James Wilford
Encyclopedia
Sir James Wilford was an English soldier, and commander of Haddington in Scotland during its occupation in the war of the Rough Wooing.
James Wilford was the son of Thomas Wilford of Hartridge, Kent, and Elizabeth Colepeper. He married Joyce Barrett, she died in 1580. His sister Cicely (d. 10 February 1584) married Edwin Sandys
, Archbishop of York
. He was elected Member of Parliament
for Barnstaple
in 1547.
Wilford was a Provost Marshall at the Battle of Pinkie Cleugh
on 10 September 1547 and was subsequently knighted. Ulpian Fulwell
wrote of Sir James in his Flower of Fame (1575);
Sir James was one of the captains who supervised the fortification at Lauder
on the site of Thirlestane Castle
in April 1548. Lord Grey of Wilton
recommended him for the command of the English and Italian mercenary force occupying Haddington
on 28 April. On 3 June 1548, Wilford and Thomas Wyndham
captured Dalkeith Palace
, burnt the town, and took prisoner James Douglas, the future Regent Morton. On 1 November 1548, Wilford wrote to Somerset
describing the state of Haddington, with a garrison stricken by plague:
Wilford was captured at Dunbar
in January 1549. One later account relates his capture by Robert Lauder of the Bass
while supervising a wagon train of provisions. The French soldier Jean de Beaugué
also published the event in his History of the War in Scotland. Mary of Guise described his capture as a "bonne prise" in a letter to her brother, the Duke of Aumale
. James Croft
succeeded him in command at Haddington. In June 1549 Wilford was imprisoned at Stirling Castle
where he was visited by an English herald. He was released sometime in November 1549.
James Wilford died in November 1550, and his eulogy was delivered by Miles Coverdale. He was buried at St. Bartholomew's by the Exchange in London. A brass plate from his monument engraved with the Barrett and Wilford arms is preserved at the Museum of London
. Coverdale was also buried at St Bartholomew's. Wilford's portrait was painted, perhaps by Hans Eworth
; four copies of this portrait survive, three versions show a view of Haddington. The portraits are (retrospectively) dated 1547 and give Wilford's age as 32.
James Wilford was the son of Thomas Wilford of Hartridge, Kent, and Elizabeth Colepeper. He married Joyce Barrett, she died in 1580. His sister Cicely (d. 10 February 1584) married Edwin Sandys
Edwin Sandys (archbishop)
Archbishop Edwin Sandys was an English prelate.He was Anglican Bishop of Worcester , London and Archbishop of York during the reign of Elizabeth I of England...
, Archbishop of York
Archbishop of York
The Archbishop of York is a high-ranking cleric in the Church of England, second only to the Archbishop of Canterbury. He is the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of York and metropolitan of the Province of York, which covers the northern portion of England as well as the Isle of Man...
. He was elected Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
for Barnstaple
Barnstaple (UK Parliament constituency)
Barnstaple was a parliamentary constituency centred on the town of Barnstaple in Devon, in the South West of England. It returned two Members of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom until 1885, when its representation was reduced to one member.The constituency...
in 1547.
Wilford was a Provost Marshall at the Battle of Pinkie Cleugh
Battle of Pinkie Cleugh
The Battle of Pinkie Cleugh, on the banks of the River Esk near Musselburgh, Scotland on 10 September 1547, was part of the War of the Rough Wooing. It was the last pitched battle between Scottish and English armies, and is seen as the first modern battle in the British Isles...
on 10 September 1547 and was subsequently knighted. Ulpian Fulwell
Ulpian Fulwell
Ulpian Fulwell was an English Renaissance theatre playwright, satirist and poet.He became a rector of Naunton in 1570 and became a part of St. Mary Hall, Oxford in 1578....
wrote of Sir James in his Flower of Fame (1575);
"He was so noble a capitaine, that he wonne the hartes of all Souldiers. He was in the towne among his Souldiers and friends, a gentle lamme. In the field amongst his enemies a Lyon.
Sir James was one of the captains who supervised the fortification at Lauder
Lauder
The Royal Burgh of Lauder is a town in the Scottish Borders 27 miles south east of Edinburgh. It is also a royal burgh in the county of Berwickshire. It lies on the edge of the Lammermuir Hills, on the Southern Upland Way.-Medieval history:...
on the site of Thirlestane Castle
Thirlestane Castle
Thirlestane Castle is a castle set in extensive parklands near Lauder in the Borders of Scotland. The site is aptly named Castle Hill, as it stands upon raised ground. However, the raised land is within Lauderdale, the valley of the Leader Water. The land has been in the ownership of the Maitland...
in April 1548. Lord Grey of Wilton
William Grey, 13th Baron Grey de Wilton
William Grey, 13th Baron Grey de Wilton KG, was an English baron and military commander serving in France in the 1540s and 1550s, and in the Scottish wars of the 1540s.He was the thirteenth Baron Grey de Wilton....
recommended him for the command of the English and Italian mercenary force occupying Haddington
Haddington, East Lothian
The Royal Burgh of Haddington is a town in East Lothian, Scotland. It is the main administrative, cultural and geographical centre for East Lothian, which was known officially as Haddingtonshire before 1921. It lies about east of Edinburgh. The name Haddington is Anglo-Saxon, dating from the 6th...
on 28 April. On 3 June 1548, Wilford and Thomas Wyndham
Thomas Wyndham (navigator)
Thomas Wyndham was an English naval officer and navigator.The son of Sir Thomas Wyndham of Felbrigg and Elizabeth Wentworth, he was educated at Louvain University and possibly in Italy....
captured Dalkeith Palace
Dalkeith Palace
Dalkeith Palace in Dalkeith, Midlothian, Scotland, is the former seat of the Duke of Buccleuch.Dalkeith Castle was located to the north east of Dalkeith, and was originally in the hands of the Clan Graham in the 12th century and given to the Douglas family in the early 14th century. James Douglas...
, burnt the town, and took prisoner James Douglas, the future Regent Morton. On 1 November 1548, Wilford wrote to Somerset
Edward Seymour, 1st Duke of Somerset
Edward Seymour, 1st Duke of Somerset, 1st Earl of Hertford, 1st Viscount Beauchamp of Hache, KG, Earl Marshal was Lord Protector of England in the period between the death of Henry VIII in 1547 and his own indictment in 1549....
describing the state of Haddington, with a garrison stricken by plague:
"The state of this town pities me both to see and to write it; but I hope for relief. Many are sick and a great number dead, most of the plague. On my faith there are not here this day of horse, foot and Yttalians 1000 able to got the walls, and more like to be sick, than the sick to mend, who watch the walls every 5th night, yet the walls are un-manned."
Wilford was captured at Dunbar
Dunbar Castle
Dunbar Castle is the remnants of one of the most mighty fortresses in Scotland, situated over the harbour of the town of Dunbar, in East Lothian.-Early history:...
in January 1549. One later account relates his capture by Robert Lauder of the Bass
Robert Lauder (d. 1576)
Robert Lauder of The Bass, was an important noble in Haddingtonshire, Berwickshire, and Fife. Stodart remarks that "to 1600 the barons of the Bass sat in almost every parliament"...
while supervising a wagon train of provisions. The French soldier Jean de Beaugué
Jean de Beaugué
Jean de Beaugué, was a French soldier who served in Scotland in the 1540s during the war of the Rough Wooing. He wrote a memoir of the fighting which, first published in 1556, is still an important source for historians...
also published the event in his History of the War in Scotland. Mary of Guise described his capture as a "bonne prise" in a letter to her brother, the Duke of Aumale
Francis, Duke of Guise
Francis de Lorraine II, Prince of Joinville, Duke of Guise, Duke of Aumale , called Balafré , was a French soldier and politician.-Early life:...
. James Croft
James Croft
Sir James Croft PC , 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 ...
succeeded him in command at Haddington. In June 1549 Wilford was imprisoned at Stirling Castle
Stirling Castle
Stirling Castle, located in Stirling, is one of the largest and most important castles, both historically and architecturally, in Scotland. The castle sits atop Castle Hill, an intrusive crag, which forms part of the Stirling Sill geological formation. It is surrounded on three sides by steep...
where he was visited by an English herald. He was released sometime in November 1549.
James Wilford died in November 1550, and his eulogy was delivered by Miles Coverdale. He was buried at St. Bartholomew's by the Exchange in London. A brass plate from his monument engraved with the Barrett and Wilford arms is preserved at the Museum of London
Museum of London
The Museum of London documents the history of London from the Prehistoric to the present day. The museum is located close to the Barbican Centre, as part of the striking Barbican complex of buildings created in the 1960s and 70s as an innovative approach to re-development within a bomb damaged...
. Coverdale was also buried at St Bartholomew's. Wilford's portrait was painted, perhaps by Hans Eworth
Hans Eworth
Hans Eworth was a Flemish painter active in England in the mid-16th century. Along with other exiled Flemings, he made a career in Tudor London, painting allegorical images as well as portraits of the gentry and nobility. About 40 paintings are now attributed to Eworth, among them portraits of...
; four copies of this portrait survive, three versions show a view of Haddington. The portraits are (retrospectively) dated 1547 and give Wilford's age as 32.