The Dukes of Norfolk - the Flodden Duke

Sir Robert Howard
born 1385, Died 1426
Sir John Howard (1st Duke)
born 1420, Died 1483 at Bosworth Field
Thomas Howard (2nd Duke)
born 1444, Died 1524

Last month I promised to include both the second and third Dukes in this issue, but on reading of the second Duke it would seem that he thoroughly deserves a full section to himself. Indeed his life and times were so dramatic and so full that I have cut this account in two and the second part will appear in the next issue of this magazine.

Born in 1444 Thomas was Sir John Howard’s eldest son. His father had not been knighted or ennobled when he was born but was well on the way to great heights, and taking his son with him. Thomas entered the household of the then King, Edward IV, thus establishing a proximity to the Monarch which was to last four reigns.

After a period at the English Court Thomas spent further time at the court of Charles the Bold, Duke of Burgundy, Edward IVs brother in law, whose court was among the most extravagant, civilised and magnificent in all Europe. It was here that Thomas learnt his love of the arts and complex court protocol which served as a model for other European courts.

On his return to England, Thomas was made ‘Esquire to the body of Edward IV’ which involved being about the King making him ‘ready both morning and night’.

Thomas fought for the King at The Battle of Barnet where he was wounded. A few years later he accompanied the King and his father on their expedition to France, where at Picquigny Edward was bribed to give up his plans to invade France thus leaving the Duke of Burgundy to his fate at the hands of the French King. And a fate it was, for at the end of the battle, Charles could only be recognised by his long fingernails!!

On 30 April 1472 Thomas married Elisabeth Tilney who brought with her many properties in East Anglia one of which, Ashwell Thorpe, became their home. Thomas became Sheriff of Norfolk and Suffolk in 1476. On 18th January 1478 he was created Knight of the Bath.

His giant leap forward came in 1483 as a result of the Howard support for Richard III. His father was created Duke of Norfolk and he was made Earl of Surrey and a member of the Privy Council. However the Howard support for Richard III which brought them such rewards nearly brought about their downfall. At the Battle of Bosworth his father was killed (see last issue) and Thomas was taken prisoner and spent the first three years of Henry Tudor’s reign in the Tower of London from which he wisely refused to escape when offered the opportunity in the King’s absence. Though he succeeded to the title of the Duke of Norfolk upon his father’s death at Bosworth he immediately lost it when he and his father were attainted during the first parliament of Henry VII's reign as a result of their support for Richard. However this was only a temporary setback as Thomas was one of many who benefited from Henry Tudor’s clemency aimed at winning over former opponents. In 1489 Thomas was freed from the tower and the Earldom of Surrey was restored to him as well as his wife’s estates. At this stage however the Dukedom was withheld.

The point behind Henry VII’s mercy was to ensure that Surrey worked faithfully for him in the royal service and this he did, becoming as loyal a servant of the Tudors as he had been to Edward IV and Richard III. Once Richard was dead, Surrey had everything to gain from becoming a faithful servant to Henry and this he did as a soldier, administrator and diplomat. His career of public service extended from 1489 till 2 years before his death at the age of 80 in 1524. He was appointed Chief Justice in Eyre of the Trent, Vice Warden of the East and Middle Marches and Lieutenant of the North. He led an expedition into Scotland which resulted in a truce, putting an end to the constant niggling border raids.

His first wife died while he was on these duties in the North of England and in the same year, 1497 he remarried, this time to Agnes Tilney by whom he had a son, William Howard, later created Baron of Effingham.

He surrendered most of his posts in the North in the winter of 1499/1500 and returned to court. The following year he was reappointed to The Privy Council and was made Lord Treasurer of England, an office he was to hold for 21 years. He remained one of Henry VII’s leading Ministers for the remainder of the reign.

He undertook a variety of diplomatic missions including that of escorting Henry VII’s daughter, Margaret Tudor to Scotland to give her away in marriage, on behalf of the King, to James IV of Scotland. This marriage led to the subsequent succession of the Stuarts at the end of Elizabeth’s reign a hundred years later.

On his deathbed in 1509 Henry VII finally restored all the family estates to Surrey and appointed him as executor of his will.

Tony Riced-Oxley

• To be continued in next issue