Biography of John Neville of Chevet 1488-1541

Hall's Chronicle. 17 May 1541. In the beginning of this yere, five priests in Yorkshire began a new rebellion, with the assent of one Leigh a gentleman, and nine temporal men, which were apprehended, and shortly after in diverse places put in execution, in so much that on the seventeenth day of May, the said Leigh and one Tattersall, and Thornton, were drawn through London to Tyburn [Map], and there were executed. And Sir John Neville (age 53) knight was executed for the same at York.

Wriothesley's Chronicle. 27 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.

On 15 Jun 1541 John Neville of Chevet (age 53) was executed for having failed to report a conspiracy.

Letters and Papers Foreign and Domestic Henry VIII 1541. That afternoon [Chapus appears here to have the wrong day; other sources say 29 Jun 1541 i.e. St Peter's Day] two gentlemen were hung [A reference to two of John Mantell, John Frowds, George Roidon, Thomas Isleie, and two yeomen Richard Middleton and John Goldwell], one of whom had an income of over 12,000 ducats a year, and was the handsomest and best bred man in England, only 25 years old and married to a niece of the Duke of Norfolk (age 68). He was sentenced for having belonged to a set of eight rakish youths, one of whom had killed a poor old man in an unpremeditated fray. For the same cause lord Dacres (age 26) also, son¹ of the Duke of Norfolk's sister, and cousin of this Queen (age 18), 23 years old and possessing a property of about 5,000 ducats a year, was hung from the most ignominious gibbet, and for greater shame dragged through the streets to the place of execution, to the great pity of many people, and even of his very judges, who wept when they sentenced him, and in a body asked his pardon of the King. But the thing which astonished people most was, that, the same day lord Dacres was hung, another young man (age 28), son of the Treasurer of the Royal household (age 56), who was one of those present at the old man's death, was freely pardoned, though he had been already tried for some like misdemeanour.

At the same time in the North, Sir John Neville (deceased) and about 60 more, among whom at least 25 were ecclesiastics, were executed for the conspiracy of which Chapuys wrote some time ago. Has just heard of the arrival of a Polish gentleman with eight or ten servants. Will endeavour to discover who he is and what he comes for. London, 2 July 1541. Original at Vienna.

Note 1. Thomas Fiennes 9th Baron Dacre Gilsland, Lord Dacre, was the grandson of Anne Bourchier Baroness Dacre of Gilsland who was the maternal half-sister of Thomas Howard 3rd Duke of Norfolk; Anne and Thomas' mother was Elizabeth Tilney Countess of Surrey.