Humphrey Dacre, 1st Baron Dacre
Encyclopedia
Humphrey Dacre, 1st Baron Dacre of Gilsland
(c. 1424–1485), was an English
soldier, Cumberland
landowner
and peer
.
He remained loyal to the House of Lancaster
when Henry VI
was deposed by Edward IV
and fought on the Lancastrian side at the Battle of Towton
of 1461, after which he was attainted
. He was later pardoned, regained the family estates, was summoned to parliament
as a baron
, attended the coronation
of Richard III
, and was appointed Governor of Carlisle and Warden of the West Marches.
(1387–1457/1458), by his wife Lady Philippa Neville
(1386–1453), the daughter of Ralph Neville, 1st Earl of Westmorland
. He was born at Naworth Castle
, Cumberland
, about 1424, one of at least nine children born to his parents between 1410 and 1426.
He married Mabel Parr, a daughter of Sir Thomas Parr of Kendal, by his marriage to Alice Tunstall, a daughter of Sir Thomas Tunstall, of Thurland Castle. His wife was a descendant of King John. She was also the great-aunt to King Henry VIII
's sixth consort, Catherine Parr
, who coincidentally was the only other female in the Parr family to marry into the peerage when she married her second husband, Lord Latimer. With her, Dacre had six sons, Sir Thomas Dacre
, Knight of the Garter
, later 2nd Baron Dacre, Hugh, a priest
, Christopher, Philip, Ralph, and Humphrey, and three daughters, Anne, who married Thomas Strangeways, Elizabeth, who married Richard Huddleston, and Katherine, who married firstly George FitzHugh, 7th Baron FitzHugh (c. 1487–1513) and secondly Sir Thomas Neville.
Dacre's elder brother, Ralph, was summoned to parliament
by Henry VI
as Baron Dacre
in 1459. The brothers remained on the side of the House of Lancaster
when Henry VI was deposed by Edward IV
of the House of York
, and both fought for Lancaster at the Battle of Towton
of 1461. His brother Ralph was killed in the fighting, and after the battle Dacre and his brother were attainted
, but he had received a general pardon
by 21 June 1468.
Dacre was appointed Chief Forester of Inglewood Forest
in 1469/70, and the attainder of 1461 was reversed on 8 February 1472, whereupon Dacre inherited most of the family estates under entail
s created by his father, although possession was disputed by the heir general, Dacre's niece Joan Fiennes, the only child of his eldest brother, Sir Thomas Dacre (1410–1448).
On 8 April 1473 King Edward IV
confirmed Dacre as heir male of his father, but allowed the Barony of Dacre
to pass to the heir general. By letters patent
he created Dacre Baron Dacre of Gilsland
, declaring "that the said Humfrey Dacre, Knight, and the heirs male of the body of the said Thomas, late Lord Dacre, comyng, bee reputed, had, named and called the Lord Dacre of Gillesland".
Dacre was summoned to the House of Lords
between 15 November 1482 and 9 December 1483, the writs of summons being addressed to Humfrido Dacre de Gillesland. On 6 July 1483, he attended the coronation
of Richard III
.
He was Governor of Carlisle Castle and Warden of the West Marches from 1484. He died of natural causes on 30 May 1485 and was succeeded by his son Thomas Dacre, 2nd Baron Dacre
(c. 1464–1525).
Dacre's widow Mabel, Lady Dacre, died on 14 November 1508 and was buried with her husband's remains at Lanercost Priory
, Cumberland
.
Gilsland
Gilsland is a village in northern England about west of Hexham, and about east of Carlisle, which straddles the border between Cumbria and Northumberland...
(c. 1424–1485), was an English
Kingdom of England
The Kingdom of England was, from 927 to 1707, a sovereign state to the northwest of continental Europe. At its height, the Kingdom of England spanned the southern two-thirds of the island of Great Britain and several smaller outlying islands; what today comprises the legal jurisdiction of England...
soldier, Cumberland
Cumberland
Cumberland is a historic county of North West England, on the border with Scotland, from the 12th century until 1974. It formed an administrative county from 1889 to 1974 and now forms part of Cumbria....
landowner
Landed gentry
Landed gentry is a traditional British social class, consisting of land owners who could live entirely off rental income. Often they worked only in an administrative capacity looking after the management of their own lands....
and peer
Peerage of England
The Peerage of England comprises all peerages created in the Kingdom of England before the Act of Union in 1707. In that year, the Peerages of England and Scotland were replaced by one Peerage of Great Britain....
.
He remained loyal to the House of Lancaster
House of Lancaster
The House of Lancaster was a branch of the royal House of Plantagenet. It was one of the opposing factions involved in the Wars of the Roses, an intermittent civil war which affected England and Wales during the 15th century...
when Henry VI
Henry VI of England
Henry VI was King of England from 1422 to 1461 and again from 1470 to 1471, and disputed King of France from 1422 to 1453. Until 1437, his realm was governed by regents. Contemporaneous accounts described him as peaceful and pious, not suited for the violent dynastic civil wars, known as the Wars...
was deposed by Edward IV
Edward IV of England
Edward IV was King of England from 4 March 1461 until 3 October 1470, and again from 11 April 1471 until his death. He was the first Yorkist King of England...
and fought on the Lancastrian side at the Battle of Towton
Battle of Towton
In 1461, England was in the sixth year of the Wars of the Roses, a series of civil wars between the Houses of York and Lancaster over the English throne. The Lancastrians backed the reigning King of England, Henry VI, an indecisive man who suffered bouts of madness...
of 1461, after which he was attainted
Attainder
In English criminal law, attainder or attinctura is the metaphorical 'stain' or 'corruption of blood' which arises from being condemned for a serious capital crime . It entails losing not only one's property and hereditary titles, but typically also the right to pass them on to one's heirs...
. He was later pardoned, regained the family estates, was summoned to parliament
Parliament of England
The Parliament of England was the legislature of the Kingdom of England. In 1066, William of Normandy introduced a feudal system, by which he sought the advice of a council of tenants-in-chief and ecclesiastics before making laws...
as a baron
Peerage of England
The Peerage of England comprises all peerages created in the Kingdom of England before the Act of Union in 1707. In that year, the Peerages of England and Scotland were replaced by one Peerage of Great Britain....
, attended the coronation
Coronation
A coronation is a ceremony marking the formal investiture of a monarch and/or their consort with regal power, usually involving the placement of a crown upon their head and the presentation of other items of regalia...
of Richard III
Richard III of England
Richard III was King of England for two years, from 1483 until his death in 1485 during the Battle of Bosworth Field. He was the last king of the House of York and the last of the Plantagenet dynasty...
, and was appointed Governor of Carlisle and Warden of the West Marches.
Life
Dacre was the third son of Thomas Dacre, 6th Baron DacreThomas Dacre, 6th Baron Dacre
Thomas Dacre, 6th Baron Dacre was born in Naworth Castle, Cumberland, England.Dacre's father was William Dacre, 5th Baron Dacre, born in 1357 and his mother was Mary, whose surname is not known...
(1387–1457/1458), by his wife Lady Philippa Neville
Philippa de Neville
Philippa de Neville or Philippa Neville, Baroness Dacre was born in Raby Castle, Staindrop, Durham, England.Philippa's father was Ralph de Neville, 1st Earl of Westmorland and her mother was Margaret de Stafford...
(1386–1453), the daughter of Ralph Neville, 1st Earl of Westmorland
Ralph Neville, 1st Earl of Westmorland
Sir Ralph de Neville, 1st Earl of Westmorland, 4th Baron Neville de Raby, Lord of Richmond, Earl Marshal, KG, PC , was an English nobleman of the House of Neville...
. He was born at Naworth Castle
Naworth Castle
Naworth Castle, also known as, or recorded in historical documents as "Naward", is a castle in Cumbria, England near the town of Brampton. It is adjacent to the A69 about two miles east of Brampton. It is on the opposite side of the River Irthing to, and just within sight of, Lanercost Priory...
, Cumberland
Cumberland
Cumberland is a historic county of North West England, on the border with Scotland, from the 12th century until 1974. It formed an administrative county from 1889 to 1974 and now forms part of Cumbria....
, about 1424, one of at least nine children born to his parents between 1410 and 1426.
He married Mabel Parr, a daughter of Sir Thomas Parr of Kendal, by his marriage to Alice Tunstall, a daughter of Sir Thomas Tunstall, of Thurland Castle. His wife was a descendant of King John. She was also the great-aunt to King Henry VIII
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...
's sixth consort, 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...
, who coincidentally was the only other female in the Parr family to marry into the peerage when she married her second husband, Lord Latimer. With her, Dacre had six sons, Sir Thomas Dacre
Thomas Dacre, 2nd Baron Dacre
Thomas Dacre, 2nd Baron Dacre of Gilsland, KG was the son of Humphrey Dacre, 1st Baron Dacre of Gilsland and Mabel Parr; great-aunt of queen consort Catherine Parr, the sixth and final wife of King Henry VIII of England.-Early career:He was born in Cumberland...
, Knight of the Garter
Order of the Garter
The Most Noble Order of the Garter, founded in 1348, is the highest order of chivalry, or knighthood, existing in England. The order is dedicated to the image and arms of St...
, later 2nd Baron Dacre, Hugh, a priest
Priest
A priest is a person authorized to perform the sacred rites of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particular, rites of sacrifice to, and propitiation of, a deity or deities...
, Christopher, Philip, Ralph, and Humphrey, and three daughters, Anne, who married Thomas Strangeways, Elizabeth, who married Richard Huddleston, and Katherine, who married firstly George FitzHugh, 7th Baron FitzHugh (c. 1487–1513) and secondly Sir Thomas Neville.
Dacre's elder brother, Ralph, was summoned to parliament
Parliament of England
The Parliament of England was the legislature of the Kingdom of England. In 1066, William of Normandy introduced a feudal system, by which he sought the advice of a council of tenants-in-chief and ecclesiastics before making laws...
by Henry VI
Henry VI of England
Henry VI was King of England from 1422 to 1461 and again from 1470 to 1471, and disputed King of France from 1422 to 1453. Until 1437, his realm was governed by regents. Contemporaneous accounts described him as peaceful and pious, not suited for the violent dynastic civil wars, known as the Wars...
as Baron Dacre
Baron Dacre
Baron Dacre is a title that has been created three times in the Peerage of England, every time by writ. The first creation came in 1321 when Ralph Dacre was summoned to Parliament as Lord Dacre. He married Margaret, 2nd Baroness Multon of Gilsland, heiress of a large estate in Cumbria centred on...
in 1459. The brothers remained on the side of the House of Lancaster
House of Lancaster
The House of Lancaster was a branch of the royal House of Plantagenet. It was one of the opposing factions involved in the Wars of the Roses, an intermittent civil war which affected England and Wales during the 15th century...
when Henry VI was deposed by Edward IV
Edward IV of England
Edward IV was King of England from 4 March 1461 until 3 October 1470, and again from 11 April 1471 until his death. He was the first Yorkist King of England...
of the House of York
House of York
The House of York was a branch of the English royal House of Plantagenet, three members of which became English kings in the late 15th century. The House of York was descended in the paternal line from Edmund of Langley, 1st Duke of York, the fourth surviving son of Edward III, but also represented...
, and both fought for Lancaster at the Battle of Towton
Battle of Towton
In 1461, England was in the sixth year of the Wars of the Roses, a series of civil wars between the Houses of York and Lancaster over the English throne. The Lancastrians backed the reigning King of England, Henry VI, an indecisive man who suffered bouts of madness...
of 1461. His brother Ralph was killed in the fighting, and after the battle Dacre and his brother were attainted
Attainder
In English criminal law, attainder or attinctura is the metaphorical 'stain' or 'corruption of blood' which arises from being condemned for a serious capital crime . It entails losing not only one's property and hereditary titles, but typically also the right to pass them on to one's heirs...
, but he had received a general pardon
Pardon
Clemency means the forgiveness of a crime or the cancellation of the penalty associated with it. It is a general concept that encompasses several related procedures: pardoning, commutation, remission and reprieves...
by 21 June 1468.
Dacre was appointed Chief Forester of Inglewood Forest
Inglewood Forest
Inglewood Forest is the name now given on maps to a large tract of mainly arable and dairy farm land with a few small woodland areas between Carlisle and Penrith in the English non-metropolitan county of Cumbria or ancient county of Cumberland....
in 1469/70, and the attainder of 1461 was reversed on 8 February 1472, whereupon Dacre inherited most of the family estates under entail
Entail
Entail may refer to:* Fee tail, a term of art in common law describing a limited form of succession....
s created by his father, although possession was disputed by the heir general, Dacre's niece Joan Fiennes, the only child of his eldest brother, Sir Thomas Dacre (1410–1448).
On 8 April 1473 King Edward IV
Edward IV of England
Edward IV was King of England from 4 March 1461 until 3 October 1470, and again from 11 April 1471 until his death. He was the first Yorkist King of England...
confirmed Dacre as heir male of his father, but allowed the Barony of Dacre
Baron Dacre
Baron Dacre is a title that has been created three times in the Peerage of England, every time by writ. The first creation came in 1321 when Ralph Dacre was summoned to Parliament as Lord Dacre. He married Margaret, 2nd Baroness Multon of Gilsland, heiress of a large estate in Cumbria centred on...
to pass to the heir general. By letters patent
Letters patent
Letters patent are a type of legal instrument in the form of a published written order issued by a monarch or president, generally granting an office, right, monopoly, title, or status to a person or corporation...
he created Dacre Baron Dacre of Gilsland
Baron Dacre
Baron Dacre is a title that has been created three times in the Peerage of England, every time by writ. The first creation came in 1321 when Ralph Dacre was summoned to Parliament as Lord Dacre. He married Margaret, 2nd Baroness Multon of Gilsland, heiress of a large estate in Cumbria centred on...
, declaring "that the said Humfrey Dacre, Knight, and the heirs male of the body of the said Thomas, late Lord Dacre, comyng, bee reputed, had, named and called the Lord Dacre of Gillesland".
Dacre was summoned to the House of Lords
House of Lords
The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster....
between 15 November 1482 and 9 December 1483, the writs of summons being addressed to Humfrido Dacre de Gillesland. On 6 July 1483, he attended the coronation
Coronation
A coronation is a ceremony marking the formal investiture of a monarch and/or their consort with regal power, usually involving the placement of a crown upon their head and the presentation of other items of regalia...
of Richard III
Richard III of England
Richard III was King of England for two years, from 1483 until his death in 1485 during the Battle of Bosworth Field. He was the last king of the House of York and the last of the Plantagenet dynasty...
.
He was Governor of Carlisle Castle and Warden of the West Marches from 1484. He died of natural causes on 30 May 1485 and was succeeded by his son Thomas Dacre, 2nd Baron Dacre
Thomas Dacre, 2nd Baron Dacre
Thomas Dacre, 2nd Baron Dacre of Gilsland, KG was the son of Humphrey Dacre, 1st Baron Dacre of Gilsland and Mabel Parr; great-aunt of queen consort Catherine Parr, the sixth and final wife of King Henry VIII of England.-Early career:He was born in Cumberland...
(c. 1464–1525).
Dacre's widow Mabel, Lady Dacre, died on 14 November 1508 and was buried with her husband's remains at Lanercost Priory
Lanercost Priory
Lanercost Priory was founded by Robert de Vaux between 1165 and 1174, the most likely date being 1169, to house Augustinian Canons. It is situated at the village of Lanercost, Cumbria, England, within sight of Naworth Castle, with which it long had close connections.It is now open to the public and...
, Cumberland
Cumberland
Cumberland is a historic county of North West England, on the border with Scotland, from the 12th century until 1974. It formed an administrative county from 1889 to 1974 and now forms part of Cumbria....
.