Richard Empson Kt (abt. 1446 - 1510)

Born about 1446 in Towcester, Northamptonshire, England

Ancestors

Descendants

Died 17 Aug 1510 at about age 64 in Tower Hill, London, England

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Biography

Sir Richard Empson was a member of the aristocracy in British Isles.

Sir Richard Empson, born in Towcester in about 1446, was the son of Peter Empson (d.1473) and Elizabeth Joseph. His father, Peter Empson, held property at Towcester and Easton Neston in Northamptonshire. John Stow claimed that his father was a sieve maker (i.e. basketmaker)^[1] and whilst there is no evidence of this, he was of relatively low birth considering his later, lofty elevation.

Richard studied law at Cambridge and became a common lawyer.^[2]

Family

Richard married Jame Empson (born circa 1450 in Towcester. Their children of whom there are records were:

• Joan Empson (~1466–1541)
• Thomas Empson (~1467– )
• Mary Empson (~1474– )
• Grace Empson (~1478– )
• John Empson (~1480– )
• Elizabeth Empson (~1490–1523)

Career

• Minister of Henry VII, known as the notorious Minister of Henry VII
• M.P. for Northamptonshire, 1491
• Speaker of the House of Commons, 1491
• Recorder of Coventry (Warwickshire)
• High Steward of Cambridge University, 1504
• Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, 1504

He was first appointed a JP for Northamptonshire on 10 November 1475, and remained a life-long member of the county bench. He was added to the Warwickshire commission from November 1490, being joined by his eldest son, Thomas, from November 1507, and to the Buckinghamshire bench from 1494. He was also recorder of Northampton by February 1490 and of Coventry by late 1491. He represented Northampton in parliament from 1489 to 1495, and in 1491 was chosen speaker; he probably sat in the parliaments of 1497 and 1504.

Early in the reign of Henry VII Richard became associated with Edmund Dudley in carrying out the King’s rigorous and arbitrary system of taxation, and in consequence he became highly unpopular. His methods were unscrupulous and included imprisonment as a means to facilitate payment of 'debts'. During the uprisings in the west of 1497, the pretender Perkin Warbeck's proclamation named Empson as one of the King's low-born and evil counsellors.

Retaining the royal favour, however, he was knighted at the creation of the future Henry VIII as Prince of Wales on 18 February 1503/4, and was soon High Steward of the University of Cambridge, and Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster However his official career ended with Henry VII's death in April 1509.

He and Edmund Dudley were imprisoned by the new King Henry VIII, charged with "constructive treason," and convicted at Northampton in October, 1509.^[3]

His attainder by Parliament followed, and, largely owing to the disapprobation of the public rather than of Henry, he was beheaded on 17 August 1510. In 1512 his elder son, Thomas, was restored in blood by Act of Parliament.^[4]

Research Notes

Two sources give Richard a birth year of 1450, however Wikipedia's date of 1450 is likely derived from Condon's Oxford Dictionary of National Biography^[5] indicating that there is only the one unsupported source. Venn does not provide us with a birth date. However, Condon's biography does tell us that Sir Richard studied law and that after practicing common law with some success, as early as 1476 purchased considerable estates in Northamptonshire. If we suppose that he would have been around 30 years old at this time this would give him a birth year of 1446 which aligns marginally better with the ages of his children. Further research required, in particular into the birth dates of his issue.

Sources

1. ↑ Richard Empson, minister of Henry VII by Mark R. Horowitz Bulletin of the Institute of Historical Research, Volume 55, Issue 131, May 1982, Pages 35–49 (accessed Jul 2023)
2. ↑ Venn (Cambridge Alumni) (accessed Jul 2023)
3. ↑ Stephen, Leslie., Editor. Dictionary of National Biography (London, Smith, Elder & Co., 1888) Vol. XIII, page 364-365: Vol. XIII, page 364-365
4. ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Richard Empson," Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Richard_Empson&oldid=1138653672 (accessed July 30, 2023).
5. ↑ M. M. Condon, ‘Empson, Sir Richard (c.1450–1510)’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004; online edn, Sept 2015

See also:

• The Plumpton Letters and Papers Ed. Joan Kirby pub Cambridge University Press 1996 page 12 (accessed Jul 2023)
• Harleian Society:Visitation Series. The Visitations of the County of Nottingham in the Years 1569 and 1614., The Publications of The Harleian Society (The Society, London, 1871) Vol. 4, Page 56
• Genealogical gleanings in England, database, InternetArchive, extracted from Henry F. Waters, book of the same name, (Boston, Massachusetts, New England Historical and Genealogical Society, 1901), Vol II, 845-867.
• Hale, House and Related Families: Mainly of the Connecticut River Valley, database, FamilySearch.org: (accessed 13 Nov 2013), entry for Jane Empson, extracted from Donald Lines Jacobus and Edgar Francis Waterman, book of the same name (Baltimore, Massachusetts: Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 1978), 722
• Robert Kraft Numerical Genealogy
• Moffat, R. Burnham. Pierrepont Genealogies from Norman times to 1913 (L. Middleditch Company, 1913), Page 20-22
• Weever, John. Ancient Funerall Monuments within the United Monarchie of Great Britaine, Ireland, and the Islands Adjacent (Thomas Harper, London, 1631) Page 656: "Here lieth Iohn Pinchon Esquire, who died:....with Ione his wyff, daughter to Sir Richard Empson beheaded. Of whom I haue spoken before."