Edward Baynton
Encyclopedia
Sir Edward Bayntun of Bromham, Wiltshire, was a gentleman at the court of Henry VIII of England
. He was vice-chamberlain to Anne Boleyn
, the King's second wife, and was the brother-in-law of Queen Catherine Howard
, Henry VIII's fifth wife
.
in 1480. Though medieval accounts record the name "Baynton" as such, the spelling around the Tudor period was "Bayntun."
In 1516, Sir Edward inherited the Manors of Bromham
and Faulston after the death of his father John Bayntun. He was a soldier and a courtier, and would be a favourite of Henry VIII of England
, as well as a champion of religious reform. Though it is uncertain as to whether or not Catherine of Aragon
had a vice-chamberlain, the two were said to be friends, and Edward was said to have visited her house often. She had the archway to Bromham House reconstructed as a gift to Sir Edward. "It bears the royal arms of the Tudors beneath the oriel window in the upper storey, and in the spandrels of the arch forming the gateway, those of Sir Edward Bayntun, the original builder and his first wife Elizabeth Sulliard, the daughter of Sir John Sulliard, Lord Chief Justice of the Common Pleas. Today this beautiful landmark is known to locals as Spye Arch." The King granted Sir Edward large tracts of lands, making him one of the largest landowners in Wiltshire. Among these were many stewardships including the stewardship of Salisbury for which Cardinal Wolsey recommended him.
He was Member of Parliament for Wiltshire
in 1529, and again in 1539; and in 1542 for Wilton
.
. He retained the position of vice-chamberlain to Henry VIII's queens for the rest of his life. In June 1535, the King and Queen went on progress through Gloucestershire and Wiltshire, and visited houses of nobles engaged in religious reform. They visited Bromham House from 27 August to 3 September.
When Queen Anne's downfall began, Sir Edward was trusted with obtaining confessions from the men accused of having relations with Queen Anne, one of them being Mark Smeaton. Edward stated, "Only the wretched Mark Smeaton would confess against the Queen, although I have no doubt the others were as fully culpable as ever was he. It would in my foolish conceit, much touch the King's honour if it should no further appear." In a letter to Cromwell in 1536, the Princess Mary
recommended that Sir Edward's aunt be rewarded for her service to the King.
When Henry VIII married Jane Seymour
on 30 June 1536, Edward was in attendance and served as Master of the Queen's Horses. Sir Edward and his wife, Dame Isabel, were also present for the christening of the future Edward VI of England
on 15 October. Queen Jane died on the 24th, and Dame Isabel was one of the twenty-nine women who walked in succession to mark each year of her life. For a short time after this, Sir Edward and Dame Isabel served as guardians to Mary and Elizabeth I of England
, though the exact amount of time is not known. They did play an important role in all three of the royal children's households.
Sir Edward was reinstated as to his post as vice-chamberlain when he was named to serve the next royal consort in time for the arrival of the suite of Anne of Cleves
, Henry VIII's next wife. Anne's household was ready and waiting for her upon her arrival at Greenwich. Sir Edward continued to serve in this office to Queen Catherine Howard
, who was the half-sister to his own wife, Dame Isabel. Through her close blood tie to Catherine, Dame Isabel became one of Catherine Howard's Ladies of the Privy Chamber upon her marriage to Henry VIII. When Queen Catherine was banished from court in 1541, Isabel was one of the four ladies-in-waiting she was allowed to take with her. An inventory made of the Queen's jewels following her aarrest noted that as queen, Catherine had given a "girdle of gold" to the Lady Bayntun.
Sir Edward and Dame Isabel were present upon the marriage of Queen Catherine Parr
to Henry VIII, and Edward was again vice-chamberlain to the new Queen.
on 7 July 1543, in charge of ten horsemen and 100 footsoldiers. During the second siege the following year, Sir Edward was present with ninety-four horsemen. In October 1544, Sir Edward was in charge of the transportation of the King's army with Sir George Carew and a Mr Harper. They reported that there were 700 ill soldiers who needed transport. Sir Edward is reported to have died on 27 November 1544 from wounds he may have sustained in battle. His son Andrew was his heir, but property was also left to his younger sons Edward and Henry. Sir Edward wished to be buried at his parish church in Bromham, but his body never returned from France.
After Sir Edward's death, Henry VIII created a commission to inquire after revenues belonging to chantries, colleges, guilds, and fraternities, and the yearly amount of £6 - 2s - 4d was granted to Dame Isabel as widow of Sir Edward.
Bayntun married Isabel Leigh
(born c. 1495-7), the daughter of Joyce Culpepper and thus the half-sister of Catherine Howard on 18 January 1531. They had three children.
Before Dame Isabel and Sir Edward's marriage, a settlement was created that stipulated that if Sir Edward should die before his wife, Dame Isabel would inherit a number of properties, including the manor at Week.
Henry VIII of England
Henry VIII was King of England from 21 April 1509 until his death. He was Lord, and later King, of Ireland, as well as continuing the nominal claim by the English monarchs to the Kingdom of France...
. He was vice-chamberlain to Anne Boleyn
Anne Boleyn
Anne Boleyn ;c.1501/1507 – 19 May 1536) was Queen of England from 1533 to 1536 as the second wife of Henry VIII of England and Marquess of Pembroke in her own right. Henry's marriage to Anne, and her subsequent execution, made her a key figure in the political and religious upheaval that was the...
, the King's second wife, and was the brother-in-law of Queen Catherine Howard
Catherine Howard
Catherine Howard , also spelled Katherine, Katheryn or Kathryn, was the fifth wife of Henry VIII of England, and sometimes known by his reference to her as his "rose without a thorn"....
, Henry VIII's fifth wife
Wives of Henry VIII
The wives of Henry VIII were the six queens consort married to Henry VIII of England between 1509 and 1547. The six women to hold the title 'queens consort' of King Henry VIII were, in order:* Catherine of Aragon ,* Anne Boleyn ,...
.
Early life
Sir Edward Bayntun was born at Faulston House in Faulston in the county of WiltshireWiltshire
Wiltshire is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset, Somerset, Hampshire, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire. It contains the unitary authority of Swindon and covers...
in 1480. Though medieval accounts record the name "Baynton" as such, the spelling around the Tudor period was "Bayntun."
In 1516, Sir Edward inherited the Manors of Bromham
Bromham
Bromham may refer to:* Bromham, Bedfordshire, a village in the county of Bedfordshire, England* Bromham, Wiltshire, a village in the county of Wiltshire, England...
and Faulston after the death of his father John Bayntun. He was a soldier and a courtier, and would be a favourite of Henry VIII of England
Henry VIII of England
Henry VIII was King of England from 21 April 1509 until his death. He was Lord, and later King, of Ireland, as well as continuing the nominal claim by the English monarchs to the Kingdom of France...
, as well as a champion of religious reform. Though it is uncertain as to whether or not Catherine of Aragon
Catherine of Aragon
Catherine of Aragon , also known as Katherine or Katharine, was Queen consort of England as the first wife of King Henry VIII of England and Princess of Wales as the wife to Arthur, Prince of Wales...
had a vice-chamberlain, the two were said to be friends, and Edward was said to have visited her house often. She had the archway to Bromham House reconstructed as a gift to Sir Edward. "It bears the royal arms of the Tudors beneath the oriel window in the upper storey, and in the spandrels of the arch forming the gateway, those of Sir Edward Bayntun, the original builder and his first wife Elizabeth Sulliard, the daughter of Sir John Sulliard, Lord Chief Justice of the Common Pleas. Today this beautiful landmark is known to locals as Spye Arch." The King granted Sir Edward large tracts of lands, making him one of the largest landowners in Wiltshire. Among these were many stewardships including the stewardship of Salisbury for which Cardinal Wolsey recommended him.
He was Member of Parliament for Wiltshire
Wiltshire (UK Parliament constituency)
Wiltshire was a constituency of the House of Commons of England from 1290 to 1707, of the House of Commons of Great Britain from 1707 to 1800 and of the House of Commons of the United Kingdom from 1801 to 1832. It was represented by two Members of Parliament , elected by the bloc vote...
in 1529, and again in 1539; and in 1542 for Wilton
Wilton (UK Parliament constituency)
Wilton was the name of a parliamentary borough in Wiltshire. It was represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of England from 1295 to 1707, then in the Parliament of Great Britain from 1707 to 1800 and finally in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom of the Parliament of the...
.
Vice-Chamberlain
In 1533, he became vice-chamberlain to Queen Anne BoleynAnne Boleyn
Anne Boleyn ;c.1501/1507 – 19 May 1536) was Queen of England from 1533 to 1536 as the second wife of Henry VIII of England and Marquess of Pembroke in her own right. Henry's marriage to Anne, and her subsequent execution, made her a key figure in the political and religious upheaval that was the...
. He retained the position of vice-chamberlain to Henry VIII's queens for the rest of his life. In June 1535, the King and Queen went on progress through Gloucestershire and Wiltshire, and visited houses of nobles engaged in religious reform. They visited Bromham House from 27 August to 3 September.
When Queen Anne's downfall began, Sir Edward was trusted with obtaining confessions from the men accused of having relations with Queen Anne, one of them being Mark Smeaton. Edward stated, "Only the wretched Mark Smeaton would confess against the Queen, although I have no doubt the others were as fully culpable as ever was he. It would in my foolish conceit, much touch the King's honour if it should no further appear." In a letter to Cromwell in 1536, the Princess Mary
Mary I of England
Mary I was queen regnant of England and Ireland from July 1553 until her death.She was the only surviving child born of the ill-fated marriage of Henry VIII and his first wife Catherine of Aragon. Her younger half-brother, Edward VI, succeeded Henry in 1547...
recommended that Sir Edward's aunt be rewarded for her service to the King.
When Henry VIII married Jane Seymour
Jane Seymour
Jane Seymour was Queen of England as the third wife of King Henry VIII. She succeeded Anne Boleyn as queen consort following the latter's execution for trumped up charges of high treason, incest and adultery in May 1536. She died of postnatal complications less than two weeks after the birth of...
on 30 June 1536, Edward was in attendance and served as Master of the Queen's Horses. Sir Edward and his wife, Dame Isabel, were also present for the christening of the future Edward VI of England
Edward VI of England
Edward VI was the King of England and Ireland from 28 January 1547 until his death. He was crowned on 20 February at the age of nine. The son of Henry VIII and Jane Seymour, Edward was the third monarch of the Tudor dynasty and England's first monarch who was raised as a Protestant...
on 15 October. Queen Jane died on the 24th, and Dame Isabel was one of the twenty-nine women who walked in succession to mark each year of her life. For a short time after this, Sir Edward and Dame Isabel served as guardians to Mary and Elizabeth I of England
Elizabeth I of England
Elizabeth I was queen regnant of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death. Sometimes called The Virgin Queen, Gloriana, or Good Queen Bess, Elizabeth was the fifth and last monarch of the Tudor dynasty...
, though the exact amount of time is not known. They did play an important role in all three of the royal children's households.
Sir Edward was reinstated as to his post as vice-chamberlain when he was named to serve the next royal consort in time for the arrival of the suite of Anne of Cleves
Anne of Cleves
Anne of Cleves was a German noblewoman and the fourth wife of Henry VIII of England and as such she was Queen of England from 6 January 1540 to 9 July 1540. The marriage was never consummated, and she was not crowned queen consort...
, Henry VIII's next wife. Anne's household was ready and waiting for her upon her arrival at Greenwich. Sir Edward continued to serve in this office to Queen Catherine Howard
Catherine Howard
Catherine Howard , also spelled Katherine, Katheryn or Kathryn, was the fifth wife of Henry VIII of England, and sometimes known by his reference to her as his "rose without a thorn"....
, who was the half-sister to his own wife, Dame Isabel. Through her close blood tie to Catherine, Dame Isabel became one of Catherine Howard's Ladies of the Privy Chamber upon her marriage to Henry VIII. When Queen Catherine was banished from court in 1541, Isabel was one of the four ladies-in-waiting she was allowed to take with her. An inventory made of the Queen's jewels following her aarrest noted that as queen, Catherine had given a "girdle of gold" to the Lady Bayntun.
Sir Edward and Dame Isabel were present upon the marriage of Queen Catherine Parr
Catherine Parr
Catherine Parr ; 1512 – 5 September 1548) was Queen consort of England and Ireland and the last of the six wives of King Henry VIII of England. She married Henry VIII on 12 July 1543. She was the fourth commoner Henry had taken as his consort, and outlived him...
to Henry VIII, and Edward was again vice-chamberlain to the new Queen.
War with France and death
While Sir Edward was vice-chamberlain to the Queen and a courtier, he was also a soldier and served his King during war. He was listed with the English army in FlandersFlanders
Flanders is the community of the Flemings but also one of the institutions in Belgium, and a geographical region located in parts of present-day Belgium, France and the Netherlands. "Flanders" can also refer to the northern part of Belgium that contains Brussels, Bruges, Ghent and Antwerp...
on 7 July 1543, in charge of ten horsemen and 100 footsoldiers. During the second siege the following year, Sir Edward was present with ninety-four horsemen. In October 1544, Sir Edward was in charge of the transportation of the King's army with Sir George Carew and a Mr Harper. They reported that there were 700 ill soldiers who needed transport. Sir Edward is reported to have died on 27 November 1544 from wounds he may have sustained in battle. His son Andrew was his heir, but property was also left to his younger sons Edward and Henry. Sir Edward wished to be buried at his parish church in Bromham, but his body never returned from France.
After Sir Edward's death, Henry VIII created a commission to inquire after revenues belonging to chantries, colleges, guilds, and fraternities, and the yearly amount of £6 - 2s - 4d was granted to Dame Isabel as widow of Sir Edward.
Personality
Bayntun is described as someone who shared some of Anne's religious opinions, but he was essentially a career courtier, serving as vice-chamberlain to all Henry VIII's later wives.Family
Before 1505, Sir Edward married Elizabeth Sulyard, daughter of Sir John Sulyard, of Wetherden, Suffolk. They had seven children:- Bridget Bayntun (1505–1545), married James Stumpe of Malmesbury, and had issue.
- Andrew Bayntun (1515–1564), married first, Philippa Brulet, and secondly Frances Lee, and had issue.
- Edward Bayntun (1517–1593), married Agnes Ap Rhys, and had issue.
- Henry Bayntun (c. 1520), married Dorothy Mantell, and had issue.
- Anne Bayntun
- Jane Bayntun (1523–1549), married Sir William St LoeWilliam St LoeSir William St Loe was a 16th-century English soldier, politician and courtier. He was the third husband of Bess of Hardwick, his second wife...
, of Chew Magna, Somerset, who later married as his third wife, Bess of HardwickBess of HardwickElizabeth Talbot, Countess of Shrewsbury Elizabeth Talbot, Countess of Shrewsbury Elizabeth Talbot, Countess of Shrewsbury (c. 1521 – 13 February 1608, known as Bess of Hardwick, was the daughter of John Hardwick, of Derbyshire and Elizabeth Leeke, daughter of Thomas Leeke and Margaret Fox...
. Dame Jane and Sir William had issue. - Ursula Bayntun.
Bayntun married Isabel Leigh
Isabel Leigh
Isabel Leigh was a lady-in-waiting during the reign of her younger half-sister, Catherine Howard, fifth wife and Queen Consort to Henry VIII.- Early life :...
(born c. 1495-7), the daughter of Joyce Culpepper and thus the half-sister of Catherine Howard on 18 January 1531. They had three children.
- Henry Bayntun (b. c 1536), married Anne Cavendish, and by her had issue.
- Francis Bayntun (b. 1537)
- Anne Bayntun (d. young)
Before Dame Isabel and Sir Edward's marriage, a settlement was created that stipulated that if Sir Edward should die before his wife, Dame Isabel would inherit a number of properties, including the manor at Week.