On This Day (10 March) in 1538, a son and heir was born to Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey, soldier, politician and poet, and his wife Frances De Vere, Countess of Surrey: Thomas, who would later be created the 4th Duke of Norfolk.
According to a horoscope that had been commissioned by his father shortly after his birth, baby Thomas had been born at 02:36am (and seven seconds!), at Kenninghall Palace, Norfolk (Williams, 1964).
Kenninghall Palace was the primary country seat of young Thomas's grandfather, after whom he was named: Thomas Howard, 3rd Duke of Norfolk, Lord Treasurer of England. Kenninghall, located twenty miles south-west of Norwich, had been granted to the Duke's own father, the 2nd Duke of Norfolk, by Henry VIII, with both father and son commissioning building works and renovation, turning the neglect medieval manor into a magnificent Tudor residence. The elder Thomas was known to be in residence at Kenninghall for the birth of his grandson, which reportedly took place five weeks earlier than expected (Williams, 1964).
Thomas was the second child of the young 'Surrey' couple, who had married six years earlier in 1532, when both were just 15 years old; whilst this was an acceptable age for the union, it does not appear that the marriage was consummated until they were older, as the young couple did not live together for a further three years (Hutchinson, 2009). A daughter Jane was the first child born to the pair in the previous year (1537), and three other children followed Thomas's birth: Katherine (b.1539), Henry (b.1540) and Margaret (b.1543). Whilst they were known to have spent time at Kenninghall, the siblings were likely raised at nearby Ewery Court, as well as their parent's properties in Norwich ('Surrey House') and in London, where the youngest child Margaret was born (Williams, 1964).
Thomas's father Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey, was arrested at the beginning of December 1536, and subsequently imprisoned in the Tower of London on charges of treasonably quartering his coat of arms, with the arms of Edward the Confessor. Whilst he was entitled to use the arms, as a descendant of the Confessor, a dying and paranoid Henry VIII viewed this act as an attempt to usurp his son Edward on his imminent accession. Surrey's arrest appears to have been instigated by the prince's maternal uncle Edward Seymour, Earl of Hertford, who by this time held significant influence over the Privy Council. After a trial held at London's Guildhall on 13 January 1547, at which he was found guilty of high treason and sentenced to death, Surrey was executed on Tower Hill on 19 January, the last man to be put to death during Henry's reign, which ended with his own death nine days later (Hutchinson, 2009).
As the eldest child of the eldest son, young Thomas was now the heir to the Dukedom of Norfolk. However, his grandfather had also been imprisoned in the Tower of London, following his own arrest on 12 December 1546. The elder Thomas was attainted in January 1547, after acknowledging he was aware of his son's treasonous act, and himself convicted of treason and sentenced to death. Whilst arrangements had been put in place for his execution which was due to take place on 28 January, including the signing of his 'death warrant', Norfolk luckily escaped the executioner's axe, as Henry VIII died in the early hours of the morning. A decision was made by the Privy Council not to proceed with his execution, not wanting to start a new monarch's reign with the death of a high-ranking aristocrat. Norfolk subsequently remained imprisoned in the Tower throughout Edward VI's reign; he was finally released and pardoned on the accession of Mary I in July 1553, with a further Act of Attainder passed through Parliament in October 1553, allowing him to reclaim his titles and lands. Norfolk, favoured by the new Catholic queen, was subsequently appointed to the position of High Steward of England, and on 18 August 1553, proceeded over the trial of John Dudley, 1st Duke of Northumberland (Williams, 1964; Hutchinson, 2009).
Following his father's death, Thomas and his siblings's care and education was taken over by their paternal aunt, Mary, Dowager Duchess of Richmond, the widow of Henry VIII's acknowledged illegitimate son Henry FitzRoy. Historian and martyrologist John Foxe was one of the children's appointed tutors, who would later fall under the patronage of his student Thomas later in life. On the Duke's release from the Tower, he took over the care of his grandchildren, with specific focus placed on his grandson and heir. Mary's personal role in raising the Surrey children was recognised by her father, with his bequeathing her £500 on his death (Williams, 1964; Hutchinson, 2009).
On his grandfather's death on 25 August 1554, the 16 year old Thomas, who had a year earlier inherited the title of Earl of Surrey, succeeded him to the Dukedom of Norfolk, and inherited all lands and property owned by the late Duke. However, as he was still a minor, his guardianship was initially granted to Mary I. Despite his age, the new Duke was able to provide , including the organisation of his late grandfather's funeral and subsequent burial at the church of St Michael the Archangel, Framlingham (Hutchinson, 2009).
Comments