The Arrest of Edmund Dudley - 24 April 1509

Richard Empson, Henry VII and Edmund Dudley. English School, 16thc. ©Belvoir Castle

Edmund Dudley, esq. was the grandson of John Dudley, 1st Baron Sutton - a courtier and diplomat, who after switching from the Lancastrian to the Yorkist cause during the Wars of the Roses, joined the court of Edward IV and was appointed as 'Constable of the Tower of London'. Edmund. who was born during the thirty-year domestic conflict, received a gentleman's education, despite being the son of the second son (John Dudley). He also reportedly attended Oxford, although left before completing and obtaining his degree, and then entered into the Inns of Court, to study the law. In 1503, Edmund was introduced to King Henry VII by Sir Reginald Bray, the 'Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster', one of the most influential men in Henry's administration. Following Bray's death later in the year, the king started to rely on Edmund on legal matters, and subsequently his career accelerated; in January 1504, he was nominated as Speaker to the House of Commons, and by July 1506, was made President of the King's Council (Penn, 2011; Paul 2022). Edmund, along with Sir Richard Empson, were not popular figures within the King's administration, who in the last two years of Henry's reign had emerged as the most prominent figures with subsequent close contact with the king (Penn, 2011). Since 1504, Edmund's work had managed to increase the Crown's income by half, by measures such as collecting debts and placing taxes. Significant amounts of money were coming through himself at his house (and workplace) - a large two-storey house which stood on the corner of Walbrook and Candlewick Streets, in the heart of the City of London, in the parish of St Swithin's - before going into the Crown's purse (Paul, 2022).

'Henry VII on his deathbed' from Wriothesley’s Heraldic Collections, Vol 1:Book of Funerals ©British Library

Since the New Year 1508, Henry VII's health had began to deteriorate, when the symptoms of tuberculosis he first experienced in the winter of 1506-07 returned. Public appearances became increasingly limited, with Henry keeping to his private apartments at Richmond, despite an apparent reprive and recovery later in the year. However, by early 1509, he once again fell ill with the familiar symptoms of tuberculosis and asthma, coupled with quinsy (Penn, 2011). No longer having the open patronage of the King, Edmund started to become isolated, as many senior officials and nobleman had become increasingly discontent due to being victim to his money-collecting methods and taxations. When Henry VII passed away at Richmond Palace on 21 April 1547, Edmund was not present, despite being identified by Henry VII as one of the executors of his will, being intentionally excluded by his political opponents. The late king's death and the ascension of his son, as Henry VIII, was not initially formally announced for days, and it appears that Edmund himself was also unaware of the change in monarchy (and subsequently the country's government), And now Dudley's enemies, who had been appointed into positions of power within a new administration by a young and willfull king, would take advantage of this (Paul, 2022).

Guildhall, City of London. 1761. ©Royal Academy of Arts

In the early hours on 24 April 1509, as part of a series of coordinated round-ups of potential oppositions of the new regime, Edmund Dudley was arrested from his home at Candlewick Street, and taken to the Tower of London, on charges of constructive treason against the new king:

"Charges that Edmund Dudley, late of London, Esquire, as a false traitor &c, on the 22nd of April, 1 Hen VIII, at London, in the parish of St Swithin, in the ward of Candlewickstreet, falsely, feloniously and traitorously conspired, imagined and compassed how and in what manner be, with a great force of men and armed power, might hold, guide and govern the King and his Council, against the wishes of the King...and totally deprive the King of his Royal liberty; and to make and move discords, divisions and dissensions amongst the Magnates and Councillors of the King and his kingdom..." (Palgrave, 1842).

Edmund Dudley underwent a trial at the City of London's Guildhall on 12 July 1509, pleading 'not guilty' to the charges set against him; however, following the evidence presented to the court, Dudley was found guilty on 18 July of high treason, and was subsequently sentenced to death. Following his sentencing, he was returned to the Tower of London to await his fate (Paul, 2022). During his imprisonment within the Tower, he wrote petitions to the new king, with other lobbying for his release, including Sir Andrew Windsor, the brother of his first wife. It was also reported that he made preparations to attempt an escape from the Tower, although did not act on this, being fearful of potential repercussions directly impacting his family, During his imprisonment, Edmund used his experience and wrote 'The Tree of Commonwealth' - a treatise in support of absolute monarchy intended as a guide for the new king, which included criticisms of Henry VII's decision making and government, likely in attempt to gain favour (Penn, 2011).

Following Edmund's arrest in April 1509, his family appear to have left the home in Candlewick Street shortly after; an inventory taken in August 1509 showed no evidence of children's belongings in the property, although they did find many weapons, including crossbows and arrows (Paul, 2022). Prior his arrest, 'Candelwykestrete' was a busy family home, with Edmund residing with there with his second wife Elizabeth Grey, their three sons (John, Andrew and Jerome), his daughter Elizabeth (from his first marriage), and even his former mother-in-law Lady Elizabeth Lytton, following the death of her second husband in 1505. This house, in addition to other property owned by Edmund (including in the Midlands) was seized by the Crown, following his conviction and execution, as he became subject to an Act of Attainder. His eldest son John, who would later rise to the Dukedom of Northumberland, was placed under the wardship of Sir Edward Guildford, whose mentorship and military experience he would greatly benefit from,, whilst his widow Elizabeth Grey went on to marry Arthur Plantagenet, Edward IV's illegitimate son and Henry VIII's half-uncle, in 1511 (Penn, 2011; Paul, 2022).

Edmund Dudley was executed, by beheading, on Tower Hill on 17 August 1510, 16 months after his arrest and subsequent imprisonment. Sir Richard Empson, his co-accused was also executed on the same day; Empson was executed first due to being of a higher social status. (Paul, 2022) identifies that this would have spared Empson the indiginity of seeing another man executed, and having to walk and place himself in his co-condemned's blood. Edmund was subsequently buried at Blackfriars Priory, whilst Empson was buried at Whitefriars.

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Bibliography: Paul, J. (2022). The House of Dudley: A New History of Tudor England. London: Penguin. Penn, T. (2011). Winter King: The Dawn of Tudor England. London: Penguin. Palgrave, F. (1842). Third Report of the Deputy Keeper of Public Records. London: Clowes and Son. [Available at: https://books.google.co.uk/books?redir_esc=y&id=JbWSS8HDSkAC&q=dudley#v=onepage&q&f=false.]

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