Nicholas Vaux, 1st Baron Vaux of Harrowden
Encyclopedia
Nicholas Vaux, 1st Baron Vaux of Harrowden (c. 1460 – 14 May 1523) was a soldier and courtier in England
and an early member of the House of Commons
. The son of Lancastrian
loyalists, Sir William Vaux
of Harrowden
and Katherine Penison; daughter of Gregory Penison or Peniston of Coursello, Provence, France, who grew up during the years of Yorkist
rule, Vaux served under Henry VII
when he recovered the throne in 1485.
, remained constant to her mistress when others forsook the Lancastrian cause. Katherine's husband, Sir William, whom she had married not long before she obtained her letters of denization, was slain at the battle of Tewkesbury
after which he was attainted and his property forfeited. Despite her husband's misfortune, Katherine Vaux remained loyal to her mistress: she stayed by the Queen during her imprisonment in the Tower
and on Margaret's release in 1476 went with her into exile (as she had done earlier in the 1460s), living with her until her death six years later. Katherine's two children did not share either her confinement or her travels abroad; instead, Nicholas Vaux and his sister Jane or "Joan"
, were brought up in the household of Lady Margaret Beaufort(mother of Henry VII
), without charge, even though Edward IV
restored two manors to the family for the maintenance of him and his sister.
Katherine's devotion was rewarded after the triumph of Henry VII at Bosworth
, where Nicholas Vaux, as a protégé of Margaret Beaufort
, probably fought under her husband Thomas Stanley, 1st Earl of Derby
; the petition for the reversal of the attainder on Vaux's father and the forfeiture of his property was accepted by the King in the Parliament
of 1485, and not long after Vaux was named to the commission of the peace for his home county.
, being knighted on the field for his service in both battles. Not only was he active and diligent in local government but he was also frequently at court attending all the great state occasions at home and abroad until his death; in 1511 he entertained Henry VIII
at Harrowden. It was as a soldier and diplomat, however, that he made his mark. Given the important command at Guisnes
, he distinguished himself during the Tournai
campaign in 1513 and then in the missions (he had had some earlier experiences in negotiating, chiefly with Burgundy) to the French King about the English withdrawal and the several royal marriage treaties. Later, he was one of the devisers of the Field of the Cloth of Gold
. His sister, Jane or "Joan"
, had also benefited from the change of dynasty: she entered the royal household, became governess to Henry VII's daughters and married successively Sir Richard Guildford
and the father of Sir Nicholas Poyntz, Sir Anthony Poyntz.
Vaux was a natural candidate for election to Parliament, although in the absence of so many returns for the early Tudor
period he is known to have been a Member only in 1515 when he and Sir John Hussey
took a memorandum on certain Acts from the Commons up to the Lords. Presumably, he sat for his own shire on this occasion as he was after wards appointed to the Northamptonshire commission for the subsidy which he had helped to grant.
reported that Vaux was laid ‘very sore’ at Calais
. Evidently he recovered sufficiently to return to England where in the following year he was summoned to the Upper House as a Baron, apparently after the Parliament had opened at the Blackfriars. He did not survive the first session, dying on 14 May at the hospital of St. John, Clerkenwell. Three days previously he had made a will by which he provided for his children and servants and left the residue of his estate to his executors which included Sir Henry Guildford
, George Throckmorton
and Richard Knightley
. Among the supervisors he appointed Henry Marney, 1st Baron Marney
and Sir William Parr. He was presumably buried at the Blackfriars
, which of his three choices for interment was the nearest.
, and Lady Alice Neville
. By her he had three daughters; Katherine, Alice, and Anne.
Lord Vaux married secondly, shortly before 29 Jan. 1507/8, Anne Green, daughter and co-heiress of Sir Thomas Green
of Boughton and Green's Norton, Northamptonshire, and Jane Fogge, by whom he had two sons and three daughters. Anne was the sister of Maud Green
, mother of Henry VIII's
sixth wife, Catherine Parr
.
He was succeeded by his son by his second marriage, the poet, Thomas Vaux
.
By Anne Green he had two sons and three daughters:
's Henry VIII
.
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...
and an early member of the House of Commons
British House of Commons
The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which also comprises the Sovereign and the House of Lords . Both Commons and Lords meet in the Palace of Westminster. The Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 650 members , who are known as Members...
. The son of Lancastrian
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...
loyalists, Sir William Vaux
Baron Vaux of Harrowden
Baron Vaux of Harrowden is a title in the Peerage of England. It was created in 1523 for Sir Nicholas Vaux. The barony was created by writ, which means that it can pass through both male and female lines. Vaux was succeeded by his son, the second Baron. He was a poet and member of the courts of...
of Harrowden
Great Harrowden
Great Harrowden is a village in Northamptonshire, near the town of Wellingborough - the population is approximately 70. The village sits astride the busy A509 running between Kettering and Wellingborough - although a bypass is due to be built shortly...
and Katherine Penison; daughter of Gregory Penison or Peniston of Coursello, Provence, France, who grew up during the years of Yorkist
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...
rule, Vaux served under Henry VII
Henry VII of England
Henry VII was King of England and Lord of Ireland from his seizing the crown on 22 August 1485 until his death on 21 April 1509, as the first monarch of the House of Tudor....
when he recovered the throne in 1485.
Overview
Nicholas Vaux's mother, Katherine, an attendant on Margaret of AnjouMargaret of Anjou
Margaret of Anjou was the wife of King Henry VI of England. As such, she was Queen consort of England from 1445 to 1461 and again from 1470 to 1471; and Queen consort of France from 1445 to 1453...
, remained constant to her mistress when others forsook the Lancastrian cause. Katherine's husband, Sir William, whom she had married not long before she obtained her letters of denization, was slain at the battle of Tewkesbury
Battle of Tewkesbury
The Battle of Tewkesbury, which took place on 4 May 1471, was one of the decisive battles of the Wars of the Roses. The forces loyal to the House of Lancaster were completely defeated by those of the rival House of York under their monarch, King Edward IV...
after which he was attainted and his property forfeited. Despite her husband's misfortune, Katherine Vaux remained loyal to her mistress: she stayed by the Queen during her imprisonment 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...
and on Margaret's release in 1476 went with her into exile (as she had done earlier in the 1460s), living with her until her death six years later. Katherine's two children did not share either her confinement or her travels abroad; instead, Nicholas Vaux and his sister Jane or "Joan"
Joan Vaux, Lady Guildford
Joan Vaux, Lady Guildford , also known as Mother Guildford, was an English aristocratic woman who was the Lady Governess to the Princesses Margaret Tudor and Mary Tudor, and accompanied the latter to France when she married King Louis XII in 1514.She had been a lady-in-waiting and protégée of...
, were brought up in the household of Lady Margaret Beaufort(mother of Henry VII
Henry VII of England
Henry VII was King of England and Lord of Ireland from his seizing the crown on 22 August 1485 until his death on 21 April 1509, as the first monarch of the House of Tudor....
), without charge, even though 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...
restored two manors to the family for the maintenance of him and his sister.
Katherine's devotion was rewarded after the triumph of Henry VII at Bosworth
Battle of Bosworth Field
The Battle of Bosworth Field was the penultimate battle of the Wars of the Roses, the civil war between the House of Lancaster and the House of York that raged across England in the latter half of the 15th century. Fought on 22 August 1485, the battle was won by the Lancastrians...
, where Nicholas Vaux, as a protégé of Margaret Beaufort
Margaret Beaufort
Lady Margaret Beaufort , later Countess of Richmond and Derby, was the mother of King Henry VII and grandmother of King Henry VIII of England. She was a key figure in the Wars of the Roses, an influential matriarch of the House of Tudor and foundress of two Cambridge colleges...
, probably fought under her husband Thomas Stanley, 1st Earl of Derby
Thomas Stanley, 1st Earl of Derby
Thomas Stanley, 1st Earl of Derby, KG was titular King of Mann, an English nobleman and stepfather to King Henry VII of England...
; the petition for the reversal of the attainder on Vaux's father and the forfeiture of his property was accepted by the King in the 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...
of 1485, and not long after Vaux was named to the commission of the peace for his home county.
Politics
He fought for Henry VII at Stoke and BlackheathCornish Rebellion of 1497
The Cornish Rebellion of 1497 was a popular uprising by the people of Cornwall in the far southwest of Britain. Its primary cause was a response of people to the raising of war taxes by King Henry VII on the impoverished Cornish, to raise money for a campaign against Scotland motivated by brief...
, being knighted on the field for his service in both battles. Not only was he active and diligent in local government but he was also frequently at court attending all the great state occasions at home and abroad until his death; in 1511 he entertained 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...
at Harrowden. It was as a soldier and diplomat, however, that he made his mark. Given the important command at Guisnes
Guînes
Guînes is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in northern France.-Geography:Guînes is located on the border of the two territories of the Boulonnais and Calaisis, at the edge of the now-drained marshes, which extend from here to the coast. The Guînes canal connects with...
, he distinguished himself during the Tournai
Tournai
Tournai is a Walloon city and municipality of Belgium located 85 kilometres southwest of Brussels, on the river Scheldt, in the province of Hainaut....
campaign in 1513 and then in the missions (he had had some earlier experiences in negotiating, chiefly with Burgundy) to the French King about the English withdrawal and the several royal marriage treaties. Later, he was one of the devisers of the Field of the Cloth of Gold
Field of the Cloth of Gold
The Field of Cloth of Gold is the name given to a place in Balinghem, between Guînes and Ardres, in France, near Calais. It was the site of a meeting that took place from 7 June to 24 June 1520, between King Henry VIII of England and King Francis I of France. The meeting was arranged to increase...
. His sister, Jane or "Joan"
Joan Vaux, Lady Guildford
Joan Vaux, Lady Guildford , also known as Mother Guildford, was an English aristocratic woman who was the Lady Governess to the Princesses Margaret Tudor and Mary Tudor, and accompanied the latter to France when she married King Louis XII in 1514.She had been a lady-in-waiting and protégée of...
, had also benefited from the change of dynasty: she entered the royal household, became governess to Henry VII's daughters and married successively Sir Richard Guildford
Richard Guildford
Sir Richard Guildford , KG was an English courtier who held important positions at the court of Henry VII, including the office of Master of the Ordnance.-Life:...
and the father of Sir Nicholas Poyntz, Sir Anthony Poyntz.
Vaux was a natural candidate for election to Parliament, although in the absence of so many returns for the early Tudor
Tudor dynasty
The Tudor dynasty or House of Tudor was a European royal house of Welsh origin that ruled the Kingdom of England and its realms, including the Lordship of Ireland, later the Kingdom of Ireland, from 1485 until 1603. Its first monarch was Henry Tudor, a descendant through his mother of a legitimised...
period he is known to have been a Member only in 1515 when he and Sir John Hussey
John Hussey, 1st Baron Hussey of Sleaford
John Hussey, 1st Baron Hussey of Sleaford was Chief Butler of England from 1521 until his death...
took a memorandum on certain Acts from the Commons up to the Lords. Presumably, he sat for his own shire on this occasion as he was after wards appointed to the Northamptonshire commission for the subsidy which he had helped to grant.
Death at Calais
In Oct 1522, Sir William SandysWilliam Sandys, 1st Baron Sandys of the Vyne
William Sandys, 1st Baron Sandys of the Vyne was an English Tudor diplomat, Lord Chamberlain and favourite of King Henry VIII....
reported that Vaux was laid ‘very sore’ at Calais
Calais
Calais is a town in Northern France in the department of Pas-de-Calais, of which it is a sub-prefecture. Although Calais is by far the largest city in Pas-de-Calais, the department's capital is its third-largest city of Arras....
. Evidently he recovered sufficiently to return to England where in the following year he was summoned to the Upper House as a Baron, apparently after the Parliament had opened at the Blackfriars. He did not survive the first session, dying on 14 May at the hospital of St. John, Clerkenwell. Three days previously he had made a will by which he provided for his children and servants and left the residue of his estate to his executors which included Sir Henry Guildford
Henry Guildford
Sir Henry Guildford was an English courtier of the reign of Henry VIII, master of the horse and comptroller of the royal household.-Life:...
, George Throckmorton
George Throckmorton
Sir George Throckmorton of Coughton Court was an English politician and a member of Parliament during the reign of Henry VIII...
and Richard Knightley
Richard Knightley
Sir Richard Knightley , of Fawsley in Northamptonshire, was an English Member of Parliament and leading patron of the Puritans during the reign of Elizabeth I....
. Among the supervisors he appointed Henry Marney, 1st Baron Marney
Henry Marney, 1st Baron Marney
Henry Marney, 1st Baron Marney was a politician of the Tudor period in England. He started the building of Layer Marney Tower in Layer Marney, in 1515; this was not finished before his death and passed to his son....
and Sir William Parr. He was presumably buried at the Blackfriars
St Ann Blackfriars
St Ann Blackfriars was a London church of the seventeenth century, situated in the ward of Farringdon Within in Church Entry, Carter Lane. It was near the Blackfriars Theatre, a fact which displeased its congregation...
, which of his three choices for interment was the nearest.
Family and Succession
Vaux married firstly Lady Elizabeth FitzHugh, widow of Sir William Parr of Kendal, daughter of Henry, 5th Baron FitzHughBaron FitzHugh
The title Baron FitzHugh of Ravensworth was created in the Peerage of England in 1321, for Henry FitzHugh. The title passed through the male line until the death of the seventh baron in 1513 when it became abeyant between his great-aunts Alice, Lady Fiennes and Elizabeth, Lady Parr, and their...
, and Lady Alice Neville
Alice Neville
Alice Neville , Baroness FitzHugh of Ravensworth, was the wife of Henry FitzHugh, 5th Baron FitzHugh. She is best known for being the great-grandmother of Queen consort Catherine Parr and her siblings, Anne and William, as well as one of the sisters of Warwick the 'Kingmaker'. Her family was one of...
. By her he had three daughters; Katherine, Alice, and Anne.
Lord Vaux married secondly, shortly before 29 Jan. 1507/8, Anne Green, daughter and co-heiress of Sir Thomas Green
Sir Thomas Green
Sir Thomas Green was Lord of Greens Norton, Northamptonshire, England. He was the son of Sir Thomas Greene , Lord of Greens Norton, and Matilda Throckmorton. He is best known for being the father of Maud Green and grandfather to queen consort Katherine Parr and the last male heir to the Lordship...
of Boughton and Green's Norton, Northamptonshire, and Jane Fogge, by whom he had two sons and three daughters. Anne was the sister of Maud Green
Maud Green, Lady Parr
Maud Green was best known as the mother of Catherine Parr, the sixth wife of King Henry VIII of England. She was a close friend and lady-in-waiting to Catherine of Aragon...
, mother of Henry VIII's
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...
sixth wife, 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...
.
He was succeeded by his son by his second marriage, the poet, Thomas Vaux
Thomas Vaux, 2nd Baron Vaux of Harrowden
Thomas Vaux, 2nd Baron Vaux of Harrowden , English poet, was the eldest son of Nicholas Vaux, 1st Baron Vaux and Anne Green, daughter of Sir Thomas Green and Lady Joan Fogge.-Life:...
.
Issue
By Lady Elizabeth FitzHugh he had three daughters:- Katherine Vaux (c. 1490-c. 1571), married Sir George Throckmorton of CoughtonGeorge ThrockmortonSir George Throckmorton of Coughton Court was an English politician and a member of Parliament during the reign of Henry VIII...
and had issue. - Alice Vaux (d. 1543), married Sir Richard Sapcote c. 1501. No issue.
- Anne Vaux, married Sir Thomas Le Strange (1493–1545) and had issue.
By Anne Green he had two sons and three daughters:
- Thomas Vaux, 2nd Baron Vaux of Harrowdon (1510 - Oct 1556). Married Elizabeth Cheney (1505 - 20 Nov 1556) c. 1523, daughter of Sir Thomas Cheney, of Irtlingburgh and Anne Parr, daughter from his father's first wife, Lady Elizabeth FitzHugh, by her first husband William Parr, 1st Baron Parr of Kendal. Had issue.
- William Vaux (d. May 1523), never married, no issue.
- Margaret Vaux, married Sir Francis Pulteney of Misterton (1502 - c. 17 May 1548). Had issue. Their son, Sir Gabriel Pulteney of Knowle Hall (d. 31 Aug 1599) married Hon. Dorothy Spencer, daughter of Sir William Spencer of Althorp.
- Bridget Vaux, married Maurice Welsh c. 1538.
- Maud Vaux (d. 14 Apr 1569), married Sir John Fermor of Easton Neston. Had issue. Their daughter, Katherine Fermor m.2 Sir Henry Darcy, son of Sir Arthur Darcy and Mary Carew. Sir Arthur Darcy was a descendant of the Barons Darcy of KnaithBaron Darcy de KnaythBaron Darcy de Knayth is a title in the Peerage of England. It was created in 1332 for John Darcy. At the death of the sixth baron, the barony fell into abeyance, which the Sovereign terminated in 1641 in favour of Conyers Darcy. The next baron, also named Conyers, was granted the title of Earl of...
.
Ancestry
Fiction
Sir Nicholas Vaux appears as a minor character in William ShakespeareWilliam Shakespeare
William Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon"...
's Henry VIII
Henry VIII (play)
The Famous History of the Life of King Henry the Eight is a history play by William Shakespeare and John Fletcher, based on the life of Henry VIII of England. An alternative title, All is True, is recorded in contemporary documents, the title Henry VIII not appearing until the play's publication...
.