Knollys, the name of an
EnglishThe English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity as a people is of early medieval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn....
family descended from Sir
Thomas Knollys-Biography:Lord-mayor Knollys was a member of the Grocers' Company. He directed in 1400 the rebuilding of the Guildhall, and he also rebuilt St. Antholin's Church in Watling Street, where he was buried with his wife Joan...
(died 1435),
Lord Mayor of LondonThe Right Honourable Lord Mayor of London is the legal title for the Mayor of the City of London Corporation. The Lord Mayor of London is to be distinguished from the Mayor of London; the former is an officer only of the City of London, while the Mayor of London is the Mayor of Greater London and...
. The first distinguished member of the family was Sir Francis Knollys (c. 1514–1596), English statesman, son of
Robert KnollysRobert Knollys, or Knolles, was an English courtier in the service and favour of Henry VII and Henry VIII.-Biography:In 1488 Knollys was one of Henry VII's henchmen, and late in that year was appointed to wait on ‘the king's dearest son the prince’...
, or Knolles (died 1521), a
courtierA courtier is a person who attends the court of a monarch or other powerful person. Historically the court was the centre of government as well as the residence of the monarch, and social and political life were often completely mixed together. Monarchs very often expected the more important nobles...
in the service and favour of
Henry VIIHenry VII was the King of England and Lord of Ireland from his seizing the crown on 22 August 1485 until his death on 21 April 1509, as the first monarch of the Tudor dynasty.Henry was successful in restoring the power and stability of the English monarchy after the political upheavals of the Wars...
and
Henry VIIIHenry VIII was King of England from 21 April 1509 until his death. He was also Lord of Ireland and claimant to the Kingdom of France. Henry was the second monarch of the House of Tudor, succeeding his father, Henry VII.Henry VIII was a significant figure in the history of the English monarchy...
. Robert had also a younger son,
Henry, who took part in public life during the reign of
Elizabeth IElizabeth I was Queen of England and Queen of Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death. Sometimes called the Virgin Queen, Gloriana, or Good Queen Bess, Elizabeth was the fifth and last monarch of the Tudor dynasty...
and who died in 1583. From the time of Sir Francis, the family were associated with
Greys CourtGreys Court is a Tudor country house and associated gardens, located at , at the southern end of the Chiltern Hills at Rotherfield Greys, near Henley-on-Thames in the English county of Oxfordshire. It is owned by the National Trust and is open to the public....
at
Rotherfield GreysRotherfield Greys is a village and civil parish in the Chiltern Hills in South Oxfordshire. It is west of Henley-on-Thames and just over east of the village of Rotherfield Peppard....
and
Caversham ParkCaversham Park is a Victorian stately home with parkland in the suburb of Caversham, on the outskirts of Reading, England. Historically it was in Oxfordshire, but since 1911 it has been in Berkshire....
, then in
OxfordshireOxfordshire is a county in the South East England region, bordering on Northamptonshire, Buckinghamshire, Berkshire, Wiltshire, Gloucestershire, and Warwickshire....
, as well as the nearby town of
ReadingReading is a large town in England, located at the confluence of the River Thames and River Kennet, and on both the Great Western Main Line railway and the M4 motorway, some west of London...
in
BerkshireBerkshire is a county in the South East of England. It is also often referred to as the Royal County of Berkshire because of the presence of the royal residence of Windsor Castle in the county; this usage, which dates to the 19th century at least, was recognised by the Queen in 1958, and Letters...
, where the family's private chapel could once be seen in the church of St Laurence.
Sir Francis Knollys
Francis KnollysSir Francis Knollys was an English courtier in the service and favour of Henry VIII, Edward VI and Elizabeth I of England, and was a Member of Parliament for a number of constituencies.-Early appointments:...
, who entered the service of Henry VIII before 1540, became a
Member of ParliamentA Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a parliament. In many countries the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a unique title, such as senate, and thus also have unique titles for its members, such as senators. Members of...
in 1542 and was knighted in 1547 while serving with the English army in
ScotlandScotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. He became custodian of
Wallingford CastleThe remains of Wallingford Castle, once an important royal castle and defensive stronghold, are situated in Wallingford in the English county of Oxfordshire , adjacent to the River Thames.-History:...
in 1551. A strong and somewhat aggressive supporter of the reformed doctrines, he retired to
GermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered to the north by the North Sea, Denmark, and the Baltic Sea; to the east by Poland and the Czech Republic; to the south by Austria and Switzerland; and to the west by France, Luxembourg, Belgium,...
soon after
MaryMary I , was Queen of England and Queen of Ireland from 19 July 1553 until her death. She was the oldest daughter of Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon. The fourth crowned monarch of the Tudor dynasty, she is remembered for restoring England to Roman Catholicism after succeeding her short-lived...
became queen, returning to England to become a privy councillor, vice-
ChamberlainA chamberlain is an officer in charge of managing a household. In many countries there are ceremonial posts associated with the household of the sovereign....
of the royal household and a Member of Parliament under Queen Elizabeth, whose cousin
Catherine CareyCatherine Carey, Lady Knollys , was Chief Lady of the Bedchamber to Elizabeth I of England, who was her first cousin...
(d. 1568), daughter of William Carey and niece of
Anne BoleynAnne Boleyn was Queen of England as the second wife of King Henry VIII, the mother of Queen Elizabeth I, and Marquess of Pembroke in her own right. Henry's marriage to Anne, and her subsequent execution, made her a key figure in the political and religious upheaval that was the start of the...
, was his wife. After serving as governor of
PlymouthPlymouth is a city and unitary authority area on the coast of Devon, England, about south west of London. It is built between the mouths of the rivers Plym to the east and Tamar to the west, where they join Plymouth Sound...
, Knollys was sent in 1566 to
IrelandIreland is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island in the world. It lies to the north-west of continental Europe and is surrounded by hundreds of islands and islets. To the east of Ireland, separated by the Irish Sea, is the island of Great Britain...
, his mission being to obtain for the queen confidential reports about the conduct of the lord-deputy Sir
Henry SidneySir Henry Sidney , lord deputy of Ireland, was the eldest son of Sir William Sidney of Penshurst, a prominent politician and courtier during the reigns of Henry VIII and Edward VI, from both of whom he received extensive grants of land, including the manor of Penshurst in Kent, which became the...
.
Approving of Sidney's actions, he came back to England, and in 1568 was sent to Carlisle to take charge of
Mary, Queen of ScotsMary I was Queen of Scots from 14 December 1542 to 24 July 1567. She was the only surviving legitimate child of King James V. She was six days old when her father died and made her Queen of Scots...
, who had just fled from Scotland; afterwards he was in charge of the queen at
Bolton CastleBolton Castle in North Yorkshire, is located in Wensleydale in the Yorkshire Dales . The nearby settlement Castle Bolton takes its name from the castle. The castle is a Grade I listed building and a Scheduled Ancient Monument.-The castle:...
and then at
Tutbury CastleTutbury Castle is a largely ruinous medieval castle at Tutbury, Staffordshire in the ownership of the Duchy of Lancaster. It is a Grade I listed building...
. He discussed religious questions with his prisoner, although the extreme Protestant views which he put before her did not meet with Elizabeth's approval, and he gave up the position of guardian just after his wife's death in January 1569. In 1584 he introduced into the
House of CommonsThe House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which also comprises the Sovereign and the House of Lords . Both Commons and Lords meet in the Palace of Westminster. The Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 646 members, who are known as "Members...
, where since 1572 he had represented Oxfordshire, the bill legalizing the national association for Elizabeth's defence, and he was treasurer of the royal household from 1572 until his death on 19 July 1596.
His monument may still be seen in the church of Rotherfield Greys. Knollys was repeatedly free and frank in his objections to Elizabeth's tortuous foreign policy; but, possibly owing to his relationship to the queen, he did not lose her favor and he was one of her commissioners on such important occasions as the trials of Mary Queen of Scots, of
Philip HowardPhilip Howard may refer to:*Philip Howard, 20th Earl of Arundel, Saint Philip Howard, *Philip Howard , English army officer and Member of Parliament*Philip Howard Philip Howard may refer to:*Philip Howard, 20th Earl of Arundel, Saint Philip Howard, (1557–1595)*Philip Howard (1629–1717), English...
, earl of
ArundelArundel is a market town and civil parish in the South Downs of West Sussex in the south of England. It lies south southwest of London, west of Brighton, and east of the county town of Chichester. Other nearby towns include Worthing east southeast, Littlehampton to the south and Bognor Regis to...
, and of
Anthony BabingtonSir Anthony Babington was convicted of plotting the assassination of Elizabeth I of England and conspiring with the imprisoned Mary Queen Of Scots...
. An active and lifelong
PuritanA Puritan of 16th and 17th-century England was an associate of any number of religious groups advocating for more "purity" of worship and doctrine, as well as personal and group piety. Puritans felt that the English Reformation had not gone far enough, and that the Church of England was tolerant...
, his attacks on the
bishopA bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...
s were not lacking in vigour and he was also very hostile to
hereticHeresy is proposing some unorthodox change to an established system of belief, especially a religion, that conflicts with the previously established opinion of scholars of that belief such as canon. It is sometimes confused with apostasy which is disaffiliation from orthodoxy and blasphemy which is...
s. He received many grants of land from the queen, and was
chief stewardA Chief Steward is the senior unlicensed crew member working in the Steward's Department of a ship. Since there is no purser on most ships in the United States Merchant Marine, the steward is the senior person in the department, from whence its name...
of the city of
OxfordOxford is a city, and the county town of Oxfordshire, in South East England. The city has a population of just under 165,000, with 151,000 living within the district boundary. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through Oxford and meet south of the city centre...
and a Knight of the Garter.
It would seem that his son, in earlier years a pirate and soldier, is Elizabeth's Vice-Chamberlain, Sir Francis Knollys the Younger, who may be associated with The Lord Chamberlain's Men - Shakespeare's company - through Carey family connections to Sir Francis the Elder. In either case, Franklin's or Francolin's - an anagram of Francis Knollys - substitutes for Chamberlain's as a pun in the company's title.
Children of Sir Francis Knollys the Elder
Sir Francis's eldest son
Henry (died 1583), and his sons
Edward (died 1580),
Robert (died 1625),
Richard (died 1596),
Francis (died 1643), and
Thomas, were all courtiers and served the queen in parliament or in the field. Richard's family continued to live at Rotherfield Greys, while Francis Junior's descendants held Battle Manor in Reading. The latter's daughter, Lettice (died 1666), was the second wife of the parliamentarian,
John HampdenJohn Hampden was an English politician, the eldest son of William Hampden, of Hampden House, Great Hampden in Buckinghamshire, a descendant of a very ancient family of that county, said to have been established there before the Norman conquest, and of Elizabeth, second daughter of Sir Henry...
. Francis Senior's daughter,
LetticeLaetitia Knollys, Countess of Essex and Leicester , normally referred to as Lettice Knollys, was born in Rotherfield Greys, Oxfordshire. She was the mother of Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex, Queen Elizabeth I's famous courtier, she was also the mother of the remarkable Penelope, Lady Rich...
(1540–1634), married
Walter Devereux, 1st Earl of EssexWalter Devereux, 1st Earl of Essex, KG , an English nobleman, was the eldest son of Sir Richard Devereux and Dorothy Hastings....
and then
Robert Dudley, 1st Earl of LeicesterRobert Dudley, 1st Earl of Leicester , K.G., was a favourite and close friend of Elizabeth I of England from her first year on the throne until his death. For many years he was a suitor for the Queen's hand, she giving him reason to hope...
. She was the mother of Elizabeth's favorite,
Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of EssexRobert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex , was a military hero and royal favourite of Elizabeth I, but following a poor campaign against Irish rebels during the Nine Years' War in 1599, he failed in a coup d'état against the queen and was executed for treason.- Early life :Essex was born on 10 November...
.
Some of Knollys's letters are in T. Wright's
Queen Elizabeth and Her Times (1838) and the
Burghley Papers, edited by S. Haynes (1740); and a few of his manuscripts are still in existence. A speech which Knollys delivered in parliament against some claims made by he bishops was printed in 1608 and again in W. Stoughton's
Assertion for True and Christian Church Policie (London, 1642).
Sir Francis Knollys's second son
WilliamWilliam Knollys, 1st Earl of Banbury KG PC was an English Earl at the court of Queen Elizabeth I and King James.He was the son of Sir Francis Knollys of Greys Court in Oxfordshire and Reading in Berkshire, and his wife, Catherine Carey...
(c. 1547–1632) served as a member of parliament and a soldier during the reign of Queen Elizabeth, being knighted in 1586. His eldest brother
Henry, having died without sons in 1583, William inherited his father's estates in Oxfordshire, becoming in 1596 a privy councilor and comptroller of the royal household; in 1602 he was made treasurer of the household. Sir William enjoyed the favour of the new king,
James IJames VI & I was King of Scots as James VI from 1567 to 1625, and King of England and Ireland as James I from 1603 to 1625....
, whom he had visited in Scotland in 1585, and was made Baron Knollys in 1603 and Viscount
WallingfordWallingford is a small market town and civil parish in the upper Thames Valley in England. It was transferred from Berkshire to Oxfordshire in 1974.-Geography:...
in 1616. But in this latter year his fortunes suffered a temporary reverse.
Through his second wife Elizabeth Howard (1586–1658), daughter of
Thomas Howard, 1st Earl of SuffolkAdmiral Thomas Howard, 1st Earl of Suffolk, KG, PC was a son of Thomas Howard, 4th Duke of Norfolk by his second wife Margaret Audley, Duchess of Norfolk, the daughter and heiress of the 1st Baron Audley of Walden.-Early life:...
, Knollys was related to
Frances, Countess of SomersetFrances Carr, Countess of Somerset was an English noblewoman who was a central figure in a famous scandal and murder during the reign of King James I.- Family :...
, and when this lady was tried for the murder of Sir
Thomas OverburySir Thomas Overbury , was an English poet and essayist, and the victim of one of the most sensational crimes in English history...
her relatives were regarded with suspicion; consequently Lord Wallingford resigned the treasurership of the household and two years later the mastership of the Court of Wards, an office which he had held since 1614. However, he regained the royal favor, and was created earl of
BanburyBanbury is a market town and civil parish in the district of Cherwell in northern Oxfordshire, England, located on the River Cherwell. It lies northwest of London, southeast of Birmingham, south of Coventry and north northwest of the county town of Oxford...
in 1626. He died in London on 25 May 1632.
Earls of Banbury
The Earl of Banbury's wife, who was nearly forty years her husband's junior, was the mother of two sons,
Edward (1627–1645) and
Nicholas (1631–1674), whose paternity has given rise to much dispute. Neither is mentioned in the earl's will, but in 1641 the law courts decided that Edward was Earl of Banbury, and when he was killed in June 1645 his brother Nicholas took the title. In the
Convention ParliamentThe term Convention Parliament has been applied to three different English Parliaments, of 1399, 1660 and 1689.The definition of the term convention parliament is generally taken to be:...
of 1660 some objection was taken to the earl sitting in the
House of LordsThe House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom and is also commonly referred to as "the Lords". Parliament comprises the Sovereign, the House of Commons , and the Lords...
, and in 1661 he was not summoned to parliament; he had not succeeded in obtaining his writ of summons when he died on 14 March 1674.
Nicholas's son
Charles (1662–1740), the 4th earl, had not been summoned to parliament when in 1692 he killed Captain Philip Lawson in a duel. This raised the question of his rank in a new form. Was he, or was he not, entitled to trial by the peers? The House of Lords declared that he was not a peer and therefore not so entitled, but the Court of King's Bench released him from his imprisonment on the ground that he was the Earl of Banbury and not Charles Knollys, a commoner. Nevertheless, the House of Lords refused to move from its position, and Knollys had not received a writ of summons when he died in April 1740. His son
Charles (1703–1771),
vicarIn the broadest sense, a vicar is a representative, anyone acting "in the person of" or agent for a superior . In this sense, the title is comparable to lieutenant, literally the "place-holder"...
of
BurfordBurford is a town on the River Windrush in the Cotswold hills in Oxfordshire, England, about west of Oxford. The name derives from the Old English words burh meaning fortified town or hilltown and ford meaning ford .- Community :...
, Oxfordshire, and his grandsons,
William (1726–1776) and Thomas Woods (1727–1793), were successively titular Earls of Banbury, but they took no steps to prove their title.
However, in 1806, Thomas Woods's son
William (1763–1834), who attained the rank of general in the British army, asked for a writ of summons as Earl of Banbury, but in 1813 the House of Lords decided against the claim. Several peers, including the great
Lord ErskineThe Lordship of Parliament of Erskine was created around 1426 for Sir Robert Erskine. The sixth lord was created Earl of Mar in 1565, with which title the lordship then merged.-Lords Erskine :...
, protested against this decision, but General Knollys himself accepted it and ceased to call himself Earl of Banbury. He died in Paris on 20 March 1834. His eldest son, Sir
William Thomas Knollys (1797–1883), entered the army and served with the Guards during the
Peninsular WarThe Peninsular War was a contest between France and the allied powers of Spain, the United Kingdom, and Portugal for control of the Iberian Peninsula during the Napoleonic Wars...
. Remaining in the army after the conclusion of the peace of 1815 he won a good reputation and rose high in his profession. From 1855 to 1860 he was in charge of the military camp at
AldershotAldershot is a town in the English county of Hampshire, located on heathland about 60 km southwest of London. The town is administered by Rushmoor Borough Council...
, then in its infancy, and in 1861 he was made president of the council of military education. From 1862 to 1877 he was
comptrollerA comptroller or controller is a person who supervises accounting and financial reporting within an organization. A controller is an accountant in a business who oversees accounting and the implementation and monitoring of internal controls...
of the household of the
Prince of WalesPrince of Wales is a title traditionally granted to the Heir Apparent to the reigning monarch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland...
, afterwards King
Edward VIIEdward VII was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions and Emperor of India from 22 January 1901 until his death on 6 May 1910...
. From 1877 until his death on 23 June 1883, he was Gentleman Usher of the Black Rod; he was also a privy councillor and colonel of the
Scots GuardsThe Scots Guards is a regiment of the Guards Division of the British Army, whose origins lie in the personal bodyguard of King Charles I of England and Scotland...
. Of his children, one son
Francis Knollys, 1st Viscount KnollysFrancis Knollys, 1st Viscount Knollys, GCB, GCVO, KCMG, ISO, PC , was Private Secretary to the Sovereign 1901–1913....
(b. 1837), was private secretary to Edward VII and
George VGeorge V was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 1910 through World War I until his death in 1936...
(created Baron Knollys in 1902 and
Viscount KnollysViscount Knollys, of Caversham in the County of Oxford, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1911 for the court official Francis Knollys, 1st Baron Knollys, Private Secretary to the Sovereign from 1901 to 1913. He had been previously created Baron Knollys, of Caversham...
in 1911); another son, Sir
Henry KnollysSir Henry Knollys K.C.V.O. was firstly an officer in the Royal Artillery, British Army, and, later, a private secretary to a member of the British Royal Family....
(1840-1930), became private secretary to King Edward's daughter Maud, Queen of Norway; and daughter,
CharlotteCharlotte Knollys was a Lady of the Bedchamber, and the first woman private secretary, to Princess Alexandra of Denmark, later Queen Alexandra of the United Kingdom, consort of Edward VII of the United Kingdom.-Biography:...
, became the
Private SecretaryThe Private Secretary to the Sovereign is the senior operational member of the Royal Household of the Sovereign of the United Kingdom, as distinct from the Great Officers of the Household. The Private Secretary is the principal channel of communication with Her Majesty's Government and the...
and close friend to the
Princess of Wales Princess of Wales is a British courtesy title held by the wife of The Prince of Wales since the first "English" Prince of Wales in 1283. Due to the mortality rate and the fact that very few Princes of Wales married prior to ascending the throne , there have in fact been only ten...
, later
Queen AlexandraAlexandra of Denmark was Queen of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions and Empress of India from 1901 to 1910 as the consort of Edward VII....
and died unmarried in 1930.
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