Henry Clifford, 1st Earl of Cumberland (1493 – 22 April 1542) was a member of the Clifford family which was seated at

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 ...

Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ) is an area of Northern England which was History of Yorkshire, historically a county. Despite no longer being used for administration, Yorkshire retains a strong regional identity. The county was named after its county town, the ...

from 1310 to 1676.

Origins

He was born at

, a son of Henry Clifford, 10th Baron de Clifford by his wife Anne St John, daughter of Sir John St John of Bletso by his first wife Alice Bradshaigh.

Career

As a youth, Clifford spent time at the court of King Henry VIII and was knighted at Henry's coronation in 1509. He was later appointed

Sheriff of Yorkshire The High Sheriff, Sheriff is the oldest secular office under the Crown. Formerly the Sheriff was the principal law enforcement officer in the county but over the centuries most of the responsibilities associated with the post have been transferr ...

in 1522 and became hereditary Sheriff of Westmorland on the death of his father in 1523. As part of King Henry VIII's plans for the defence of the Scottish border, he was created Earl of Cumberland on 18 June 1525 and made Warden of the West Marches and

Governor A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political regions, political region, in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the ...

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 ...

. Replaced by William, Baron Dacre, he was reinstated to the post in 1534 after Dacre was accused of treason. During the

Pilgrimage of Grace The Pilgrimage of Grace was an English Catholic popular revolt beginning in Yorkshire in October 1536 before spreading to other parts of Northern England, including Cumberland, Northumberland, Durham and north Lancashire. The protests occurre ...

he remained loyal to the crown and was besieged in Skipton Castle by the rebels. He was made a

Knight of the Garter The Most Noble Order of the Garter is an order of chivalry founded by Edward III of England in 1348. The most senior order of knighthood in the Orders, decorations, and medals of the United Kingdom, British honours system, it is outranked in ...

by a grateful King Henry VIII in 1537.

Marriages and progeny

He married twice: *Firstly to Margaret Talbot (died before 1516), daughter of George Talbot, 4th Earl of Shrewsbury and Anne Hastings, daughter of

William Hastings, 1st Baron Hastings William Hastings, 1st Baron Hastings (c. 1431 – 13 June 1483) was an English nobleman. A loyal follower of the House of York during the Wars of the Roses, he became a close friend and one of the most important courtiers of King Edward IV, ...

and Katherine Neville. *Secondly he married Margaret Percy, daughter of Henry Percy, 5th Earl of Northumberland and Catherine Spencer, daughter of Sir Robert Spencer of Spencer Combe, Devon. By Margaret Percy he had seven children, including: ** Henry Clifford, 2nd Earl of Cumberland, eldest son and heir, who married Lady Eleanor Brandon, a niece of King Henry VIII. **Catherine Clifford (1513-1598) a notable

recusant Recusancy (from ) was the state of those who remained loyal to the Catholic Church and refused to attend Church of England services after the English Reformation. The 1558 Recusancy Acts passed in the reign of Elizabeth I, and temporarily repea ...

, married John Scrope, 8th Baron Scrope of Bolton, and secondly, in 1553, Sir Richard Cholmondely or Cholmley.

Death and burial

He died in 1542 and was buried in Skipton church, where his monument survives.

References

External links

A listing of the Clifford family
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cumberland, Henry Clifford, 1st Earl Of 1493 births 1542 deaths 16th-century English nobility 1 High sheriffs of Yorkshire High sheriffs of Westmorland Knights of the Garter

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 ...

Barons de Clifford 16th-century English knights