Richard Harliston
Encyclopedia
Vice Admiral Richard Harliston, born circa 1425 in Humberston
e, Lincolnshire, and brought up in the household of Richard
, Duke of York
.
On the accession of Edward IV
, Richard Harliston became a yeoman of the king's chamber and was made Vice-Admiral, in which latter capacity he came to Guernsey
.
Three years previously the castle of Mont Orgueil
in Jersey
had been captured by a French noble, Pierre de Brèzé, Compte de Maulevrier, who had since held the eastern-half of that island against Philip de Carteret, Seigneur of St Ouen.
In 1468 Edward IV sent (Sir) Richard Harliston and his fleet to Guernsey, as part of a plan to invade France and recover Normandy. In Guernsey, Sir Richard learnt that this was a propitious moment to retake Jersey. He accordingly went quietly over to Jersey, secretly interviewed Philippe de Carteret, and immediate action was decided on before the French could get wind of what was to take place.
A body of Yorkist troops came ashore at Plémont, Jersey. A joint English and Jersey force then marched through the night to Mont Orgueil and began a siege of the castle. This lasted 19 weeks, but finally the garrison, which could not be supplied from the sea because of the presence of Sir Richard’s ships, surrendered and returned the fortress and the Island to English hands. Upon liberation, the people of Jersey chose (Sir) Richard to be their Captain General, but he shortly went back to England.
A patent dated the 13 January 1473, made him captain of the islands of Jersey, Guernsey, Sark
and Alderney
, he was first to bear this title of 'Captain in Chief'. Harliston held this office until 1486 and became very popular. In this time he added a tower to the Castle of Mont Orgueil
which became the 'Harliston Tower'. It was said that at the time of the fall of Richard III
, Harliston had thought to make himself "Lord of the Islands" under the protection of the French and the Duchess, Margaret de Burgundy, but had been prevented by the diligence of the inhabitants, not those who had wanted him for their Captain General, mostly the supporters of Henry Tudor
.
By the irony of fate, Harliston was himself besieged in the Castle because, faithful to the House of York, he refused to hand over the keys to the emissary of Henry VII
. He was forced to capitulate after a siege of six months and retired to Flanders.
He was one of those attainted for joining John de la Pole, 1st Earl of Lincoln
in Simnel's
rebellion, (Roll of Parliament vi 397-8). On the 4 September 1486 a General Pardon was granted him. [ In the pardon he was described as late of Jersey, esquire, (Materials illustrative of the Reign of Henry V11,ii.30,rolls ser)].
Richard took refuge with Margaret of Burgundy
and in 1495 was one of Perkin Warbeck's
supporters who were attainted for landing at Deal in Kent, (Rolls of Parl vi,504."late of London Knight". This is the ONLY contemporary mention giving him the Title of "Knight"). He remained in Margaret's service till his death, whereupon she paid for his honourable burial. A probable place of burial was Mechelen
in Flanders
where Margaret had her court.
During the reign of Edward IV, Harliston is mentioned as being excepted from several acts of resumption, and is spoken of as the Yeoman of Our Chamber or Yeoman of Our Corone (ib,v 537.vi84,87).
His daughter Margaret, married Phillip de Carteret (d. 1500) grandson of his old ally, and by him had some 21 children
[NB - no record of his being knighted, by either Edward IV. Richard III, (late-Duke of York), by the Duchess margaret, while in exile in Flanders, or by any other European Sovereign.]
Wm. Shaw's "Knights of England" [an online complete text of this 1906 book can be found at ]is an irrefutable reference source; - and Richard Harliston, [1st Governor of Jersey] is not listed therein.
Since Shaw's listings even mention foreign knighthoods bestowed upon English citizens with the Sovereign's consent [i.e Davy Phillipe is mentioned as being dubbed a Knight of the Sicilian "Order of The Sword" by Henry VII in 1504]; - one could not- unreasonably assume that Shaw's listing is complete.
Furthermore, "Materials for a History of the Reign of Henry VII from Original Documents preserved in the Public Record Office". [ 2 vols. London, 1873-1877. Pub. by the Treasury under the authority of The Master of The Rolls, and containing voluminous transcripts from CPR and CER. ], several times shows transcripts of Crown documents mentioning Harliston, but never once according to him the dignity of Knighthood.
It is therefore not unreasonable to conclude from these 2 sources - deriving as they do from irrefutable contemporary manuscripts in the National Archives, - that Richard Harliston was never raised to any Order of Knighthood by any Sovereign Ruler.
One can only speculate where the Victorian historian Tupper went astray in his assumptions on this matter, later copied by Balleine in his "History of Jersey", and continued by the modern Jersey Heritage Trust in their current information.
Humberston
Humberston is a large village and civil parish to the south of Cleethorpes, North East Lincolnshire...
e, Lincolnshire, and brought up in the household of Richard
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...
, Duke of York
Duke of York
The Duke of York is a title of nobility in the British peerage. Since the 15th century, it has, when granted, usually been given to the second son of the British monarch. The title has been created a remarkable eleven times, eight as "Duke of York" and three as the double-barreled "Duke of York and...
.
On the accession of 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...
, Richard Harliston became a yeoman of the king's chamber and was made Vice-Admiral, in which latter capacity he came to Guernsey
Guernsey
Guernsey, officially the Bailiwick of Guernsey is a British Crown dependency in the English Channel off the coast of Normandy.The Bailiwick, as a governing entity, embraces not only all 10 parishes on the Island of Guernsey, but also the islands of Herm, Jethou, Burhou, and Lihou and their islet...
.
Three years previously the castle of Mont Orgueil
Mont Orgueil
Mont Orgueil is a castle in Jersey. It is located overlooking the harbour of Gorey. It is also called Gorey Castle by English-speakers, and lé Vièr Châté by Jèrriais-speakers....
in Jersey
Jersey
Jersey, officially the Bailiwick of Jersey is a British Crown Dependency off the coast of Normandy, France. As well as the island of Jersey itself, the bailiwick includes two groups of small islands that are no longer permanently inhabited, the Minquiers and Écréhous, and the Pierres de Lecq and...
had been captured by a French noble, Pierre de Brèzé, Compte de Maulevrier, who had since held the eastern-half of that island against Philip de Carteret, Seigneur of St Ouen.
In 1468 Edward IV sent (Sir) Richard Harliston and his fleet to Guernsey, as part of a plan to invade France and recover Normandy. In Guernsey, Sir Richard learnt that this was a propitious moment to retake Jersey. He accordingly went quietly over to Jersey, secretly interviewed Philippe de Carteret, and immediate action was decided on before the French could get wind of what was to take place.
A body of Yorkist troops came ashore at Plémont, Jersey. A joint English and Jersey force then marched through the night to Mont Orgueil and began a siege of the castle. This lasted 19 weeks, but finally the garrison, which could not be supplied from the sea because of the presence of Sir Richard’s ships, surrendered and returned the fortress and the Island to English hands. Upon liberation, the people of Jersey chose (Sir) Richard to be their Captain General, but he shortly went back to England.
A patent dated the 13 January 1473, made him captain of the islands of Jersey, Guernsey, Sark
Sark
Sark is a small island in the Channel Islands in southwestern English Channel, off the French coast of Normandy. It is a royal fief, geographically located in the Channel Islands in the Bailiwick of Guernsey, with its own set of laws based on Norman law and its own parliament. It has a population...
and Alderney
Alderney
Alderney is the most northerly of the Channel Islands. It is part of the Bailiwick of Guernsey, a British Crown dependency. It is long and wide. The area is , making it the third-largest island of the Channel Islands, and the second largest in the Bailiwick...
, he was first to bear this title of 'Captain in Chief'. Harliston held this office until 1486 and became very popular. In this time he added a tower to the Castle of Mont Orgueil
Mont Orgueil
Mont Orgueil is a castle in Jersey. It is located overlooking the harbour of Gorey. It is also called Gorey Castle by English-speakers, and lé Vièr Châté by Jèrriais-speakers....
which became the 'Harliston Tower'. It was said that at the time of the fall 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...
, Harliston had thought to make himself "Lord of the Islands" under the protection of the French and the Duchess, Margaret de Burgundy, but had been prevented by the diligence of the inhabitants, not those who had wanted him for their Captain General, mostly the supporters of Henry Tudor
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....
.
By the irony of fate, Harliston was himself besieged in the Castle because, faithful to the House of York, he refused to hand over the keys to the emissary 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....
. He was forced to capitulate after a siege of six months and retired to Flanders.
He was one of those attainted for joining John de la Pole, 1st Earl of Lincoln
John de la Pole, 1st Earl of Lincoln
John de la Pole, 1st Earl of Lincoln was the eldest son of John de la Pole, 2nd Duke of Suffolk and Elizabeth of York, Duchess of Suffolk. His mother was the sixth child and third daughter born to Richard Plantagenet, 3rd Duke of York and Cecily Neville...
in Simnel's
Lambert Simnel
Lambert Simnel was a pretender to the throne of England. His claim to be the Earl of Warwick in 1487 threatened the newly established reign of King Henry VII .-Early life:...
rebellion, (Roll of Parliament vi 397-8). On the 4 September 1486 a General Pardon was granted him. [ In the pardon he was described as late of Jersey, esquire, (Materials illustrative of the Reign of Henry V11,ii.30,rolls ser)].
Richard took refuge with Margaret of Burgundy
Margaret of York
Margaret of York – also by marriage known as Margaret of Burgundy – was Duchess of Burgundy as the third wife of Charles the Bold and acted as a protector of the Duchy after his death. She was a daughter of Richard Plantagenet, 3rd Duke of York, and Cecily Neville, and the sister of...
and in 1495 was one of Perkin Warbeck's
Perkin Warbeck
Perkin Warbeck was a pretender to the English throne during the reign of King Henry VII of England. By claiming to be Richard of Shrewsbury, Duke of York, the younger son of King Edward IV, one of the Princes in the Tower, Warbeck was a significant threat to the newly established Tudor Dynasty,...
supporters who were attainted for landing at Deal in Kent, (Rolls of Parl vi,504."late of London Knight". This is the ONLY contemporary mention giving him the Title of "Knight"). He remained in Margaret's service till his death, whereupon she paid for his honourable burial. A probable place of burial was Mechelen
Mechelen
Mechelen Footnote: Mechelen became known in English as 'Mechlin' from which the adjective 'Mechlinian' is derived...
in Flanders
Flanders
Flanders is the community of the Flemings but also one of the institutions in Belgium, and a geographical region located in parts of present-day Belgium, France and the Netherlands. "Flanders" can also refer to the northern part of Belgium that contains Brussels, Bruges, Ghent and Antwerp...
where Margaret had her court.
During the reign of Edward IV, Harliston is mentioned as being excepted from several acts of resumption, and is spoken of as the Yeoman of Our Chamber or Yeoman of Our Corone (ib,v 537.vi84,87).
His daughter Margaret, married Phillip de Carteret (d. 1500) grandson of his old ally, and by him had some 21 children
[NB - no record of his being knighted, by either Edward IV. Richard III, (late-Duke of York), by the Duchess margaret, while in exile in Flanders, or by any other European Sovereign.]
External links
Wm. Shaw's "Knights of England" [an online complete text of this 1906 book can be found at
Since Shaw's listings even mention foreign knighthoods bestowed upon English citizens with the Sovereign's consent [i.e Davy Phillipe is mentioned as being dubbed a Knight of the Sicilian "Order of The Sword" by Henry VII in 1504]; - one could not- unreasonably assume that Shaw's listing is complete.
Furthermore, "Materials for a History of the Reign of Henry VII from Original Documents preserved in the Public Record Office". [ 2 vols. London, 1873-1877. Pub. by the Treasury under the authority of The Master of The Rolls, and containing voluminous transcripts from CPR and CER. ], several times shows transcripts of Crown documents mentioning Harliston, but never once according to him the dignity of Knighthood.
It is therefore not unreasonable to conclude from these 2 sources - deriving as they do from irrefutable contemporary manuscripts in the National Archives, - that Richard Harliston was never raised to any Order of Knighthood by any Sovereign Ruler.
One can only speculate where the Victorian historian Tupper went astray in his assumptions on this matter, later copied by Balleine in his "History of Jersey", and continued by the modern Jersey Heritage Trust in their current information.