The Death of Arthur Plantagenet, 1st Viscount Lisle - 03 March 1542

Detail from 'The Black Book' [Liber Niger], 1534 © Dean and Canons of Windsor

On 03 March 1542, Arthur Plantagenet, 1st Viscount Lisle, died within the Tower of London, aged about eighty-years old, having been imprisoned there since May 1540. Plantagenet was the only known illegitimate son of the Yorkist king Edward IV; it is believed that he was born in early 1471, possibly February or March, having been conceived just before Edward left England, before returning in March 1471 and triumphantly retaking the English throne from the Lancastrian king Henry VI for the final time. His place and date of birth remain unconfirmed, as does his mother: despite his love and devotion to his queen, Elizabeth Woodville, Edward was known to have at least three recognised mistresses during his reign, with a woman 'Elizabeth Lucy' believed to be his son's mother. Until his father's death in 1483, Plantagenet was raised at court, amongst his legitimate half-siblings, including Elizabeth of York, whose household he would later join following her marriage to Henry VII (Paul, 2022; Watkins, 2022). During the reign of Henry VIII, Henry remained at court, his illigitimacy excluding him from any lines of succession for the English throne. Effectively "politically harmless", Plantagenet, now in his 40s, was viewed a 'valued' member of the royal family. His personality was described as being similar to his father's, "agreeable and easygoing", a contrast to Henry's increasingly erratic and unpredictable outbursts (Byrne, 1983, p.x; Watkins, 2022).

Coat of Arms of Arthur, The Viscount Lisle © Society of Antiquaries, London

Plantagenet was married to Elizabeth Grey, the widow of Edmund Dudley on 12 November 1511, in a union likely arranged by Henry VIII. Dudley, who was Henry VII's chief financial agent, had been executed in August 1510, on charges on constructive treason, being one of the first victims of the new regime. Through his marriage to Elizabeth Grey, Plantagenet became the stepfather to Dudley's four young children, including eldest son, five-year-old John Dudley, and was subsequently granted lands and properties previously belonging to his predecessor prior to his conviction and subsequent attainder. In 1519, Elizabeth Grey's teenage niece, Elizabeth, 5th Baroness Lisle died; the Lisle title subsequently passed to Elizabeth, promoted to the rank of 6th Baroness Lisle. In 1523, on account of his wife's rank and ancestry, Henry VIII awarded his uncle the title 'Viscount of Lisle' - one he held, even past the death of Elizabeth approximately three years later; he was referred to as 'Lord Lisle' in his later years (Paul, 2022; Watkins, 2022). Throughout Henry's reign, Lisle was rewarded for his loyalty to his uncle, through a series of promotions and appointments, including admission to the Privy Council and being invested as a Knight of the Garter. On 24 March 1533, Lisle was further rewarded, being appointed as the Lord Deputy of Calais; at this time, the town remained the only English-held outpost in France, being in a 'ruinous state...underfunded and undersupplied" (Watkins, 2022, p39). Lisle was now responsible for the 4000 inhabitants that resided behind the town's walls, as well ensuring the ongoing functioning and safety of the port, essential for the Wool trade, as well as the English's military defences. Lisle was joined in Calais by his second wife Honor Grenville, whom he had married in 1529, and five of their daughters, a large household being established in the south of the fortified town. In contrast to Lisle's 'gentle' personality, which has led many historians to criticise his tenure as Commander of Calais, his wife, Lady Lisle, was known for her forceful one, making herself familiar with her husband's business transactions (Byrne, 1983; Watkins, 2022).

'The Siege of Calais, 1558' 16thc woodcut © Bibliotheque Mazarine

In Spring 1540, unsettling events in England had an impact across the English Channel. Lord Privy Seal and newly-created Earl of Essex, Thomas Cromwell's power and influence with the king was beginning to decline, with Henry VIII being dissatisfied with his new bride, Anna of Cleves, the match having been arranged by Cromwell. Simultaneously, Henry, concerned with the country's religious turmoil, in response to the introduction of Reformist policies within the previous decade, came to believe that sermons being preached both in London and Calais were significantly contributing factors. Cromwell, who had long held animosity towards the elderly Lisle, was able to convince the king of his kinsman's inadequacies, in being unable to effectively manage the growing religious unrest (Loades, 1996; Watkins, 2022).

'The pope suppressed by King Henry VIII', woodcut, 1570 ©National Portrait Gallery

Lisle was therefore summoned from Calais by Cromwell on 16 May 1540, and he arrived in the capital three days later, initially under the impression that he would be elevated to the rank of Earl. After attending the House of Lords and a chapter meeting for the Knights of the Garter, Lisle was arrested whilst at Greenwich Palace, and subsequently taken to the Tower of London, give miles up river, where he was never to leave (Byrne, 1983; Watkins, 2022). Lisle was accused of treason, of being privy to a plot engineered by his personal chaplain, Gregory Botolph, in which he would allow Calais to fall "into the hands of the Pope and Cardinal Pole" (Watkins, 2022, p.152). Catholic Cardinal Reginald Pole was Lisle's nephew: Pole's mother was Margaret Plantagenet, Countess of Salisbury, the only surviving daughter of Edward IV's younger brother, George Plantagenet. After the executions of Sir Thomas More, former Lord High Chancellor, and Bishop John Fisher, in 1534, after both refused to take the Act of Supremacy, recognising Henry as the head of the Church in England, Pole openly and defiantly criticised the king, sending him a 'list' of his crimes. Pole had fled England to the safety of Europe, where he continued his tirade against the 'heretical' king, attempting to encourage other foreign monarchs to "unite and dethrone" him, thereby making his close allies and family targets of Henry's wrath (Byrne, 1983, p.xx). Lisle's tenure as Lord Deputy of Calais was also met with much criticism, although it was felt by many, including reportedly Henry himself, that this was a result of Lisle's "ignorance rather than ill will" (Lee, 1896, p.400).

Detail from monumental brass on tomb of Sir John Bassett, Atherington Church, Devon, depicting Honor Grenville, ©wikimedia

Following Lisle's arrest, on 30 May 1540, his official residence and family home at the Staple Inn, Calais was searched, and his documents were formally seized. Amongst these were correspondence received by Lisle and his wife during their time in Calais, from family members, friends, royal officials and servants. These letters detail the family's daily life, but were taken to the Tower, in order to be used as evidence against Lisle. This large collection, being in excess of 3000 documents, continues to survive, and has been used by historians to improve their understanding of domestic life in Tudor England (Byrne, 1983; Watkins, 2022). Honor and two of her daughters were placed under house arrest in Calais, the subsequent events having a detrimental impact on the once-formidable Lady Lisle; it was said that Lisle's imprisonment and subsequent death led his wife to become "distraught of mind, and so continued many years after" (Lee, 1896, p.400). Lisle remained imprisoned in the Tower of London, proclaiming his innocence, denying any accusations of treason against his uncle or England. Less than a month after his own arrest, Cromwell was also taken into custody in the Tower, and condemned to death by Act of Attainder, being executed on Tower Hill on 28 July 1540. Regardless of his primary accuser's death, Lisle remained imprisoned and under suspicion, although no legal action against him was taken. He was however, removed from his role as Lord Deputy of Calais, with his successor taking up residence in his Calais home in early July 1540. Whilst remaining imprisoned in the Tower, and awaiting his fate, Lisle is likely to have been aware of the imprisonment and subsequent executions of other high-profile prisoners, including his cousin Margaret, Countess of Salisbury in May 1541, a victim of her son's defiance against their kinsman (Loades, 1996; Watkins, 2022).

'Tower of London' Antonis van den Wyngaerde, c.1544 ©Ashmolean Museum, University of Oxford

After over eighteen months of uncertainty, by January 1542, the tide appeared to be turning for the elderly Lisle; contemporaries reported that his Order of the Garter, was returned to him, and that "he is at a point to have his pardon", despite him not formally being subject to an Act of Attainder. Byrne (1983) surmises that the executions of Katherine Howard, and her lady-in-waiting Jane Parker, Lady Rochford on 13 February 1542, in addition to Lisle's ongoing protestations of innocence, likely spurred the king to take action on behalf of his elderly uncle. On the morning of 03 March 1542, Henry sent Sir Thomas Wriothesley, Secretary of State, to the Tower of London; Wriothesley was in possession of one of the king's diamond rings, which he "sent from his own finger", a token of his intent to dismiss any allegations against him, and to "restore him to his former liberty" (Watkins, 2022, pp.163-4). Before Lisle could be released, however, he died in the Tower, likely in the small, cramped cell that had been his home for the past 21 months. Martyrologist John Foxe later recorded that the Viscount suffered a sudden heart attack later that same evening, 03 March, his heart failing after hearing the 'joy' and excitement of the news of his planned release (Lee, 1896; Watkins, 2022)

Chapel of St Peter ad Vincula, Tower of London © Historic Royal Palaces

Lisle was subsequently buried, unceremoniously in the Tower's Chapel of St Peter ad Vincula, in a simple funeral service, paid for by the king. Despite never being convicted of treason or being subject to an Act of Attainder, Lisle's grave remained unmarked, with his body buried amongst those who had lost their lives on the scaffold at nearby Tower Hill. Honor, Lady Lisle, returned to England, after Lisle's death, where there were reports that she oversaw her husband's reinterment from the Tower's chapel, to the parish church of St Peter's, Soberton, Hampshire; Watkins, (2022) notes a later but unconfirmed report that he was buried in the south transept of the medieval church. If Lisle was not reinterred however, then his body was likely one of those recovered during the chapel's 1876 renovations, when the chapel floor was replaced; these unidentified exhumed bodies were "carefully collected and enclosed in boxes", and moved to a purpose-built crypt (Bell, 1877, p.16). Following Lisle's death, the Viscountcy of Lisle was inherited by his stepson, Sir John Dudley, the eldest son of his first wife, Elizabeth Grey, who at this time held minor roles within the royal household, his recent appointments as Master of Horse to queens Anna of Cleves and Katherine Howard having brought him closer to the king. Even after his mother's death. and Lisle's remarriage, Dudley had maintained a close relationship with his stepfather, as well as his three younger half-sisters born from this marriage, although (Loades, 1996, p.46) describes this relationship as varying between "cool to amiable", his open lack of support for Lisle following his imprisonment being evidence of this. In 1532, conflict had arisen between Dudley and Lisle, in response to the younger man selling off lands he was entitled to inherit, only after the elder's death; despite his complaints, Lisle at this time reflected on their relationship, in that “Sir John Dudley may see that I have rather used him like a father than a father-in-law" (Hartweg, 2016, p.16).

Detail from 'John Dudley, Duke of Northumberland', British School, c.1600 © National Trust Images

Nine days after his stepfather's death, Sir John Dudley, was issued letters patent and was formally created Viscount Lisle "by the right of his mother Lady Elizabeth, sister and heir to Sir John Grey, Viscount Lisle, who was late wife to Arthur Plantagenet, Viscount Lisle, deceased". The ceremony took place at the king's Privy Chamber at Whitehall Palace, Westminster, the new Viscount being accompanied by Sir John Russell, Lord High Admiral, on his left, and his friend Edward Seymour, 1st Earl of Hertford on his right. Within a year of Dudley's admission to the House of Lords, his career advanced significantly, progressing from holding minor positions within the royal household, to more coveted-roles, including Lord Admiral and Privy Councillor (Loades, 1996; Hartweg, 2016; Paul, 2022).

With Dudley inheriting the Viscountcy, the title had returned to a direct ancestor of John Talbot, Viscount Lisle: the son of John Talbot, 1st Earl of Shrewsbury, who had died alongside his father at the Battle of Castillon against the French in July 1453, the consequences of the loss led to the end of 'The Hundred Years War', and triggered decades of political and economic instability and civil war (Lee, 1896; Paul, 2022).

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Bibliography: Bell, D.C. (1877). Notices of the Historic Persons buried in the Chapel of St. Peter ad Vincula in the Tower of London. London: John Murray. Byrne, M. S. C. (ed.) (1983). The Lisle Letters: An Abridgement. Chicago: The Chicago University Press. Hartweg, C. (2016). John Dudley: The Life of Lady Jane Grey's Father-in-Law. [Kindle E-Book]. Lee, S. (1896). Dictionary of National Biography. Vol. XLV. Pereira-Pockrich. London: Smith, Elder & Co. Loades, D. (1996). John Dudley, Duke of Northumberland. 1504-1553. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Paul, J. (2022). The House of Dudley: A New History of Tudor England. London: Penguin. Watkins, S.-B. (2022). Arthur Plantagenet: Henry VIII's Illegitimate Uncle. Barnsley: Pen & Sword Ltd.

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