ODNB signifies an existing entry in the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (2004). HP signifies an entry in The House of Commons, 1509–1558, ed. S.T. Bindoff (History of Parliament, 1982).
Anne of Brittany, Queen of France. Duchess of independent Brittany, she had married Charles VIII of France and, in 1500, his cousin and successor Louis XII. Her death in January 1514 allowed for the marriage of Louis to Mary Tudor as part of the peace treaty with England.
Annebault, Claude d’. Marshal of France 1538. From 1542 one of Francis I’s two principal councillors. Admiral of France, February 1544. Admiral of the fleet, 27 June 1545 (for the force sent to invade England), though without actual experience of sea command. Lost political power after the accession of Henry II in 1547. He died in 1552.
Anthony, Anthony. Son of a Flemish immigrant, he became a clerk of the Ordnance Office and, in 1549, its Surveyor. Best known for the illuminated MS of the Royal Navy which he presented to Henry VIII in 1546; he also compiled a chronicle and other works. He remained in office until his death in 1563 (ODNB).
Atclif, William. A long-serving court official. One of the clerks of the Green Cloth and Avener of the Stable. Victualler of the army and of the King’s ships during the war of 1512–14. Died by May 1519.
Berkeley, Sir John. Eldest son of Richard Berkeley of Stoke, Somerset, from a cadet branch of a noble family. Standard-bearer in the 1544 campaign, and knighted by the King at the taking of Boulogne. Died by September 1545, perhaps as a result of the injuries received at sea earlier that year. Succeeded as standard-bearer by his younger brother Sir Maurice.
Bidoux, Prégent de. Knight of Rhodes, French admiral in the Mediterranean. Born near Tarbes in Gascony, he had a distinguished naval career going back to 1500. In 1513 he was commander of the French galleys at Brest.
Brandon, Sir Charles, becoming Viscount Lisle, then Duke of Suffolk. Jousting companion and favourite of Henry VIII. Born about 1484, he was knighted by April 1512 and became Master of the Horse in October that year. He was appointed Knight of the Garter in April 1513, was created Viscount Lisle in the following month, and was High Marshal of the army invading France. He was created Duke of Suffolk in February 1514. At the beginning of 1515 he was sent to France to bring back the King’s sister Mary, by then the dowager Queen. The couple were secretly married in France, without the King’s permission. Suffolk recovered Henry’s favour, but paid a heavy price in money. In 1540 he became Lord Great Master of the Household. In 1545, at the time of the loss of the Mary Rose, he was commander of the land forces at Portsmouth; he died that year (ODNB).
Bray, Sir Edward. Born by 1492 at Eaton Bray, Bedfordshire, nephew of Henry VII’s minister Sir Reginald Bray. Captain of the Mary Rose from May 1513; served in the army at Tournai and knighted 13 or 14 October 1513. Subsequently held several other naval and military commands. Lieutenant of Calais 1541–52. Edward VI gave him the reversion of the post of Constable of the Tower of London, to which he succeeded in 1556. Although he had helped to defeat Wyatt’s rebellion, his loyalty to Mary was compromised by the suspected treason of his cousin Lord Bray. He resigned his Tower place in 1557 and died the next year (HP).
Brigandine, Robert. Born about 1465 into a Kentish yeoman family, he entered the service of Henry VII and by 1495 was a Yeoman of the Crown. In that year he was appointed Clerk of the King’s Ships, at a fee of 12d a day. He retained this position until 1523, although his influence diminished after Henry VIII’s accession, and during the latter part of his career his activities were confined to Portsmouth. He lived about two years after his retirement, dying (probably) in 1525 (ODNB).
Browne, John (master). One Browne occurs as master of the Great Bark 1513; possibly this is the John Browne first mentioned as master of the Mary Rose in a warrant of 2 March 1514, and who still held that position in 1522.
Browne, John (painter). Heraldic painter for state occasions from 1502. Appointed King’s painter in 1512. Alderman of London in 1523. Promoted Serjeant Painter in 1527. He died in 1532.
Browne, Sir Wystan. From a West Country family, settled at Abbess Roding, Essex. Esquire of the Body by 1509. Served in Spain against the Moors, and personally knighted by Ferdinand II of Aragon at Burgos on 11 September 1511. One of the King’s Spears. Captain of the Peter Pomegranate 1512–13, and of the Trinity 1514. Granted reversion of the treasurership of Calais in March 1513, but never succeeded to the post. Appointed to review naval expenditure in 1519. In the following year had many responsibilities in preparation for the Field of the Cloth of Gold, including rigging and victualling the Mary Rose. Also in 1520 customer of London and chamberlain of Princess Mary’s household. Said to have been near to death in November 1521, but may still have been living in December 1532.
Bryan, Sir Francis. Born by 1492, son of Sir Thomas Bryan of Ashridge, Hertfordshire, well connected at court. Held a naval command in 1513 under his kinsman, Lord Admiral (Thomas) Howard. Served in the 1522 expedition and knighted after the capture of Morlaix. In 1543 Lord Lisle appointed him as his Vice-Admiral. He died as acting Viceroy in Ireland in 1550 (ODNB, HP).
Bull, Sir Stephen. Of Old Radnor on the Welsh border. Uncompromisingly described as a ‘man of war’, he held several naval commands. Captain of the Regent in 1512, and knighted at sea by Sir Edward Howard in June that year. Captain of the Less Bark jointly with Thomas Cheyne (q.v.) 1513, and alone, 1514. Captain of Carisbrooke Castle, Isle of Wight. Died by January 1515.
Calthrop, Richard. Captain of the hired merchantman Mary of Brixham serving with the King’s ships in 1513. Captain of the Sabyne in 1514.
Carew, Sir Gawain. Born c. 1503, the fourth son of Sir Edmund Carew of Mohun’s Ottery, Devon, and uncle of Sir George (q.v.). MP for Devon, perhaps first in 1542 and several times thereafter. Active in the suppression of the south-western rising of 1549. Imprisoned for his part in Wyatt’s plot against Mary (1554) but resumed his parliamentary career under Elizabeth. He died in 1585 (HP).
Carew, Sir George. Born by 1505, eldest son of Sir William Carew, son of Sir Edmund. MP for Devon in 1529. Knighted in 1536. Sheriff of Devon, 1536–7, 1542–3. Helped Vice-Admiral Dudley patrol the Channel in 1537. Captain of Rysbank Tower at Calais in 1539. Taken prisoner by the French in 1543. Gentleman of the Privy Chamber in 1544. Elected again for Devon in January 1545, but did not live to take his seat. Vice-Admiral of the fleet and Captain of the Mary Rose, in which he drowned on 19 July 1545. His wife Mary, who witnessed the disaster, later married Sir Arthur Champernon (HP).
Carew, Sir Peter. Born c. 1510, third son of Sir William. MP for Tavistock in 1545, and subsequently for other Devon constituencies. Sheriff of the county in 1546–7; soon afterwards Vice-Admiral of Devon and Cornwall. Followed his uncle Sir Gawain against the rebels in 1549, but took the lead in the plot against Mary, after which he fled to France. Subsequently captured, he was eventually pardoned by Mary, and served Elizabeth in Ireland. His life was written by the sixteenth-century Exeter historian, John Hooker (HP).
Carew, Sir Wymond. Son of John Carew of Antony, Cornwall. An official of the Duchy of Cornwall, and to Queens Jane Seymour, Anne of Cleves and Catherine Parr. Knight of the Bath at Edward VI’s coronation. He died in 1549 (HP).
Catherine of Aragon. Daughter of Ferdinand II of Aragon and Isabella of Castile. She married Henry VIII in 1509. Her failure to provide a male heir prompted the King to seek annulment of the marriage on grounds of pre-contract with his elder brother Arthur. After eventually being set aside in 1533 she was given the title Princess Dowager; she died in 1536 (ODNB).
Cavendish, Thomas. Born in Suffolk in 1560, he sailed in the first attempt to colonize Virginia (1585). He won renown by becoming, in 1586–8, the second Englishman to circumnavigate the globe. He died at sea on another expedition in 1592 (ODNB).
Chapuys, Eustache. A native of Savoy, who entered Charles V’s service, c. 1527. Appointed ambassador to England in 1529, he was almost continually resident until 1544; during his final visit in 1544–5 he accompanied his accredited successor François van der Delft (q.v.). He died in 1556.
Charles V. Hereditary ruler of the Netherlands, much of Italy, and the Habsburg lands in Austria, King of Spain (as Carlos I) from 1516, and elected Holy Roman Emperor in 1519; he thus held a unique concentration of power, but it would have been unmanageable even without the divide which the Reformation cut through his dominions. From 1556 he abdicated his thrones, entering a monastery where he died in 1558. He twice visited England; on the second occasion, in 1522, he went aboard the Mary Rose at Dover.
Cheyne, Sir Thomas. Entered royal service as a henchman to Henry VII. In 1513 was Captain of the Less Bark jointly with Stephen Bull (q.v.), and alone, of the Christ. Knighted by November that year. Held many public offices in his native Kent. Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports from 1536, becoming Knight of the Garter in 1539, Treasurer of the Household and a Privy Councillor from the same year until his death in 1558 (ODNB, HP).
Clere, Sir Thomas. Second son of Robert Clere, of Stokesby, Norfolk. Serving at sea by 1522; in 1523–4 as captain of the hired merchantman Edmund of Hull. JP for Norfolk in 1538. In 1544 commanded the Jesus of Lübeck. Knighted by Lord Hertford at Leith in May that year. Vice-Admiral in July 1545; confirmed in this position (also called Lieutenant) on the establishment of the Navy Board in April 1546, retaining office until 1552; he died the following year.
Clermont, René. Lieutenant-General (or Vice-Admiral) of the French fleet. Taken prisoner at the battle of the Spurs (16 August 1513).
Clogge, John. Master of the Peter Pomegranate in 1512, as he was ten years later.
Coke, William. Yeoman of the Chamber to the Queen (Catherine of Aragon). Captain of the rowbarge Catherine Pomegranate then of the Sweepstake in 1514. Despite censure of his conduct during the action of 25 April that year, he continued to hold naval commands.
Compton, Sir William. Son of Edmund Compton of Compton, Warwickshire, born c. 1482. A personal favourite of the King, and one of the first Gentlemen of the Privy Chamber. Knighted at Tournai in 1513, and subsequently Chief Gentleman and Groom of the Stool. He was an arch-enemy of Wolsey, but died, conveniently for the latter, in 1528. Among other appointments, he served as Sheriff of Hampshire in 1512–13, and of Somerset and Dorset in 1513–14 (ODNB).
Coo, Christopher. Shipowner of King’s Lynn and (by 1518) a collector of customs there as deputy to the Chief Butler of England. Captain of the Lizard and other ships in the war of 1512–14. In 1522–3 a principal supplier of ships to the Crown, with a reputation for plundering others.
Cromwell, Thomas, Earl of Essex. Born c. 1475. A former servant of Wolsey, he became Henry VIII’s chief minister after the Cardinal’s fall in 1529. Principal Secretary in 1534. Lord Privy Seal in 1536. Directed the suppression of the monasteries and the other processes by which the Church in England became an agency of the Crown. Created Earl of Essex in 1540, but fell from power and was executed for treason later that year. (ODNB, HP)
Daunce, Sir John. Teller of the Exchequer in 1505. Appointed Treasurer at War, July 1511, playing a key role in Henry VIII’s first French war, and generally in developing the Crown’s financial administration; his accounts survive profusely in the Public Records. Knighted in October 1513, a member of the Council in the Star Chamber by 1516 and of the King’s Council for legal affairs in 1526. He died in 1545 (HP as ‘Dauntesey’).
Dawtrey, John. Customer (collector of customs) for Southampton. Under-Treasurer of the war 1512–14.
Delabere, James. Captain of the victualler Antony de Montygro in 1513. Detached from the navy to lead 100 men in the aborted assault on Brittany.
De La Fava, Ludovico. Merchant of Bologna. In 1509 and on several previous occasions chartered the King’s ship Regent for export of wools and other merchandise.
Delft, François van der. Replaced Eustache Chapuys as Imperial ambassador in England in 1544. He was withdrawn on grounds of ill health in June 1550, and died shortly after. His extensive dispatches to Charles V and others are a major, though necessarily partisan, source of information.
Devereux, Walter, Lord Ferrers, later Viscount Hereford. Born c. 1489 and succeeded as 3rd Baron Ferrers in 1501. As a youth he waited at Henry VII’s table where he was a close companion of Charles Brandon, the future Duke of Suffolk. He served with the Marquess of Dorset in 1512. After his time with the fleet in the summer of 1513, as Captain of the Trinity, he fought at Flodden (9 September). He accompanied Suffolk to France in 1523 and was elected to the Garter the same year. He served with the King at Boulogne in 1544, and was created Viscount Hereford in 1550. He died in 1558 (ODNB).
Don, Sir Griffith. Soldier. Occurs as a Sewer of the Chamber at Henry VII’s funeral (1509). One of the band of King’s Spears in 1511. Captain of the Mary John in 1512; knighted by Sir Edward Howard on 7 June that year. Ambassador to Mantua in 1514. Knight of the Body in 1516. Magistrate in Hertfordshire.
Draper, Robert. From the north-east. Captain of a ship of 160 tons originally the Nicholas Nevill, then called Nicholas Draper, hired by the King. In 1512 joint captain with William Keby (q.v.), but in sole command of the same ship from 1513 until at least 1529.
Du Bellay, Martin. Younger brother of Jean Du Bellay, Bishop of Bayonne, who was sent as French ambassador to England at the height of Henry VIII’s divorce crisis in 1533. Author of Memoires … de plusieurs choses (1569).
Dudley, John, Viscount Lisle, later Duke of Northumberland. Born 1504, elder son of Edmund Dudley, minister of Henry VII, who was executed in 1509. Trained as a soldier, he was knighted during the campaign of 1523, and served the King mainly as an administrator. In 1542 he was created Viscount Lisle after the death of his step-father Arthur Plantagenet (q.v.), the previous holder of the title. In the following year he became Lord Admiral, serving in that capacity, and with conspicuous success, throughout the war of 1543–6. On the accession of Edward VI in 1547 he was created Earl of Warwick, and seized control of the minority government after the fall of the Duke of Somerset in October 1549; in November 1551 he became Duke of Northumberland. He eventually over-reached himself in trying to exclude Mary from the accession on Edward’s death in July 1553, and died on the scaffold in the following month (ODNB, HP).
Edgecombe, Sir Piers. From Meavy, Devon; born c. 1469. Esquire of the Body by 1489, Knight of the Bath at the creation of the future Henry VIII as Duke of York, 1494. Among much public service in the south-west, he was several times pricked Sheriff for Devon and Cornwall between 1494 and 1534. He fought against Warbeck’s rebellion in 1497, and with Henry VIII in France in 1513 (receiving the honour of Knight Banneret on 16 August). He died in 1539 (ODNB, under ‘Edgcumbe, Sir Richard’ (d. 1489) (father); HP, as ‘Sir Peter’).
Ferdinand II. King of Aragon 1479–1516; also (as Ferdinand V) King of Castile 1506–16. His marriage to Queen Isabella of Castile established the united Spanish monarchy. Their daughter Catherine was Henry VIII’s first Queen.
FitzAlan, Henry, Earl of Arundel. Born in 1512, succeeded his father in 1544. Lord Chamberlain, 1546–50. Lord Steward, 1553–64. Privy Councillor to Henry VIII, Edward VI, Mary I and Elizabeth. On his death in 1580 his title and estate passed to the Howard family. (ODNB)
Fitzwilliam, William, Earl of Southampton. Born c. 1490, younger son of Sir Thomas Fitzwilliam of Aldwark, Yorkshire. A childhood companion of the future Henry VIII, with court appointments from 1509. Served with the Marquess of Dorset in 1512. Held naval command in 1513, wounded at Brest, and knighted 25 September for service at Tournai. Treasurer of Wolsey’s household in 1518. Treasurer of the King’s Household, 1525–37, also Comptroller 1526–32. Vice-Admiral in 1525–36, Lord Admiral in 1536. Knight of the Garter in 1526. Created Earl of Southampton in 1537 and died in 1542 (ODNB, HP).
Flemyng, James. Comptroller of customs for Southampton in 1509. Captain of the Nicholas of Hampton in 1512, of the Katherine Fortileza in 1513 (at first in partnership with William Gonson, q.v.), and of the Great Nicholas in 1514.
Fox, Richard. Bishop of Exeter, 1487–92; of Bath and Wells, 1492–4; Durham, 1494–1501; and Winchester, 1501–28. Keeper of the Privy Seal, 1487–1516. Founder of Corpus Christi College, Oxford. A major figure in Henry VII’s government, and a moderating influence in the early years of his son’s reign (ODNB).
Francis I. King of France, succeeding his cousin Louis XII on 1 January 1515, and reigning until 1547. In maritime history his main achievement was the creation, from 1517, of the port of Le Havre. In July 1545, as he surveyed his fleet from the clifftops, he came close to death when Lord Lisle’s ships bombarded his position.
Freman, —. Master of the Katherine Fortileza in 1513.
Gage, Sir John. Born in 1479, and an Esquire of the Body by 1509; knighted by 1519. Privy Councillor and Constable of the Tower from 1540. Comptroller of the Household 1540–7. Knight of the Garter, 1541. Lord Chamberlain from 1553 to his death in 1556 (ODNB, HP).
Gonson, William. Merchant and seaman. Joint captain with John Flemying (q.v.) of the Katherine Fortileza in 1513; held various other commands in the war of 1512–14. Became Keeper of the Storehouses at Erith in 1524, and unofficial treasurer of the navy. He was trusted by both Wolsey and Cromwell, and was described in 1537 as ‘Master of the King’s Ships’ (a title never officially bestowed). He died in 1544. His son Benjamin became the first Surveyor of the navy in 1546, and died as Treasurer in 1577. (ODNB)
Grey, Thomas, 2nd Marquess of Dorset. Born in 1477, grandson of Edward IV’s Queen. Jousting companion of Henry VIII. Lieutenant-General of an expedition to conquer Guyenne (Aquitaine) in June 1512. Nothing came of a planned alliance with the King of Aragon, and Dorset was obliged to bring his force home empty-handed. He served in the subsequent French war, but was never given another high command. He died in 1530. (ODNB)
Guildford, Sir Henry. Younger son of Sir Richard Guildford, Comptroller of the Household to Henry VII. Jouster and boon companion to Henry VIII. Knighted in March 1512. At the engagement off Brest in August that year he served jointly with Sir Charles Brandon as captain of soldiers aboard the Sovereign. Esquire of the Body by 1513, standard-bearer to the King, and one of the original Gentlemen of the Privy Chamber. Councillor from 1516. Comptroller of the Household, 1522–6.
Gurney, Thomas. Captain of the Jenet Purwyn, 1512–13.
Gybson, Christopher. Master gunner of the Mary John in 1512. Granted a permanent place as a King’s gunner, December 1514, still holding this appointment in 1534.
Harper, William. Captain of the Baptist of Harwich, the victualler for the Mary Rose in 1513. Subsequently a supplier for the navy.
Harvel, Edmond alias Sigismund. German by birth; represented Henry VIII and Edward VI as Agent in Venice. Died there in 1550 and given a magnificent funeral; although he was described as ‘the most noble lord, the ambassador of England’, the Signory did not attend because he was not a proper ambassador, only an Agent. He had nevertheless been long-serving and reliable.
Hawkins, Sir Richard. Son of the famous Elizabethan seaman, Sir John Hawkins. He commanded the Swallow against the Armada of 1588, and in 1593 set out on a voyage intended to surpass the exploits of Drake and Cavendish, but was captured by the Spanish and spent many years in their prisons. His Observations on this voyage, published just after his death in 1622, brought him renown. Unfortunately much detail was imperfectly remembered, as in the extract about the Mary Rose given above (ODNB).
Heron, Sir John. Treasurer of the Chamber, 1492–1521 and Treasurer of the war, 1512–14. Clerk of the Hanaper of Chancery in 1514.
Hooker, John. Chamberlain of Exeter in 1555, and a prolific antiquarian writer. Solicitor to Sir Peter Carew, in whose service he went to Ireland in 1568 and became a member of the Irish Parliament. His life of Carew, with its account of Sir George Carew’s death in the Mary Rose, was not printed until the nineteenth century (ODNB).
Hopton, John. Yeoman of the Chamber by 1501 and Gentleman Usher by 1511. Served the King at sea from at least 1510, and owned several ships of his own. Presented naval accounts with John Dawtrey and Robert Brigandine (qq.v.) in 1512, and became Clerk Comptroller of the navy in the same year. Responsible for rigging the fleet which went to the Field of the Cloth of Gold in 1520. Retired 1524 and died before July 1526 (ODNB).
Howard, Sir Edward. Second son of Thomas Howard, Earl of Surrey and subsequently 2nd Duke of Norfolk. Born about 1478, he gained his first experience of sea service with Sir Edward Poynings in 1492. In 1497 he accompanied his father to the Scottish border, and was knighted by him. He was a prominent jouster, and was appointed standard-bearer to the King in May 1509. By 1511 he was commanding ships in the Channel, and in 1512 was appointed Admiral of the King’s war fleet, with an elaborate indenture and instructions. He was also granted the reversion of the office of Lord Admiral, to which he succeeded on the death of the Earl of Oxford on 10 March 1513. He was killed in action on 25 April in the same year (ODNB).
Howard, Sir Thomas, styled Lord Howard, becoming Earl of Surrey, later 3rd Duke of Norfolk. Eldest son of the Earl of Surrey, born in 1473. He served with his father in 1497, and was knighted by him. Until becoming a peer in his own right, he was known as Lord Howard, a courtesy title he had held in the time of his grandfather, the 1st Duke of Norfolk (though the barony from which it derived was forfeited in 1485 and never restored). He succeeded his brother as Lord Admiral in April 1513, and served in that capacity until 1525. He was created Earl of Surrey when his father was promoted to the dukedom of Norfolk in 1514, and succeeded him in the latter title in 1524. He was a prominent courtier and politician during the later part of Henry VIII’s reign, and Lord Treasurer from 1522, but fell from favour in 1546, and was attainted of high treason. Saved from execution by the King’s death in January 1547, he remained in prison during Edward VI’s reign, and was released and restored by Mary on her accession in 1553. He died in 1554 (ODNB).
James IV. King of Scotland, 1488–1513. In 1503 he married Henry VII’s elder daughter Margaret. He strengthened Scottish naval power, in particular by building warships designed to mount heavy artillery. It can be argued that Henry VIII, in building the Mary Rose and her sister the Peter, Henry VIII was following his brother-in-law’s lead.
Jenyns, John. Servant to Sir John Heron as Treasurer of the Chamber from 1513.
Jermyn, Thomas. Master of the Mary Walsingham in 1513. Became Clerk of the Ships following the retirement of Robert Brigandine in March 1523, but did not have his predecessor’s role in advising the King. In office until February 1538.
Jerningham, Sir Richard. Second son of John Jerningham of Somerleyton, Suffolk. A member of the Band of Spears, 1511. Esquire of the Body, 1512. Knighted at Tournai on Christmas Day in 1513, and later Deputy there during the English occupation. Resident ambassador in France 1520–1; subsequently undertook several special missions. He died in 1525.
Keby, William. Yeoman Usher of the Chamber in 1509. Also customer of Boston, and jointly captained a ship with Robert Draper (q.v.). Promoted Serjeant of Arms in May 1513. Had a part in the flotilla escorting Charles V on his visit in 1522.
Legge, Robert. Appointed Treasurer for Marine Causes in the patent establishing the Navy Board, 24 April 1546. Died in office in 1548.
Le Roy, Guyon, Sieur du Chillou. Vice-Admiral of Brittany and Admiral of France. Responsible for the construction of the new port at Le Havre from 1517.
Louis XII. King of France, 1498–1515. In 1514 he married, as his second wife, Henry VIII’s sister Mary.
Margaret of Savoy. Also known as Margaret of Austria, she was the aunt of the Emperor Charles V, and served as his Regent in the Low Countries from 1509 to 1513, and from 1519 to her death in 1530.
Monson, Sir William. Born in Lincolnshire in 1569. Left Balliol College, Oxford at an early age and went to sea. Served against the Armada of 1588 and in the continuing Spanish war. Admiral of the Narrow Seas in 1604. Retired in 1635 and died in 1643. His extensive compilation of ‘Naval Tracts’ (published posthumously, and reissued by the NRS in 1902–14), is an important source of naval and maritime history, if occasionally inaccurate.
Paget, Sir William, later Lord Paget. Clerk of the Privy Council, 1540-3, and Secretary to the King, April 1543–June 1547. He played a leading part in setting up the Protectorate in 1547, and became Comptroller of the Household later in the same year. In 1549 he was created Baron Paget of Beaudesert, but fell out with the Earl of Warwick and was dismissed from office. Appointed to the Privy Council by Mary in July 1553, he became Lord Privy Seal in December 1555, probably at the suggestion of King Philip, whom he supported. His services were not employed by Elizabeth, and he died in retirement in 1565 (ODNB, HP).
Palshide, Richard. Appointed customer of Southampton in June 1509. Under-Treasurer of the war, 1512–14.
Paulet, William, Baron St John, later Marquess of Winchester. Son of Sir John Paulet of Basing, Hampshire. Knighted by 1525. Comptroller of the Household in 1532. In 1537 he was promoted to Treasurer of the Household, and was raised to the peerage as Lord St John of Basing in March 1539. He was appointed Lord Chamberlain in 1543. From 1545 to 1550 he served as Lord Great Master of the Household, and in 1550 was created Earl of Wiltshire and appointed Lord Treasurer. In 1551 he was promoted to the marquisate of Winchester. He remained Lord Treasurer under both Mary and Elizabeth, dying in 1572 (ODNB, HP).
Pawne, William. Served with Henry Tudor at Bosworth, and became his Clerk of the Stable. Received many further offices at the start of Henry VIII’s reign, including Bailiff of Guines in 1509, Receiver of Berwick in 1511 and Master of the Ordnance there in 1514.
Peryn, John. Master, of the Swallow in 1513, and of the Barbara in the following year.
Plantagenet, Arthur, later Viscount Lisle. Illegitimate son of King Edward IV by Elizabeth Lucy. Born c. 1462 and first known by his mother’s maiden name of Wayte. Captain of the ill-fated Nicholas of Hampton in 1513, and knighted the same year. Created Viscount Lisle in 1523. Vice-Admiral of England in 1525. Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports and governor of Calais from 1526. Councillor in 1540, but fell from favour and died in prison in 1542. His family correspondence, confiscated on his arrest, survives among the State Papers, a comprehensive edition published as The Lisle Letters (1981) (ODNB).
Poyntz, Sir Anthony. Son of Sir Francis Poyntz of Iron Acton, Gloucestershire, born c. 1480. Knighted by Sir Edward Howard during the 1513 campaign. Captain of an unspecified ship of Bristol that year, and of the Katherine Fortileza in 1514. He undertook an embassy to France in 1518, and attended the Field of the Cloth of Gold in 1520. He served again at sea in 1522, and became Vice-Admiral. Sheriff of Gloucestershire, 1527. He died 1532 or 1533 (ODNB, under father’s entry).
Radcliffe, Robert, Baron Fitzwalter, later Earl of Sussex. Born c. 1483, son of John Radcliffe, Baron Fitzwalter, whom he had succeeded by 1509. Created Viscount Fitzwalter in 1525, and Earl of Sussex in 1529. He died in 1542.
Rogers, Thomas. Captain in the private fleet of Richard Neville, Earl of Warwick. In Edward IV’s service by 1475, and appointed Clerk of the King’s Ships in 1480. Reappointed by Richard III and Henry VII. He died early in 1488.
Rolf, Thomas. Esquire of the Body. Customer of Sandwich and victualler to the navy. Also one of the auditors of the Court of General Surveyors.
Rouville, Louis de. Huntsman to Louis XII. Lieutenant-General (or Vice-Admiral) of the united Franco-Scottish fleet, appointed September 1513.
Russell, John, Baron Russell, later Earl of Bedford. Born c. 1485 at Weymouth, Dorset. An early competence as linguist is said to have enabled him to interpret for Archduke Philip of Austria, forced ashore at Weymouth in 1506. This brought Henry VII’s favour and a place at court, leading to his long service as soldier, diplomat and politician. Served in the naval expedition of 1522; lost his right eye at the capture of Morlaix. Knighted by Lord Admiral Surrey after the battle. Created Baron Russell in December 1542, on appointment as Lord Privy Seal. He was reappointed to the same office in 1547, and was created Earl of Bedford in 1550. Mary retained him in office until his death in 1555. He acquired the estate at Woburn which in later generations would become the seat of the political dynasty he founded (ODNB, HP).
Sabyne, William. Merchant of Ipswich, and shipmaster in the King’s service. Captain of his own ship Sabyne in 1512–13. Appointed one of the King’s Serjeants of Arms in 1518. Served with the King’s ships again in 1522–3.
Seaman, Peter. Pilot of the Katherine Fortileza in 1513. Captain of the Gabriel in 1523.
Seymour, Edward, Earl of Hertford, later Duke of Somerset. Eldest son of Sir John Seymour of Wolf Hall, Somerset. Prospered when his sister Jane became Henry VIII’s third Queen in 1537. On the accession of his nephew Edward VI he had himself made Lord Protector, setting aside the collective regency which Henry had designed for his son’s minority. Overthrown in October 1549. Although allowed to resume his place in the Privy Council, he was suspected of plotting to recover full control of the government, and was executed for treason in 1552. (ODNB)
Sherborne, Sir Henry. Born in 1474, eldest son of John Sherborne (or Shernborne), of Shernborne, Norfolk. Knighted in 1511. Captain of the Martinet in 1512, joint captain of the Great Bark in 1513, and captain of the Mary Rose in 1514. Marshal of the King’s Bench in 1515. Customer of Drogheda in 1522. Vice-Admiral of the North Sea by February 1523. Killed in action against the French on 11 June that year. His son Thomas, serving with him, suffered permanent deafness from the noise of the guns.
Sidney, Sir William. Esquire of the Body by 1512. Soldier. Captain of the Dragon of Greenwich 1512. Joint-captain of the Great Bark in 1513. Special ambassador to France in 1515. Chamberlain of the household of Prince Edward in 1538. Among much property granted to him in Edward’s reign was Penshurst Place, Kent, which became the family seat. He died in 1553.
Southern, Lewis. Captain of the Elizabeth of Newcastle in 1512.
Southwell, Sir Richard. Born in Essex c. 1503. Receiver of the Court of Augmentations 1536–42, active in the suppression of the monasteries. Treasurer of the wars from August 1544. Privy Councillor under Edward VI (briefly) and Mary. Master of the Ordnance, 1554–9. He died in 1564 (ODNB, HP).
Sperte, Sir Thomas. An experienced sea captain, and the first master of the Henry Grace à Dieu, he became Clerk Comptroller of the navy when John Hopton retired in 1524. He was knighted in 1535, in which year he was also described (like Gonson) as ‘Master of the King’s Ships’. By 1538 he was also Captain of Portsmouth, and was responsible for the additional fortifications built there in 1539. He seems to have retired in 1540, and died soon after (ODNB).
Stewart, John, 2nd Duke of Albany. Born 1481, grandson of James II of Scotland, and brought up in France. Following the death of his cousin James IV at Flodden in 1513, he was declared Regent for and heir to James V. This led to a power struggle with the dowager Queen Margaret, and Albany intermittently took refuge at the French court. He left Scotland finally in 1524, when the regency was formally terminated. He died in 1536. (ODNB)
Swanne, John. Master of the George of Rye, among those escorting Princess Mary to France for her marriage to Louis XII in 1515.
Symmond, William. Captain of the Mary Christopher of Bristol in 1513, of the Magdalen of Poole in 1517, and of the Mary Boleyn in 1523. Sewer of the Chamber in 1520.
Tooley, William. Captain of the Sweepstake in 1513. His brother Sir Robert, who served with him, had no naval appointment.
Tregonwell, Sir John. Born by 1498. DCL of Oxford University. Commissioner for piracy in 1527. Principal judge of the Admiralty Court by 1535. Master in Chancery by 1536. Played a prominent part in suppression of the monasteries, but accepted the restoration of Catholicism by Mary, at whose coronation he was knighted and in whose Privy Council he sat. He died in 1565 (ODNB, HP).
Trevelyan alias Trevanion, Sir William. Soldier. Knight of the Body by 1512. Captain of the George of Falmouth in 1512, of the Henry Grace à Dieu in 1513 and of the Gabriel in 1514. Pricked Sheriff of Cornwall in 1515. Auditor of the Duchy in 1518.
Vaughan, Edward. Occurs as Gentleman Pensioner from 1540. Served as one of the captains at Guines from April 1541. Captain of Portsmouth from 1545, and responsible for the fortifications under construction there at the time the Mary Rose was lost.
Vaughan, Thomas. Bailiff of Dover. Captain of the Fortune of Dover in 1514.
Veysey, John. Bishop of Exeter, 1519–51 and 1553–4. (ODNB)
Wallop, Sir John. Son of Stephen Wallop of Hampshire. Soldier and diplomat; probably knighted in the Low Countries by Sir Edward Poynings, 1511. Served at sea through the war of 1512–14; captain of the Sanchio de Gara in 1513 and of the Great Barbara in 1514. Sent on a diplomatic mission to Portugal in 1516, and expressed a wish to serve against the Infidel. Was sent as a soldier to Ireland in 1518–20, and served in France in 1522–3. Gentleman Pensioner in 1518. Undertook missions to the Low Countries (1526) and to Germany. Gentleman of the Privy Chamber by 1540, and Ambassador in Paris, 1540–1. Captain of Guisnes, 1541. Knight of the Garter, 1543. He served in France in 1544, and died at Guisnes in 1551 (ODNB).
West, Sir Thomas, later Baron West and De La Warr. Born about 1472. Soldier and courtier. Esquire of the Body by 1503. He served at Tournai in 1513 and was created Knight Banneret at Lille in that year. Sheriff of Surrey and Sussex, 1524. Succeeded to his father’s baronies in 1526. He was implicated in the alleged Exeter conspiracy in 1539, and briefly imprisoned. He returned to court in 1540, was Lord Lieutenant of Sussex in 1551, but declared for Mary in 1553, and died in the following year (ODNB).
Weston, Sir Richard. Esquire of the Body. Captain of Guernsey in 1509.
Westowe, John. Appointed one of the gunners of the Tower of London in 1509. Searcher of the port of Bristol in January 1513. Served as Master Gunner of the Middle Ward of the army in France that year. Sent with ordnance to Tournai in 1514.
Williams, Sir John, later Baron Williams of Thame. Born by 1503, younger son of Sir John Williams of Burghfield, Berkshire. Associate of Thomas Cromwell, and prominent in suppression of the monasteries. Treasurer of the Court of Augmentations, the department which handled the proceeds of the dissolution, 1544–54. Received his barony from Mary in 1554, and was appointed Chamberlain to King Philip. He died in 1559.
Willoughby, Robert, Baron Willoughby de Broke. Born in 1472 and succeeded his father in 1502. Also de jure Baron Latimer, but summoned to Parliament in the Willoughby barony, and known informally as Lord Broke. Knighted by 1504. Knight of the Bath at Henry VIII’s coronation in 1509. Served under the Marquess of Dorset in 1512 and at Tournai in 1513. Died in 1521.
Windsor, Sir Andrew. Lawyer. Son of Thomas Windsor of Stanwell, Middlesex. He was born in 1467, and succeeded his father in 1485. He was a Bencher of the Middle Temple in 1500, and Keeper of the Great Wardrobe in 1506. Created Knight of the Bath at the coronation in 1509, he was a treasurer on the campaign of 1513, and commissioner for the navy in 1514. Became a Councillor in 1525/6. He was created Baron Windsor in 1529, and died in 1543 (ODNB).
Wingfield, Sir Richard. Son of Sir John Wingfield of Letheringham, Suffolk. Born about 1469, he studied briefly at Cambridge and Ferrara. Esquire of the Body by 1500, and knighted by 1511. In 1512 he was a commissioner for negotiating the Holy League against France, and undertook missions to the Low Countries between 1514 and 1516. He was Treasurer of Calais in 1518, and Ambassador to France in 1520. He died in 1525 (ODNB, HP).
Winter, John. Merchant and sea captain of Bristol. Possibly related to Wolsey’s mistress. He was intended as Treasurer of the navy in 1546, but died in the same year. His son Sir William Winter was a distinguished naval commander and administrator.
Wiseman, Edmund. Captain of the Christopher Davy in 1512, and of the Mary George in 1514. One of the King’s Spears by 1514. Captain in the garrison at Tournai in 1515.
Wodeshawe, Thomas. Customer of Southampton in the reign of Henry VII, vacating office on the appointment of Richard Palshide in June 1509. Received a pension from the customs in September 1510.
Wolsey, Thomas. Born about 1472, and educated at Magdalen College, Oxford. He served as chaplain both to the Archbishop of Canterbury, and to Sir Richard Nanfan, the governor of Calais, before entering the royal household in the same capacity in 1507. He undertook several modest diplomatic missions before Henry VII’s death. Henry VIII appointed him as Almoner towards the end of 1509. While thus nominally in charge of royal charity, his main occupation was managing the logistics of the campaigns of 1512 and 1513, gaining the King’s favour in the process. In reward he received several middle-ranking ecclesiastical preferments, culminating in the deanery of York in 1513. Thereafter his rise was meteoric. In 1514 he became Bishop of Lincoln, then of Tournai, and Archbishop of York in September of that year. In September 1515 he was created Cardinal on the King’s petition, and in December became Lord Chancellor. In 1518 he was created Legate a Latere. From 1515 until his fall in 1529 he was the King’s chief minister, and his influence was unchallenged. However, Henry’s confidence began to wane after the fiasco of the ‘Amicable Grant’ in 1525, and he was dismissed eventually for failing to secure the King’s divorce (ODNB).
Woodhouse, Sir William. Born by 1517, second son of John Woodhouse of Waxham, Norfolk. At sea from an early age. In February 1543 appointed Admiral of a squadron of four ships in the North Sea. Vice-Admiral of the fleet which assisted the invasion of Scotland in 1544 and knighted that year. Master of naval ordnance, 1545–52. Lieutenant of the Admiralty in 1552 until his death in 1563 (ODNB, HP).
Worsley, James. Groom of the Chamber, and of the Wardrobe of the Robes in 1509. Among many other grants from Henry VIII, he held customs collectorships at Poole, Southampton and Calais. Keeper of the lions and leopards at the Tower of London in 1513. Constable of Carisbrooke Castle, Isle of Wight, 1520.
Wotton, Sir Edward. Eldest son of Sir Robert Wotton of Boughton Malherbe, Kent. Appointed Treasurer of Calais in 1540 and Privy Councillor in 1547. Was in London September–November 1549, lending support to the coup against Protector Somerset. He died in 1551. His brother Nicholas, Dean of Canterbury and of York (d. 1567), was resident ambassador in France and a Privy Councillor from 1546. Like his brother he was in London at the time of Somerset’s fall, one consequence of which was his own appointment as a Principal Secretary (of State) in October 1549. It is likely that the ‘Mr Wotton’ mentioned in the document here printed is Sir Edward; his brother was usually distinguished as ‘Dr’.
Wriothesley, Charles. Son of Sir Thomas Wriothesley (cousin to the following), born about 1508. He became Rouge Croix Pursuivant in 1525 and Windsor Herald in 1534. He entered Gray’s Inn in 1529. Later in life he compiled the chronicle which bears his name, and died in 1562.
Wriothesley, Thomas, Baron Wriothesley, later Earl of Southampton. Born December 1505, he became Keeper of the Great Seal in April 1544. Raised to the peerage as Baron Wriothesley in January 1544, he became Lord Chancellor in the following May. He retained his office on the accession of Edward VI in January 1547, and was created Earl of Southampton, but immediately after fell out with Protector Somerset, and was dismissed in May. Defeated in a bid to recover power after Somerset’s fall in October 1549, he was finally dismissed from the Council in December and died in July 1550 (ODNB, HP).
Wyatt, Sir Henry. Born about 1460, he entered the service of Henry Tudor in about 1483, and was immediately named to the Council on Henry’s accession in 1485. By 1492 he was established in Kent. He served Henry VII both in Scotland and Ireland, and became a Knight of the Bath at Henry VIII’s coronation. He served at the Battle of the Spurs in 1513, and became Treasurer of the Chamber in 1523. He retired in 1528, and died in 1537. The poet Sir Thomas Wyatt was his son (ODNB).
Wyndham, Sir Thomas. Son of Sir John Wyndham of Felbrigge, Norfolk, and Margaret, daughter of the 1st Duke of Norfolk; he was thus first cousin to Lord Admirals Edward and Thomas Howard. He served at sea from about 1510, and was Vice-Admiral throughout the war of 1512–14. He was knighted at Crozon Bay by Sir Edward Howard in June 1512. He was with Howard (somewhat as now would be called flag captain) aboard the Mary Rose at the assault on Brest in August. In March 1513 he was appointed Treasurer of the fleet. Captain of the John Hopton that year, and of the Henry Grace à Dieu in 1514. Reappointed Vice-Admiral in 1516. He died in 1522. His son Thomas (d. 1553) also had a distinguished naval career (ODNB, entry for son).