James Croft
Encyclopedia
Sir James Croft PC
(c.1518–4 September 1590), Lord Deputy of Ireland
and MP for Herefordshire
in the Parliament of England
.
He was born the second but eldest surviving son of Richard Croft of Croft Castle
, Herefordshire, inheriting the estate on his father's death in 1562.
He was elected seven times as knight of the shire (MP) for Herefordshire (1542, 1563, 1571, 1572,1584, 1586 and 1589) and knighted in 1547.
During the Anglo-Scottish war of the Rough Wooing, Sir James was made commander of Haddington after James Wilford
was captured in 1549. He was appointed lord deputy of Ireland on 23 May 1551. There he effected little beyond gaining for himself the reputation of a conciliatory disposition. On 21 Dececember 1551, he wrote from Kilmanam to his former enemy Mary of Guise
in Scotland, negotiating an exchange of hostages;
for treason
in the reign of Mary
, but was released and treated with consideration by Elizabeth
after her accession.
He was made governor of Berwick upon Tweed, where he was visited by John Knox
and James MacGill
in 1559, and where he busied himself actively on behalf of the Scottish Protestants
. Croft advised Knox and Master Robert Hamilton to return to Scotland, as the spies of Mary of Guise were actice in England, and preachers so scarce in Scotland. As a commander of English forces at the Siege of Leith
in May 1560, he was suspected, probably with good reason, of treasonable correspondence with Mary of Guise
, the Catholic regent of Scotland. The Duke of Norfolk
blamed him for a failed assault on 7 May 1560, later writing, "I thought a man could not have gone nigher a traitor than Sir James, I pray God make him a good man." For ten years he was out of public employment. But in 1570 Elizabeth, who showed the greatest forbearance and favour to Sir James Croft, made him a privy councillor and controller of her household.
He was one of the commissioners for the trial of Mary, Queen of Scots, and in 1588 was sent on a diplomatic mission to arrange peace with the duke of Parma. Croft established private relations with Parma, for which on his return he was sent to the Tower. He was released before the end of 1589, and died on 4 September 1590.
He had married twice, firstly Alice, daughter of Richard Warnecombe of Ivington in Leominster and widow of William Wigmore of Shobdon with whom he had three sons (including Edward and James) and four daughters and secondly Catherine, the daughter of Edward Blount. His eldest son, Edward, was put on his trial in 1589 on the curious charge of having contrived the death of the Earl of Leicester
by witchcraft
, in revenge for the earl's supposed hostility to Sir James Croft. A younger son was Sir Herbert Croft, whose son Herbert Croft
was bishop of Hereford.
Privy Council of England
The Privy Council of England, also known as His Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, was a body of advisers to the sovereign of the Kingdom of England...
(c.1518–4 September 1590), Lord Deputy of Ireland
Lord Deputy of Ireland
The Lord Deputy was the King's representative and head of the Irish executive under English rule, during the Lordship of Ireland and later the Kingdom of Ireland...
and MP for Herefordshire
Herefordshire (UK Parliament constituency)
The county constituency of Herefordshire, in the West Midlands of England bordering on Wales, was abolished when the county was divided for parliamentary purposes in 1885...
in the Parliament of England
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...
.
He was born the second but eldest surviving son of Richard Croft of Croft Castle
Croft Castle
Croft Castle is a manor house and associated buildings near the village of Yarpole in Herefordshire, England some to the north-west of Leominster .-11th century origin:...
, Herefordshire, inheriting the estate on his father's death in 1562.
He was elected seven times as knight of the shire (MP) for Herefordshire (1542, 1563, 1571, 1572,1584, 1586 and 1589) and knighted in 1547.
During the Anglo-Scottish war of the Rough Wooing, Sir James was made commander of Haddington after James Wilford
James Wilford
Sir James Wilford was an English soldier, and commander of Haddington in Scotland during its occupation in the war of the Rough Wooing....
was captured in 1549. He was appointed lord deputy of Ireland on 23 May 1551. There he effected little beyond gaining for himself the reputation of a conciliatory disposition. On 21 Dececember 1551, he wrote from Kilmanam to his former enemy Mary of Guise
Mary of Guise
Mary of Guise was a queen consort of Scotland as the second spouse of King James V. She was the mother of Mary, Queen of Scots, and served as regent of Scotland in her daughter's name from 1554 to 1560...
in Scotland, negotiating an exchange of hostages;
"Consydering the peaxe betwext the king my master and your grace, with the honnour that I had of your highness when I was at Haddington, it hath made me the bolder to become an humble suiter to your grace."Croft was all his life a double-dealer. He was imprisoned in the Tower
Tower of London
Her Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress, more commonly known as the Tower of London, is a historic castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London, England. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, separated from the eastern edge of the City of London by the open space...
for treason
Treason
In law, treason is the crime that covers some of the more extreme acts against one's sovereign or nation. Historically, treason also covered the murder of specific social superiors, such as the murder of a husband by his wife. Treason against the king was known as high treason and treason against a...
in the reign of 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...
, but was released and treated with consideration by Elizabeth
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...
after her accession.
He was made governor of Berwick upon Tweed, where he was visited by John Knox
John Knox
John Knox was a Scottish clergyman and a leader of the Protestant Reformation who brought reformation to the church in Scotland. He was educated at the University of St Andrews or possibly the University of Glasgow and was ordained to the Catholic priesthood in 1536...
and James MacGill
James MacGill of Nether Rankeillour
Sir James MacGill of Nether Rankeillour was a Scottish politician. In 1561, he was on the Privy Council of Mary, Queen of Scots and was her Lord Clerk Register in charge of archives...
in 1559, and where he busied himself actively on behalf of the Scottish Protestants
Scottish Reformation
The Scottish Reformation was Scotland's formal break with the Papacy in 1560, and the events surrounding this. It was part of the wider European Protestant Reformation; and in Scotland's case culminated ecclesiastically in the re-establishment of the church along Reformed lines, and politically in...
. Croft advised Knox and Master Robert Hamilton to return to Scotland, as the spies of Mary of Guise were actice in England, and preachers so scarce in Scotland. As a commander of English forces at the Siege of Leith
Siege of Leith
The Siege of Leith ended a twelve year encampment of French troops at Leith, the port near Edinburgh, Scotland. The French troops arrived by invitation in 1548 and left in 1560 after the English arrived to assist in removing them from Scotland...
in May 1560, he was suspected, probably with good reason, of treasonable correspondence with Mary of Guise
Mary of Guise
Mary of Guise was a queen consort of Scotland as the second spouse of King James V. She was the mother of Mary, Queen of Scots, and served as regent of Scotland in her daughter's name from 1554 to 1560...
, the Catholic regent of Scotland. The Duke of Norfolk
Thomas Howard, 4th Duke of Norfolk
Thomas Howard, 4th Duke of Norfolk, KG, Earl Marshal was an English nobleman.Norfolk was the son of the poet Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey. He was taught as a child by John Foxe, the Protestant martyrologist, who remained a lifelong recipient of Norfolk's patronage...
blamed him for a failed assault on 7 May 1560, later writing, "I thought a man could not have gone nigher a traitor than Sir James, I pray God make him a good man." For ten years he was out of public employment. But in 1570 Elizabeth, who showed the greatest forbearance and favour to Sir James Croft, made him a privy councillor and controller of her household.
He was one of the commissioners for the trial of Mary, Queen of Scots, and in 1588 was sent on a diplomatic mission to arrange peace with the duke of Parma. Croft established private relations with Parma, for which on his return he was sent to the Tower. He was released before the end of 1589, and died on 4 September 1590.
He had married twice, firstly Alice, daughter of Richard Warnecombe of Ivington in Leominster and widow of William Wigmore of Shobdon with whom he had three sons (including Edward and James) and four daughters and secondly Catherine, the daughter of Edward Blount. His eldest son, Edward, was put on his trial in 1589 on the curious charge of having contrived the death of the Earl of Leicester
Robert Dudley, 1st Earl of Leicester
Robert Dudley, 1st Earl of Leicester, KG was an English nobleman and the favourite and close friend of Elizabeth I from her first year on the throne until his death...
by witchcraft
Witchcraft
Witchcraft, in historical, anthropological, religious, and mythological contexts, is the alleged use of supernatural or magical powers. A witch is a practitioner of witchcraft...
, in revenge for the earl's supposed hostility to Sir James Croft. A younger son was Sir Herbert Croft, whose son Herbert Croft
Herbert Croft (bishop)
-Life:He was son of Sir Herbert Croft, who was the grandson of Sir James Croft. Croft was born 18th May 1603 at Great Milton, Oxfordshire, his mother being then on a journey to London. He married, before April 8, 1645, Anne Browne, the only daughter of the Very Rev. Dr. Jonathan Browne and Anne...
was bishop of Hereford.