Sir John Bassett
Encyclopedia
Sir John Basset of Umberleigh
in Devon
and Tehidy
in Cornwall
, was a courtier
in the reign of Henry VIII
. He was married twice; firstly to Ann Denys, daughter of John Denys and secondly to Honor Grenville
. He had 12 children, one son (who died young) and four daughters by his first wife and seven by his second, including John, James
, Elizabeth
, Katherine and, most famously, Anne
, who attracted the interest of Henry VIII.
As High Sheriff of Cornwall
in 1497 Sir John was a target for the Cornish rebels under Richard Pendyn of Pendeen who attacked and 'dismantled' Tehidy, the family home. He was created Knight of the Bath by King Henry VII in November, 1501 at the time of the marriage of Katherine of Aragon to Prince Arthur. He was Sheriff of Cornwall again in 1517 and 1522 and High Sheriff of Devon
in 1524. In 1520 he was part of the entourage which accompanied Henry VIII to the Field of Cloth of Gold.
Sir John died while his children were young. His wife Honor re-married, to Arthur Plantagenet, 1st Viscount Lisle
, who was the illegitimate son of King Edward IV
. He had been given no titles during the reign of his father, half-brother Edward V or uncle Richard III
, but was created a viscount
by Henry VIII, his nephew. John Basset's children were moved to Calais
, then an English
enclave which is now a part of France
. Lord Lisle was the governor of Calais, and the children were sent to France to be educated.
Lord and Lady Lisle were apparently very happy and very much in love. Honor was a forceful woman, who wrote many letters to friends at court, ensuring that they were kept well-informed. These letters are preserved today as the Lisle Letters
and give an interesting account of the developments during the reign of Henry VIII.
Honor finally succeeded in getting one of her young daughters appointed as a maid-of-honour to Queen Jane Seymour
in 1537. She was asked to send two of her daughters - Anne and Katherine - to court, where the Queen would pick the most suitable. Anne, who became known at court for her beauty and respectability, was selected. Her first appearance as maid-of-honour was at Jane Seymour's funeral. It was over two years before another queen arrived, but Anne spent a lot of time at court and received expensive presents from the King. She went on to serve queens Anne of Cleves
, Catherine Howard and Katherine Parr
. Her sister, Katherine, and her mother eventually joined her at court, despite Lord Lisle's arrest for treason in 1540.
In 1542, the Imperial ambassador, Chapuys, reported that on the eve of Catherine Howard's execution, Henry seemed besotted with Anne, and that she was a possible sixth wife. This possibility may have been ruined by Anne's own family. Her sister, Elizabeth, favoured the King re-marrying her mistress, Anne of Cleves, and made comments that this seemed to be what God wanted. She also said, "What a man is our king? How many wives will he have?" This was reported to the King and she was brought in to be questioned - under the treason laws her remarks could have warranted the death penalty.
The Bassett family continued to serve at the courts of Henry VIII's children.
Umberleigh
Umberleigh is a small village in North Devon in England. It shares an ecclesiastical parish with nearby Atherington, but is part of the civil parish of Chittlehampton.-Rail transport:...
in Devon
Devon
Devon is a large county in southwestern England. The county is sometimes referred to as Devonshire, although the term is rarely used inside the county itself as the county has never been officially "shired", it often indicates a traditional or historical context.The county shares borders with...
and Tehidy
Tehidy Country Park
Tehidy Country Park is located near Camborne, Redruth and Portreath. It was once part of a created estate that was owned by the wealthy Basset Tin mining family.Covering , the estate was purchased by Cornwall County Council in 1983...
in Cornwall
Cornwall
Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...
, was a courtier
Courtier
A courtier is a person who is often in attendance at the court of a king or other royal personage. Historically the court was the centre of government as well as the residence of the monarch, and social and political life were often completely mixed together...
in the reign of 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...
. He was married twice; firstly to Ann Denys, daughter of John Denys and secondly to Honor Grenville
Honor Plantagenet, Viscountess Lisle
Honor Grenville was an English lady-in-waiting during the reign of Henry VIII. Honor was the daughter of Sir Thomas Grenville of Stowe in Kilkhampton, Cornwall and his wife Isabella. She was the wife first of Sir John Bassett of Umberleigh, Devon and then second wife of Arthur Plantagenet, 1st...
. He had 12 children, one son (who died young) and four daughters by his first wife and seven by his second, including John, James
James Bassett (clergy)
James Bassett was born in 1526 to Honor Grenville and Sir John Bassett, as the youngest son. When his father died, his mother became remarried to Arthur Plantagenet, Henry VIII's uncle. James then moved to Calais with his mother and stepfather....
, Elizabeth
Elizabeth Bassett (maid-of-honour)
Elizabeth Basset was an English noblewoman who served at the court of King Henry VIII, and was briefly jailed for speaking against him....
, Katherine and, most famously, Anne
Anne Bassett
Anne Bassett was an English courtier of the Tudor period, whose charms attracted the attention of King Henry VIII.-Family background:Anne was born in 1521, the fourth child of Sir John Bassett and Honor...
, who attracted the interest of Henry VIII.
As High Sheriff of Cornwall
High Sheriff of Cornwall
High Sheriffs of Cornwall: a chronological list:Note: The right to choose High Sheriffs each year is vested in the Duchy of Cornwall, rather than the Privy Council, chaired by the Sovereign, which chooses the Sheriffs of all other English counties, other than those in the Duchy of...
in 1497 Sir John was a target for the Cornish rebels under Richard Pendyn of Pendeen who attacked and 'dismantled' Tehidy, the family home. He was created Knight of the Bath by King Henry VII in November, 1501 at the time of the marriage of Katherine of Aragon to Prince Arthur. He was Sheriff of Cornwall again in 1517 and 1522 and High Sheriff of Devon
High Sheriff of Devon
The High Sheriff of Devon is the Queen's representative for the County of Devon, a territory known as his bailiwick. Selected from three nominated people, he holds his office over the duration of a year. He has judicial, ceremonial and administrative functions and executes High Court...
in 1524. In 1520 he was part of the entourage which accompanied Henry VIII to the Field of Cloth of Gold.
Sir John died while his children were young. His wife Honor re-married, to Arthur Plantagenet, 1st Viscount Lisle
Arthur Plantagenet, 1st Viscount Lisle
Arthur Plantagenet, 1st Viscount Lisle, KG was an illegitimate son of King Edward IV of England, and an important figure at the court of Henry VIII...
, who was the illegitimate son of 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...
. He had been given no titles during the reign of his father, half-brother Edward V or uncle 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...
, but was created a viscount
Viscount
A viscount or viscountess is a member of the European nobility whose comital title ranks usually, as in the British peerage, above a baron, below an earl or a count .-Etymology:...
by Henry VIII, his nephew. John Basset's children were moved to 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....
, then an English
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...
enclave which is now a part of France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. Lord Lisle was the governor of Calais, and the children were sent to France to be educated.
Lord and Lady Lisle were apparently very happy and very much in love. Honor was a forceful woman, who wrote many letters to friends at court, ensuring that they were kept well-informed. These letters are preserved today as the Lisle Letters
Lisle Letters
The Lisle Letters are the correspondence of Arthur Plantagenet, an illegitimate son of King Edward IV and an uncle of King Henry VIII, and Plantagenet's wife, Honor Plantagenet, Viscountess Lisle, with several courtiers and friends, including her daughters Anne and Elizabeth...
and give an interesting account of the developments during the reign of Henry VIII.
Honor finally succeeded in getting one of her young daughters appointed as a maid-of-honour to Queen Jane Seymour
Jane Seymour
Jane Seymour was Queen of England as the third wife of King Henry VIII. She succeeded Anne Boleyn as queen consort following the latter's execution for trumped up charges of high treason, incest and adultery in May 1536. She died of postnatal complications less than two weeks after the birth of...
in 1537. She was asked to send two of her daughters - Anne and Katherine - to court, where the Queen would pick the most suitable. Anne, who became known at court for her beauty and respectability, was selected. Her first appearance as maid-of-honour was at Jane Seymour's funeral. It was over two years before another queen arrived, but Anne spent a lot of time at court and received expensive presents from the King. She went on to serve queens Anne of Cleves
Anne of Cleves
Anne of Cleves was a German noblewoman and the fourth wife of Henry VIII of England and as such she was Queen of England from 6 January 1540 to 9 July 1540. The marriage was never consummated, and she was not crowned queen consort...
, Catherine Howard and Katherine 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...
. Her sister, Katherine, and her mother eventually joined her at court, despite Lord Lisle's arrest for treason in 1540.
In 1542, the Imperial ambassador, Chapuys, reported that on the eve of Catherine Howard's execution, Henry seemed besotted with Anne, and that she was a possible sixth wife. This possibility may have been ruined by Anne's own family. Her sister, Elizabeth, favoured the King re-marrying her mistress, Anne of Cleves, and made comments that this seemed to be what God wanted. She also said, "What a man is our king? How many wives will he have?" This was reported to the King and she was brought in to be questioned - under the treason laws her remarks could have warranted the death penalty.
The Bassett family continued to serve at the courts of Henry VIII's children.
See also
- Baron BassetBaron BassetBaron Basset, of Stratton in the County of Cornwall, was a title in the Peerage of Great Britain. It was created in 1797 for Francis Basset, 1st Baron de Dunstanville, with remainder, failing heirs male of his own, to his daughter the Honourable Frances Basset...
- Great Cornish familiesGreat Cornish familiesGreat Cornish families: a history of the people and their houses is a book by Crispin Gill, published in 1995. The authorCrispin Gill, at the time of the book's publication lived in Plymouth and was Assistant Editor of the Western Morning News...
- Tehidy Country ParkTehidy Country ParkTehidy Country Park is located near Camborne, Redruth and Portreath. It was once part of a created estate that was owned by the wealthy Basset Tin mining family.Covering , the estate was purchased by Cornwall County Council in 1983...
- Francis Basset (1715–1769)Francis Basset (1715–1769)Francis Basset was a Cornish landowner and politician from Tehidy. He served as Member of Parliament for Penryn .He was born the son of Francis and Mary Basset...
- Francis Basset, 1st Baron de Dunstanville and BassetFrancis Basset, 1st Baron de Dunstanville and BassetFrancis Basset, 1st Baron de Dunstanville and Basset FRS was an English nobleman and politician. He was the first son of Francis Basset and Margaret St...
- Frances Basset, 2nd Baroness BassetFrances Basset, 2nd Baroness BassetFrances Basset, 2nd Baroness Basset was a British peeress suo jure.Baptised in St Marylebone Church in London on 23 May 1781, she was the only child of Francis Basset, 1st Baron de Dunstanville and Basset and his first wife Frances Susanna, daughter of John Hippesley Coxe...