Harry Clifford KB
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Henry Clifford KB (1454 - 1523)

Sir Henry (Harry) "10th Lord Clifford of Westmorland and Vescy, 10th Lord of the Honour of Skipton" Clifford KB
Born in Englandmap
Ancestors ancestors
Husband of — married about Dec 1486 [location unknown]
Husband of — married before 11 Jul 1511 [location unknown]
Descendants descendants
Died at about age 69 in Englandmap
Profile last modified | Created 23 Aug 2011
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Note: Henry Clifford was featured in the March 2020 Magna Carta Project Newsletter.

Contents

Biography

Birth and Parentage

Sir Henry Clifford, 10th Baron Clifford, was born in 1454, the heir of John Clifford, 9th Baron Clifford, and Margaret Bromflete.[1] At about seven years of age he succeeded his father who died on 28 Mar 1461 after the Battle of Ferrybridge at Dinting Dale on the eve of the Battle of Towton.[1] His father, John Clifford, died by a chance arrow to his throat after removing the throat protection of his armor (his bevor), possibly so he could breathe better, scan the battlefield more quickly and shout commands.[2][3] All of Henry's titles and estates were then forfeited by the posthumous attainder of his father, a Lancastrian, by King Edward IV at his first parliament on 4 Nov 1461.[4]

Henry's birth pace is uncertain. His father had significant landholdings in the North of England, including Yorkshire and Westmorland[5] or one of his mother's properties in Yorkshire.[6]

The Shepherd Lord Myth

Henry was called “The Shepherd Lord” because, as the story goes, his mother took him as a child from Skipton Castle and hid him from the reigning Yorkists by sending him to live at her estate in Londesborough on the property of a trusted family nurse where he tended sheep with the family[7] while his brother, Richard was smuggled abroad where he died. Henry then emerged into public view "with the manners and education of a shepherd."[8] This myth was probably invented by Edward Hall in the mid-16th century and perpetuated by Lady Anne Clifford,[4] Henry's 2x great granddaughter, who wrote the first history of her family[9]

In reality, it is unlikely vengeful Yorkists pursued the 7 year old Henry. His mother, however, wasn't willing to take that chance, spending a few years in rural retreat in Craven or Wharfedale. She married Sir Lancelot Threlkeld, probably in late 1461 or early 1462 (having her first child, Anne, by him around 1462), so they spent some time in Threlkeld in Cumberland. Interestingly, the Threlkeld family owned Yanwath Hall which is about 2.5 miles west of Brougham Castle owned by the Cliffords. Yanwath Hall is said to have a secret chamber or nook used to hide the young Cliffords.[10]

All of this does not mean he was illiterate or shepherd-like. The title was most likely a Yorkist slur. They were probably just laying low during the Wars of the Roses which was one of the most bloody affairs in England, killing most of the male lines of both families. Henry was not only known to be literate but also owned numerous scientific, legal and medical books. He valued learning and supported scholars in Oxford and the monasteries at Shap, Bolton and Gisborough.[11] In her memoirs, the same Lady Anne Clifford, speaks of him as 'a plain man, who lived for the most part a country life, and came seldom to court or London, except when called to parliament, on which occasion he behaved himself like a wise and good English nobleman.'[8] A wise and good English nobleman does not have the manners and education of a shepherd.

Early Life

As early as age 12 (1466), Henry was named publicly in wills, receiving personal property, and by age 17 or 18 received a general pardon on 16 Mar 1472.[12]

1st Marriage and Issue

Most likely in 1486, Henry married a half-cousin of King Henry VII, Anne St John, daughter of Sir John St John, K.B. of Bletsoe (the king's mother's half-brother) and Alice Bradshagh. They had four sons and six daughters,[1] whose birthdates and birth order are mostly uncertain:

Henry was known for his infidelities, so much so that Lady Anne complained about the number of baseborn children he’d fathered.[11] This caused such a sufficient tension between them that a separation was suggested. Anne's chaplain negotiated with the King and Margaret Beaufort, Henry VII's mother, who went as far as to offer Anne and her daughters a position in her household.[4] (Margaret Beaufort was a daughter of Anne's grandmother Margaret Beauchamp by her marriage to John Beaufort.) However, the crisis passed and they stayed together until she died between 12 May 1506 and 11 July 1511. She was buried in the church of Skipton-in-Craven, Yorkshire, England.[1]

Becoming Lord Clifford and Knight

Upon the accession of King Henry VII, Henry Clifford received a summons to parliament from 15 Sep 1485 to 16 Jan 1497. The attainder was lifted by Parliament, he became Lord Clifford, and his estates were restored. He was knighted on 9 Nov 1485 [12][14] The lifting of the attainder also made him hereditary Sheriff of Westmorland,[12] a position he held from 1485 to his death.[15]

Lord Clifford soon became one of King Henry VII's most trusted men in the north. Lord Clifford was allowed to inherit the estates of his maternal grandfather, Sir Harry (Bromflete), Lord Vescy, who had died in 1469, although not in his Clifford patrimony. During the time of 1486-1493, Henry, "Lord Clifford, son of Margaret", sued Robert Clifford, executor of his mother, in Chancery regarding the detention of deeds relating to the manors of Weigthton, Weaverthorpe, Londesborough, Aton, Hotton, Langton, Wellom, Winteringham and Brompton, Yorkshire which made up a third of his inheritance and his mother's dower. They would remain out of his control until her death on 12 Apr 1493. In February 1491 he laid claim to the Durham manors of Hert and Hertlepool.[14]

Henry was in London on 30 Oct 1494, when Prince Henry, afterwards Henry VIII, was knighted.[12] On 5 Apr 1495, as "Lord Clyfford, Westmorland and Vescy, knight," he cancelled a grant of 600 marks (roughly 400 pounds sterling) made to him by Sir Thomas Darcy, Knt., contained in a deed dated 4 Apr 1495.[1]

A major eclipse crossed England in October 1502 and it is speculated that this was what sparked Clifford's interest in astronomy. He used the upper dining room at Barden Tower as an astronomical observatory, known locally as the 'Stargazers Room'.[16] Barden is where he devoted his energies to astronomy and astrology,[17] becoming somewhat of a recluse obsessed with the night skies.

Henry, "Lord Clifford" was made a Knight of the Bath on 23 June 1509 at the coronation of Henry VIII,[12][18] an honour conferred at this date only on major royal occasions.[19]

2nd Marriage and Issue

Henry married second, before 11 July 1511, Florence (Pudsey) Talbot, widow of Sir Thomas Talbot of Bashall in Craven, Yorkshire. She was the daughter of Henry Pudsey esq, of Bolton-by-Bolland and Margaret Conyers. Florence was considerably younger than Henry and they had three children:[1]

1) Unknown son 1[1]
2) Unknown son 2[1]
3) Dorothy, b. 1512; m. Sir Hugh Lowther[1]

Henry and Florence became estranged. He refused to let her live and sleep with him at Barden and, in 1521, she sued him for restitution of conjugal rights. He in turn publicly accused Florence of having an affair with one of his household servants Roger Wharton.[11] who confessed that "I will never denye ffor a man may be in bedd wth a woman and yett do noo hurte". Wharton also accused Clifford of having an extra-marital relationship with one Jane Browne.[4]

Illegitimate Children

Henry had a number of illegitimate children through his various mistresses but one specifically was called out by Richardson:[1]

1) Anthony Esq., known as steward of Cowling, Grassington and Sutton, and appointed a master forester of Craven. Clifford presumably considered him a man of "substance, education and experience."[4]

Battle of Flodden; Later Years

Henry was appointed to a principal command over the army which fought against the Scots at the Battle of Flodden on 9 Sep 1513. He mounted three pieces of James IV's famous ordnance (cannons), 'the seven sisters', to grace his castle at Skipton,[8] but resided chiefly at Barden Tower. In 1515 he spent a large sum on a new chapel, which was deliberately intended to be as extravagant as possible. Clifford's success at improving his finances put him in the top third of the English nobility.[4]

Death

Henry died 23 Apr 1523. His death place is uncertain. In his will he left orders for his burial at Shap if he died in Westmoreland or at Bolton in Craven if he died in Yorkshire.[8] Some say he was buried in Bolton Abbey[11] and others say he was buried at Shap Abbey.[20][21]

His widow, Florence, married Sir Richard Grey, younger son of the 1st Marquess of Dorset.[12]

Legacy

Sir Henry Clifford restored his family name, his estate and honors during the years of Henry VII, repairing several of the family Castles, which had gone to decay during the troubles of his father. Following his death his annual income was assessed at £1332 2s. 4d. Clifford's success at improving his finances put him in the top third of the English nobility. This elevation of the Clifford family to the upper peerage lead to the title of Earl of Cumberland being created for his son, Henry, in 1525.[6]

Sir Henry Cillford, the "Shepard Lord" was also immortalized as the hero in one of William Wordsworth's happiest poems Song at the Feast of Brougham Castle.

Glad were the vales, and every cottage-hearth;
The Shepherd-lord was honoured more and more;
And, ages after he was laid in earth,
"The good Lord Clifford" was the name he bore.
(Excerpt)

Research Notes

Royal Ancestors

Through his father:
Charlemagne, Holy Roman Emperor[22] - 23th great grandfather.
William I, "The Conqueror", King of England[23] - 13th great grandfather.
Henry II, King of England[24] - 10th great grandfather.
Philippe IV, King of France [25] - 7th great grandfather.
Edward I, "Longshanks", King of England[26] - 7th great grandfather.
Edward III, King of England[17] - 5th great grandfather.

Barden Tower

Barden Tower was constructed in the late fifteenth century by Henry Clifford on the site of a former hunting lodge. It is believed that Robert de Romille, a Norman lord, built a hunting lodge at Barden (meaning "the valley of the wild boar" in Old English or Anglo-Saxon) to take advantage of the sport of hunting deer and wild boar.[16]

After Henry Clifford had his estates and titles restored, he re-established his principal family seat at Skipton Castle. However, he favored a more remote location and accordingly commenced construction of Barden Tower to replace Skipton Castle as his family seat. Barden Tower is a medieval fortified manor house located near the River Wharfe on the eastern fringes of the Yorkshire Dales. The Tower itself was a three store rectangular structure. Originally it was the center of a much larger estate which would have included landscaped grounds as well as domestic and service buildings. A Chapel and Priest House also formed part of the site which, along with the Tower, were enclosed within a curtain wall.[27]

Clifford probably never thought the Tower would be subject to a serious assault. After the Wars of the Roses, the need for castles as defensive strongholds was lessened and most houses were built with comfort as much as defense in mind.[16] Although fortified, the Tower's defenses were not substantial and proved insufficient in 1536 when Barden was captured by rebels during the Pilgrimage of Grace, a futile attempt to overturn Henry VIII's reforms of the English church. Barden was repaired but the heirs of Henry Clifford increasingly preferred other residences and use of the site reduced significantly.[27]

In 1589 Margaret, Countess of Cumberland stayed here while pregnant with her daughter, the formidable Lady Anne Clifford.[16] After an extended battle of 30 years to secure her inheritance, Lady Anne Clifford acquired Barden Tower in 1649 along with numerous other sites previously owned by the Clifford family. Although her main seat was at Appleby Castle, she restored Barden back into a functional residence including adding a new L-shaped tower to the structure. When she died in 1676, the site passed into the hands of the Earls of Cork who allowed the Tower to lapse once again, though it was used briefly to store weapons for the local militia during the Jacobite Rebellion of 1745. By the late eighteenth century it had been abandoned as a residence and was allowed to drift into ruin.[27]

Today access the Tower interior is not allowed since it is unsafe due to the risk of falling masonry but it is easy to walk around the exterior and get a very good look into the building interior from several large ground-level windows and see several restored fireplaces and chimney stacks. The Tower stands in green fields with only a few old buildings nearby.[16] The Priests House was converted in 2016 into a restaurant and it is believed that the pikes and halberds still hanging from the beams in the Priest's House dining area were used at the Battle of Flodden.[7] The Old Chapel is a wedding venue.

Shap Abbey

Shap Abbey was built in 1199 about 1.5 miles west of Shap, the last Abbey to be founded in England.[28] It was founded by a local baron called Thomas, son of Gospatric, who granted land on the western bank of the Lowther river[29] to the Premonstratensian order, also known as the White Canons from the color of their habits. The canons were ordained priests, unlike other monastic orders, and could celebrate mass, so they acted as priests for nearby parishes.[30] There were only about 12 canons governed by an abbot, but the Abbey was rich, with lands donated by powerful northern families such as the Vieuxponts and the Cliffords.[29]

The original church was laid out on a cross-shaped plan in the 13th century. The east end of the building, separated from the nave by a screen, was the presbytery. During the 15th century the presbytery was lengthened and a tower begun over the crossing. The additional weight, however, caused structural problems, so a tower was built at the west end of the building instead in about 1500.[29] The tower was probably instigated by Richard Redman (d. 1505), one of the most influential abbots at Shap. Redman was the son of a local landowner, who entered holy orders and was selected as abbot of Shap in 1458. In a remarkably long career, he rose to become the head of the Premonstratensian order in England, and was eventually appointed Bishop of Ely.[30]

Shap Abbey has the distinction of being one of the last two abbeys to be dissolved during the Dissolution of the Monasteries by Henry VIII on 14 January 1540. The land was granted to the governor of Carlisle later in 1540 and then sold to Sir Thomas Wharton. It remained in the Wharton family until 1732, when the then Duke of Wharton had his estates seized for supporting the Jacobite cause. Shap then passed to the Lowther estate.[30] Some of the monastic buildings were used to create Shap Abbey Farm but most were gradually dismantled. Stone was taken at the end of the 17th Century to build Shap Market Hall. Much of the carved stonework was also removed and used in the building of Lowther Castle.[28] It remained in the Lowther family until 1932 when it came into state care. The ruined bell-tower with a large, jagged crack like a lightning bolt zig-zagging up the side of the tower is all that remains with most of the abbey buildings little more than crumbling walls and foundations left to decay.[30] However, the outline of the building plan is still clearly visible. The site is in the care of English Heritage and managed on its behalf by the Lake District National Park.

Sources

  1. 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 1.14 1.15 1.16 1.17 1.18 1.19 Douglas Richardson. Royal Ancestry: A Study in Colonial and Medieval Families, 5 vols, ed. Kimball G. Everingham (Salt Lake City: the author, 2013), volume II, page 247-249 CLIFFORD 16-17. See also WikiTree's source page for Royal Ancestry.
  2. Rickard, J (2 December 2013), Battle of Ferrybridge, 27-28 March 1461
  3. Medieval Wars: The Battle of Towton in Yorkshire
  4. 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 Henry Clifford, 10th Baron Clifford, Wikipedia page
  5. Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, entry for 'Clifford, John, ninth Baron Clifford', Oxford University Press, print and online 2004, revised online 2011, available online via some libraries
  6. 6.0 6.1 Oxford Dictionary of National Biuography, entry for 'Clifford, Henry, tenth Baron Clifford', print and online 2004, revised online 2018, available online via some libraries
  7. 7.0 7.1 Yorkshire Guide, Barden Tower
  8. 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 Whitaker, Thomas Dunham. The history and antiquities of the deanery of Craven, in the county of York. London, Nicholos and Son. 1805. pg 224-228.
  9. See Anne Clifford's Great Books of Record).
  10. Transactions of the Cumberland & Westmorland Antiquarian & Archaeological Society. Printed for members only. Part II, Vol IX. 1888. Pg 311.
  11. 11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 The History Jar The Shepherd Lord part deux
  12. 12.0 12.1 12.2 12.3 12.4 12.5 12.6 Cokayne, George E., The complete peerage of England, Scotland, Ireland, Great Britain, and the United Kingdom : extant, extinct, or dormant, Vol 3. London : The St. Catherine Press, Ltd. 1910. Pg 294-295.
  13. Harleian Society: Visitation Series, Vol. XVI, The Visitation of Yorkshire in the years 1563 and 1564, The Publications of The Harleian Society, Harleian Society, London, 1881, p. 325, Internet Archive
  14. 14.0 14.1 Dictionary of National Biography Vol XI. Edited by Leslie Stephen. New York, MacMillian and Co. London : Smith, Elder, & Co. 1887. pg 61-62.
  15. Wikipedia: Sheriff of Westmorland
  16. 16.0 16.1 16.2 16.3 16.4 Britain Express, Passionate about British Heritage Barden Tower
  17. 17.0 17.1 Mahler, Leslie: "Samuel Levis, Quaker Immigrant to Pennsylvania", The Genealogist, Spring 1999, Vol 13, No 1, p. 31-33 (PDF download)
  18. W A Shaw. The Knights of England, Vol. I, Sherratt and Hughes, 1906, p. 148
  19. Wikipedia: Order of the Bath
  20. The History Jar, Shap Abbey and Robert Clifford.
  21. Henry de Clifford's Find A Grave: Memorial #60908982
  22. Douglas Richardson. Royal Ancestry: A Study in Colonial and Medieval Families, 5 vols, ed. Kimball G. Everingham (Salt Lake City: the author, 2013), volume V, page 481 Appendix Line B and C. 8th great grandfather of Maud of Flanders, wife of William The Conqueror
  23. Great grandfather of Henry II (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_the_Conqueror)
  24. Great grandfather of Edward I (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_II_of_England)
  25. Maternal grandfather of Edward III of England (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philip_IV_of_France)
  26. Grandfather of Edward III (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_I_of_England)
  27. 27.0 27.1 27.2 Information from https://web.archive.org/web/20220826212856/http://www.castlesfortsbattles.co.uk/yorkshire/barden_tower.html Barden Tower
  28. 28.0 28.1 VisitCumbria.com Shap Abbey
  29. 29.0 29.1 29.2 EnglishHeritage.org.uk – History of Shap Abbey
  30. 30.0 30.1 30.2 30.3 Britainexpress.com Shap Abbey
See also:

Acknowledgements

Magna Carta Project

This profile was reviewed/approved for the Magna Carta Project by Michael Cayley on 6 February 2020.
Harry Clifford KB appears in a Richardson-documented trail from from the Levis/Need Gateway Ancestors (Samuel Levis, Hannah (Levis) Blunston, Sarah (Levis) Bradshaw, Mary Need and Joseph Need) to Magna Carta Surety Barons Hugh le Bigod and Roger le Bigod (vol. II, pages 221-223 NEED). This profile is also in trails identified by the Magna Carta Project from the Levis/Need Gateways to surety barons Saher de Quincy, John de Lacy, Gilbert de Clare, Richard de Clare and John Fitz Robert. These trails were developed as part of the Samuel Levis trail to the Bigods by John Sigh and were badged in February 2020 by Michael Cayley. The trails can be seen in the Magna Carta Trails sections in the profiles of Samuel Levis and Mary Need.
See Base Camp for more information about identified Magna Carta trails and their status. See the project's glossary for project-specific terms, such as a "badged trail".




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I have completed the main work I intend for this profile and updated the Magna Carta Trail to include sourcing from Douglas Richardson. Royal Ancestry: A Study in Colonial and Medieval Families, 5 vols, ed. Kimball G. Everingham (Salt Lake City: the author, 2013), volume II, page 248-249 17. HENRY CLIFFORD.
posted by John Sigh Jr.