Sir Henry Neville (c. 1520 – 13 January 1593) of

Billingbear House Billingbear House was situated in the parish of Waltham St. Lawrence in Berkshire, England, about six miles from Windsor. Originally owned by the Bishop of Winchester, the land was given to Sir Henry Neville (father of politician and diplomat, ...

, Berkshire, was a

Gentleman of the Privy Chamber A privy chamber was the private apartment of a royal residence in England. The Gentlemen of the Privy Chamber were noble-born servants to the Crown who would wait and attend on the King in private, as well as during various court activities, f ...

to King Henry VIII.

Family background

Sir Henry Neville's father was Sir

Edward Neville Sir Edward Neville (died 8 December 1538) was an English courtier. He was born at Abergavenny, Monmouthshire. He was the son of George Neville, 4th Baron Bergavenny and his wife Margaret, daughter of Hugh Fenn. He married Eleanor Windsor, daugh ...

(died 1538), of Addington Park in

Kent Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...

, who married Eleanor, daughter of

Andrew Windsor, 1st Baron Windsor Andrew Windsor, 1st Baron Windsor (Wyndsore, Wyndesor) KB (1467–1543), was a Member of Parliament, English peer, and Keeper of the Wardrobe, knight banneret and military commander. Name In manuscript and printed sources dated before 1650 hi ...

, and Elizabeth, sister of

Edward Blount, 2nd Baron Mountjoy Edward Blount, 2nd Baron Mountjoy (1464 – 12 October 1475) was an English peer. Edward Blount was born in 1464 in London, the second son of Sir William Blount (c. 1442–1471) and Margaret de Echyngham. He inherited his title on the death o ...

. His father was the younger brother of

George Neville, 5th Baron Bergavenny George Nevill, 5th Baron Bergavenny KG, PC (c.1469 – 1535), the family name often written Neville, was an English nobleman and courtier who held the office of Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports. Origins He was the son of George Nevill, 4th B ...

and older brother to Sir Thomas Nevill, Speaker of the House of Commons. As Manning said, the Neville surname "stands proudly forth as a pedigree in itself, and is associated with all that is noble in blood, distinguished in chivalry, eminent in counsel, and celebrated in the historic annals of Britain."

Career

Sir Henry Neville secured a post in the Privy Chamber despite the fact that his father was allegedly involved in the Courtenay conspiracy, and moreover, executed in 1538 by order of King Henry VIII, charged with "devising to maintain, promote, and advance one

Reginald Pole Reginald Pole (12 March 1500 – 17 November 1558) was an English cardinal of the Catholic Church and the last Catholic archbishop of Canterbury, holding the office from 1556 to 1558, during the Counter-Reformation. Early life Pole was bor ...

, late Dean of Exeter, enemy of the King, beyond the sea, and to deprive the King". (Reginald Pole was a Catholic exile and a second cousin once removed of Neville). In March 1542, Neville attended Charles de Marillac the French ambassador; however, he apparently was not destined to have a career in diplomatic service, for, by 1546, he is found serving as a groom of the privy chamber. He was made

Groom of the Privy Chamber Groom of the Chamber was a position in the Household of the monarch in early modern England. Other ''Ancien Régime'' royal establishments in Europe had comparable officers, often with similar titles. In France, the Duchy of Burgundy, and in Eng ...

in 1546, Gentleman of the privy chamber in 1550, was

knight A knight is a person granted an honorary title of 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. Knighthood finds origins in the Gr ...

ed on 11 October 1551 and appointed

High Sheriff of Berkshire The High Sheriff of Berkshire, in common with other counties, was originally the King's representative on taxation upholding the law in Saxon times. The word Sheriff evolved from 'shire-reeve'. The title of High Sheriff is therefore much older ...

for 1572. He was elected to Parliament as

Knight of the shire Knight of the shire ( la, milites comitatus) was the formal title for a member of parliament (MP) representing a county constituency in the British House of Commons, from its origins in the medieval Parliament of England until the Redistributio ...

for Berkshire five times, from 1553 to 1584. Neville was Henry VIII's godson and apparently was in good favour with the king, to the extent that he was included as one of the grooms who witnessed his will, of which he was afforded a legacy. In 1551, he testified at the trial of

Stephen Gardiner Stephen Gardiner (27 July 1483 – 12 November 1555) was an English Catholic bishop and politician during the English Reformation period who served as Lord Chancellor during the reign of Queen Mary I and King Philip. Early life Gardiner was ...

, and revealed the strong detestation Henry VIII had for the bishop. Neville was closely aligned with

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

and Sir Henry Sidney, the former of whom promoted him to Gentleman of the Privy chamber during the reign of Edward VI. As with many Protestants, Neville left the country upon

Mary I Mary I (18 February 1516 – 17 November 1558), also known as Mary Tudor, and as "Bloody Mary" by her Protestant opponents, was Queen of England and Ireland from July 1553 and Queen of Spain from January 1556 until her death in 1558. She ...

's accession, however, he returned under

Elizabeth I Elizabeth I (7 September 153324 March 1603) was List of English monarchs, Queen of England and List of Irish monarchs, Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death in 1603. Elizabeth was the last of the five House of Tudor monarchs and is ...

, and continued his career holding various posts in Berkshire, where he lived at

, until his death on 13 January 1593. Sir Henry Neville was buried in the

parish church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in community activities, ...

at Waltham St Lawrence in Berkshire, where there is a monument depicting Sir Henry, his second wife, Elizabeth Gresham, her mother, Frances Gresham, and Sir Henry and his second wife's daughter, Elizabeth Gresham.

Marriages and issue

Henry Neville married firstly, between 1551 and 1555, Winifred Losse (d. in or before 1561), daughter of a property speculator, Hugh Losse (d.1555) of Whitchurch, London, by whom he had no issue. Neville married secondly, by 1561, Elizabeth Gresham (d. 6 or 7 November 1573),. granddaughter of

Sir Richard Gresham Sir Richard Gresham (c. 1485 – 21 February 1549) was an English mercer, Merchant Adventurer, Lord Mayor of London, and Member of Parliament. He was the father of Sir Thomas Gresham. Biography The Gresham family had been settled in the Norf ...

Lord Mayor of London The Lord Mayor of London is the mayor of the City of London and the leader of the City of London Corporation. Within the City, the Lord Mayor is accorded precedence over all individuals except the sovereign and retains various traditional pow ...

, and only daughter and heir of the latter's elder son, John Gresham (d.1560), by Frances Thwaytes, the daughter and coheir of Sir Henry Thwaytes of Lund, Yorkshire.. In the will of their grandmother, Frances (née Thwaytes) Gresham, dated 20 October 1580 and proved 9 November 1580. Neville's children by his second marriage are named:

Henry Henry may refer to: People *Henry (given name) * Henry (surname) * Henry Lau, Canadian singer and musician who performs under the mononym Henry Royalty * Portuguese royalty ** King-Cardinal Henry, King of Portugal ** Henry, Count of Portugal, ...

, Edward, Francis, William, and Katherine. Katherine married Edmund Doyley of Shottisham, Norfolk. Neville married thirdly, about May 1578, Elizabeth Bacon (c.1541 – 3 May 1621), widow of Sir Robert Doyley (d. between 21 and 29 July 1577) of Chislehampton, Oxfordshire, and Greenlands in

Hambleden Hambleden is a small village and civil parish in south-west Buckinghamshire, England. The village is around west of Marlow, and around north-east of Henley-on-Thames in Oxfordshire. The civil parish also includes the villages of Fingest and ...

, Buckinghamshire. Elizabeth Bacon was the eldest daughter of Queen Elizabeth's

Lord Keeper of the Great Seal The Lord Keeper of the Great Seal of England, and later of Great Britain, was formerly an officer of the English Crown charged with physical custody of the Great Seal of England. This position evolved into that of one of the Great Officers of S ...

, Sir Nicholas Bacon (1510–1579), by his first wife, Jane Ferneley (d.1552), the daughter of William Ferneley of Suffolk. After Neville's death, his widow, Elizabeth, married, before the end of September 1595, Sir William Peryam (d. 9 October 1604). She made her last will on 12 November 1618, and died on 3 May 1621. There is a monument to her in the church of St Mary's, Henley-on-Thames.

Notes

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