unit cohesion and combat morale ...
ed, and the son of the Duke of York was crowned King Edward{{nbsIV.{{sfn, Penn, 2013, p=2 On 4{{nbsNovember 1461, at Edward's first parliament, the dead Lord Clifford was
attainted In English criminal law, attainder was the metaphorical "stain" or "corruption of blood" which arose from being condemned for a serious capital crime (felony or treason). It entailed losing not only one's life, property and hereditary titles, but ...
and his estates and barony forfeited to the Crown.{{sfn, Cokayne, 1913, pp=293–294{{sfn, Jacob, 1993, p=539{{refn, Post-1461, the Cliffords were one of only seven noble families to remain loyal to the old regime, the others being
Exeter Exeter ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and the county town of Devon in South West England. It is situated on the River Exe, approximately northeast of Plymouth and southwest of Bristol. In Roman Britain, Exeter w ...
, de Vere, Beaumont,
Hungerford Hungerford is a historic market town and civil parish in Berkshire, England, west of Newbury, east of Marlborough, and 60 miles (97 km) west of London. The population of the parish at the 2021 census was 5,869. The Kennet and Avon Can ...
,
Ros Ros or ROS or RoS may refer to: Organizations * Raggruppamento Operativo Speciale, the Anti-organized Crime Branch of the Italian Carabinieri * Registers of Scotland, a Scottish authority responsible for compiling and maintaining records * Repart ...
and Tudor.{{sfn, Lander, 1976, p=24 +n.128, group=note The bulk of the Clifford lands were granted to Richard, Earl of Warwick,{{sfn, Summerson, 2004a while Richard, Duke of Gloucester, and Sir William Stanley received the Lordship of Westmorland and the Barony of Skipton respectively.{{sfn, Cokayne, 1913, p=294 n.a The latter included the Clifford ''
caput baroniae In the customs of the kingdom of England, the ''caput baroniae'' (Latin, 'head of the barony') was the ancient, or chief seat or castle of a nobleman, which was not to be divided among the daughters upon his death, in case there be no son to inh ...
'',
Skipton Castle Skipton Castle is a Grade I Listed medieval castle in Skipton, North Yorkshire, England. It was built in 1090 by Robert de Romille, a Norman baron, and has been preserved for over 931 years. History Skipton Castle was originally a motte a ...
.{{sfn, Ross, 2015, p=137


Family and early life

Henry Clifford was born around 1454,{{sfn, Cokayne, 1913, p=294 the eldest son and heir of John Clifford and Margaret Bromflete.{{sfn, Malay, 2018, p=410 In the view of the
medievalist The asterisk ( ), from Late Latin , from Ancient Greek , , "little star", is a Typography, typographical symbol. It is so called because it resembles a conventional image of a star (heraldry), heraldic star. Computer scientists and Mathematici ...
A. G. Dickens, Margaret, as sole heiress to her father Henry, brought Clifford's father a "questionable claim" to the title Lord Vescy. She also brought Clifford extensive lands in the East Riding.{{sfn, Dickens, 1962, p=18


"Shepherd Lord"

Popular belief later held that as a boy of seven, Clifford was spirited away from his home in
Skipton Castle Skipton Castle is a Grade I Listed medieval castle in Skipton, North Yorkshire, England. It was built in 1090 by Robert de Romille, a Norman baron, and has been preserved for over 931 years. History Skipton Castle was originally a motte a ...
following his father's death. For his own protection, so it went, his mother sent him to live in
Londesborough Londesborough is a village and civil parish in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It is situated approximately north of the market town of Market Weighton. The civil parish is formed by the village of Londesborough and the hamlet of Midd ...
on the property of a trusted family nurse where he employed himself tending the family's sheep. Whenever his mother believed him likely to be discovered he would be moved. Precisely where to is unknown, but both Yorkshire and Cumberland are possible; in the latter case, for example, Clifford's father-in-law held estates in
Threlkeld Threlkeld is a village and civil parish in the north of the Lake District in Cumbria, England, to the east of Keswick. It lies at the southern foot of Blencathra, one of the more prominent fells in the northern Lake District, and to the nort ...
.{{sfn, Bradford, 1938, p=60 This supposedly gave Clifford the soubriquet "shepherd lord".{{sfn, Hall, 1965, p=255{{sfn, Coleridge, 1836, p=249 The story seems to have originated with the 16th-century
antiquarian An antiquarian or antiquary () is an aficionado or student of antiquities or things of the past. More specifically, the term is used for those who study history with particular attention to ancient artefacts, archaeological and historic si ...
Edward Hall Edward Hall ( – ) was an English lawyer and historian, best known for his #Chronicle, ''The Union of the Two Noble and Illustre Families of Lancastre and Yorke''—commonly known as ''Hall's Chronicle''—first published in 1548. He was ...
and been reiterated by
Lady Anne Clifford Lady Anne Clifford, Countess of Dorset, Pembroke and Montgomery, ''suo jure'' 14th Baroness de Clifford (30 January 1590 – 22 March 1676) was an English peeress. In 1605 she inherited her father's ancient barony by writ and became ''suo jure'' ...
, in her 17th-century family history. The early modern historian Jessica Malay, argues that "with Edward{{nbsIV on the throne (elder brother of the Earl of Rutland) and the Clifford hereditary lands forfeit, the Clifford dynasty was threatened with extinction".{{sfn, Malay, 2018, p=410 Lady Anne was, she says, "keen to emphasise the role of women in the survival of the Clifford dynasty", and as such created a "dramatic narrative" in which Margaret deliberately defies the crown for the sake of her dead husband's heir. Anne clearly believed that King Edward sought revenge for the murder of his younger brother, which put young Clifford's life in danger.{{sfn, Malay, 2018, p=410{{refn, While John Clifford undoubtedly was responsible for Rutland's death, it was not for many years that it brought Clifford much more than what the
medievalist The asterisk ( ), from Late Latin , from Ancient Greek , , "little star", is a Typography, typographical symbol. It is so called because it resembles a conventional image of a star (heraldry), heraldic star. Computer scientists and Mathematici ...
Henry Summerson has called "considerable notoriety". Further expansive lurid details, he says, were "first reported only several decades after the event".{{sfn, Summerson, 2004b He dates the first published description of "Butcher Clifford" as being not until the 1540s, when John Leland published his ''Itinerary''. Leland wrote that "for killing of men at this bataill
lifford Lifford (, historically anglicised as ''Liffer'') is the county town of County Donegal, Ireland, the administrative centre of the county and the seat of Donegal County Council, although the town of Letterkenny is often mistaken as holding this ...
was caullid the boucher".{{sfn, Leland, 1907, p=40 The
annalist Annalists (from Latin ''annus'', year; hence ''annales'', sc. ''libri'', annual records), were a class of writers on Roman history, the period of whose literary activity lasted from the time of the Second Punic War to that of Sulla. They wrote t ...
William Worcester William Worcester (c. 1415 – c. 1482) was an English antiquary, author, and historian known for his detailed writings on medieval England. He served as the secretary to Sir John Fastolf, a prominent military commander during the Hundred Year ...
, writing contemporaneously says that Clifford killed Rutland on Wakefield Bridge as the earl attempted to flee the battle. In the sixteenth century, Worcester's report was expanded by Hall, and this became the source for Shakespeare's account. Various historical inaccuracies were introduced, says Summerson. These included Rutland being aged twelve at the time of his death rather than, as he actually was, seventeen,{{sfn, Summerson, 2004b and also that Clifford
behead Decapitation is the total separation of the head from the body. Such an injury is invariably fatal to humans and all vertebrate animals, since it deprives the brain of oxygenated blood by way of severing through the jugular vein and common c ...
ed York after the battle, whereas the duke almost certainly fell in the fighting.{{sfn, Cokayne, 1913, p=293 Lander suggests that most of the later descriptions of Clifford at Wakefield "appear too late to be worthy of much credence".{{sfn, Lander, 1961, p=134 n.55, group=note Malay suggests that, while Anne Clifford believed the story of the shepherd's family taking her ancestor in, modern historians generally discount it as folklore, to greater or lesser degrees.{{sfn, Malay, 2018, p=410 It has received some traction; the 19th-century
genealogist Genealogy () is the study of families, family history, and the tracing of their Lineage (anthropology), lineages. Genealogists use oral interviews, historical records, genetic analysis, and other records to obtain information about a family ...
George Edward Cokayne George Edward Cokayne (29 April 1825 – 6 August 1911) was an English genealogist and long-serving herald at the College of Arms in London, who eventually rose to the rank of Clarenceux King of Arms. He wrote such authoritative and standard ...
accepted the story of Clifford's being "(for security against the disfavour with which his family was viewed by the reigning house) concealed by his mother" and raised as a shepherd,{{sfn, Cokayne, 1913, p=294 as did the antiquarian J. W. Clay in a 1905 article for the '' Yorkshire Archaeological Journal''.{{sfn, Clay, 1905, p=372 The scholar R. T. Spence also repeated the story in his 1959
University of London The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals) is a collegiate university, federal Public university, public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The ...
PhD thesis on the later Cliffords (writing that Clifford was "brought up as a Shepherd boy to escape the fate of his father's victim").{{sfn, Spence, 1959, p=8 Three years later Dickens (in his edition of the ''Clifford Papers'') described how Clifford "aged about seven, lay in real danger and was brought up first as a shepherd".{{sfn, Dickens, 1962, p=18{{refn, Lander notes that this fear of Edward{{nbsIV's vengeance was not the only example of an exaggerated claim of Yorkist ferocity. Rumours such as these generally originated in the French visitor and writer
Philippe de Commines Philippe de Commines (or de Commynes or "Philippe de Comines"; Latin: ''Philippus Cominaeus''; 1447 – 18 October 1511) was a writer and diplomat in the courts of Burgundy and France. He has been called "the first truly modern writer" (Charles ...
's late 15th-century ''Mémoires''. Other examples from there are the tales of the Duke of Exeter, "barefoot and ragged in the Low Countries begging his bread door to door", and Margaret, Countess of Oxford forced to live on charity and "what she myght get with her nedyll or other such conyng as she excercysed".{{sfn, Lander, 1976, p=141, group=note The
topographer Topography is the study of the forms and features of land surfaces. The topography of an area may refer to the landforms and features themselves, or a description or depiction in maps. Topography is a field of geoscience and planetary scienc ...
Thomas Dunham Whitaker Thomas Dunham Whitaker (8 June 1759 – 18 December 1821) was an English clergyman and topographer who was Vicar of Whalley, Lancashire, Whalley, from 1809 and Blackburn (ancient parish), Blackburn, from 1818. He undertook landscape improvements ...
expressed doubt as to the 'shepherd lord' story's veracity in 1821.{{Sfn, Spence, 1994, p=1 More recently, the historian K. B. McFarlane has gone further, arguing that it was probably "apocryphal",{{sfn, McFarlane, 1981, p=243 and
J. R. Lander J, or j, is the tenth letter of the English alphabet. J may also refer to: * Palatal approximant in the International Phonetic Alphabet * J, Cyrillic letter Je Astronomy * J, a provisional designation prefix for some objects discovered bet ...
calls it "very dubious indeed".{{sfn, Lander, 1976, p=140 James Ross has pointed out that Clifford was pardoned by Edward{{nbsIV in 1472 and could hardly have been in danger from the King thereafter. Further, he notes, as early as 1466{{sfn, Ross, 2015, pp=138, 139 Clifford was named publicly as receiving a
bequest A devise is the act of giving real property by will, traditionally referring to real property. A bequest is the act of giving property by will, usually referring to personal property. Today, the two words are often used interchangeably due to thei ...
of a sword and a silver bowl by Henry Harlington of Craven.{{sfn, Summerson, 2004a This argues that the young lord could not have been difficult to find, comments Ross. He also, though, suggests that Clifford may well have kept a low profile after Towton, if only temporarily: "it may not have been with a shepherd, but surely Clifford was in hiding in secret somewhere".{{sfn, Ross, 2015, pp=138, 139 Malay also suggests that "in all likelihood, he spent only a few years in rural retreat" in
Cumberland Cumberland ( ) is an area of North West England which was historically a county. The county was bordered by Northumberland to the north-east, County Durham to the east, Westmorland to the south-east, Lancashire to the south, and the Scottish ...
.{{sfn, Malay, 2018, p=410 Clifford's biographer Henry Summerson, writing in the ''
Oxford Dictionary of National Biography The ''Dictionary of National Biography'' (''DNB'') is a standard work of reference on notable figures from History of the British Isles, British history, published since 1885. The updated ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' (''ODNB'') ...
'', also refutes the theory, "later stories to the contrary notwithstanding, that the seven-year-old Henry Clifford was ever pursued by vengeful Yorkists". Summerson notes, for example, that Hall wrote that Clifford—due to his upbringing by remote shepherds—was
illiterate Literacy is the ability to read and write, while illiteracy refers to an inability to read and write. Some researchers suggest that the study of "literacy" as a concept can be divided into two periods: the period before 1950, when literacy was ...
. In reality, says Summerson, Clifford "was later to be not just literate but even bookish, owning volumes on law and medicine". Summerson agrees that "it may be that the Clifford heir thought it prudent to keep a low profile" in the early years of the new regime.{{sfn, Summerson, 2004a While the medievalist Vivienne Rock subscribes to the theory that Clifford grew up ill-educated, she agrees that in later life "he did become an able administrator for his substantial estates".{{sfn, Rock, 2003, p=199 n.20{{refn, Ross argues that, notwithstanding Summerson's hypothesis, "it would seem strange that, if Clifford's whereabouts were known, he was not taken into custody. He was a potential focus for Lancastrian resistance, his lands were valuable, and securing his person would give those in possession arwick and Gloucesterrather greater security of title".{{sfn, Ross, 2015, p=138, group=note


Inheritance and estates

Ross described the Clifford estates—centred on Cumberland, Westmorland, Durham and Yorkshire—as "valuable and strategically important in the troubled north".{{sfn, Ross, 2015, p=137 The 9th Baron had never, though, been as wealthy as some of the neighbouring families, such as the Darcys.{{sfn, Hoyle, 1986, p=64 His 1461 attainder prevented his son from inheriting, but in 1470 King Edward was forced from the throne and into exile, and Henry{{nbsVI was returned to the throne.{{Sfn, Ross, 1975, pp=152–153 The Earl of Warwick—now aligned with the House of Lancaster against Edward—was in charge of the government,{{sfn, Summerson, 2004a and his brother, John, Marquess Montagu, was granted the Henry Clifford's
wardship In law, a ward is a minor or incapacitated adult placed under the protection of a legal guardian or government entity, such as a court. Such a person may be referenced as a "ward of the court". Overview The wardship jurisdiction is an ancient ju ...
during his
minority Minority may refer to: Politics * Minority government, formed when a political party does not have a majority of overall seats in parliament * Minority leader, in American politics, the floor leader of the second largest caucus in a legislative b ...
.{{sfn, Arnold, 1984, p=136 n.55 Summerson posits that this was a chance for Clifford to regain his inheritance.{{Sfn, Summerson, 2004a There was probably insufficient time to press his claim, however, as both Nevilles were killed at the
Battle of Barnet The Battle of Barnet was a decisive engagement in the Wars of the Roses, a War of succession, dynastic conflict of England in the Middle Ages, 15th-century England. The military action, along with the subsequent Battle of Tewkesbury, secured t ...
on 14 April the following year.{{sfn, Summerson, 2004a Edward{{nbsIV's victory at Barnet, and at the
Battle of Tewkesbury The Battle of Tewkesbury, which took place on Saturday 4 May 1471, was one of the most decisive battles of the Wars of the Roses in England. King Edward IV and his forces loyal to the House of York completely defeated those of the rival Hou ...
a few weeks later, destroyed the remnants of Lancastrian resistance and returned Edward to the throne. Despite Clifford's Lancastrian connections, he seems never to have been in any danger at this time, as on 16 March 1472 Edward granted him a
royal pardon In the English and British tradition, the royal prerogative of mercy is one of the historic royal prerogatives of the British monarch, by which they can grant pardons (informally known as a royal pardon) to convicted persons. The royal prerog ...
.{{sfn, Summerson, 2004a This was despite an attempt by Clifford's brother Thomas to raise an—albeit unsuccessful—pro-Lancastrian rebellion in
Hartlepool Hartlepool ( ) is a seaside resort, seaside and port town in County Durham, England. It is governed by a unitary authority borough Borough of Hartlepool, named after the town. The borough is part of the devolved Tees Valley area with an estimat ...
.{{sfn, Pollard, 2000, p=301 Henry Clifford was duly allowed to inherit the estates of his maternal grandfather,
Henry Bromflete, Lord Vescy Henry may refer to: People and fictional characters * Henry (given name), including lists of people and fictional characters * Henry (surname) * Henry, a stage name of François-Louis Henry (1786–1855), French baritone Arts and entertainment ...
—who had died in 1469—but not yet his Clifford
patrimony Patrimony may refer to: Law * Patrimony, or property, the total of all personal and real entitlements, including movable and immovable property, belonging to a real person or a juristic person * Patrimony, or inheritance, a right or estate inher ...
.{{sfn, Dickens, 1962, p=19 Further, as his mother was still alive, a third of his inheritance—her
dower Dower is a provision accorded traditionally by a husband or his family, to a wife for her support should she become widowed. It was settlement (law), settled on the bride (being given into trust instrument, trust) by agreement at the time of t ...
{{Refn, The legal concept of dower had existed since the late twelfth century as a means of protecting a woman from being left landless if her husband died first. He would, when they married, assign certain estates to her—a ''dos nominata'', or dower—usually a third of everything he was seised of. By the fifteenth century, the widow was deemed entitled to her dower.{{sfn, Kenny, 2003, pp=59–60, group=note—remained out of his control until her death in 1493.{{sfn, Summerson, 2004a


Accession of Henry VII

{{infobox , image={{switcher , , Tudor England: red, major towns and cities; green, other significant locations. , , The North of England in Clifford's time: blue, Clifford's major castles; red, major towns and cities; green, other significant locations. Edward IV died in April 1483 and his son Edward{{nbsV was intended to succeed to the throne. However, he and his brother were declared illegitimate by their uncle, Richard of Gloucester, who took the throne himself as Richard{{nbsIII. Richard's reign was brief; in 1485 the heir of Lancaster, Henry Tudor, Earl of Richmond invaded England and defeated Richard at the
Battle of Bosworth Field The Battle of Bosworth or Bosworth Field ( ) was the last significant battle of the Wars of the Roses, the civil war between the houses of House of Lancaster, Lancaster and House of York, York that extended across England in the latter half ...
on 22 August 1485.{{Sfn, Ross, 1981, loc=chapters IV and XI Nothing is known of Clifford's career between his pardon in 1472 and the end of the Yorkist regime,{{sfn, Summerson, 2004a except that he had remained in the country.{{sfn, Hicks, 1984, p=29 n.19 Michael Hicks has suggested that his presence in the north, even though still attainted, made Gloucester's hold on the Clifford lands more fragile than was comfortable for the Duke: "no doubt Gloucester himself could keep what he had, but could his heirs?"{{sfn, Hicks, 1986a, p=29 Clifford had been one of a number of stalwart{{sfn, Carpenter, 1997, p=224 Lancastrian lords excluded from local power in the region during Gloucester's hegemony, first as Duke and then King.{{sfn, Pollard, 1990, p=2337 Henry Tudor took the throne as Henry{{nbsVII and from that point Clifford's position swiftly, and radically, improved.{{sfn, Summerson, 2004a He received a number of local offices and sat on commissions in
Westmorland Westmorland (, formerly also spelt ''Westmoreland''R. Wilkinson The British Isles, Sheet The British IslesVision of Britain/ref>) is an area of North West England which was Historic counties of England, historically a county. People of the area ...
and Yorkshire,{{sfn, Lander, 1989, p=28 although he was not to be appointed justice of the peace in the
West Riding The West Riding of Yorkshire was one of three historic subdivisions of Yorkshire, England. From 1889 to 1974 the riding was an administrative county named County of York, West Riding. The lieutenancy at that time included the city of York a ...
, until 1497.{{sfn, Arnold, 1984, p=129 Following Bosworth, the new King's biggest priority was securing the north, where it was suspected that the Earls of Northumberland and of Westmorland were planning an insurrection. On 18 August{{sfn, Cunningham, 1996, p=58 Clifford was commissioned to raise a force to crush dissent in the region. He sent the earls to London under arrest and received into the King's grace those who wished to make peace with the new regime ("for all", notes
A. J. Pollard Anthony James Pollard (born 1941) is a British medieval historian, specialising in north-eastern England during the Wars of the Roses. He is considered a leading authority on the field. He is emeritus professor of Teesside University, having joi ...
, "but a number of named men").{{sfn, Pollard, 2000, p=352{{sfn, Pollard, 1990, p=370 On 24 October 1486, Clifford wrote to the city of York (at the time, the capital of the north) warning them not to sell arms or armour to non-residents.{{sfn, Pollard, 1990, p=370 Clifford was present at King Henry's first parliament on 15 September 1485,{{sfn, Cokayne, 1913, p=294 at which time he was legally still attainted.{{sfn, Powell, Wallis, 1968, p=530 He attended every parliament until 23 November 1514, being summoned as ''Henrico Clifford de Clifford ch'r''.{{sfn, Cokayne, 1913, p=294 During his first parliament Clifford successfully petitioned for the overturning of his father's attainder, which restored Clifford's patrimony to him.{{sfn, Summerson, 2004a He was
knight A knight is a person granted an honorary title of a knighthood by a head of state (including the pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church, or the country, especially in a military capacity. The concept of a knighthood ...
ed on 9{{nbsNovember 1485.{{sfn, Cokayne, 1913, p=294


Career in the north

Clifford made a natural ally for King Henry, and soon became one of his most trusted men in the north.{{sfn, Cunningham, 1996, p=58 Summerson suggests that Henry had little choice in restoring Clifford to his traditional regional position, as
Northern England Northern England, or the North of England, refers to the northern part of England and mainly corresponds to the Historic counties of England, historic counties of Cheshire, Cumberland, County Durham, Durham, Lancashire, Northumberland, Westmo ...
had been firmly Yorkist for over 20 years, first under the Nevilles and then under Gloucester. The latter had made Yorkshire his power base.{{sfn, Summerson, 2004a Clifford, already loyal to Lancaster and then Tudor, was an obvious choice to act as the King's man, and Henry gradually increased Clifford's power. On 2{{nbsMay 1486{{sfn, Cunningham, 1996, p=55 Clifford received the stewardship of the Lordship of Middleham and bailiwick of the
Honour Honour (Commonwealth English) or honor (American English; American and British English spelling differences#-our, -or, see spelling differences) is a quality of a person that is of both social teaching and personal ethos, that manifests itself ...
of
Richmond Richmond most often refers to: * Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada * Richmond, California, a city in the United States * Richmond, London, a town in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, England * Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town ...
.{{sfn, Summerson, 2004a The former had been one of Richard of Gloucester's most important headquarters.{{sfn, Ross, 1981, p=53 After Richard took the throne, he granted it to
Sir John Conyers Sir John Conyers (died 1490), one of twenty-five children of Christopher Conyers (bailiff of Richmond), Christopher Conyers (died 1460),Ross, C.D., ''Richard III'', London 1981, p.50 was a pre-eminent member of the gentry of Yorkshire, northern ...
,{{sfn, Cunningham, 1996, p=55 one of Gloucester's closest advisers;{{sfn, Ross, 1981, p=50 both Middleham and Richmond had been Neville strongholds before that.{{sfn, Ward, 2016, p=15 Conyers seems to have been placed in Clifford's custody around this time, although relations between the two men seem to have improved: Clifford later jointly shared in a £1,000 bond to the King for Conyers's good behaviour.{{sfn, Cunningham, 1996, p=57 In October 1486 Clifford sat on a commission to "levy for the King, all profits arising from the King's manors and lands in the counties of Westmorland and Cumberland, the lordship of Penrith and the forest of Inglewood" in expectation of an invasion by Scotland.{{sfn, Yorath, 2016, p=183 The city of
York York is a cathedral city in North Yorkshire, England, with Roman Britain, Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers River Ouse, Yorkshire, Ouse and River Foss, Foss. It has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a Yor ...
jealously guarded its
liberties Liberty is the state of being free within society from oppressive restrictions imposed by authority on one's way of life, behavior, or political views. The concept of liberty can vary depending on perspective and context. In the Constitutional ...
, and traditionally rejected all interference from the outside unless it was perceived as absolutely warranted.{{sfn, Murphy, 2006, p=245 This resistance troubled Clifford throughout his career. During the Yorkist rebellion of 1487, which attempted to place
Lambert Simnel Lambert Simnel (c. 1477 – after 1534) was a pretender to the throne of England. In 1487, his claim to be Edward Plantagenet, 17th Earl of Warwick, threatened the newly established reign of Henry VII (1485–1509). Simnel became the ...
on the throne (as a
pretender A pretender is someone who claims to be the rightful ruler of a country although not recognized as such by the current government. The term may often be used to either refer to a descendant of a deposed monarchy or a claim that is not legitimat ...
for Edward{{nbsIV's second son,
Richard of Shrewsbury Richard of Shrewsbury, Duke of York (17 August 1473) was the second son of King Edward IV of England and Elizabeth Woodville. Richard and his older brother, who briefly reigned as King Edward V of England, mysteriously disappeared shortly ...
) Clifford was responsible for guarding the city. He reinforced the garrison with 200 of his
men at arms ''Men at Arms'' is a fantasy novel by British writer Terry Pratchett, the 15th book in the ''Discworld'' series, first published in 1993. It is the second novel about the Ankh-Morpork City Watch on the Discworld. Lance-constable Angua von Über ...
;{{sfn, Haigh, 1997, p=173 when the rebel army passed close by, Clifford followed it to
Braham Braham may refer to: * Braham (surname) * Braham, Minnesota, a city in the United States * Braham Murray (1943–2018), English theatre director * Braham (''One Piece''), a minor character in the Japanese anime ''One Piece'' See also * * Bahram ...
.{{refn, While Clifford was tailing the rebels, the Earl of Northumberland brought his own "great host" to the city.{{sfn, Haigh, 1997, p=173, group=note He attempted to engage it on 10 June, but was beaten off.{{sfn, Pollard, 1990, p=377 He camped in
Tadcaster Tadcaster is a market town and civil parishes in England, civil parish in North Yorkshire, England, north-east of Leeds and south-west of York. Its historical importance from Roman times onward was largely as the lowest road crossing-point o ...
overnight,{{sfn, Haigh, 1997, p=173 where word was brought to him that a small force of rebels, led by Lords Scrope of Masham and of Bolton{{sfn, Dockray, 1986, p=218 had launched an assault on
Bootham Bar York has, since Roman times, been defended by walls of one form or another. To this day, substantial portions of the walls remain, and York has more miles of intact wall than any other city in England. They are known variously as York City W ...
. This forced Clifford to withdraw back to York and face the rebels{{sfn, Pollard, 1990, p=377 on 13 June.{{sfn, Dockray, 1986, p=218 The subsequent encounter was not an unqualified success, notes Summerson; Clifford was defeated in a scuffle outside the gates, and lost all his baggage.{{sfn, Summerson, 2004a The
military historian Military history is the study of armed conflict in the history of humanity, and its impact on the societies, cultures and economies thereof, as well as the resulting changes to local and international relationships. Professional historians ...
Philip A. Haigh Philip Andrew Haigh (born 5 October 1964) is a British I.T. Professional, TV presenter and writer of non-fiction military history books, mostly on the subject of the Wars of the Roses and local history associated with Robin Hood's Bay. In recent y ...
writes that Clifford was "utterly disgraced" and R. W. Hoyle describes his efforts as a "fiasco".{{sfn, Hoyle, 1986, p=64{{sfn, Haigh, 1997, p=173 The city scribes "laconically recorded the disastrous outcome", writes Anthony Goodman, and emphasised how the King's man in the north "had signally failed" to contain the rising.{{sfn, Goodman, 1996, pp=103–104 Meanwhile, the King's army under John de Vere, Earl of Oxford, had won a decisive victory over the rebels at the
Battle of Stoke A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and forc ...
16 June 1487.{{Sfn, Ross, 2011, p=118 Clifford was again given responsibility for the safety of York,{{sfn, Dockray, 1986, p=222 and he claimed "captenship" over the city, an assertion the city rejected.{{sfn, Grummitt, 2008, p=136 In 1488 Clifford and Lady Anne both joined the city's Corpus Christi Guild. This does not seem to have restored Clifford in the eyes of the city officialdom, as the following year they again refused him entry, claiming that his intentions threatened the city's liberties. This may well have been prescient, suggests Summerson, as in 1513 Clifford attempted to claim the city's troops for his own army.{{sfn, Summerson, 2004a In 1489 the townspeople, "denyed the entrie of the Lords Clifford and othre, that in nowise noon othre gentilman of what degreor condiconhe he of be suffred to enter this the Kyngs Chaumbre and so all to be excludet and noon to have reule bot the Maiour, Aldermen and the Shireffs".{{sfn, Hicks, 1986b, p=56 The city's statement came just before rebellion again broke out in Yorkshire, this time against heavy taxes. The commons overran the city and refused to allow Clifford or the sheriff,
Marmaduke Constable Sir Marmaduke Constable (c. 1456/57 – 20 November 1518) of Flamborough, Yorkshire, was a courtier and soldier during the reigns of Richard III, Henry VII and Henry VIII. Biography Constable was born around 1456/7. He was the eldest son and ...
entry. Instead, the citizens not only allowed the rebels to enter, they provided them a degree of military assistance.{{sfn, Dockray, 1986, p=222{{refn, This situation would continue into the career of Clifford's son, the Earl of Cumberland, during the 1540s, which was a period of much military activity and therefore one which Clifford made frequent demands on York which were equally as frequently rejected by that city.{{sfn, Grummitt, 2008, p=136, group=note The medievalist David Grummitt comments that the city's reluctance to allow Clifford either office or military assistance is in stark contrast to the fervour with which they served "our ful gode and gracious lorde the duc of Gloucestre" as both Duke and King.{{sfn, Grummitt, 2008, p=136 Clifford was in London in 1494 when he and the King's second son, Prince Henry,{{sfn, Dickens, 1962, p=1 among others, were made
Knights of the Bath The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by King George I on 18 May 1725. Recipients of the Order are usually senior military officers or senior civil servants, and the monarch awards it on the advice of His ...
.{{sfn, Summerson, 2004a Clifford spent much of the remainder of the decade on service in the north. Although he never held office on the border,{{sfn, Hoyle, 1986, p=64 he led a major campaign in 1497,{{sfn, Summerson, 2004a besieging and capturing
Norham Castle Norham Castle (sometimes Nornam) is a castle in Norham, Northumberland, England, overlooking the River Tweed, on the border between England and Scotland. It is a Grade I listed building and a Scheduled Ancient Monument. The castle saw much actio ...
from the Scots.{{sfn, Dickens, 1962, p=19 Clifford was probably a member of the
Council of the North The Council of the North was an administrative body first set up in 1484 by King Richard III of England, to improve access to conciliar justice in Northern England. This built upon steps by King Edward IV of England in delegating authority in th ...
around the turn of the century. This body was under the nominal leadership of Prince Arthur and managed by the Archbishop of York, Thomas Savage.{{sfn, Summerson, 2004a{{refn, Arthur died in
Ludlow Ludlow ( ) is a market town and civil parish in Shropshire (district), Shropshire, England. It is located south of Shrewsbury and north of Hereford, on the A49 road (Great Britain), A49 road which bypasses the town. The town is near the conf ...
on 2{{nbsApril 1502, following which, says the
encyclopedist An encyclopedia is a reference work or compendium providing summaries of knowledge, either general or special, in a particular field or discipline. Encyclopedias are divided into articles or entries that are arranged alphabetically by artic ...
John A. Wagner, "the northern council existed not as an official organ of government, but as a series of temporary expedients of varying forms".{{sfn, Ives, 2007, p=1, group=note Clifford's lordship of the north, posits Summerson, was reciprocal: Henry extended royal power in the region by strengthening Clifford, and likewise, Clifford strengthened and augmented his own position through royal service.{{sfn, Summerson, 2004a


Patronage, alliances and local relations

Clifford, although a figure of political and social influence, only ever had regional interests.{{sfn, Hoyle, 1986, p=64 His approach to his estates was generally positive, suggests Summerson. Clifford regularly travelled between Westmorland and Yorkshire (visiting manors "where no Clifford had been seen for a quarter of a century") and took the opportunity to rebuild and repair castles and other properties as he did. These he funded with traditional feudal dues, such as offices, wardships and marriages that were within his purview. His determined augmentation of his estates occasionally led to summonses before the royal council for
enclosing Enclosure or inclosure is a term, used in English landownership, that refers to the appropriation of "waste" or "common land", enclosing it, and by doing so depriving commoners of their traditional rights of access and usage. Agreements to enc ...
land.{{sfn, Summerson, 2004a Conversely, Clifford attempted to build good relations with his tenants and neighbours through financial generosity and hospitality, such as in 1521, when he held a "great Christmas" at
Brough Castle Brough Castle is a ruined castle in the village of Brough, Cumbria, Brough, Cumbria, England. The castle was built by William Rufus around 1092 within the old Roman Empire, Roman fort of ''Verterae'' to protect a key route through the Pennines ...
.{{sfn, Summerson, 2004a{{refn, Brough Castle burned down shortly afterwards,{{sfn, Pettifer, 2002, p=266 following which Clifford seems to have made
Brougham Castle Brougham Castle (pronounced ) is a medieval building about south-east of Penrith, Cumbria, England. The castle was founded by Robert I de Vieuxpont in the early 13th century. The site, near the confluence of the rivers Eamont and Lowther, ha ...
, near Penrith, his main residence.{{sfn, Summerson, Trueman, Harrison, 1998, pp=30–32, group=note On occasion, Clifford made the enmity of his neighbours as a direct result of his royal service. For example, it was often to the Crown's advantage that, where possible, it influenced civic elections in favour of royal candidates. A particularly important such office was that of the city recorder. In the early years of Henry's reign the administration of York, as the capital of the north, keenly interested the King. Its regional position, combined with a history of Yorkist loyalism, made it, the scholar James Lee suggests, a "touchstone for loyalty to Henry".{{sfn, Lee, 2003, p=173 The King attempted to impose his own man, but the city council disagreed. Clifford then attempted to intercede for the King, but to no avail, and in the end, a compromise candidate, John Vavasour, was elected.{{sfn, Lee, 2003, p=173 Summerson notes that Clifford's attempts to insert himself into local politics were "not always well-received". Summerson highlights Clifford's declaration in 1486 to the
Mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilitie ...
and Common Council that he intended "to mynistre as myn auncistres haith done here to fore in all thinges that accordith to my dewtie". In response, York's officials "firmly" informed Clifford that he had no such duty as his ancestors had never wielded such authority.{{sfn, Summerson, 2004a Clifford also attempted, unsuccessfully, to influence the civic celebrations the city organised for the King's first visit to York later the same year. He wished, says Lee, to show the King the degree to which he was in control now that he had been returned to his family's traditional position; he was told by Vavasour that the city would do as it saw fit. {{sfn, Lee, 2003, p=173 In 1487 the Earl of Oxford had been granted the wardship and marriage{{sfn, Ross, 2011, p=101 + n.56 of the 17-year-old{{sfn, Fraser, 1971, p=220 Elizabeth Greystoke, granddaughter and sole heiress of Ralph, Baron Greystoke. Oxford soon sold the rights (worth nearly £300 per annum) to Clifford. Within a short time, though, Elizabeth was taken from Clifford's custody ("without leave asking, and not without peril to his person"{{sfn, Fraser, 1971, p=220) by Thomas, Lord Dacre.{{sfn, Ross, 2011, p=101 + n.56 By 1491, relations between the two men had deteriorated to the extent that the King personally prosecuted them both in the
Star Chamber The court of Star Chamber () was an English court that sat at the royal Palace of Westminster, from the late to the mid-17th century (), and was composed of privy counsellors and common-law judges, to supplement the judicial activities of the ...
for rioting; they were each fined £20.{{sfn, Pollard, 1990, p=391 King Henry was more likely to have been concerned, in cases such as these, with bending his
tenants-in-chief In medieval and early modern Europe, a tenant-in-chief (or vassal-in-chief) was a person who held his lands under various forms of feudal land tenure directly from the king or territorial prince to whom he did homage, as opposed to holding them ...
to his political will than the revenue these forfeits added to his
Exchequer In the Civil Service (United Kingdom), civil service of the United Kingdom, His Majesty's Exchequer, or just the Exchequer, is the accounting process of central government and the government's ''Transaction account, current account'' (i.e., mon ...
.{{sfn, Condon, 1979, p=133 Hicks has suggested that this behaviour made Clifford less trustworthy in Henry's eyes as a crown agent.{{sfn, Hicks, 1978, p=79 In 1496 the Captain of Carlisle, Henry Wyatt, wrote to the King{{sfn, Conway, 1932, pp=100, 102{{refn, The letter, of 4{{nbsJune 1496, survives in the Wyatt family muniments as Wyatt MSS.13, and is reprinted in full in Conway's ''Henry{{nbsVII's Relations with Scotland and Ireland 1485–1498''.{{sfn, Conway, 1932, pp=236–239, group=note expressing, as
Agnes Conway Agnes Ethel Conway (2 May 1885 – 1950), later Agnes Horsfield, was a British writer, historian and archaeologist who worked in the Middle East from 1929 to 1936. Perhaps best known for her excavations at Petra and Kilwa, she also produced publi ...
calls it, his "poor opinion" of Clifford. Wyatt considered Clifford's wife, Lady Anne St John, to be a more able administrator than her husband, whom he considered inefficient, and told the King so plainly.{{sfn, Conway, 1932, p=102 Clifford's success at improving his finances eventually placed him in the top third of the English nobility and enabled him to successfully create new connections and strengthen existing ones. This he achieved through both marriage alliances with, and retaining among, the local
gentry Gentry (from Old French , from ) are "well-born, genteel and well-bred people" of high social class, especially in the past. ''Gentry'', in its widest connotation, refers to people of good social position connected to Landed property, landed es ...
.{{sfn, Summerson, 2004a{{refn, Retaining was the predominant method by which the nobility attempted to control their areas of influence, and the country gentry, as the most numerous political class in any area,{{sfn, Holford, 2010, p=420 were "the natural allies of the peerage", argues the medievalist
Chris Given-Wilson Chris Given-Wilson (born 1949) is a British historian and academic, specialising in medieval history. He was Professor of History of the University of St Andrews, where he is now professor emeritus. He is the author of a number of books. Car ...
. He suggests that, by this period, "most peers probably had at least a score of knights and esquires in their full-time retinues, while earls frequently had fifty or more".{{sfn, Given-Wilson, 1996, pp=79–80, group=note Clifford was also a major patron to local abbeys, monasteries and priories. To
Bolton Priory Bolton Priory, whose full title is The Priory Church of St Mary and St Cuthbert, Bolton Abbey, is a Grade I listed building, listed parish church of the Church of England in the village of Bolton Abbey (village), Bolton Abbey, within the Yorkshi ...
,{{sfn, Summerson, 2004a for example, he donated a manuscript now known as ''A Treatise of Natural Philosophy in Old French.''{{sfn, Dickens, 1962, p=20{{refn, The
manuscript A manuscript (abbreviated MS for singular and MSS for plural) was, traditionally, any document written by hand or typewritten, as opposed to mechanically printed or reproduced in some indirect or automated way. More recently, the term has ...
was returned to the Cliffords following the priory's dissolution in 1539.{{sfn, Smith, 2008, p=385, group=note Other houses included Gisborough,
Mount Grace Mount Grace, , is a prominent monadnock located in north central Massachusetts in the town of Warwick, approximately two miles south of the New Hampshire border. The mountain is rugged and largely wooded, but a firetower on the summit provides ...
and
Shap Shap is a village and civil parish located among fells and isolated dales in Westmorland and Furness, Cumbria, England. The village is in the historic county of Westmorland. The parish had a population of 1,221 in 2001, increasing slightly to ...
; Mount Grace was particularly favoured.{{sfn, Summerson, 2004a{{refn, Correspeondence exists between the prior,
John Wilson John Wilson may refer to: Academics * John Wilson (historian) (1799–1870), author of ''Our Israelitish Origin'' (1840), a founding text of British Israelism * John Wilson (agriculturalist) (1812–1888), British agriculturalist * John Matthias ...
and Clifford; for example, on 13 December 1522, Wilson wrote to Clifford informing him that because of the patronage of a London merchant, the priory now possessed a new guest house: "wee have a proper lodging at our place which a marchand of London did buld and he is now departed from hus and made knight at the roddes".{{sfn, Coppack, 2008, p=176 Grace Mount underwent much rebuilding in the early 16th-century, and this was a frequent topic of Wilson's in his letters to Clifford.{{sfn, Scrope, Skeat, 1957, p=4, group=note Clifford was a regular correspondent with the heads of other houses, including Byland,
Carlisle Carlisle ( , ; from ) is a city in the Cumberland district of Cumbria, England. Carlisle's early history is marked by the establishment of a settlement called Luguvalium to serve forts along Hadrian's Wall in Roman Britain. Due to its pro ...
,
Furness Furness ( ) is a peninsula and region of Cumbria, England. Together with the Cartmel Peninsula it forms North Lonsdale, Historic counties of England, historically an exclave of Lancashire. On 1 April 2023 it became part of the new unitary author ...
, Holmcultram and St. Mary's, York.{{sfn, Scrope, Skeat, 1957, p=4 His extensive patronage did not always bring him success in his political negotiations with them. In 1518, for example, the
Dean Dean may refer to: People * Dean (given name) * Dean (surname), a surname of Anglo-Saxon English origin * Dean (South Korean singer), a stage name for singer Kwon Hyuk * Dean Delannoit, a Belgian singer most known by the mononym Dean * Dean Sw ...
of
York York is a cathedral city in North Yorkshire, England, with Roman Britain, Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers River Ouse, Yorkshire, Ouse and River Foss, Foss. It has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a Yor ...
, Brian Higton wrote to Clifford explaining why he had refused to accept Clifford's favoured nominee as
parish priest A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one or ...
of Conisbrough Church:{{Blockquote, text=Where ye dide of laite presente your clerk unto the church of Conesburgh of your patronege, surely I cane nott (of my conscience) admytte hym to itt, fore his connyng is mervyllus slendure. I haue scyne few prestis so symple lernede in my life. If itt please you to commande some of your lernede chapplens to oppoise hym in your presence, I dowte not butte ye shall perceyue the truth. And fore the lakk of his lernynge (Which is manifesteo) I do putte hym bakk, ande fore noyne oder cause, nor at no mannys desire or motlon.{{sfn, Scrope, Skeat, 1957, p=6


Later years

In the later years of the 15th century, Clifford was frequently the target of the King's displeasure. He often failed to act as the stabilising force in the north that Henry had intended.{{sfn, Harrison, 1972, p=94 A feud with Christopher Moresby, an important member of the local gentry, had started in the 1470s{{sfn, Dobson1996, p=159 and continued well into Henry's reign.{{sfn, Yorath2016, p=178{{refn, Which feud Clifford's younger brother Robert joined in, assaulting Moresby's
Irthington Irthington is a village and civil parish within the Cumberland (unitary authority), Cumberland district in Cumbria, England, situated to the north-east of Carlisle Lake District Airport. The population in 2011 was 860 according to the 2011 cens ...
manor in autumn 1487{{sfn, Yorath, 2016, p=186, group=note Another time, Clifford led local resistance to a royal tax. In retaliation, Henry challenged Clifford's hereditary right to the shrievalty of Westmorland with ''
quo warranto In the English-American common law, ''quo warranto'' (Medieval Latin for "by what warrant?") is a prerogative writ issued by a court which orders someone to show what authority they have for exercising some right, power, or franchise they clai ...
'' proceedings in 1505. Clifford's goods were sequestered until he could show by what authority he held the office, and he also had to provide a number of large obligations for his good behaviour. These included a £1,000
bond Bond or bonds may refer to: Common meanings * Bond (finance), a type of debt security * Bail bond, a commercial third-party guarantor of surety bonds in the United States * Fidelity bond, a type of insurance policy for employers * Chemical bond, t ...
in May that year, £200 if he departed the council without permission{{sfn, Harrison, 1972, p=94 and £2,000 on condition that he, his servants, tenants and "part-takers"{{sfn, Lander, 1976, p=283 kept the peace with Roger Tempest. Clifford had an ongoing feud{{sfn, Harrison, 1972, p=94 with Tempest and had attacked and pulled down Tempest's house in Broughton.{{sfn, Lander, 1976, p=283{{sfn, Lockyer, Thrush, 2014, p=105{{refn, Lander describes the King's treatment of Clifford during this episode as "brutal", but highlights it—along with similarly heavy bonds from other nobles—as part of Henry{{nbsVII's new regime in bringing recalcitrant nobles to heel.{{sfn, Lander, 1980, p=357, group=note Although Clifford's shrieval rights were in the event upheld,{{sfn, Summerson, 2004a the case took over a year to be decided, during which time the profits of the office went to the King. On 14 June 1506
Edmund Dudley Edmund Dudley (c. 1462Gunn 2010 or 1471/147217 August 1510) was an English administrator and a financial agent of Henry VII of England, King Henry VII. He served as a leading member of the Council Learned in the Law, Speaker of the House o ...
delivered Clifford his general
pardon A pardon is a government decision to allow a person to be relieved of some or all of the legal consequences resulting from a criminal conviction. A pardon may be granted before or after conviction for the crime, depending on the laws of the j ...
. By this time Clifford had paid another £100 in cash ("redie money") to the King and had been pressured for £120 more.{{sfn, Harrison, 1972, p=94{{refn, Clifford's under-sheriff, Roger Bellingham, was also forced to defend his office in court, and had to pay
recognizance In some common law nations, a recognizance is a conditional pledge of money undertaken by a person before a court which, if the person defaults, the person or their sureties will forfeit that sum. It is an obligation of record, entered into before ...
s of £200 in return for a pardon.{{sfn, Harrison, 1972, p=95 Clifford's role was predominantly ceremonial; the undersheriff—appointed by Clifford only if they were acceptable to the King{{sfn, Clark, 1995, p=129—usually performed the bulk of the work of the office.{{sfn, Jewell, 1972, p=191, group=note King Henry died on 21 April 1509, and Clifford attended his funeral in
Westminster Westminster is the main settlement of the City of Westminster in Central London, Central London, England. It extends from the River Thames to Oxford Street and has many famous landmarks, including the Palace of Westminster, Buckingham Palace, ...
.{{sfn, Summerson, 2004a He stayed to attend the
coronation A coronation ceremony marks the formal investiture of a monarch with regal power using a crown. In addition to the crowning, this ceremony may include the presentation of other items of regalia, and other rituals such as the taking of special v ...
of King Henry{{nbsVIII on 23 June, when he was made a
knight banneret A knight banneret, sometimes known simply as banneret, was a medieval knight who led a company of troops during time of war under his own banner (which was square-shaped, in contrast to the tapering standard or the pennon flown by the lower- ...
.{{sfn, Cokayne, 1913, p=294 Shortly after, Dudley—by then imprisoned 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 citadel and castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London, England. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamle ...
on charges of
constructive treason Constructive treason is the judicial extension of the statutory definition of the crime of treason. For example, the English Treason Act 1351 declares it to be treason "When a Man doth compass or imagine the Death of our Lord the King". This was ...
—petitioned Henry{{nbsVIII over what he believed were grave injustices carried out by the King's father against members of his nobility, including Clifford.{{sfn, Pugh, 1992, p=88{{refn, Dudley claimed these individuals had been charged with ruinous fines for the purposes of mulctation and believed, according to T. N. Pugh, that it was "an urgent matter of religious duty, lest the salvation of the deceased monarch's soul should be imperilled and his ascent to heaven be impeded, because he had failed to do right and justice to many of his subjects".{{sfn, Pugh, 1992, p=88, group=note The period Clifford spent in the south was one of the few occasions in Clifford's life where he spent a lengthy period away from his northern heartlands. According to Cokayne—possibly citing an unnamed contemporary—Clifford "seldom 'came to court, or London'", spending much of his time in
Barden Tower Barden Tower is a ruined building in the Parish of Barden, in Wharfedale, North Yorkshire, England. The tower was used as a hunting lodge in the 15th and 16th centuries, and despite a renovation in the 1650s, it fell into disrepair in the 18th c ...
,
Bolton Bolton ( , locally ) is a town in Greater Manchester in England. In the foothills of the West Pennine Moors, Bolton is between Manchester, Blackburn, Wigan, Bury, Greater Manchester, Bury and Salford. It is surrounded by several towns and vill ...
,{{sfn, Cokayne, 1913, p=294 from where most of his extant
charters A charter is the grant of authority or rights, stating that the granter formally recognizes the prerogative of the recipient to exercise the rights specified. It is implicit that the granter retains superiority (or sovereignty), and that the reci ...
and letters are signed.{{sfn, Dickens, 1962, p=19


War with Scotland and France

War with Scotland broke out again in 1513 when the Scottish King, James{{nbsIV, declared war on England. James intended to honour the
Auld Alliance The Auld Alliance ( Scots for "Old Alliance") was an alliance between the kingdoms of Scotland and France against England made in 1295. The Scots word ''auld'', meaning ''old'', has become a partly affectionate term for the long-lasting asso ...
with France by diverting Henry{{nbsVIII's English troops from their campaign against the French, against whom England was a member of the Catholic League in the
War of the League of Cambrai The War of the League of Cambrai, sometimes known as the War of the Holy League and several other names, was fought from February 1508 to December 1516 as part of the Italian Wars of 1494–1559. The main participants of the war, who fough ...
, supporting the
Pope The pope is the bishop of Rome and the Head of the Church#Catholic Church, visible head of the worldwide Catholic Church. He is also known as the supreme pontiff, Roman pontiff, or sovereign pontiff. From the 8th century until 1870, the po ...
. Henry{{nbsVIII had also opened old wounds by claiming to be the overlord of Scotland, further angering the Scots.{{Sfn, Reese, 2003, p=112 The first—and as it turned out, the only—engagement of the Scottish campaign was fought at Flodden on 9{{nbsSeptember.{{sfn, Dickens, 1962, p=19 Clifford brought 207 archers and 116
billmen A bill is a class of agricultural implement used for trimming tree limbs, which was often repurposed for use as an infantry polearm. In English, the term 'Italian bill' is applied to the similar roncone or roncola, but the Italian version tende ...
from Yorkshire under his banner of the Red Wyvern{{sfn, Sadler, 2006, p=50 and commanded the
vanguard The vanguard (sometimes abbreviated to van and also called the advance guard) is the leading part of an advancing military formation. It has a number of functions, including seeking out the enemy and securing ground in advance of the main force. ...
.{{sfn, Dickens, 1962, p=19 King James was killed in battle, and Clifford captured three Scottish
cannons A cannon is a large-caliber gun classified as a type of artillery, which usually launches a projectile using explosive chemical propellant. Gunpowder ("black powder") was the primary propellant before the invention of smokeless powder during t ...
which he took to "decorate" Skipton Castle; the contemporary '' Ballad of Flodden Field'' refers to "Lord Clifford with his clapping guns".{{sfn, Reese, 2003, p=112 In 1521, the Emperor Charles V resumed war with Francis{{nbsI. King Henry offered to mediate, but this achieved little and by the end of the year England and the Empire were aligned together against France.{{sfn, Loades, 2009, p=69 Clifford provided 1,000
marks Marks may refer to: Business * Mark's, a Canadian retail chain * Marks & Spencer, a British retail chain * Collective trade marks A collective trademark, collective trade mark, or collective mark is a trademark owned by an organization (such ...
{{Refn, A medieval English mark was a unit of currency equivalent to two-thirds of a
pound Pound or Pounds may refer to: Units * Pound (currency), various units of currency * Pound sterling, the official currency of the United Kingdom * Pound (mass), a unit of mass * Pound (force), a unit of force * Rail pound, in rail profile * A bas ...
.{{sfn, Harding, 2002, p=xiv, group=note towards funding the campaign,{{sfn, Cokayne, 1913, p=294 one of the highest sums the crown received.{{sfn, Dickens, 1962, p=19


Personal life


Marriages, children and family problems

Clifford is known to have married twice. Possibly at the end of 1486{{sfn, Summerson, 2004a—and certainly by 1493{{sfn, Jones, Underwood, 1992, p=163—he had wed Anne St. John of Bletsoe Castle.{{refn, Says Dickens, "famed alike for tapestry-making and piety".{{sfn, Dickens, 1962, p=20, group=note She was the daughter of Sir
John St John John St. John may refer to: Politicians * John St. John (MP for Northamptonshire) (aft.1360–1424), MP for Northamptonshire in 1410, 1411, 1416, and 1421 * John St. John (MP for Bedfordshire) (bef. 1495–1558), MP for Bedfordshire, 1539, 1542 * J ...
and
Alice Alice may refer to: * Alice (name), most often a feminine given name, but also used as a surname Literature * Alice (''Alice's Adventures in Wonderland''), a character in books by Lewis Carroll * ''Alice'' series, children's and teen books by ...
, daughter of Sir Thomas Bradshaigh of Haigh.{{sfn, Cokayne, 1913, p=294 Anne's grandmother was Margaret Beauchamp, the mother of
Margaret Beaufort Lady Margaret Beaufort ( ; 31 May 1443 – 29 June 1509) was a major figure in the Wars of the Roses of the late 15th century, and mother of King Henry VII of England, the first Tudor monarch. She was also a second cousin of Kings Henry ...
, making Anne half-cousin to King Henry{{nbsVII.{{sfn, Cokayne, 1913, p=294 n.d It is probable that the King and his mother had a hand in arranging Anne's marriage to Clifford.{{sfn, Rock, 2003, p=198 Their relationship does not seem to have been peaceful, and this probably exacerbated the King's disfavour of Clifford.{{sfn, Summerson, 2004a Clifford's marriage problems were in part due to his conspicuous
infidelity Infidelity (synonyms include non-consensual non-monogamy, cheating, straying, adultery, being unfaithful, two-timing, or having an affair) is a violation of a couple's emotional or sexual exclusivity that commonly results in feelings of anger, se ...
, which caused sufficient tension between him and Anne that their separation was suggested.{{sfn, Clay, 1905, p=372 Anne's chaplain began negotiating this with the King and Lady Margaret Beaufort, who went as far as to offer Anne and her daughters a position in Margaret's household{{sfn, Rock, 2003, p=198 expressing the wish that Anne "shall come up and attend upon my Lady".{{sfn, Jones, Underwood, 1992, p=164 In the event, the crisis passed and Clifford and Anne stayed together until her death in 1508.{{sfn, Summerson, 2004a She was buried in Skipton Church.{{sfn, Clay, 1905, p=372 By July 1511,{{sfn, Summerson, 2004a Clifford had married Florence Pudsey, widow of Thomas Talbot. She was the daughter of Henry Pudsey of Berforth and Margaret Conyers, daughter of Christopher Conyers of Hornby.{{sfn, Cokayne, 1913, p=294 Clifford and Lady Florence were enjoined to the
confraternity A confraternity (; ) is generally a Christian voluntary association of laypeople created for the purpose of promoting special works of Christian charity or piety, and approved by the Church hierarchy. They are most common among Catholics, Lu ...
of Guisborough Abbey.{{sfn, Summerson, 2004a Their marriage, too, was fraught with difficulties, and Florence sued her husband in York
consistory court A consistory court is a type of ecclesiastical court, especially within the Church of England where they were originally established pursuant to a charter of King William the Conqueror, and still exist today, although since about the middle of th ...
for the
restitution of conjugal rights In English law, restitution of conjugal rights was an action in the ecclesiastical courts and later in the Court for Divorce and Matrimonial Causes. It was one of the actions relating to marriage, over which the ecclesiastical courts formerly had ...
. In doing so, suggest the scholars Tim Thornton and Katherine Carlton, "she did not perhaps expect her own conduct to be brought into question".{{sfn, Thornton, Carlton, 2019, p=80 Clifford, though, in his turn, accused her of
adultery Adultery is extramarital sex that is considered objectionable on social, religious, moral, or legal grounds. Although the sexual activities that constitute adultery vary, as well as the social, religious, and legal consequences, the concept ...
with a member of his household,{{sfn, Summerson, 2004a one Roger Wharton. Wharton, under examination in court, confessed that "I will never denye ffor a man may be in bedd with a woman and yett do noo hurte". Thornton and Carlton continue, "in one simple statement, Wharton shed light upon the sexual mores of the Clifford household".{{sfn, Thornton, Carlton, 2019, p=80 Wharton also accused Clifford of having an extra-marital relationship with one Jane Browne, also of his household.{{sfn, Thornton, Carlton, 2019, p=94 n.4 Clifford had several illegitimate children by a number of mistresses,{{sfn, Summerson, 2004a{{refn, Little is known of these children. The major source for the country's gentry families in the mid-16th century is the extant records of the
Heraldic visitation Heraldic visitations were tours of inspection undertaken by Kings of Arms (or alternatively by heralds, or junior officers of arms, acting as the kings' deputies) throughout England, Wales and Ireland. Their purpose was to register and regulat ...
s, a form of genealogical
census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...
of gentry pedigrees.{{sfn, Ailes, 2009, pp=18–21 Whereas children were rarely excluded from the record on account of illegitimacy, there is no mention of either Clifford's nor his son's such offspring in the Yorkshire visitation of 1563–64.{{sfn, Thornton, Carlton, 2019, p=43, group=note including two sons, Thomas and Anthony.{{sfn, Thornton, Carlton, 2019, p=94 n.4 They both later received positions within the family, Thomas becoming deputy-governor of
Carlisle Castle Carlisle Castle is a stone keep medieval fortress located in the city of Carlisle near the ruins of Hadrian's Wall. First built during the reign of William II in 1092 and rebuilt in stone under Henry I in 1122, the castle is over 930 yea ...
in 1537,{{sfn, Dickens, 1962, p=22 n.29 and Anthony being appointed steward of
Cowling A cowling (or cowl) is the removable covering of a vehicle's engine, most often found on automobiles, motorcycles, airplanes, and on outboard boat motors. On airplanes, cowlings are used to reduce drag and to cool the engine. On boats, cowlings ...
,
Grassington Grassington is a town and civil parishes in England, civil parish in North Yorkshire, England. The population of the parish at the 2011 Census was 1,126. The village is situated in Wharfedale, about north-west from Bolton Abbey, and is surrou ...
and
Sutton Sutton (''south settlement'' or ''south town'' in Old English) may refer to: Places United Kingdom England In alphabetical order by county: * Sutton, Bedfordshire * Sutton, Berkshire, a List of United Kingdom locations: Stu-Sz#Su, location * S ...
. Both were also made master foresters of Craven.{{sfn, Thornton, Carlton, 2019, p=125 Thomas and Anthony may have been illegitimate, but Clifford considered them men of "substance, education and experience ndgentlemen", and provided for them in his
will Will may refer to: Common meanings * Will and testament, instructions for the disposition of one's property after death * Will (philosophy), or willpower * Will (sociology) * Will, volition (psychology) * Will, a modal verb - see Shall and will ...
.{{sfn, Hainsworth, 1992, p=23 From his first marriage to Anne, he left two sons,{{sfn, Summerson, 2004a his heir Henry, and
Thomas Thomas may refer to: People * List of people with given name Thomas * Thomas (name) * Thomas (surname) * Saint Thomas (disambiguation) * Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) Italian Dominican friar, philosopher, and Doctor of the Church * Thomas the A ...
.{{sfn, Dickens, 1962, p=20{{refn, Thomas spent much of his career on royal service in the north for Henry{{nbsVIII, for which he was knighted; his offices included governor of
Berwick Castle Berwick Castle is a ruined castle in Berwick-upon-Tweed, Northumberland, England. History The castle was commissioned by the Scottish King David I in the 1120s. It was taken by the English forces under the terms of the Treaty of Falaise in ...
.{{sfn, Dickens, 1962, p=20, group=note With Anne, he also had four daughters,{{sfn, Summerson, 2004a and by Florence, another daughter.{{sfn, Clay, 1905, p=372 A number of these married into the Bowes family of
Streatlam Streatlam Castle was a Baroque stately home located near the town of Barnard Castle in County Durham, England, that was demolished in 1959. Owned by the Bowes-Lyon family, Earls of Strathmore and Kinghorne, the house was one of the family's three ...
, Co. Durham.{{sfn, Hampton, 1985, p=17{{sfn, Hutchinson, 1794, p=254{{sfn, Brown, 2015, p=119 Clifford's heir and namesake was born around 1493, and was raised at
court A court is an institution, often a government entity, with the authority to adjudicate legal disputes between Party (law), parties and Administration of justice, administer justice in Civil law (common law), civil, Criminal law, criminal, an ...
with the King's son, the future Henry{{nbsVIII.{{refn, Possibly he was raised by Margaret Beaufort, who occasionally had charge of Henry and other royal wards.{{sfn, Harris, 1986, p=34, group=note The relationship between father and son appears to have been as turbulent as that between Clifford and his wives, with a relationship "strained to breaking point", suggests Dickens.{{sfn, Dickens, 1962, p=21 In 1511, Clifford complained that young Henry was both wild and a wastrel, who dressed flamboyantly in
cloth of gold Cloth of gold or gold cloth (Latin: ''Tela aurea'') is a textile, fabric woven with a gold-wrapped or spinning (textiles), spun weft—referred to as "a spirally spun gold strip". In most cases, the core yarn is silk, wrapped (''filé'') with a ...
, "more lyk a duke than a pore baron's sonne as hee is".{{sfn, Summerson, 2004a He protested about "the ungodly and ungudely disposition of my son Henrie Clifforde, in such wise as yt was abominable to heare it".{{sfn, Dickens, 1962, p=21 Among his complaints was that Henry had threatened Clifford's servants and disobeyed his father. Clifford also alleged that his son had assaulted Clifford's old servant Henry Popely, had damaged and stolen Clifford's possessions and had sought to retain important men from Clifford's "countree" for himself. He had also harmed Clifford's close relations with local religious institutions, said Clifford, by stealing
tithe A tithe (; from Old English: ''teogoþa'' "tenth") is a one-tenth part of something, paid as a contribution to a religious organization or compulsory tax to government. Modern tithes are normally voluntary and paid in money, cash, cheques or v ...
s and beating their tenants and servants.{{refn, Although the date of Clifford's letter to the council is unknown, Dickens has proposed a date of around 1517, because that year Thomas Leeke, then incarcerated in the
Fleet Prison Fleet Prison was a notorious London prison by the side of the River Fleet. The prison was built in 1197, was rebuilt several times, and was in use until 1844. It was demolished in 1846. History The prison was built in 1197 off what is now ...
, wrote to his brother Sir John on 25 October that year and reported that Henry Clifford the younger and Sir George Darcy had until recently been imprisoned with him;{{sfn, Dickens, 1962, p=22 Clifford was reported, after two-week's imprisonment, as looking "waxen a sad gentleman".{{sfn, Walker, 1992, p=123 Dickens speculated that Darcy was one of the "ill-disposed gentlemen" whom Clifford warned his son against.{{sfn, Dickens, 1962, p=22, group=note The King, meanwhile, had ordered Clifford to pay £40 to his son towards his upkeep at court, which Clifford had done. Clifford had urged his son "to forsake the dangerous counsels of certain evilly-disposed young gentlemen".{{sfn, Dickens, 1962, p=21 Clifford's exhortations were not wholly successful, as on at least one occasion his son was incarcerated in the
Fleet Prison Fleet Prison was a notorious London prison by the side of the River Fleet. The prison was built in 1197, was rebuilt several times, and was in use until 1844. It was demolished in 1846. History The prison was built in 1197 off what is now ...
.{{Sfn, Dickens, 1962, p=22 Summerson suggests that Clifford was to a degree culpable for his son's behaviour, considering that if he "had ideas above his station, the responsibility was largely his father's, who not only placed him at court but also set about marrying him into the high aristocracy".{{sfn, Summerson, 2004a It is also probable, suggests Dickens, that Clifford's own
frugality Frugality is the quality of being frugal, sparing, thrifty, prudent, or economical in the consumption of resources such as food, time or money, and avoiding waste, lavishness or extravagance. In behavioral science, frugality has been defined as ...
towards his son's expenses encouraged his heir's behaviour,{{sfn, Dickens, 1962, p=22 perhaps combined with irritation at his father's longevity.{{sfn, Summerson, 2004a Furthermore, Dickens asserts, young Henry's sojourn at court forced a great distance between him and his father, which prevented him from learning at first-hand the responsibilities he would at some point be expected to take up in the north. Young Henry also appears to have fallen out with his stepmother Florence.{{sfn, Dickens, 1962, p=21 It was intended that he marry Margaret, daughter of George, Earl of Shrewsbury, but she died before the
betrothal An engagement or betrothal is the period of time between the declaration of acceptance of a marriage proposal and the marriage itself (which is typically but not always commenced with a wedding). During this period, a couple is said to be ''fi ...
. In 1512 young Henry married Margaret Percy, daughter of the
Earl of Northumberland The title of Earl of Northumberland has been created several times in the Peerage of England and of Great Britain, succeeding the title Earl of Northumbria. Its most famous holders are the House of Percy (''alias'' Perci), who were the most po ...
,{{sfn, Summerson, 2004a{{refn, A lavish description of the wedding festivities is contained in a
British Library The British Library is the national library of the United Kingdom. Based in London, it is one of the largest libraries in the world, with an estimated collection of between 170 and 200 million items from multiple countries. As a legal deposit li ...
manuscript (BL Royal 18.D.II), written by William Peeris—priest-secretary to Henry Percy, Earl of Northumberland—as part of a chronicle of the Earl's family.{{sfn, Tscherpel, 2003, pp=98–99 + n.40, group=note which further augmented the Clifford family's wealth and influence in the northeast.{{sfn, Malay, 2017, p=217


Personality and interests

Historians have speculated on Clifford's personality. Summerson, for example, suggests that Clifford was often an abrasive individual, particularly to his tenants and regularly caused the very kind of social disorder that he was expected to suppress.{{sfn, Summerson, 2004a Ross has speculated that Clifford's early years, particularly "the impact of Towton{{nbs... must have been profoundly shocking and traumatic",{{sfn, Ross, 2015, pp=138, 140 while Goodman has suggested that Clifford's solo attack on the 1487 rebels at Brougham indicates a
chivalrous Chivalry, or the chivalric language, is an informal and varying code of conduct that developed in Europe between 1170 and 1220. It is associated with the medieval Christian institution of knighthood, with knights being members of various chival ...
streak, as personal bravery was a highly prized quality.{{sfn, Goodman, 1996, p=103 Micheal K. Jones and Malcolm G. Underwood have described Clifford as "eccentric", possibly on account of his upbringing.{{sfn, Jones, Underwood, 1992, p=163 Clifford is known to have had an interest in
astrology Astrology is a range of Divination, divinatory practices, recognized as pseudoscientific since the 18th century, that propose that information about human affairs and terrestrial events may be discerned by studying the apparent positions ...
,
astronomy Astronomy is a natural science that studies celestial objects and the phenomena that occur in the cosmos. It uses mathematics, physics, and chemistry in order to explain their origin and their overall evolution. Objects of interest includ ...
and
alchemy Alchemy (from the Arabic word , ) is an ancient branch of natural philosophy, a philosophical and protoscientific tradition that was historically practised in China, India, the Muslim world, and Europe. In its Western form, alchemy is first ...
.{{sfn, Dickens, 1962, p=19 A major
eclipse An eclipse is an astronomical event which occurs when an astronomical object or spacecraft is temporarily obscured, by passing into the shadow of another body or by having another body pass between it and the viewer. This alignment of three ...
crossed England in 1502, for which occasion Clifford is supposed to have built Barden Tower as an
observatory An observatory is a location used for observing terrestrial, marine, or celestial events. Astronomy, climatology/meteorology, geophysics, oceanography and volcanology are examples of disciplines for which observatories have been constructed. Th ...
. The astronomer S. J. Johnson has speculated that it was his witnessing the eclipse that sparked Clifford's interest in the subject, "in which he did greatly delight".{{sfn, Johnson, 1905, p=175 It is likely that Clifford's obsession with the skies—which led him to spend most of his time as a recluse in Barden Tower—was the cause of his wife's consistory suit for her conjugal rights.{{sfn, Rock, 2003, p=199 In Barden, says Jones and Underwood, Clifford led a "strange, reclusive existence".{{sfn, Jones, Underwood, 1992, p=164 Clifford had religious interests also and in 1515 spent a large sum on a new
chapel A chapel (from , a diminutive of ''cappa'', meaning "little cape") is a Christianity, Christian place of prayer and worship that is usually relatively small. The term has several meanings. First, smaller spaces inside a church that have their o ...
, which was intended to be as extravagant as possible.{{sfn, Mertes, 1988, p=140


Death

By September 1522 Clifford was described as "feebled with sickness".{{sfn, Summerson, 2004a The Scottish war was ongoing, and it had been planned that Clifford would again lead an army; in the event, he was too ill to do so, and his son took his place.{{sfn, Dickens, 1962, p=21 Clifford died on 23 April 1523. His widow, Florence, later remarried to
Richard Grey Sir Richard Grey (1457 – 25 June 1483) was an English knight and the half-brother of King Edward V of England. Early life Richard Grey was the younger son of Sir John Grey of Groby and Elizabeth Woodville. Richard was a 3-year-old child w ...
, son of Thomas Grey, Marquis of Dorset;{{sfn, Cokayne, 1913, pp=294–295 she died in 1558.{{sfn, Summerson, 2004a Clifford was buried in either Bolton Priory or that of Shap.{{sfn, Summerson, 2004a Following his death,
inquisition post mortem An Inquisition post mortem (abbreviated to Inq.p.m. or i.p.m., and formerly known as an escheat) (Latin, meaning "(inquisition) after death") is an English medieval or early modern record of the death, estate and heir of one of the king's tenants-i ...
s assessed his annual income at £1332 2 s. 4 d,{{sfn, Summerson, 2004a and Lady Anne Clifford later reported him rich "in money, chattells, goods and great stocks of land".{{sfn, Spence, 1959, p=8{{sfn, Dickens, 1962, p=19 His son Henry—no longer a minor—gained
livery A livery is an identifying design, such as a uniform, ornament, symbol, or insignia that designates ownership or affiliation, often found on an individual or vehicle. Livery often includes elements of the heraldry relating to the individual or ...
of his patrimony on 18 July 1523.{{sfn, Dickens, 1962, p=22 n.32 He was summoned two years later to parliament and created
Earl of Cumberland The title of Earl of Cumberland was created in the Peerage of England in 1525 for the 11th Baron de Clifford.''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press'', 2004. It became extinct in 1643. The dukedom of Cumberland was cr ...
.{{sfn, Cokayne, 1913, p=295 The elevation of the Clifford family to the upper peerage, suggests Summerson, "owed much to Henry Clifford
he elder He or HE may refer to: Language * He (letter), the fifth letter of the Semitic abjads * He (pronoun), a pronoun in Modern English * He (kana), one of the Japanese kana (へ in hiragana and ヘ in katakana) * Ge (Cyrillic), a Cyrillic letter cal ...
s labours to revive the fortunes of his family".{{sfn, Summerson, 2004a Spence explains Clifford's wealth as resulting from "the prudence and economy of a lifetime's residence on his estates",{{sfn, Spence, 1959, p=8 combined with abstinence of court and its expense, except when made unavoidable by summonses to parliament.{{sfn, Dickens, 1962, p=19 Spence also notes, though, that the first Earl was to go on to both waste and neglect his estates in favour of extravagant court living.{{sfn, Spence, 1959, p=9


Cultural depictions

The
Romantic poet Romantic poetry is the poetry of the Romantic era, an artistic, literary, musical and intellectual movement that originated in Europe towards the end of the 18th century. It involved a reaction against prevailing Neoclassical ideas of the 18th c ...
William Wordsworth William Wordsworth (7 April 177023 April 1850) was an English Romantic poetry, Romantic poet who, with Samuel Taylor Coleridge, helped to launch the Romanticism, Romantic Age in English literature with their joint publication ''Lyrical Balla ...
wrote two pieces—'' Song at the Feast at Brougham Castle'' and '' White Doe of Rylstone''—romanticising Clifford's career.{{sfn, Cokayne, 1913, p=294 n.e The ''White Doe'', written between 1806 and 1807{{sfn, Bradford, 1938, p=60 describes Clifford as being "most happy in the shy recess / of Barden's lowly quietness".{{sfn, Dickens, 1962, p=19 Wordsworth depicts various aspects of Clifford's life: the loss of his estates in 1461, his rustic upbringing—and the role his father-in-law, Sir Lancelot Threlkeld played—his post-Bosworth revival and his castle building. Wordsworth also imagines the Christmas celebration at Brough Castle "and the peculiarly Wordsworthian results" of Clifford's early life. The poem, suggests the scholar Curtis Bradford, indicates that Wordsworth "was not entirely uninterested in the antiquarian romanticism so characteristic of his time".{{sfn, Bradford, 1938, p=61
Charlotte Mary Yonge Charlotte Mary Yonge (11 August 1823 – 24 March 1901) was an English novelist, who wrote in the service of the church. Her abundant books helped to spread the influence of the Oxford Movement and showed her keen interest in matters of public h ...
compares Clifford in his shepherd hut to the roaming of the deposed King Henry{{nbsVI—now supposedly a hermit—around the north, and casts them together: "both are in hiding: each is content with his lot. The boy does not dream that the hermit is really a king. That he is a man of God is clear, and young Clifford loves him, for his goodness, and most willingly places himself under Henry's tutelage".{{sfn, Bearne, 1906, p=14 The life and career of Henry Clifford was fictionalised by
Isaac Albéniz Isaac Manuel Francisco Albéniz y Pascual (; 29 May 1860 – 18 May 1909) was a Spanish virtuoso pianist, composer, and conductor. He is one of the foremost composers of the post-romantic era who also had a significant influence on his con ...
and
Francis Money-Coutts Francis Burdett Thomas Nevill Money-Coutts, 5th Baron Latymer (18 September 1852 – 8 June 1923) was a London solicitor, poet, librettist, and wealthy heir to the fortune of the Coutts banking family. He is now remembered chiefly as a patron ...
—the former writing the music, the latter the
libretto A libretto (From the Italian word , ) is the text used in, or intended for, an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata or Musical theatre, musical. The term ''libretto'' is also sometimes used to refer to th ...
—in their opera '' Henry Clifford'', which premiered in 1895.{{sfn, Clark, 2002, pp=113–114


Notes

{{reflist, group=note


References

{{Reflist


Bibliography

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Baron de Clifford Baron de Clifford is a title in the Peerage of England. It was created in 1299 for Robert de Clifford (''c.''1274–1314), feudal baron of Clifford in Herefordshire, feudal baron of Skipton in Yorkshire and feudal baron of Appleby in Westmo ...
, years=1485–1524 {{s-aft, after= Henry Clifford {{s-hon {{s-bef, before= Sir Richard Ratcliffe {{s-ttl, title= Sheriff of Westmorland, years=1485–1523 {{s-aft, after= Henry Clifford {{s-end {{featured article {{DEFAULTSORT:Clifford, John Clifford, 9th Baron 1450s births 1523 deaths 15th-century English nobility 16th-century English nobility
Henry Henry may refer to: People and fictional characters * Henry (given name), including lists of people and fictional characters * Henry (surname) * Henry, a stage name of François-Louis Henry (1786–1855), French baritone Arts and entertainmen ...
High sheriffs of Westmorland People from Loughborough People from Skipton People of the Wars of the Roses 16th-century English politicians 15th-century English politicians English justices of the peace Knights of the Bath de Clifford, Henry Clifford, 10th Baron