John Bourchier, 2nd Earl Of Bath
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

John Bourchier, 2nd Earl of Bath (1499 in Devon – 10 February 1560/61) was an Earl in the peerage of England. He also succeeded to the titles of 12th
Baron FitzWarin Baron FitzWarin (also written FitzWaryn, FitzWarine, and other spellings) was a title in the Peerage of England created by writ of summons for Fulk V FitzWarin in 1295. His family had been magnates for nearly a century, at least since 1205 whe ...
,
Baron Daubeney Baron is a rank of nobility or title of honour, often hereditary, in various European countries, either current or historical. The female equivalent is baroness. Typically, the title denotes an aristocrat who ranks higher than a lord or knight, ...
and 4th
Count of Eu This is a list of the counts of Eu, Seine-Maritime, Eu, a French county in the Middle Ages (Eu, Seine-Maritime, Eu is in the department of Seine-Maritime, in the extreme north of Normandy), disputed between Kingdom of France, France and Kingdom ...
.


Origins

He was the son of
John Bourchier, 1st Earl of Bath John Bourchier, 1st Earl of Bath (20 July 1470 – 30 April 1539) was created Earl of Bath in 1536. He was the feudal barony of Bampton, feudal baron of Bampton in Devon. Origins Bourchier was born in Essex, England, the eldest son and heir of F ...
and Cecily Daubeney. He was the first cousin of Anne Stanhope ">Anne Seymour, Duchess of Somerset">Anne Stanhope , daughter of the 1st Earl of Bath's sister, Elizabeth Bourchier. Upon her marriage to
Edward Seymour, 1st Duke of Somerset Edward Seymour, 1st Duke of Somerset, 1st Earl of Hertford, 1st Viscount Beauchamp (150022 January 1552) was an English nobleman and politician who served as Lord Protector of England from 1547 to 1549 during the minority of his nephew King E ...
, she became the sister-in-law to Queen
Jane Seymour Jane Seymour (; 24 October 1537) was Queen of England as the third wife of King Henry VIII from their marriage on 30 May 1536 until her death the next year. She became queen following the execution of Henry's second wife, Anne Boleyn, who was ...
and therefore the Aunt of King
Edward VI Edward VI (12 October 1537 – 6 July 1553) was King of England and King of Ireland, Ireland from 28 January 1547 until his death in 1553. He was crowned on 20 February 1547 at the age of nine. The only surviving son of Henry VIII by his thi ...
. After the death of Henry VIII, his widow,
Catherine Parr Catherine Parr ( – 5 September 1548) was Queen of England and Ireland as the last of the six wives of King Henry VIII from their marriage on 12 July 1543 until Henry's death on 28 January 1547. Catherine was the final queen consort o ...
, married
Thomas Seymour, 1st Baron Seymour of Sudeley Thomas Seymour, 1st Baron Seymour of Sudeley, KG, PC (20 March 1549) was a brother of Jane Seymour, the third wife of King Henry VIII. With his brother, Edward Seymour, 1st Duke of Somerset and Lord Protector of England, he vied for control o ...
. This made Anne the sister-in-law to two English queens.


Career

In 1519 he was appointed Sheriff of Somerset and
Sheriff of Dorset The High Sheriff of Dorset is an ancient high sheriff title which has been in existence for over one thousand years. Until 1567 the Sheriff of Somerset was also the Sheriff of Dorset. On 1 April 1974, under the provisions of the Local Governmen ...
and was knighted in 1523. On the death of King Edward VI (1547–1553), he was one of the first to declare Queen Mary his rightful heir. He was invested as a
Privy Counsellor The Privy Council, formally His Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, is a formal body of advisers to the sovereign of the United Kingdom. Its members, known as privy counsellors, are mainly senior politicians who are current or former ...
in 1533, and served as a Commissioner at the coronation of Queen Mary. Bourchier was also a commissioner at the trial of
Lady Jane Grey Lady Jane Grey (1536/1537 – 12 February 1554), also known as Lady Jane Dudley after her marriage, and nicknamed as the "Nine Days Queen", was an English noblewoman who was proclaimed Queen of England and Ireland on 10 July 1553 and reigned ...
. Other offices held by him included:
Lord-Lieutenant A lord-lieutenant ( ) is the British monarch's personal representative in each lieutenancy area of the United Kingdom. Historically, each lieutenant was responsible for organising the county's militia. In 1871, the lieutenant's responsibility o ...
of
Cornwall Cornwall (; or ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is also one of the Celtic nations and the homeland of the Cornish people. The county is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, ...
, Lord-Lieutenant of
Devon Devon ( ; historically also known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel to the north, Somerset and Dorset to the east, the English Channel to the south, and Cornwall to the west ...
, Lord-Lieutenant of
Dorset Dorset ( ; Archaism, archaically: Dorsetshire , ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by Somerset to the north-west, Wiltshire to the north and the north-east, Hampshire to the east, t ...
and Governor of
Beaumaris Castle Beaumaris Castle ( ; , ), in Beaumaris, Anglesey, Wales, was built as part of Edward I of England, Edward I's Conquest of Wales by Edward I of England, campaign to conquer north Wales after 1282. Plans were probably first made to construct t ...
.


Landholdings

In 1539 he was granted by King
Henry VIII Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is known for his Wives of Henry VIII, six marriages and his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. ...
the manors of Hackpen, Sheldon, Bolham and Saint Hill, having already inherited the
feudal barony A feudal baron is a vassal holding a heritable fief called a ''barony'', comprising a specific portion of land, granted by an overlord in return for allegiance and service. Following the end of European feudalism, feudal baronies have largely bee ...
of
Okehampton Okehampton ( ) is a town and civil parishes in England, civil parish in West Devon in the English county of Devon. At the 2021 census, the parish had a population of 7,313, which was slightly more than the 7,104 recorded at the 2011 census. Th ...
from his grandmother, Elizabeth Dynham.


Marriages

John Bourchier married three times: *Firstly to Elizabeth (or Isabel) Hungerford, daughter of Sir Walter Hungerford (died 1516), of Farleigh, younger son of Robert Hungerford, 3rd Baron Hungerford (1428–1464). By Elizabeth he had one daughter: **Elizabeth Bourchier *Secondly (before 25 May 1524) to Eleanor Manners, daughter of
George Manners, 11th Baron de Ros George may refer to: Names * George (given name) * George (surname) People * George (singer), American-Canadian singer George Nozuka, known by the mononym George * George Papagheorghe, also known as Jorge / GEØRGE * George, stage name of Gior ...
by his wife Anne St. Leger. By Eleanor he had children including: **Elizabeth Bourchier b. 1518 d. 2 Oct. 1569 wife of Sir Richard Thomas Chase of Hundrich **John Bourchier, Lord FitzWarin, who predeceased his father. He married his step-sister Frances Kytson (died 1586), the daughter of his father's 3rd wife from her 1st marriage to Sir Thomas Kytson (died 1540) (see below). Her monument with recumbent effigy exists in
Tawstock Tawstock is a village, civil parish and former Manorialism, manor in North Devon in the English county of Devon, England. The parish is surrounded clockwise from the north by the parishes of Barnstaple, Bishop's Tawton, Atherington, Devon, Athe ...
Church and is covered by the earliest six-columned canopy in Devon. His son by Frances Kytson was
William Bourchier, 3rd Earl of Bath William Bourchier, 3rd Earl of Bath (29 Sep 1557 – 12 July 1623) was Lord Lieutenant of Devon. His seat was at Tawstock, Tawstock Court, three miles south of Barnstaple in North Devon, which he rebuilt in the Elizabethan style in 1574, the d ...
. ** George Bourchier, soldier and statesman in Ireland; father of
Henry Bourchier, 5th Earl of Bath Henry Bourchier, 5th Earl of Bath (1587 – 16 August 1654) of Tawstock in Devon, was an English Peerage, peer who held the office of Lord Privy Seal and was a large landowner in Ireland in Limerick and Armagh counties, and in England in Devo ...
**Cecilia Bourchier, who married Thomas Peyton great grandson of Thomas Peyton *Thirdly, on 4 December 1548, to Margaret Donnington (died 1562) daughter and sole heiress of John Donnington (died 1544) of
Stoke Newington Stoke Newington is an area in the northwest part of the London Borough of Hackney, England. The area is northeast of Charing Cross. The Manor of Stoke Newington gave its name to Stoke Newington (parish), Stoke Newington, the ancient parish. S ...
, a member of the
Worshipful Company of Salters The Worshipful Company of Salters is one of the Livery Company, Great Twelve City Livery Companies, ranking 9th in order of precedence. An ancient guild, merchant guild associated with the salt trade, the Salters' Company originated in London ...
, by his wife Elizabeth Pye. Margaret Donnington was the widow successively of Sir
Thomas Kitson Sir Thomas Kitson (1485 – 11 September 1540) was a wealthy English merchant, Sheriff of London, and builder of Hengrave Hall in Suffolk. Family Thomas Kitson was the son of Robert Kitson (or Kytson) of Warton, Lancaster, Warton, Lancashire a ...
(died 1540), the builder of
Hengrave Hall Hengrave Hall is a Grade I listed Tudor era, Tudor manor house in Hengrave near Bury St. Edmunds in Suffolk, England and was the seat of the Kitson and Rokewode-Gage baronets, Gage families 1525–1887. Both families were Roman Catholic recusant ...
in Suffolk, and next of Sir Richard Long (died 1546) of Wiltshire, Great Saxham and
Shingay Shingay is a hamlet and former civil parish, now in the parish of Shingay cum Wendy, in the South Cambridgeshire district, in the county of Cambridgeshire, England around 5 miles north west of Royston. In 1951 the parish had a population of 3 ...
, Cambridgeshire, 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 Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is known for his six marriages and his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. His disagreement w ...
. Margaret Donnington was a strong-minded lady who insisted that at the same time as her marriage to Bourchier, his son and heir should marry her own daughter Frances Kitson. The double marriage took place at Hengrave on 11 December 1548. Thus the 2nd Earl's eldest son from his 2nd marriage to Eleanor Manners, John Bourchier, Lord FitzWarin (who predeceased his father), married his own step-sister, Francesca Kitson, and was by her the father of
William Bourchier, 3rd Earl of Bath William Bourchier, 3rd Earl of Bath (29 Sep 1557 – 12 July 1623) was Lord Lieutenant of Devon. His seat was at Tawstock, Tawstock Court, three miles south of Barnstaple in North Devon, which he rebuilt in the Elizabethan style in 1574, the d ...
. Margaret Donnington and Bourchier made Hengrave their home and Bourchier was buried at Hengrave. Stained glass in the cloister of Hengrave Hall survives memorialising the Bourchier residency, showing ten quarterings of Bourchier (Bourchier, Louvaine, FitzWarin, Audley, Cogan, Hankford, Stapledon, Martin, Dinham, Arches) impaling Donnington (''Argent, three pallets azure on a chief gules three bezants'')


Children and succession

His eldest son by his second marriage John Bourchier, Lord FitzWarin predeceased his father, having married (on 11 December 1548 at
Hengrave Hengrave is a small village and civil parish in the West Suffolk district, in the county of Suffolk, England. It is to the North of the town of Bury St Edmunds along the A1101 road. It is surrounded by the parishes of Flempton, Culford, Fornh ...
) his step-sister Frances Kytson, daughter of Sir Thomas Kytson of
Hengrave Hall Hengrave Hall is a Grade I listed Tudor era, Tudor manor house in Hengrave near Bury St. Edmunds in Suffolk, England and was the seat of the Kitson and Rokewode-Gage baronets, Gage families 1525–1887. Both families were Roman Catholic recusant ...
by Margaret Donnington.Vivian, (ed.), Heralds' Visitation of Devon, 1895, p.107 Their son
William Bourchier, 3rd Earl of Bath William Bourchier, 3rd Earl of Bath (29 Sep 1557 – 12 July 1623) was Lord Lieutenant of Devon. His seat was at Tawstock, Tawstock Court, three miles south of Barnstaple in North Devon, which he rebuilt in the Elizabethan style in 1574, the d ...
(1557–1623), therefore succeeded his grandfather in the earldom, aged under 1 year old. The title became extinct in 1654 on the death of the 5th Earl.


Death and burial

He died on 10 February 1560/61 and was buried on 10 March at
Hengrave Hengrave is a small village and civil parish in the West Suffolk district, in the county of Suffolk, England. It is to the North of the town of Bury St Edmunds along the A1101 road. It is surrounded by the parishes of Flempton, Culford, Fornh ...
, Suffolk.


References

, - {{DEFAULTSORT:Bath, John Bourchier, 2nd Earl Of 1499 births 1561 deaths High sheriffs of Somerset Lord-lieutenants of Cornwall Lord-lieutenants of Devon Lord-lieutenants of Dorset 2
Bourchier Bourchier is an English surname, from French ''Boursier'', keeper of the purse. Bourchier is the Norman pronunciation. The Baron Bourchier, Barons Bourchier, Baron Berners, Barons Berners, Baron FitzWarin, Barons FitzWarin, Earl of Essex, Earls o ...
John, Bath 16th-century English nobility High sheriffs of Dorset