John Scott of Scott's Hall
Encyclopedia
Sir John Scott (c. 1423 – October 17, 1485) was Warden of the Cinque Ports.
Sir John was born at his family home of Scott's Hall at Brabourne
in Kent
, England
(although at least one source reports instead that he was born at Smeeth
). He was the grandfather of Sir William Scott
. During his life he acquired the manor and castle of Wilderton and Molash
in Kent and the manor of Old Swinford and Snodsbury in Worcestershire
, all granted to him by King Edward IV
for his distinguished service to the Yorkist cause.
Scott was High Sheriff of Kent
(1460), and was knighted in 1461, the same year he became Comptroller of the Household
of King Edward IV of England
. He also served as Chamberlain to Edward, Prince of Wales
, and was Member of Parliament
for Kent
in 1467. As ambassador to Burgundy
, he was one of the negotiators of a treaty of commerce in 1467 and of the marriage treaty of Margaret, Duchess of Burgundy, and was also later engaged in diplomatic relations with the Hanseatic League
. In 1471 he was sent to France to arrest Warwick the Kingmaker, and was appointed to succeed Warwick as Lieutenant or Governor of Dover Castle
, Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports
and Marshal of Calais.
Sir John married Agnes de Beaufitz "of the Grange, Gillingham" in Kent. He predeceased her at Brabourne and was buried, per his instruction, in the north wall of the chancel at the parish church at Brabourne. Agnes died by July 4, 1487, and was also buried at the Brabourne parish church. Her will is dated March 25.
An uncle, also one Sir John Scot of Scott's Hall, born at Brabourne, had been Lieutenant of Dover Castle from 1399 to his death in 1413. He had also served as Member of Parliament for Hythe
in Kent from 1384.
Sir John was born at his family home of Scott's Hall at Brabourne
Brabourne
Brabourne is a village and civil parish in the Ashford district of Kent, England. The village centre is just under five miles east of Ashford town centre.The centre of the modern village of Brabourne is the Five Bells pub, which overlooks the village green...
in Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
(although at least one source reports instead that he was born at Smeeth
Smeeth
Smeeth is a village and civil parish, with a population of 846, adjacent to the parish of Brabourne, 5 miles from Ashford in Kent, South East England. It is a small village near Mersham Hatch Park on the A20 road from Ashford to Folkestone.The church of St...
). He was the grandfather of Sir William Scott
William Scott of Scott's Hall
Sir William Scott of Scott's Hall, Brabourne, Kent was Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports.Scott rose to favour following the seizure of the throne by Henry VII. Within a few years he had been appointed to the Privy Council, appointed Comptroller of the Household and in 1489 was created a Companion of...
. During his life he acquired the manor and castle of Wilderton and Molash
Molash
Molash is a civil parish and village in Kent, South East England with a population of about 230 people. It is situated in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty nestling on the picturesque North Downs; on the A252 road between Canterbury , Ashford and Faversham .Molash is a scattered rural...
in Kent and the manor of Old Swinford and Snodsbury in Worcestershire
Worcestershire
Worcestershire is a non-metropolitan county, established in antiquity, located in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes it is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three counties that comprise the "Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire" NUTS 2 region...
, all granted to him by 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...
for his distinguished service to the Yorkist cause.
Scott was High Sheriff of Kent
High Sheriff of Kent
The High Sheriff is the oldest secular office under the Crown. Formerly the High Sheriff was the principal law enforcement officer in the county but over the centuries most of the responsibilities associated with the post have been transferred elsewhere or are now defunct, so that its functions...
(1460), and was knighted in 1461, the same year he became Comptroller of the Household
Comptroller of the Household
The Comptroller of the Household is an ancient position in the English royal household, currently the second-ranking member of the Lord Steward's department, and often a cabinet member. He was an ex officio member of the Board of Green Cloth, until that body was abolished in the reform of the local...
of King Edward IV of England
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...
. He also served as Chamberlain to Edward, Prince of Wales
Edward V of England
Edward V was King of England from 9 April 1483 until his deposition two months later. His reign was dominated by the influence of his uncle Richard, Duke of Gloucester, who succeeded him as Richard III...
, and was 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 Kent
Kent (UK Parliament constituency)
Kent was a parliamentary constituency covering the county of Kent in southeast England. It returned two "knights of the shire" to the House of Commons by the bloc vote system from the year 1290...
in 1467. As ambassador to Burgundy
Duchy of Burgundy
The Duchy of Burgundy , was heir to an ancient and prestigious reputation and a large division of the lands of the Second Kingdom of Burgundy and in its own right was one of the geographically larger ducal territories in the emergence of Early Modern Europe from Medieval Europe.Even in that...
, he was one of the negotiators of a treaty of commerce in 1467 and of the marriage treaty of Margaret, Duchess of Burgundy, and was also later engaged in diplomatic relations with the Hanseatic League
Hanseatic League
The Hanseatic League was an economic alliance of trading cities and their merchant guilds that dominated trade along the coast of Northern Europe...
. In 1471 he was sent to France to arrest Warwick the Kingmaker, and was appointed to succeed Warwick as Lieutenant or Governor of Dover Castle
Dover Castle
Dover Castle is a medieval castle in the town of the same name in the English county of Kent. It was founded in the 12th century and has been described as the "Key to England" due to its defensive significance throughout history...
, Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports
Cinque Ports
The Confederation of Cinque Ports is a historic series of coastal towns in Kent and Sussex. It was originally formed for military and trade purposes, but is now entirely ceremonial. It lies at the eastern end of the English Channel, where the crossing to the continent is narrowest...
and Marshal of Calais.
Sir John married Agnes de Beaufitz "of the Grange, Gillingham" in Kent. He predeceased her at Brabourne and was buried, per his instruction, in the north wall of the chancel at the parish church at Brabourne. Agnes died by July 4, 1487, and was also buried at the Brabourne parish church. Her will is dated March 25.
An uncle, also one Sir John Scot of Scott's Hall, born at Brabourne, had been Lieutenant of Dover Castle from 1399 to his death in 1413. He had also served as Member of Parliament for Hythe
Hythe (UK Parliament constituency)
Hythe was a constituency centred on the town of Hythe in Kent. It returned two Members of Parliament to the House of Commons until 1832, when its representation was reduced to one member...
in Kent from 1384.
External links
- Works of Wonder (Bruce D. Despain) - THE LIFE SKETCH OF Sir William Scott (d. 1350) & of Selected Descendents (see section "John Scott the Yorkist Diplomat")