Nicholas Arnold (1507–1580)
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Sir Nicholas Arnold (1507–1580) was an English courtier and politician, who held office as lord justice of Ireland.


Life

Nicholas Arnold was born at Churcham in
Gloucestershire Gloucestershire ( , ; abbreviated Glos.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by Herefordshire to the north-west, Worcestershire to the north, Warwickshire to the north-east, Oxfordshire ...
, the eldest surviving son of John Arnold and his wife Isabel Hawkins. His father was lord of the manors of Highnam and Over in Gloucestershire. In 1526, he entered the service of
Thomas Cromwell Thomas Cromwell (; – 28 July 1540) was an English statesman and lawyer who served as List of English chief ministers, chief minister to King Henry VIII from 1534 to 1540, when he was beheaded on orders of the king, who later blamed false cha ...
, where he assisted Cromwell in the Dissolution of the Monasteries. By 1526, he was a
gentleman pensioner His Majesty's Body Guard of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen at Arms is a bodyguard to the British Monarch. Until 17 March 1834, they were known as The Honourable Band of Gentlemen Pensioners. Formation The corps was formed as the Troop of Gen ...
of
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. ...
, and in 1538 he became one of the King's Bodyguard.


Soldier and politician

In 1546, he was sent to take charge of the English fort of Boulogneberg near
Boulogne Boulogne-sur-Mer (; ; ; or ''Bononia''), often called just Boulogne (, ), is a coastal city in Hauts-de-France, Northern France. It is a Subprefectures in France, sub-prefecture of the Departments of France, department of Pas-de-Calais. Boul ...
in France. In May 1549 the fort was attacked by the French but they were completely defeated; Arnold himself was wounded in the attack. After a second attack the following August, Arnold realised defence was hopeless and, dismantling the fort, withdrew to Boulogne. He was knighted during the reign of
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 ...
and spent time travelling in Italy. He was the Member of Parliament for
Gloucestershire Gloucestershire ( , ; abbreviated Glos.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by Herefordshire to the north-west, Worcestershire to the north, Warwickshire to the north-east, Oxfordshire ...
in 1545–47, 1553 and 1555. He was later MP for
Gloucester Gloucester ( ) is a cathedral city, non-metropolitan district and the county town of Gloucestershire in the South West England, South West of England. Gloucester lies on the River Severn, between the Cotswolds to the east and the Forest of Dean ...
in the Parliaments of 1559 and 1563 to 1567 and in 1571 MP for
Cricklade Cricklade is a town and civil parish on the River Thames in north Wiltshire, England, midway between Swindon and Cirencester. It is the first downstream town on the Thames. The parish population at the 2011 census was 4,227. History Cricklade ...
. From 1558 to 1580, he was also the Custos Rotulorum of Gloucestershire, and, in 1558 and 1559, the
High Sheriff of Gloucestershire This is a list of Sheriffs and High Sheriffs of Gloucestershire, who should not be confused with the Sheriffs of the City of Gloucester. The High Sheriff is the oldest secular office under the Crown (in England and Wales the office previously kn ...
. He was appointed one of the
Council of the Marches The Council of Wales and the Marches () or the Council of the Marches, officially the Court of the Council in the Dominion and Principality of Wales, and the Marches of the same was a regional administrative body founded in Shrewsbury. ...
of Wales in June 1574.


Lord justice of Ireland

He was Lord Justice, 1564–65. He had already seen service in
Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...
as member of a commission of inquiry into the conduct of the previous viceroy,
Thomas Radcliffe, 3rd Earl of Sussex Thomas Radclyffe (or Ratclyffe), 3rd Earl of Sussex Knight of the Garter, KG (c. 15259 June 1583), was Lord Deputy of Ireland during the Tudor dynasty, Tudor period of English history, and a leading courtier during the reign of Elizabeth I. ...
, which dragged on for two years but ended inconclusively. Arnold was appointed lord justice on 24 May 1564. Arnold concentrated on the defence of the Pale. He did not prevent the feud between the Desmonds and the Ormonds that led to the Battle of Affane early in 1565. As Lord Justice, he was regarded as a failure, being described as "quarrelsome, arbitrary and credulous", and within a year he was replaced by Sir
Henry Sidney Sir Henry Sidney (20 July 1529 – 5 May 1586) was an English soldier, politician and Lord Deputy of Ireland. Background He was the eldest son of Sir William Sidney of Penshurst (1482 – 11 February 1553) and Anne Pakenham (1511 – 22 Oc ...
. The most serious charge against him was that he had done nothing to curb the growing power of Shane O'Neill, Prince of
Ulster Ulster (; or ; or ''Ulster'') is one of the four traditional or historic provinces of Ireland, Irish provinces. It is made up of nine Counties of Ireland, counties: six of these constitute Northern Ireland (a part of the United Kingdom); t ...
, thus making inevitable the clash between O'Neill and the Crown which broke out after his departure. He unwisely quarrelled with the youthful, but increasingly powerful, Adam Loftus, then
Archbishop of Armagh The Archbishop of Armagh is an Episcopal polity, archiepiscopal title which takes its name from the Episcopal see, see city of Armagh in Northern Ireland. Since the Reformation in Ireland, Reformation, there have been parallel apostolic success ...
, and shortly to be
Archbishop of Dublin The Archbishop of Dublin () is an Episcopal polity, archiepiscopal title which takes its name from Dublin, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Since the Reformation in Ireland, Reformation, there have been parallel apostolic successions to the title: ...
; and the favour he showed towards
Gerald FitzGerald, 11th Earl of Kildare Gerald FitzGerald, 11th Earl of Kildare (1525 – 16 November 1585), also known as the "Wizard Earl" (a sobriquet also given to Henry Percy), was an Irish peer. He was the son of Gerald FitzGerald, 9th Earl of Kildare and his second wife Eli ...
aroused resentment among the other members of the
Anglo-Irish Anglo-Irish people () denotes an ethnic, social and religious grouping who are mostly the descendants and successors of the English Protestant Ascendancy in Ireland. They mostly belong to the Anglican Church of Ireland, which was the State rel ...
nobility. On his return, a vengeful Earl of Sussex brought articles of
impeachment Impeachment is a process by which a legislative body or other legally constituted tribunal initiates charges against a public official for misconduct. It may be understood as a unique process involving both political and legal elements. In Eur ...
against him, but these were ignored; in later years his interest in politics was mainly local. From 1572 he again served until his death as MP for Gloucestershire. He died in 1580, and was buried at Churcham.


Character and religion

He was an exceptionally devout
Protestant Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...
and, although he outwardly welcomed the accession of the Catholic Queen Mary, was suspected of involvement with
Wyatt's Rebellion Wyatt's Rebellion was a limited and unsuccessful uprising in England in early 1554 led by four men, one of whom was Sir Thomas Wyatt. It was given its name by the lawyer at Wyatt's arraignment, who stated for the record that "this shall be eve ...
. He was twice committed to 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 ...
, but nothing could be proved against him, and for the last two years of Mary's reign he was allowed to live on his estates. The
informer An informant (also called an informer or, as a slang term, a "snitch", "rat", "canary", "stool pigeon", "stoolie", "tout" or "grass", among other terms) is a person who provides privileged information, or (usually damaging) information inten ...
William Thomas claimed that he had discussed Mary's assassination with Arnold, but at Wyatt's trial the Crown accepted that the conspirators has aimed only at preventing the Queen's marriage to
Philip II of Spain Philip II (21 May 152713 September 1598), sometimes known in Spain as Philip the Prudent (), was King of Spain from 1556, King of Portugal from 1580, and King of Naples and List of Sicilian monarchs, Sicily from 1554 until his death in 1598. He ...
, and had not planned to kill her. In personality he was described as a "hard, iron, pitiless man", but resolute and hard-working. Most of his leisure time was dedicated to
horse breeding Horse breeding is reproduction in horses, and particularly the human-directed process of selective breeding of animals, particularly purebred horses of a given Horse breed, breed. Planned matings can be used to produce specifically desired chara ...
, and he was credited with doing much to improve English bloodstock.


Marriages

He married twice: *Firstly, Margaret Denys, daughter of Sir
William Denys Sir William Denys (c. 1470–1533) of Dyrham, Gloucestershire, was a courtier of King Henry VIII and High Sheriff of Gloucestershire in 1518 and 1526. The surname is sometimes transcribed as Dennis. Origins He was the eldest son and heir of Si ...
(1470–1533) of
Dyrham Dyrham is a village and parish in South Gloucestershire, England. Location and communications Dyrham is at lat. 51° 29' north, long. 2° 22' west (). It lies at an altitude of 100 metres above sea level. It is near the A46 trunk road, abo ...
, Gloucestershire. *Secondly, Margaret Isham, daughter and co-heir of John Isham of Bryanstown and widow of Nicholas Hore of Harpersdown,
Wexford Wexford ( ; archaic Yola dialect, Yola: ''Weiseforthe'') is the county town of County Wexford, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Wexford lies on the south side of Wexford Harbour, the estuary of the River Slaney near the southeastern corner of the ...
. He had two sons and a daughter by his first marriage and one son by his second. His granddaughter Dorothy, daughter of his eldest son Rowland, was the first wife of Thomas Lucy, son of the courtier Sir
Thomas Lucy Sir Thomas Lucy (24 April 15327 July 1600) was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons in 1571 and 1585. He was a magistrate in Warwickshire, but is best known for his links to William Shakespeare. As a Protestant activist, he cam ...
, famous for his clashes with the young
William Shakespeare 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 ...
.


Notes, citations, and sources


Notes


Citations


Sources

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Arnold, Nicholas 1507 births 1580 deaths 16th-century Anglo-Irish people 16th-century English knights English MPs 1559 English MPs 1563–1567 English MPs 1571 English MPs 1572–1583 High sheriffs of Gloucestershire Members of the Parliament of England (pre-1707) for Cricklade Members of the Parliament of England (pre-1707) for Gloucester People associated with the Dissolution of the Monasteries People from Forest of Dean District