John de Vere KB (abt. 1516 - 1562)

Born about 1516 in Castle Hedingham, Essex, England [uncertain]

Ancestors

Husband of Dorothy (Neville) de Vere — married 3 Jul 1536 (to before 1548) in Holywell, Shoreditch, London, England

Husband of Marjorie (Golding) de Vere — married 1 Aug 1548 in Belchamp St Paul, Essex, England

Descendants

Died 3 Aug 1562 at about age 46 in Castle Hedingham, Essex, England

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Preceded by
Sir John de Vere

Earl of Oxford
1540-1562

Succeeded by
Edward de Vere

Biography

Early Life

John was born c1516 the eldest son of Sir John de Vere, 15th Earl of Oxford and Elizabeth Trussell, daughter of Edward Trussell of Cublesdon, Staffordshire. He was styled Lord Bulbeck 1526 to 1540 (A title recommended by his father to Thomas Cromwell) before he succeeded to his father's title. At this time he also became hereditary Lord Great Chamberlain, a position which for a period was disputed.^{[1] [2]}

In 1536 he attended Henry VIII, possibly at the time of the Pilgrimage of Grace and certainly on the arrival of Ann of Cleves 3 January 1539/40. ^[2]

Shortly after this in 1541 he received lands from his mother the annual value of which had been estimated, in the inquisition post mortem taken after her own infant brother John's death in 1499, at c£270 a year. ^[3][4][5]

In 1544 he served with the expedition to Boulogne, holding the rank of captain in the rearguard of the army of Henry VIII. He was said to have astonished the French nobility by attending a boar hunt in his bedroom attire and slaying the boar with his “dancing rapier”. ^{[2] [3]}

Family

His mother Elizabeth died in 1527 and his father John in 1540

The eldest son of 7 children, his older sister Frances married Henry Howard who was beheaded in 1547 for treason.^[6]

Oxford married twice. ^[3]

1. 1536 Lady Dorothy Neville, daughter of Ralph Neville. Their only child was Katharine, who married Edward, lord Windsor.
2. 1548 Margaret Golding, daughter of John Golding and sister of Arthur Golding, the translator of Ovid. With her he had two children, Edward de Vere, 17th earl of Oxford and a daughter, Mary.

Fallout under the Protectorate

Henry VIII had prepared for his son's accession with a Will that contained an "unfulfilled gifts" clause, which allowed the executors to freely distribute lands and honours to themselves and the court and established a Privy Council to govern until Edward reached the age of eighteen. Edward's uncle, Edward Seymour, took full advantage of the power and immediately conferred on himself the title of Duke of Somerset and established himself as Protector.^[7]

The change in monarchs did not appear to impact Oxfords status when in 1547 he was knighted by Edward VI, along with 39 others on the day of Edward’s Coronation, Sunday 20th of February. (See Research note 3). ^{[2] [8]}

The House of de Vere’s long unbroken lineage, made them part of the old guard with attendant Catholic leanings. Somerset was a Protestant and therefore not sympathetic to Oxford or his family.

The death of Oxford’s wife Dorothy, left him with only a daughter Katherine and Somerset seized an opportunity. By various legal wranglings many of the lands of the Oxford Earldom, previously passed via “ancient entails”, were redirected in 1548 from Oxford’s daughter and her prospective husband, Somerset’s son Henry Seymour, to Somerset himself under the pretext of the prospective marriage of their offspring. Oxford responded, by secretly marrying Margery Golding on 1 August 1548. In the event, Somerset’s execution in 1552 for felony and the subsequent attainder, caused forfeit of the assets to the crown. Oxford was left with lands in Chester, Langdon Hills and Wennington and those comprised in Henry VIII’s grant of Colne Priory to John de Vere 15th Earl of Oxford. ^[9]

Somerset’s execution also enabled the rise to power of John Dudley, Duke of Northumberland and set the scene for animosity between the de Vere and Dudley families. When the 15 year old King Edward VI died on 6 July 1553 Northumberland was instrumental in having Lady Jane Grey (His daughter-in-law) proclaimed Queen, a title she retained for 9 days after Oxford rallied support for Queen Mary. He was one of the 26 peers who signed the letters patent 16 June 1553 settling the crown and bore the sword before Mary on her progress through London. Though a member of Mary’s council in 1556 he was seen as a protestant under suspicion of being involved in Dudley’s conspiracy. ^{[3] [2]}

The subsequent attainder and execution of Northumberland later fuelled enmity between Oxford and Northumberland’s son, Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester. After the death of Queen Mary in 1558, the crown came to her sister, Elizabeth, who he petitioned for and performed in the office of Lord Great Chamberlain at the Coronation 15 January 1558/9. Leicester however was one of her “Intimates”. ^{[9] [2]}

Later Life

In Essex, where his estates lay, he held a number of posts of honour. He was appointed chief commissioner of array on 7 May 1545, joint lord lieutenant on 25 Sept. 1550 and 24 May 1553, joint lord justice and lieutenant on 4 May 1551 and 7 May 1552, justice of the peace on 18 Feb. 1554, and lord lieutenant on 17 Jan. 1557-8 and 1 May 1559. ^[3]

Though he carried out some important tasks like strengthening coastal defences and attending to civic duties such as receiving “Duke Eric” of Sweden in 1559, his later life was also punctuated with episodes of great cruelty. Smith wrote of him to William Cecil ^[2]

I do assure you I thynk no man in England either in Q Maries tyme or eny other could do so myche and so redilie wth threatenyngs Imprisonmentes & paynes as my Lord doth heir with the love that the gentlemen & the hole contrey beryth to hym.

In 1555 he was ordered by the council to attend the burning of any heretics in Essex. ^[2]

From 14 to 19 August 1561 he entertained Queen Elizabeth I at his residence of Castle Hedingham.^[3]

Wills

The ‘ancient entails’ cut off by Somerset in 1548 were later governed by the provisions of a private Act of Parliament of 22 or 23 January 1552 which deemed those lands subject to the terms of the Act of Parliament. Provisions concerning those lands are found in the 16th Earl’s first surviving will of 21 December 1552. His second surviving and final will on 28 July 1562 was written just prior to his death.^[10][11]

Death

He died suddenly on 3 Aug 1562 and was buried 31 Aug 1562 Castle-Hedingham, Essex, England.^[12]

Research Notes

1. For review of the history of the office of Lord Great Chamberlain see complete peerage of England, Scotland, Ireland, Great Britain and the United Kingdom, extant, extinct, or dormant, Vol. 10 Appendix F Page 47 #907
2. The De Vere Pedigree Principally drawn from The Complete Peerage by GE Cokayne produced by the De Vere Society.
3. All the 40 knights were dubbed rather than going through the full bathing ceremony, due to shortage of time, but he and others dubbed at the same time are referred to as Knights of the Bath in other contemporary documentation.

Sources

1. ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "John de Vere, 16th Earl of Oxford," Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=John_de_Vere,_16th_Earl_of_Oxford&oldid=1017426607 (accessed July 22, 2021).
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7} The complete peerage of England, Scotland, Ireland, Great Britain and the United Kingdom, extant, extinct, or dormant, Vol. 10 Page 250ff Oxford #259
3. ↑ ^{3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5} Dictionary of national biography by Stephen, Leslie, Sir, 1832-1904. Pages 242-243.
4. ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Elizabeth Trussell, Countess of Oxford," Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Elizabeth_Trussell,_Countess_of_Oxford&oldid=1015016097 (accessed August 8, 2021).
5. ↑ Cyril Flower, M. C. B. Dawes and A. C. Wood, 'Inquisitions Post Mortem, Henry VII, Entries 201-250', in Calendar of Inquisitions Post Mortem: Series 2, Volume 3, Henry VII (London, 1955), pp. 124-158. British History Online http://www.british-history.ac.uk/inquis-post-mortem/series2-vol3/pp124-158 [accessed 8 August 2021].
6. ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey," Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Henry_Howard,_Earl_of_Surrey&oldid=1038731582 (accessed August 16, 2021).
7. ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Edward Seymour, 1st Duke of Somerset," Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Edward_Seymour,_1st_Duke_of_Somerset&oldid=1034072281 (accessed August 14, 2021).
8. ↑ The knights of England; a complete record from the earliest time to the present day of the knights of all the orders of chivalry in England, Scotland, and Ireland, and of knights bachelors, by Wm. A. Shaw. Incorporating a complete list of knights bachelors dubbed in Ireland, compiled by G. D. Burtchaell., v.1. | HathiTrust Digital Library Vol 1 Page 150 #240
9. ↑ ^{9.0 9.1} The Fall of the House of Oxford Nina Green [https://shakespeareoxfordfellowship.org/wp-content/uploads/Green.Fall_.of_.House_.Oxford.pdf Brief Chronicles Vol. I (2009) 41 Referencing William Cruise, A Digest of the Laws of England Respecting Real Property, Vol. 3 (London: Saunders and Benning, 1835), 71, 102
10. ↑ The Prerogative Court of Canterbury copy of the second surviving will of John de Vere (1516-1562), 16th Earl of Oxford, dated 28 July 1562 and proved 29 May 1563.National Archives PROB 11/46/247 Transcript by Nina Green 2004
11. ↑ [http://www.tudorplace.com.ar/Documents/will_of_the_16th_earl_of_ox.htm Third and final will 28 July 1562. Transcription. Tudor place.
12. ↑ "England, Essex Parish Registers, 1538-1997," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XK8C-M2J : 12 February 2018), John, Earle Of Oxenford De Vere, 31 Aug 1562; citing Burial, Castle-Hedingham, Essex, England, Essex Record Office, England.

• Jonathan Hughes. Vere, John de, sixteenth earl of Oxford (1516–1562). Published 7 January 2010. Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. oxforddnb.com

See also

• The Visitations of Essex made in 1552, 1558, 1570, 1612 and 1634, edited by Walter C. Metcalfe, F.S.A., London, 1878, vol.2, pps: 16 and 302.
• http://www.thepeerage.com/p1173.htm#i11730
• http://www.cracroftspeerage.co.uk/oxford1142.htm#OXFORD_1142_16
• https://spartacus-educational.com/TUDseymourE.htm
• http://www.tudorplace.com.ar/Bios/JohnVere(16EOxford).htm
• https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/The_Fighting_Veres/I44bAAAAMAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1