Sir Richard Southwell PC

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. 1502/1503 – 11 January 1564) was an English Privy Councillor.

Biography

He was born at Windham Manor

Windham Manor

Windham Manor was a manor house in Norfolk, England. It was owned by the Southwell family and was the birthplace of Richard Southwell....

 in Norfolk

Norfolk

Norfolk is a low-lying county in the East of England. It has borders with Lincolnshire to the west, Cambridgeshire to the west and southwest and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the North Sea coast and to the north-west the county is bordered by The Wash. The county...

, the son of Francis Southwell, an auditor of the exchequer, and Dorothy (née Tendring). Richard's father died in 1512, and he inherited the estate. Less than two years later he was also to inherit the estate of his uncle Robert Southwall who had served as chief butler to 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....

. In 1515 he became the ward of his uncle's widow and William Wootton

William Wootton (politician)

William Wootton was an English politician. He was the Member of Parliament for Gatton in 1554.-References:...

. In 1519 Thomas Wyndham acquired the wardship.

Wyndham married Southwell to his stepdaughter Thomasin, who was the daughter of Roger Darcy of Danbury

Danbury, Essex

Danbury is a village in Essex, England. It is located northeast of Charing Cross, London and has a population of 6,500. It is situated on a hill above sea level.-Origins:The village was built on the site of a megalithic hill fort noted for its oval shape....

 and sister of Thomas Darcy.They had a daughter. He later married Mary, the daughter of Thomas Darcy of Danbury, and the widow of Robert Leeche of Norwich, Norfolk. They had one legitimate daughter and two illegitimate sons (includng Richard Southwell alias Darcy) and two illegitimate daughters .

In 1526 he entered Lincoln's Inn

Lincoln's Inn

The Honourable Society of Lincoln's Inn is one of four Inns of Court in London to which barristers of England and Wales belong and where they are called to the Bar. The other three are Middle Temple, Inner Temple and Gray's Inn. Although Lincoln's Inn is able to trace its official records beyond...

. He became tutor to Gregory Cromwell, son of Thomas. For some period Gregory lived with Southwell in Woodrising Manor in Norfolk

Norfolk

Norfolk is a low-lying county in the East of England. It has borders with Lincolnshire to the west, Cambridgeshire to the west and southwest and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the North Sea coast and to the north-west the county is bordered by The Wash. The county...

, which Southwell had inherited from his uncle. In 1531 Southwell became a Justice of the Peace

Justice of the Peace

A justice of the peace is a puisne judicial officer elected or appointed by means of a commission to keep the peace. Depending on the jurisdiction, they might dispense summary justice or merely deal with local administrative applications in common law jurisdictions...

 for Norfolk and Suffolk. In the same year, he was involved in the murder of Sir William Pennington and the following year he paid a fine of £1000 to obtain a pardon.

From 1534 to 1535, Southwell was High Sheriff of Norfolk and Suffolk

High Sheriff of Norfolk and Suffolk

This is a list of High Sheriffs of Norfolk and Suffolk. The High Sheriff is the oldest secular office under the Crown and is appointed annually by the Crown. He was originally the principal law enforcement officer in the county and presided at the Assizes and other important county meetings...

. It was in 1536 that his portrait was painted by Hans Holbein the Younger

Hans Holbein the Younger

Hans Holbein the Younger was a German artist and printmaker who worked in a Northern Renaissance style. He is best known as one of the greatest portraitists of the 16th century. He also produced religious art, satire and Reformation propaganda, and made a significant contribution to the history...

. He played a part in the downfall of Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey

Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey

Henry Howard, KG, , known as The Earl of Surrey although he never was a peer, was an English aristocrat, and one of the founders of English Renaissance poetry.-Life:...

 and was a witness in the trial of Sir Thomas More

Thomas More

Sir Thomas More , also known by Catholics as Saint Thomas More, was an English lawyer, social philosopher, author, statesman and noted Renaissance humanist. He was an important councillor to Henry VIII of England and, for three years toward the end of his life, Lord Chancellor...

, where he claimed not to have heard the details of the damning conversation between Richard Rich

Richard Rich, 1st Baron Rich

Sir Richard Rich, 1st Baron Rich , was Lord Chancellor during the reign of King Edward VI of England. He was the founder of Felsted School with its associated alms houses in Essex in 1564....

 and the accused. He was elected to the House of Commons

House of Commons of England

The House of Commons of England was the lower house of the Parliament of England from its development in the 14th century to the union of England and Scotland in 1707, when it was replaced by the House of Commons of Great Britain...

 in 1539 as knight of the shire for Norfolk

Norfolk (UK Parliament constituency)

Norfolk was a County constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of England then of the Parliament of Great Britain from 1707 to 1800 and of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1801 to 1832. It was represented by two Members of Parliament...

 and knighted in 1540 . After the death of James V of Scotland

James V of Scotland

James V was King of Scots from 9 September 1513 until his death, which followed the Scottish defeat at the Battle of Solway Moss...

, Southwell went to Edinburgh in January 1543 to negotiate with the Scottish lords.
He was an executor of Henry VIII of England

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...

's will.

Southwell was one of the signatories of The Will of King Edward the Sixth, and His Devise for the Succession to the Crown. He was appointed to the Privy Council

Privy council

A privy council is a body that advises the head of state of a nation, typically, but not always, in the context of a monarchic government. The word "privy" means "private" or "secret"; thus, a privy council was originally a committee of the monarch's closest advisors to give confidential advice on...

 on 12 March 1547, although he was removed from the full council the following year. He was reappointed by Mary of England. Southwell was described as the driving force behind the plan to marry Elizabeth I of England

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...

 to Edward Courtenay, 1st Earl of Devon. He was re-elected to represent Norfolk again in 1542, 1553 and twice in 1554.

External links

• Biography, details of which are taken from the History of Parliament
• Holbein's drawing of Sir Richard in Windsor
• Holbein's painting of Sir Richard in Uffizi
• Edward VI's Will and Device for Succession
• ODNB entry