to fare. From St. James's, the 30th of April, 1556. Your good Lordship's assured loving friends, NICO. EBOR, Canc.* HENRY SUSSEX. + WILLIAM PETRES. WILLIAM WINCHESTER. PEMBROKE. Jo. BOURNE. JOHN MORDAUNT. ‡ ARUNDEL. THOMAS ELY. S To our very good Lord, the Earl of Shrewsbury, *Nicholas Heath, Archbishop of York; a rigid Catholic, but a person distinguished by the mildness and humanity of his conduct. He was born in London, and bred at Cambridge, where he took the degree of Doctor in Divinity. We find him the King's Almoner in 1539, in which year he was consecrated Bishop of Llandaff, whence he was translated successively to Rochester and Worcester, and was deprived of the latter under Edward VI. for refusing to take the oath of supremacy. Mary restored him to his Bishoprick; made him Lord President of Wales; and, in 1555, Archbishop of York; to which see, the revenues of which had been grievously diminished by the negligence or servility of some of his predecessors, he retrieved many of its estates. He was appointed Lord Chancellor upon the death of Gardiner, and held that high office till the conclusion of this reign; when, having most readily proposed Elizabeth to the Parliament as successor to the Throne, he voluntarily resigned the seals, and, submitting to the sentence of deprivation with the utmost patience, retired to his manor of Cobham in Surrey," where," says Camden, "the Queen, with whom he was in great grace, visited him many times with marvellous kindness." He died in 1566. Henry Ratcliffe, Earl of Sussex, Viscount and Baron Fitzwalter, &c., and Knight of the Garter and Bath; eldest son of Robert, the first Earl of the family, by Elizabeth, daughter of Henry Stafford, Duke of Buckingham. He was bred to the profession of arms, and commanded 1600 demi-lances in the expedition into Scotland in the first of Edward VI. where he gained some credit. After that Prince's death, he supported Mary's title with great zeal, and was appointed by her Commander in Chief of the No. XXI. (Talbot Papers, Vol. C. fol. 249.) LORD WHARTON TO THE EARL OF SHREWSBURY. Right honourable, and my singular good Lord, WITH my due commendation, it may please your Lordship to understand that this 14th has been with me at Alnwick the Justices of the Peace of the county of Northumberland, and we have ordered the watch of beacons for the sea, according to the King and Queen's Majesty's letters addressed unto us from your Lordship. The Scots made end of their Parliament, the 9th. The Dowager, in her own person, gave thanks to all their body of the Parliament, and temporary army raised in the beginning of her reign, and Justice of the Forests south of Trent. She likewise dignified him, by a patent under the Great Seal, with the privilege of wearing his hat in her presence; employed him in some embassies of no great moment; and entrusted him with the direction of the numerous spies and informers who were distributed in his counties for the purpose of detecting the Protestants, his activity in executing which charge hath left a stain on his character. He died, if we may credit the inscription on an engraved portrait of him, July 5, 1556, but, according to Dugdale, Feb. 17, 1556-7; and was buried in the church of St. Laurence Poultney, but afterwards removed to the family vault, at Boreham in Essex; leaving nothing very memorable in his history, except the honour of having been father to that ornament of nobility, Thomas, his successor, the eldest of his three sons by his first wife, Elizabeth, daughter of Duke of Norfolk. By his second, Anne, daughter of Sir Philip Calthorpe, from whom he was divorced, he had Egremond, who was put to death at Namur, for conspiring to assassinate Don John of Austria; and Frances, married to Sir Thomas Mildmay, whose descendants derived the Barony of Fitzwalter from that match. Sir John Mordaunt, K.B., son and heir of John, first Lord Mordaunt of Turvey, from whom the Earl of Peterborough is descended. He died about 1572. § Thomas Thirleby. See foregoing papers. commended their considerations for the surety of their realm, which she did perceive they together minded; and that which she had moved was rather of herself than of the French; and, understanding their wise opinions, did commend them; and upon Wednesday, before their breaking up, she, in a fair manner, though not well pleased, departed. Upon Thursday, the 12th, my deputies met the Earl Bothwell, at Ridingbourn; and albeit the Queen sent from her Car, the Lord of Cefforth, and others, gentlemen, to furnish their power, yet such was used as my deputies was of more power than the Scots that day; and with some ceremonies met, and, after strong talk in the beginning, appointed their syzars,* and proceeded to their former premises. I gave my deputies certain instructions, signed with my hand, for their order that day, which they shewed to the Scots, whereupon they continued together two days, until they had filed for the subjects of another realm twenty-one attemptats. The deputies appointed to meet at the same place, and to make deliverance the Thursday in Whitsun week next, and to continue till the said twenty-one attemptats are delivered for on either side. We have of the greatest attemptats against us filed. It was then appointed and agreed, upon mine instructions, that a day of march should also be kept at Heppethgaythed the second of June. Or Assizers—Jurors. + From attentat, Fr. an outrageous assault-an encroachment. The term seems to have been peculiar to the Marches, and denoted the predatory attacks so frequently made by the borderers at that time. I have presently received letters from the Lord Hume, tending to the good execution of the treaty within his Wardenry; and upon Monday, the 18th, my deputies are appointed to meet him, or his deputies, at Coldstream. Now they begin to countenance again the manner of peace, otherwise than they have done these two months, notwithstanding their late brags and doings, wherein they have been somewhat met withal. And Almighty God send unto your Lordship most long and honourable life. At the King and Queen's Majesty's castle of Alnwick, the 13th of May, 1556. Your Lordship's at commandment, THOMAS WHARTON. To the right honourable and my very good Lord the Earl of Shrewsbury, Lord Lieutenant in the North. No. XXII. (Talbot Papers, vol. P. fol. 279.) ROBERT SWIFT TO THE EARL OF SHREWSBURY. Pleaseth it your Lordship, THE cause why I have been slow in writing unto you has been for that I would very gladly that my Lady Bray might have spoken with the Queen's Majesty before, whereby I should then the better have gathered what time her abode should have been here; but as yet it will not be. Therefore your Lordship shall understand that the day after my Lady's coming hither, which was Sunday, her Ladyship went to the Court, and there spake with the Comptroller, and delivered your letter; who gave her very fair words, and made her fair promises; and, in like case, with the Solicitor; and they both promised her from day to day she should speak with the Queen; but her Grace has never been in case to hear any suitors since Wednesday last, that Mr. Kemp came from the King's Grace, who, at the coming over of the Lord Privy Seal, was undoubtedly looked for here, at the uttermost, the last day of this instant June; but now his Majesty hath deferred his coming for two months longer, which hath caused her Grace to write more since Wednesday, as it is thought than she did since she was Queen. * At my Lady's coming to London my Lord Bray was in close imprisonment in the Fleet, and the Tuesday following he was removed to the Tower, and there remains in close imprisonment. Howbeit his friends are resolved to relieve him with meat and drink, which meat and drink is delivered at the Tower gate to one of the three gaolers, as they call them, appointed to serve and * John, second and last Lord Bray, who married Anne, only daughter of Francis, Earl of Shrewsbury. Our historians slightly inform us that some persons were discovered at this time in a traiterous correspondence with France, and in a plot to rob the Exchequer, in order to furnish themselves with money to raise troops; but Lord Bray is not mentioned, nor any of the parties whose names appear in this letter, which, however, certainly alludes to that conspiracy. He was probably imprisoned upon a false accusation; for we find him, a few months after, among the English of distinction who were present at the seige of St. Quintin. He died in London, Nov. 18, 1558. |