Wriothesley's Chronicle 1541

Wriothesley's Chronicle 1541 is in Wriothesley's Chronicle.

27 May 1541 Execution of Margaret Pole

29 Jun 1541 Execution of Thomas Fiennes

1541 Catherine Howard Trial

1541 Catherine Howard Tyburn Executions

18th March 1541. This yeare, the eightenth daie of March, Mr. William Rotchmeire was presented to the Kinge at Westminster at York Place, and their the Kinge made him knight, and Mr. Martin Bowes, one of the sherives, also.

29th May 1541. The nynetenth and twentieth of March the King and the Queene removed from Westminster to Greenewych by water; and my lorde major and all the aldermen and all the craftes of the cittie, in barges goodlie behanged and sett with banners, taried his Graces coming betwene the Towre and London Bridge the said daie in the afternoune; and at three of the clocke the King came through the bridge and the Queene in one barge, and their the major and craftes receaved their Graces and so rowed to Greenewych; and when they were against the Tower there was shott a great shott of gonnes, and all the shipps to Greenewych shott great shott of gonnes as they passed by, which was a goodlie sight to beholde; and this was the Queenes Graces first coming to London synce the Kinges Grace maried her.

27 May 1541 Execution of Margaret Pole

27th May 1541. This yeare, the seaven-and-twentith daie of Maie, 1541^a, being Fridaie and the morrow after the Assention Daie, my Ladie of Poole (age 67), Countesse of Salisburie^b, and mother to the Lord Montague, late putt to death for treason, was beheaded within the Tower of London upon the Greene called East Smithfid for treason^c against the Kinges Majestie. And the same daie were three persons more drawen from the Tower of London to Tiburne, one called Lee, a gentleman of the north countrey, which was hanged and quartered; and another called Tartarsall, a cloath man of that countrey; and one Thome, a yeoman of the same partes, was hanged and headed; which persons with their affinitie had pretended to have made a new conspiracie or insurrection in the north countrey in Lent last past, and were brought up to London by Sir Richard Gresshame, knight and alderman of London; and tenne persons more of their affinitie were hanged, drawen, and quartered in Yorke for the same treason; and one Sir John Nevill (age 53), knight, was sent from the Tower of London to Yorke to suffer execution their for treason, which was of their councell.

Note a. Nearly two years after the passing of the act of attainder.

Note b. Margaret Plantagenet, the nearest relation to the King in blood, was daughter, and eventually sole heir, of George Duke of Clarence, brother of Edward IV. She was created Countess of Salisbury in her own right, 14th October, 1513.

Note c. For a supposed treasonable correspondence with her sons, Cardinal Reginald Pole and Lord Montacute.

19th June 1541. This yeare, the nynetenth of June, one Chapman and Davenport, tow yeomen of the Kinges Garde, were hanged at Greenewych, by the Friars Gate next the court, for robberies that they had donne in Essex and other places.

10th June 1541. The tenth of June, Sir Edmond Knevett (age 33), knight, of the countie of Norfolke, was arraigned at Greenwych in the Kinges Hall for a blowe that he gave in Lent to Mr. Cleere, of Norfolke, gentleman, within the court, and was condempned to have lost his hande that he strooke with; the Kinges master cooke redie with his knife to have donne the execution, and the Serjeant of the scullerie with his malett, the irons laid in the fire to have sered him, and the Kinges Mr Surgeon with the seering cloth readie; and when the execution should have bene done the Kinge sent Mr. Long^a to stay it till after dynner, and then the officers of the household sate againe, and then the King pardoned him; and proclamation was made their, that whosoever gave any stroke heareafter in the court, or a certaine precinct therunto, should lose his hand without redemption.

Note a. Sir Richard Long, Gentleman of the Privy Chamber.

25th June 1541. The 25th daie of June the Lord Leonard Gray (age 62), brother to the Lord Marques Dorsett departed, was arraigned at Westminstre in the Kinges Bench, and their condempned to death for treason.

27th June 1541. The 27th daie of June Sir Thomas Fines (age 26), knight, Lord Dacres of [the] Sowth, was arraigned at Westminster for [the killing] of a farmer in Kent in hunting, Sir Thomas Awdley (age 53), knight, Lorde of Walden and Chauncelor of Englande, sitting under the cloath of estate as Highe Stuarde of Englande, with the peares of the realme about him, and their that daie condempned to death, and had judgment to be hangede.

28th June 1541. The 28th daie of June, beinge Sainct Peters eaven, the Lord Leenard Gray (age 62) was beheaded at the Towre Hill, and in the afternoune nyne persons, three persons gentlemen, one called Mantell, and one Proudes, and another, was hanged at Saint Thomas Watteringes [Map] for the murther that the said Lord Dacrees was arraigned for.

29 Jun 1541 Execution of Thomas Fiennes

29th June 1541. The 29th daie of June, being Sainct Peeters daie, at 11 of the clocke in the afternoune, the sherives were at the Towre of London to have had the Lord Dacres (age 26) to execution on the gallowes at Towre Hill, and, as the prisonner should have come out of the Tower, the Controwler of my Lord Chauncelors howse, called Mr. Heyre, came and commanded, in the Kinges name, to stay the execution till tow of the clocke in the afternoune, which caused the people to hope that the King would pardon him; nevertheles at three of the clocke in the afternoune the said Lord Dacres was had from the Tower to Tiburne [Map], led betwene the sherives of London on foote till he came to the place of execution, where he was hanged till he was dead, and then ymediatlie he was cutt downe and laid in the cart, and had from thence to Sainct Sepulchers church by Newgate, and their buried.

12th July 1541. The 12th daie of Julie, one of Mr. Gunstons sonnes, which was a Knight of the Rodes, was drawen from the Kinges Bench to Sainct Thomas Wateringes [Map], and their hanged and quartered for treason.

30th July 1541. The 30th of Julie was hanged in Smythfielde one Richard Meekins, an orphan of London, for speaking against the sacrament of the aulter contrarie to a statute made for the same, howbeit he died like a true Christian man, and confessing at his death that he beleeved it to be the verie bodie of Christ, God and man.

Also the same daie one Harvye, a priest of Callis, was hanged, drawen, and quartered in the towen of Callis for treason, which was had thither from the Tower of London the tenth daie of this month at the charges and costes of the Sherives of London.

14th July 1541. The 14th daie of Julie the Kinges Grace sent to the Lord Major of London^a from Anthill, by Philiper, one of his Yeomen of [the] Grarde, a great stagge and tow fatt buckes, to make merie with his brethren the Aldermen; wherfore, the sevententh daie of this month, being Soundaie, my lord major had to dynner with him at his house nynetene aldermen besides himself, which made twentithe, and divers of their wiffes, to eate the venery; and that daie after dinner at his table, sittinge [as host], chose Mr. Rowland Hill (age 43), mercer, and a Comminer, sherive for the Kinge for the next yeare, according to the old custome of this citie.

Note a. Sir William Roche.

1st August 1541. This yeare, the first daie of Awgust, 1541, being the daie for election of the sherive in the Guild Hall, the Commens had elect and chosen for their sherive John Richmonde, armorer, which said John Richmonde, after the election, came upp into the hustinges and declared afore my lord mayor and the Commons that he was not of abilitie and substance^a for the said office, by divers waies excusing himself; the lawes of the cittie being read to him, among which lawes one was, that if any person elect to be sherive, which wold take his oth, with six other honest persons whome my lord mayor wold accept, that all his moveables, as money, plate, wares, dettes, and juells, extended not to the value of a thousand markes sterlinge, that then his or their othes should be accepted, which act, read before the Commons, the said Rychmonde tooke his oth, and called five other persons with him, as Robert Warner, draper, Christopher Paine, bruer, Nicholas Barker, armorer, John Lynsey, armorer, and another of that occupation, which would not take their othes with him; wherfore, after long entreaties maide to him by my lord major and the aldermen, with great offers that they offred him to help him, as Mr Bower, alderman, offred^him to lend him as much money as should beare his half yeares charges, with also all his plate and other necessaries for howse holde; the said person refusing all this of his obstinate mynde, would in no wise take the said office on him, wherfore, my lord major and aldermen, seing his great obstinacie, and knowing by their estimation him to be of a greater substance, able booth for the said office and place for wisdome and substance, commanded him to warde, and called for the water bayliffe to have him to the Counter in Bread Strcete, and so brake up the court that daie. The morowe after my lorde major sent the common cryer to fetch him to dynner to my lorde majors, where my lord major made him great cheere, and exhorted him by divers waies to take the said office on him, and he should lacke no helpe; and when he could not perswade him by no waies to take the said office, then he offred to geve him tow thousand markes for all his substance, besides his landes, and to take the office on him, and would have geaven him a peece of gould for an ernest pcny, in the presence of Mrs. Heme, gentlewoman, one of his wives sisters, and shewed him if they could not find him so much worth that he and the aldermen would make upp the same tow thousand markes among them on their own purses; which for all that would not prevaile, he was so obstinatlie mynded; wherfore he went to ward againe; and his howse was kept by an officer of the majors, and tow other officers of the sherives, from the first daie of Awgust at night, because they should see that his goodes should not be conveyed out of the cittie; and the nynth daie of August, the said John Hichmond was sent for to the Guild Hall, at a court holden their of my lord major and aldermen with Mr. Recorder,^b and their gcntlie exhorted him to take the office on him, but it prevayled not; wherfore they sett him to his fine, and that was, that he should pay thre hundred markes for a fine to the use of the cittie, and bound him by recognisance to pay the said some of thre hundred markes the 11 th daie of Awguste, by eight of the clocke in the morning, to the Chamberlaine of London, and so disitharged him out of prison; and the said 11th daie, according to his bande at the said howre, he brought tow hundreth markes in money to the said chamberlaine, and so was discharged for this time; and the twelfeth daie of August the Commons were assembled to a Common Counsell and a new election, and at the Common Counsell they assented to his fine; and at the election they chose for sheriffe Mr. Henrie Sackley, marchant taylor, for the said Richmond, by all their assentes, which tooke it on him.

Note a. Richmond's almshonsc in the City was erected by the Company of Armonrers, pursuant to the will of this John Richmond, in the year 1559.

Note b. Sir Roger Cholmeley.

Become a Member via our 'Buy Me a Coffee' page to read complete text.

[August 1541]. This yeare Mr. Longe^a of the Kinges Pryvie Chamber and the Citizens of London varied for the bayliwicke of Sothwarke contrarie to the Charter of London.

Also Mr. Godsale,^b one of the clarkes of the signett, by a patent that he had gotten of the Kinge for the metershippe of cloth of gould, velvett, silkes, and lynnen cloath, brought an injunction from the King to the Major and Aldermen of London, and served the major withall in the Counsell Chamber in the Guild Hall, at a court of aldermen, on paine of tow thousand markes everie of them, that they should suffer the said Godsale to exercise the said rome of mettershipp and no other but under him, which was against the Charter of London, for the major had the gift alwaies.

Note a. Sir Richard Long, Gentleman of the Privy Chamber.

Note b. John GodBalre.

[August 1541]. Also the Admirall varied with the water-bayliffe of London in his office concerning the Thames, contrarie also to the Charter of London.

[August 1541]. This yeare, at the Kinges going his progresse, he graunted to the citizins of London three churches of Friers in London, the White, the Black, and the Gray.

All About History Books

The Chronicle of Geoffrey le Baker of Swinbroke. Baker was a secular clerk from Swinbroke, now Swinbrook, an Oxfordshire village two miles east of Burford. His Chronicle describes the events of the period 1303-1356: Gaveston, Bannockburn, Boroughbridge, the murder of King Edward II, the Scottish Wars, Sluys, Crécy, the Black Death, Winchelsea and Poitiers. To quote Herbert Bruce 'it possesses a vigorous and characteristic style, and its value for particular events between 1303 and 1356 has been recognised by its editor and by subsequent writers'. The book provides remarkable detail about the events it describes. Baker's text has been augmented with hundreds of notes, including extracts from other contemporary chronicles, such as the Annales Londonienses, Annales Paulini, Murimuth, Lanercost, Avesbury, Guisborough and Froissart to enrich the reader's understanding. The translation takes as its source the 'Chronicon Galfridi le Baker de Swynebroke' published in 1889, edited by Edward Maunde Thompson. Available at Amazon in eBook and Paperback.

[August 1541]. Also the Einge gave the church of Sainct Thomas Acrees, otherwise called Thomas Beckettes, to the Mercerie,^a by the great labor and meanes of Sir Richard Gresshame (age 56), and they sett open the church dores on Michaelmas even, and so had dailie masse therin.

Note a. The Mercers' Company. By the designation mercer has been generally understood in modem times a dealer in silk, but that is really an abbreriation of the more distinctiye description of silk-mercer. The term mercer is clearly derived from meroes, the plural of the classic word merx, and, in its earlier and more correct sense, signified a general trader or dealer. Hence the Mercers* Company has always taken the precedence of the other City Companies, and may with probability be regarded as the most ancient of all.

13th October 1541. This yeare, on St. Edwardes daie after dynner, one George Robinson, mercer, being one of the Wardens of the Mercers, as he was talking with the major elect in the old majors^a house, sodenlie fell downe, and was taken all his left side, firom the topp of his heade to the soule of his foote, so that he cold not speake perfectlie nor stirre, and was washed with vineger and aqua-vitas, and had to bed in the said majors howse, and laie their that night, and the next daie he was caried to his owne howse in a chaire, and died the third daie after.

Note a. Sir William Roche.

16th October 1541. This yeare, the sixtenth daie of October, tow priestes wente a procession afore the crosse in Poules, and stoode all the sermon with tapers and white roddes in their handes; the cause was they maried one Mr. Heringes sonne, a proctor in the Arches, to a yong gentlewoman in a chamber without licence or asking. The said gentlewoman was maried before to another, but he had neaver layne with her; but, by camall knowledge of this man, her first husband lost her, as by a statute^a latelie made for the same more plainelie appeareth; and this matter was ezamyned in the Starre Chamber in Westminstre before the Kinges Counsell, and by theim the said preistes were enjoyned penance.

Note a. 32 Henry VIII. cap. 38.

Henrici VIII. Anno 33.

Catherine Howard Trial

13th November 1541. This yeare, the 13th daye of November, Sir Thomas Wriothesly, knight, and Secretary to the Kinge, came to Hampton Court to the Quene, and called all the ladies and gentlewomen and her servauntes into the Great Chamber, and there openlye afore them declared certeine offences that she had done in misusing her bodye with certeine persons afore the Kinges tyme, wherefore he there discharged all her househould; and the morrowe after she was had to Sion, and my Lady Bainton and 2 other gentlewomen, with certeine of her servauntes to wayte on her there till the Kinges further pleasure;^a and divers persons were had to the Tower of London, as my Lady Rochford (age 36), Mr. Culpepper (age 27), one of the Kinges Privie Chamber, with other.

Note a. A letter from the Council to Archbishop Cranmer, signifjing the King's pleasure as to the remove of Qneen Katharine Howard, and the discharge of her household, is printed in State Papers, Heniy VIII. rol. i. part ii. pp. 691-8.

1st December 1541. This yeare, the fyrst daye of December, was arrigned at the Guyld Hall in London Thomas Culpepper (age 27),^a one of the Gentlemen of the Kinges Pryvie Chamber, and Frauncis Dorand (age 28), gentleman, for high treason against the Kinges Majestic in mysdemeanor with the Quene,^b as appeered by thejrr inditements which they confessed,^c and had their judgments to be drawne, hanged, and quartered, the Lord Mayor sitting there as cheife, the Lord Chauncellor (age 53) on his right hand, and the Duke of Norfolke (age 68) on his left hand, the Duke of Suffolke (age 57), the Lord Privye Scale, the Earles of Sussex (age 58), of Hertford (age 41), and divers other of the Kinges Counsell, with all the judges, sittinge there also in commission the same daye.

Note a. It was alleged against Thomas Culpepper, who was a relative of the Queen, that he had on one occasion, when the Court was it Lincoln, stayed for three hours in the same room with the Queen and Lady Rochford.

Note b. Archbishop Cranmer declared to the King, on his return from his progress in the North, that he had evidence that the Queen before her marriage had been seduced by Francis Dereham, to whom she had been engaged to be married.

Note c. Francis Dereham is generally said to have confessed that he had been guilty of incontinence with the Qneen before her marriage, but, from the best evidence we possess, it seems doubtful whether Dereham confessed anything of the kind. — See State Papers, Uenry VIII. vol. i.

Catherine Howard Tyburn Executions

10th December 1541. And the tenth day of December the said Culpeper (age 27) and Dorand (age 28) were drawne from the Tower of London to Tybume [Map], and there Culpeper, after exhortation made to the people to pray for him, he standinge on the ground by the gallowes, kneled downe and had his head stiyken of; and then Dorand was hanged, membred, bowelld, headed, and quartered. Culpepers body buryed at St. Pulchers Church by Newegate, theyr heades sett on London Bridge.

18th December 1541. This yeare the 18th of December, beinge Sonday, Alexander Seton, a Skott borne, and chaplaine to the Duke of Suffolke (age 57), and the parson of St. Antlins, for sedicious preachinge that they had sowed amonge the people in their sermons against firee will and good workes, by injunction of the Bishop of London, did after the beedes [prayers] of the preacher, which was Mr. Rudde, chauntry priest of Barkinge, read the submission of their erronious opinions, submittinge them whollye to the Catholicke lawes of the Church from the bottom of theyre hartes, and never more to preach or teache any erronious opinions duringe theyr lives.

21st December 1541. This yeare, the 21 of December, a shoemakers wyfe, of St. Martins parishe besyde St Anthonies, rode about the cytye with a paper on her head which fayned herselfe to labour with childe, and had flaine a catte and conveyd yt privilye on her bodye, and say yt was hir chylde, which catt was hanged on her bodie before her brest as she roade, and 2 quicke cattes also.

22nd December 1541. The 22 of December we[re] arraigned in the Kinges Bench at Westminster, Lady Margaret (age 26), wyfe to the Lorde William Hawarde (age 31), brother to the Duke of Norfolke (age 68), Katharine Tylney, gentlewoman, Alice Restwold, gent., Anne Haward, wyfe of Henry Haward, squire, and brother to the late Quene, Malin Tylney, wydowe, Margret Bennet, wyfe of John Bennet, gent., Edwarde Wallgrave, gent., William Ashley, gent., all which persons were condempned in messprisonment of treason,^a and had judgement to loase thejr goodes and thejr bodjes to perpetuall imprisonment; and at afternone the Lord William Haward, brother to the Duke of Norfolke, and Damparte,^b gentleman, were allso arraigned and had lyke judgment.

Note a. Because thej knew the Queen's yicioos coorse of life before her numriage and had concealed it.

Note b. Robert Damport, a retainer of the old Duchess of Norfolk.

24th December 1541. Memorandum: On Christmas even, at 7 of the clocke at night, was a great fyre at Esinge Spittle, in Sir John Williams house. Master of the Kinges juelles, and did muche hurte, and divers juells and goodes of the Kinges, and allso of his, were embesylled and conyajed awaye at the sayd fyre.