"The Land Evil" - Sir George Tailboys of Kyme, Lincolnshire (c.1461 - 1538)
- thedudleywomen
- May 14
- 10 min read
Elizabeth Tailboys, 4th Baroness of Kyme, was the second wife of the decade-younger Ambrose Dudley, son of John Dudley, 1st Duke of Northumberland; they likely married in early 1553, one of many political unions arranged by the Duke that year, in anticipation for the upcoming regime change, armed with the knowledge that the teenage king Edward VI's health was failing fast (Paul, 2022).
Elizabeth had inherited the Barony of Kyme in 1542, on the death of her youngest brother Robert; both of her brothers had died without issue, and so the title, which had been created for Gilbert Tailboys, as 1st Baron Tailboys of Kyme, her acknowledged father, was passed to her. However, there were limitations to her inheritance; as she had inherited the title 'suo jure', in her own right, and not by marriage, Elizabeth was unable to represent her position in the House of Lords, nor her husbands on her behalf, the title subsequently becoming extinct with her own death in 1563 (Hart, 2009; History of Parliament Online, 2025).
Gilbert had been born c.1498, being the eldest son of Sir George Tailboys, and his second wife Elizabeth Gascoigne. There were many children born to the pair, including five daughters who survived to adulthood (Anne, Elizabeth, Margaret, Cecily and Dorothy) and a favoured son William, who entered into the priesthood. The children are likely to have spent their early years, if not born, at South Kyme, the manor which George inherited on the death of his father in 1495 (Norton, 2011).
![South Kyme Tower ©DamienB [TripAdvisor]](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/ed9b82_73ab8d5a8cfe4b38be1990dd2e83d134~mv2.jpg/v1/fill/w_980,h_652,al_c,q_85,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,enc_avif,quality_auto/ed9b82_73ab8d5a8cfe4b38be1990dd2e83d134~mv2.jpg)
George himself had been the eldest son and heir of Robert Tailboys, 8th Lord Kyme, who like other members of his family, had served as the Sheriff of Lincolnshire. His grandfather William, had been a staunch Lancastrian supporter, who lost his life during the Wars of the Roses in 1464, leading to a confiscation of his property, until the accession of Henry VII in 1485. George appears to have been born in c.1461, as the Inquisition Post Mortem held in the months following Robert's death on 30 January 1495, George is described as being "aged 28 and more". George also had at least three younger brothers who lived until adulthood, who were also beneficiaries in their father's will, and are mentioned as still being alive at the time of the inquest: William, John and Richard (Norton, 2011; British History Online, 2025).
George married his first wife Margaret Burgh, daughter of Sir Thomas Burgh of Gainsburgh, Lincolnshire, soldier and ally of Edward IV and later Henry VII. Following her death, he then married his second wife Elizabeth Gascoigne in c.1495 - his father Robert's will written in November 1494 documented the couple's intended union. Elizabeth, otherwise known as Isabella, was the daughter of Sir William Gascoigne of Gawthorpe, Yorkshire; she was the granddaughter of Henry Percy, 3rd Earl of Northumberland, and subsequently descendants of the noble Percy family and John of Gaunt. In contrast to her husband's dutiful nature, Elizabeth's personality has been described as 'forceful' and dominant', leading to conflict with members of her own family, including her brother, her daughter-in-law Elizabeth 'Bessie' Blount and granddaughter Elizabeth Tailboys (Norton, 2011).
A loyal servant to the crown, and following in the footsteps of his father in serving as the sheriff, for both Lincolnshire and Northumberland, George was rewarded with a knighthood in 1497. However, whilst serving as the Lieutenant Warden of the East and Middle Marches at Berwick-upon-Tweed, George first showed signs of mental illness in 1499, which was referred to in contemporary documents as "the land evil". His symptoms were significant enough for him to be perceived at this time as a "lunatic"; he was removed from his post at Berwick, and from his service to the crown (History of Parliament, 2025).
Norton (2011, p.165) highlights that during the reign of Henry VII, it was common practice for the king to take over the property of those who "hath had his Wit and Memory, happen to fail of his Wit", in their 'best interests'. In 1499 however, George agreed to pay the king a significant sum of 800 marks to 'buy his freedom', thereby avoiding the confiscation of his lands, and any subsequent legal disputes.
George appears to have made a good recovery, as in 1507, he was made the keeper of Harbottle Castle in Northumberland, a task which continued into the new regime of Henry VIII, his position confirmed during a dispute with Thomas Dacre, whom he had previous acquaintance with from his time in Berwick. It was also this year that George was appointed as an Esquire of the Body to the new king, and in 1513, along with other members of the nobility and king's household, accompanied Henry to France, in his campaign against the French (Norton, 2011).
By 1517, George's mental illness once again had taken hold of him. Prior to this, in June 1516, an inquest was held in Lincoln, in regards to his mental state; it found George to be of 'sound mind', but no reported evidence of 'lunacy', with no indication for action to be taken. However, Norton (2011) correctly raises the question as to why the inquestion was called in the first place; was George starting the show signs of relapse related to his apparent mental disorder, of which we know very little? Was this inquest called out of concern, or was it due to his history of his mental affliction?
Regardless of this outcome, a further hearing was held on 02 March 1517, which heard that George's mental state had now deteriorated to a point where any concerns could no longer be ignored or symptoms masked, nor could he buy his way out of what was to happen next. By order of a Royal Warrant, the custody of his person and lands were placed in the care of guardians, headed by Thomas Wolsey, Archbishop of York and Lord Chancellor, whom George had known during his recent tenure of Bishop of Lincoln, owing to "Sir George being a lunatic". Further keeping of his lands had been entrusted to several of his Lincolnshire neighbours, who had been named in his 1512 will. It was around this time, that George and his wife Elizabeth moved out of South Kyme, downsizing to the smaller manor of Goltho, approximately twenty-five miles to the north of the large Manor they had called home for so many years (Childe-Pemberton, 1913; Norton, 2011; History of Parliament, 2025).
Little information is known about what type of mental disorder or 'lunacy' that George suffered from. Our understanding and perception of mental illness differs significantly now to how it did in medieval and the early-modern era. The medieval text, Bartholomæus Anglicus, which had been translated into English in 1495, was used as a guide for the treatment of those suffering from mental illness, and the effective treatments required, including bleeding, purging and even early attempts at lobotomies. Hunter and MacAlpine (1982, pp.1-4) summarise that the text made reference to the traditional, classical views of the 'four humours', dividing the mental disorders into the four categories:
1. "Of melancholie" - anxiety, hypochondriasis, depression, delusional states
2. "Of madnes" - 'lunacy', psychosis, mania
3. "Gauryne and Forgetfulnes" - dementia, non-organic stupor
4. "Of the frenesie" - delirium
Almost fifty years after George's death, Philip Barrough, a licensed practitioner in Canterbury, who most likely would have been familiar with Bartholomæus Anglicus during his teaching, wrote a textbook which went into greater detail about the different presentations of mental illness, and giving advice in how to treat them.. Barrough gave descriptions of different illness, including narcolepsy ("of dead sleep") and epilepsy ("epilepsia"), as well as "Madness" and "Melancholia" (Hunter and MacAlpine, 1982, pp.24-28).
George experienced what was his first known episode of mental illness, or at least one to the degree which had a significant impact on his level of functioning and that brought him to the attention of the authorities in 1499, when he was aged approx 37. As he was described as a "lunatic" in both 1499 and 1517, it can be proposed that George may have presented with one or more psychotic symptoms, which may have included:
- delusional beliefs (fixed, false beliefs), including grandiosity or paranoid ideation
- hallucinations or perceptional disturbances
- disorganised speech
- hallucinations, predominantly auditory and visual
- catatonic behaviour - excitement, posturing, negativism, mutism, stupor
- social withdrawal or apathy
As Semple and Smyth (2019) highlight, most people, in particular men, who experience their first episode of psychosis, in the context of a primary psychotic disorder, will do so in their late teens or early twenties; George experiencing his first episode in his late 30s is therefore unusual. It suggests, therefore, that the 1499 episode may not have been his first one, that he may have experienced less-intense symptoms, or he may not have suffered from a primary psychotic illness. People who suffer from mood disorders, including Bipolar Affective Disorder and Severe Depression, can also experience psychotic features when experiencing a severe affective episode.
George did have a good recovery, appearing to return to his pre-morbid level of functioning with minimal residual symptoms, to the extent that he was not only able to gain employment back into the service of the crown, but was also able to gain the confidence of the new king, being appointed as a trusted Esquire of the Body of the King, a type of royal bodyguard. However, after at least a decade of mental stability, concerns appear to have started to creep in, leading to the initial inquest being held in June 1516. As George was deemed by the jury at that time to be "of sound mind", it appears likely that concerns had been raised by those closest to him, and that he was potentially beginning to show early warning signs of relapse in his illness. Unfortunately, less than nine months later, on 02 March 1517, he was legally declared "a lunatic", appearing to have fully relapsed in his psychiatric illness (Norton, 2011).
As the eldest son and heir, Gilbert was also placed in the care of the Lord Chancellor, entering into his household following his father's incapacitation. However, Gilbert was never made a ward of Wolsey, only being listed as one of his servants in 1517, this likely being a reflection of his age. Norton (2011) reflects that Gilbert 'flourished' in Wolsey's household, and following the cessation of Bessie Blount's affair with Henry VIII following the birth of her son Henry FitzRoy, and possibly her daughter Elizabeth Tailboys within the year, Gilbert was an eligible candidate for a potential marital match (Licence, 2014).
An Act of Parliament was passed in the 1523 session, confirming the marriage of Gilbert and Bessie, who appear to have been married the previous spring, making adjustments to the planned Tailboys inheritance "for the great love favour and affection that as well the said Sir George Taylboys as the said Gilbert Taylboys his son have and toward the said Elizabeth". The Act confirmed a life-interest in the Tailboys property for "the said Elizabeth may have hold and enjoy for terms of her life natural without impeachment of any waste the Lordships Manors Lands Tenements..All the Houses Lands and Hereditaments that the said Sir George Taylboys or Gilbert Taylboys his son". Whilst this Act ensured provisions for Bessie and her children during her lifetime, it also appears to have had immediate benefit for Gilbert, in removing the control of his father's lands and property from those it was given to back in 1517. Later this year, Gilbert and Bessie appear to have made the manor of South Kyme their primary residence, with Gilbert taking up the position of Sheriff of Lincolnshire in November 1523; however, they continued to spend significant periods at court, where they had many allies (Norton, 2011).
Hostilities continued between Gilbert and Bessie, and the elder Elizabeth, which came to a head in 1529; the elder Elizabeth complained about her financial circumstances, with her son and daughter-in-law responding with accusations of poor managements of their lands and estates, despite being under the supervision of Wolsey and his agents. With the support of Wolsey, Gilbert made moves to reclaim the lands from his mother, as well as gaining custody of his father George. The elder Lady Tailboys wrote to Wolsey herself, pleading that she was unable to make the payments expected of her, arguing that both her and her husband were "aged", highlighting the existing financial pressures (including marrying her daughters and being unable to access animals from the Kyme estate) (Child-Pemberton, 1913; Norton, 2011).
The conflict between mother, son and daughter-in-law appears to have continued until Gilbert's death in April 1530, with the elder Elizabeth complaining that her son and daughter-in-law had been rewarded at the expense of the rest of the family. However, Gilbert and Bessie were never successful in gaining custody of George. When Thomas Wolsey fell from power in October 1529, and Sir Thomas More was appointed the new Lord Chancellor, their campaign was dropped, likely due to a combination of lack of support and potentially Gilbert's own failing health (Childe-Pemberton, 1913; Norton, 2011).
![Tailboys Tomb, Lincoln Cathedral ©amthomson [Flickr]](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/ed9b82_1f1f7c7ceb914c989adfbe3f0859611d~mv2.jpg/v1/fill/w_980,h_1438,al_c,q_85,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,enc_avif,quality_auto/ed9b82_1f1f7c7ceb914c989adfbe3f0859611d~mv2.jpg)
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