John I Stanley of the Isle of Man
Encyclopedia
Sir John I Stanley, KG
Order of the Garter
The Most Noble Order of the Garter, founded in 1348, is the highest order of chivalry, or knighthood, existing in England. The order is dedicated to the image and arms of St...

 (c. 1350 – 1414) was Lord Lieutenant of Ireland
Lord Lieutenant of Ireland
The Lord Lieutenant of Ireland was the British King's representative and head of the Irish executive during the Lordship of Ireland , the Kingdom of Ireland and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland...

 and titular King of Mann
King of Mann
The King of Mann was the title taken between 1237 and 1504 by the various rulers, both sovereign and suzerain, over the Kingdom of Mann – the Isle of Man which is located in the Irish Sea, at the centre of the British Isles....

, the first of that name. The Stanley family later became the Earls of Derby and remained prominent in English history into modern times.

Early years

John Stanley was the second son of Sir William de Stanley of Stourton and Alice Massey of Timperley
Timperley
Timperley is a village within the Altrincham area, of the Metropolitan Borough of Trafford in Greater Manchester, England. Situated within the historic county boundaries of Cheshire, Timperley is approximately seven miles southwest of Manchester....

, Cheshire
Cheshire
Cheshire is a ceremonial county in North West England. Cheshire's county town is the city of Chester, although its largest town is Warrington. Other major towns include Widnes, Congleton, Crewe, Ellesmere Port, Runcorn, Macclesfield, Winsford, Northwich, and Wilmslow...

 and grandson of John de Stanley and Emma Lathom of Lathom
Lathom
Lathom is a village and civil parish in Lancashire, England, about 5 km northeast of Ormskirk. It is in the district of West Lancashire, and with the parish of Newburgh forms part of Newburgh ward...

, Lancashire
Lancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...

.

Stanley's father was Master-Forrester of the Forest of Wirral, notorious for his repressive activities. Both Stanley and his older brother, William (who succeeded their father as Master-Forrester), were involved in criminal cases which charged them with a forced entry in 1369 and in the murder of Thomas Clotton in 1376.

Conviction for the murder of Clotton resulted in Stanley being declared an outlaw. However, he was already distinguishing himself in military service in the French wars, and he was pardoned in 1378 at the insistence of his commander, Sir Thomas Trivet.

Marriage and rise to prominence

In 1385 he married Isabel Lathom
Lathom
Lathom is a village and civil parish in Lancashire, England, about 5 km northeast of Ormskirk. It is in the district of West Lancashire, and with the parish of Newburgh forms part of Newburgh ward...

, heir to the extensive lands of Sir Thomas Lathom in south-west Lancashire. The marriage took place despite the opposition of John of Gaunt and gave Stanley the sort of wealth and financial security he could never have hoped to have had as the younger son in his own family. Stanley had four sons, John
John II Stanley of the Isle of Man
Sir John II Stanley was Knight, Sheriff of Anglesey, Constable of Carnarvon, Justice of Chester, Steward of Macclesfield and titular King of Mann, the second of that name.-Biography:...

, Henry, Thomas and Ralph as well as two daughters.

The year 1386 saw his first appointment in Ireland as deputy to Robert de Vere, Duke of Ireland
Robert de Vere, Duke of Ireland
Robert de Vere, Duke of Ireland, Marquess of Dublin, and 9th Earl of Oxford KG was a favourite and court companion of King Richard II of England.-Royal favour:...

. In 1389, Richard II appointed him justiciar of Ireland, a post he held until 1391. He was heavily involved in the Richard's first expedition to Ireland in 1394–1395.

Throughout the 1390s he was involved in placating possible rebellion in Cheshire. Between 1396 and 1398 he served as captain of Roxburgh
Roxburgh
Roxburgh , also known as Rosbroch, is a village, civil parish and now-destroyed royal burgh. It was an important trading burgh in High Medieval to early modern Scotland...

. Stanley took part in Richard II expedition to Ireland in 1399. However, on his return to England, Stanley, who had long proved adept at political manouevring, turned his back on Richard and submitted to Henry IV of England
Bolingbroke
Bolingbroke is the name of:* Henry IV of England, also known as Henry of Bolingbroke* Henry St John, 1st Viscount Bolingbroke , a Tory party Jacobite grandee and British statesman...

.

Under the Lancastrians

Stanley's fortunes were equally good under the Lancastrians. He was granted lordships in the Welsh marches, and served a term as lieutenant of Ireland. In 1403 he was made steward of the household of Henry, prince of Wales, (later Henry V). Unlike many of the Cheshire gentry, he took the side of the king in the rebellion of the Percys. He was wounded in the throat at the Battle of Shrewsbury
Battle of Shrewsbury
The Battle of Shrewsbury was a battle fought on 21 July 1403, waged between an army led by the Lancastrian King, Henry IV, and a rebel army led by Henry "Hotspur" Percy from Northumberland....

.

In 1405 he was granted the tenure of the Isle of Man
Isle of Man
The Isle of Man , otherwise known simply as Mann , is a self-governing British Crown Dependency, located in the Irish Sea between the islands of Great Britain and Ireland, within the British Isles. The head of state is Queen Elizabeth II, who holds the title of Lord of Mann. The Lord of Mann is...

 by which had been confiscated from the rebellious Henry Percy, 1st Earl of Northumberland
Henry Percy, 1st Earl of Northumberland
Henry Percy, 1st Earl of Northumberland, 4th Baron Percy, titular King of Mann, KG, Lord Marshal was the son of Henry de Percy, 3rd Baron Percy and a descendent of Henry III of England. His mother was Mary of Lancaster, daughter of Henry, 3rd Earl of Lancaster, son of Edmund, Earl of Leicester and...

. In this period he also became steward of the king's household, and was elected a Knight of the Garter. In 1413 King Henry V of England
Henry V of England
Henry V was King of England from 1413 until his death at the age of 35 in 1422. He was the second monarch belonging to the House of Lancaster....

 sent him to serve once more as lieutenant of Ireland. He died at Ardee
Ardee
Ardee is a town and townland in County Louth, Ireland. It is located at the intersection of the N2, N52, and N33 roads. Ardee is on the banks of the River Dee and is approximately 20 km from Dundalk, Drogheda, Slane and Carrickmacross...

, County Louth
County Louth
County Louth is a county of Ireland. It is part of the Border Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the town of Louth. Louth County Council is the local authority for the county...

 in 1414. His body was returned to Lathom and buried at Burscough Priory
Burscough Priory
Burscough Priory, at Burscough, Lancashire, England, was founded in c. 1190 by Robert Fitz-Henry, Lord of Lathom for Augustinian canons. It was dissolved c.1536 by Henry VIII although some remains still exist...

 near Ormskirk
Ormskirk
Ormskirk is a market town in West Lancashire, England. It is situated north of Liverpool city centre, northwest of St Helens, southeast of Southport and southwest of Preston.-Geography and administration:...

.

Offices

During his career Stanley held the following offices:-
  • Lord Lieutenant of Ireland
    Lord Lieutenant of Ireland
    The Lord Lieutenant of Ireland was the British King's representative and head of the Irish executive during the Lordship of Ireland , the Kingdom of Ireland and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland...

     between 1386 and 1388.
  • Justiciary Ireland
    Ireland
    Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...

     between 1389 and 1391.
  • Justice of Chester
    Chester
    Chester is a city in Cheshire, England. Lying on the River Dee, close to the border with Wales, it is home to 77,040 inhabitants, and is the largest and most populous settlement of the wider unitary authority area of Cheshire West and Chester, which had a population of 328,100 according to the...

     in 1394
  • Controller of the Royal Household in 1399
  • Lieutenant of Ireland between 1399 and 1401
  • Steward of the Household to the Prince of Wales circa 1403, later King Henry V
  • Surveyor of the Forests of Macclesfield
    Macclesfield
    Macclesfield is a market town within the unitary authority of Cheshire East, the county palatine of Chester, also known as the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. The population of the Macclesfield urban sub-area at the time of the 2001 census was 50,688...

    , Mare and Mondrem, Cheshire in 1403
  • Governor of the City and County of Cheshire in 1403
  • He was invested as a Knight, Order of the Garter
    Order of the Garter
    The Most Noble Order of the Garter, founded in 1348, is the highest order of chivalry, or knighthood, existing in England. The order is dedicated to the image and arms of St...

     (K.G.) circa 1405
  • Steward of Macclesfield in 1406


He was granted the Isle, Castle, peel and Lordship of Mann, by King Henry IV of England
  • Sovereign Lord of the Isle of Man in 1406
  • Constable of Windsor Castle in 1409
  • Lord Lieutenant of Ireland
    Lord Lieutenant of Ireland
    The Lord Lieutenant of Ireland was the British King's representative and head of the Irish executive during the Lordship of Ireland , the Kingdom of Ireland and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland...

     (second term) from 1413 until his death in 1414.

See also

  • Audley-Stanley family
    Audley-Stanley family
    The Audley-Stanley family is a family with many notable members including the Earls of Derby who are descended from the early holders of Audley, Staffordshire. The first mention of Audley is in the Domesday book of 1086, when it was called Aldidelege , when the lands were held by an English thegn...

     for Ancestors and descendants of John I Stanley
  • Lathom
    Lathom
    Lathom is a village and civil parish in Lancashire, England, about 5 km northeast of Ormskirk. It is in the district of West Lancashire, and with the parish of Newburgh forms part of Newburgh ward...

    Wikipedia article containing Stanley & Lathom history
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