Leonard Dacre
Encyclopedia
Leonard Dacre was an English nobleman, one of the promoters of the Northern Rebellion against Queen Elizabeth.
.
He attended Parliament as knight of the shire for Cumberland
in 1558, 1559 and 1563. He became deeply implicated in the project for the liberation of Mary, Queen of Scots, to whom he wrote friendly letters in 1566. On 17 May 1569 his nephew, George Dacre, 5th Baron Dacre
was accidentally killed, in his minority, by the fall of a wooden vaulting-horse at Thetford
, Norfolk
. George was then in ward to Thomas Howard, 4th Duke of Norfolk
; and his three sisters, coheiresses to his estates, were married to the three sons of their guardian, the Duke of Norfolk. Leonard Dacre felt angry and slighted that a large patrimony should legally descend to his nieces.
On the outbreak of the rebellion of 1569 Dacre went to court, and Queen Elizabeth, although she had heard that he had been secretly associated with the rebel earls, saw him at Windsor. He professed himself to be a faithful subject, and returned to the north avowedly as an adherent of Elizabeth, but really with the intention of joining the rebels. Their disorderly flight from Hexham
convinced him that their cause was desperate. He therefore tried to consolidate a position, seized Greystoke Castle
and other houses belonging to the Dacre family, and fortified Naworth Castle
as his own inheritance. Under pretence of protecting his own and resisting the rebels, he gathered together three thousand troops, borderers and Dacre loyalists.
A veneer of loyalty meant that on 24 December 1569 he was actually commended by Thomas Radclyffe, 3rd Earl of Sussex
, lieutenant-general of the army of the north, for his honourable service against the rebels. For the Council of the North
, Henry le Scrope, 9th Baron Scrope of Bolton was more cautious. On 20 January 1570 he wrote to Cecil that he had received the lord-lieutenant's orders for taking Dacre into custody, but that it would be hard to winkle him out of Naworth. Accordingly, Scrope tried to induce him to go to Carlisle, to hold a consultation on the state of the country. Dacre was too wary to leave his stronghold, and replied that he was confined to his bed by an ague
, but added that if Scrope and his colleagues would take dinner at Naworth they should have his company and the best advice that his simple head could devise. On 15 February Henry Carey, 1st Baron Hunsdon
, who was at Berwick
, received the queen's orders to apprehend Dacre. The battle which decided Dacre's fortune took place on 20 February. At dawn Lord Hunsdon and Sir John Forster
came before Naworth Castle, but found it so strongly defended that they determined to march to Carlisle, in order to join the force under Lord Scrope. Dacre followed them for four miles, to the banks of the Gelt River. His infantry charged Hunsdon’s forces, at what is now called the Battle of Gelt Bridge. Hunsdon was outnumbered by a factor of two, but charged Dacre's foot with his cavalry, killed between three and four hundred of the rebels, and took between two and three hundred prisoners. Dacre escaped towards Liddesdale
, despite a close pursuit.
Dacre fled to Scotland, and is said to have sat in a convention at Leith
with the Scottish nobles in April 1570. Soon afterwards he retired to Flanders; and in a letter from Francis Norton, 18 September 1571, he is stated to have applied to the Duke of Alva for arms. In June 1572 he was at Mechlin. In the same year he wrote to Jane Dormer
, duchess of Feria, to urge Philip II of Spain
to take more energetic means relative to England, as the refugees were without hope. He was then receiving a pension from Philip of one hundred florins per month.
A Latin epitaph upon a monumental stone formerly visible in the church of St. Nicholas at Brussels
records that he died in that city on 12 August 1573.
Life
He was the second son of William Dacre, 3rd Baron Dacre of Gilsland and brother of Thomas Dacre, 4th Baron DacreThomas Dacre, 4th Baron Dacre
Thomas Dacre, 4th Baron Dacre of Gilsland, also Baron Greystock and de jure Baron Boteler was an English Member of Parliament and after his father's death a peer and major landowner in the counties of Cumberland, Yorkshire and Northumberland.-Early life:Born about 1527, Dacre was the eldest of...
.
He attended Parliament as knight of the shire for Cumberland
Cumberland (UK Parliament constituency)
Cumberland is a former United Kingdom Parliamentary constituency. It was a constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of England then of the Parliament of Great Britain from 1707 to 1800 and of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1801 to 1832. It was represented by two Knights of...
in 1558, 1559 and 1563. He became deeply implicated in the project for the liberation of Mary, Queen of Scots, to whom he wrote friendly letters in 1566. On 17 May 1569 his nephew, George Dacre, 5th Baron Dacre
George Dacre, 5th Baron Dacre
George Dacre, 5th Baron Dacre of Gilsland, also Baron Greystock and de jure Baron Boteler was an English peer and landowner in the county of Cumberland.He was summoned to parliament at about the age of five.-Life:...
was accidentally killed, in his minority, by the fall of a wooden vaulting-horse at Thetford
Thetford
Thetford is a market town and civil parish in the Breckland district of Norfolk, England. It is on the A11 road between Norwich and London, just south of Thetford Forest. The civil parish, covering an area of , has a population of 21,588.-History:...
, Norfolk
Norfolk
Norfolk is a low-lying county in the East of England. It has borders with Lincolnshire to the west, Cambridgeshire to the west and southwest and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the North Sea coast and to the north-west the county is bordered by The Wash. The county...
. George was then in ward to Thomas Howard, 4th Duke of Norfolk
Thomas Howard, 4th Duke of Norfolk
Thomas Howard, 4th Duke of Norfolk, KG, Earl Marshal was an English nobleman.Norfolk was the son of the poet Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey. He was taught as a child by John Foxe, the Protestant martyrologist, who remained a lifelong recipient of Norfolk's patronage...
; and his three sisters, coheiresses to his estates, were married to the three sons of their guardian, the Duke of Norfolk. Leonard Dacre felt angry and slighted that a large patrimony should legally descend to his nieces.
On the outbreak of the rebellion of 1569 Dacre went to court, and Queen Elizabeth, although she had heard that he had been secretly associated with the rebel earls, saw him at Windsor. He professed himself to be a faithful subject, and returned to the north avowedly as an adherent of Elizabeth, but really with the intention of joining the rebels. Their disorderly flight from Hexham
Hexham
Hexham is a market town and civil parish in Northumberland, England, located south of the River Tyne, and was the administrative centre for the Tynedale district from 1974 to 2009. The three major towns in Tynedale were Hexham, Prudhoe and Haltwhistle, although in terms of population, Prudhoe was...
convinced him that their cause was desperate. He therefore tried to consolidate a position, seized Greystoke Castle
Greystoke Castle
Greystoke Castle is in the village of Greystoke west of Penrith in the county of Cumbria in northern England. .In 1069, after the Norman conquest the English landlord Ligulf of Greystoke was re-granted his land and he built a wooden tower surrounded by a pale . The first stone structure on the...
and other houses belonging to the Dacre family, and fortified Naworth Castle
Naworth Castle
Naworth Castle, also known as, or recorded in historical documents as "Naward", is a castle in Cumbria, England near the town of Brampton. It is adjacent to the A69 about two miles east of Brampton. It is on the opposite side of the River Irthing to, and just within sight of, Lanercost Priory...
as his own inheritance. Under pretence of protecting his own and resisting the rebels, he gathered together three thousand troops, borderers and Dacre loyalists.
A veneer of loyalty meant that on 24 December 1569 he was actually commended by Thomas Radclyffe, 3rd Earl of Sussex
Thomas Radclyffe, 3rd Earl of Sussex
Thomas Radclyffe 3rd Earl of Sussex was Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland during the Tudor period of English history, and a leading courtier during the reign of Elizabeth I.- Family:...
, lieutenant-general of the army of the north, for his honourable service against the rebels. For the Council of the North
Council of the North
The Council of the North was an administrative body originally set up in 1484 by king Richard III of England, the third and last Yorkist monarch to hold the Crown of England; its intention was to improve government control and economic prosperity, to benefit the entire area of Northern England...
, Henry le Scrope, 9th Baron Scrope of Bolton was more cautious. On 20 January 1570 he wrote to Cecil that he had received the lord-lieutenant's orders for taking Dacre into custody, but that it would be hard to winkle him out of Naworth. Accordingly, Scrope tried to induce him to go to Carlisle, to hold a consultation on the state of the country. Dacre was too wary to leave his stronghold, and replied that he was confined to his bed by an ague
Ague
Ague may refer to:* Fever* MalariaSee also:* Kan Ague, a residential area of Patikul, Sulu, Philippines...
, but added that if Scrope and his colleagues would take dinner at Naworth they should have his company and the best advice that his simple head could devise. On 15 February Henry Carey, 1st Baron Hunsdon
Henry Carey, 1st Baron Hunsdon
Henry Carey, 1st Baron Hunsdon, of Hunsdon was an English nobleman.He was the son of Mary Boleyn, the sister of Anne Boleyn and also the mistress to King Henry VIII of England...
, who was at Berwick
Berwick-upon-Tweed
Berwick-upon-Tweed or simply Berwick is a town in the county of Northumberland and is the northernmost town in England, on the east coast at the mouth of the River Tweed. It is situated 2.5 miles south of the Scottish border....
, received the queen's orders to apprehend Dacre. The battle which decided Dacre's fortune took place on 20 February. At dawn Lord Hunsdon and Sir John Forster
Sir John Forster
Sir John Forster was an English military commander and Warden of the Middle Marches.-Life:Born about 1501, he was son of Sir Thomas Forster of Etherston, Northumberland, marshal of Berwick, and his wife Dorothy, daughter of Robert Ogle, 4th Baron Ogle...
came before Naworth Castle, but found it so strongly defended that they determined to march to Carlisle, in order to join the force under Lord Scrope. Dacre followed them for four miles, to the banks of the Gelt River. His infantry charged Hunsdon’s forces, at what is now called the Battle of Gelt Bridge. Hunsdon was outnumbered by a factor of two, but charged Dacre's foot with his cavalry, killed between three and four hundred of the rebels, and took between two and three hundred prisoners. Dacre escaped towards Liddesdale
Liddesdale
Liddesdale, the valley of the Liddel Water, in the County of Roxburgh, southern Scotland, extends in a south-westerly direction from the vicinity of Peel Fell to the River Esk, a distance of...
, despite a close pursuit.
Dacre fled to Scotland, and is said to have sat in a convention at Leith
Leith
-South Leith v. North Leith:Up until the late 16th century Leith , comprised two separate towns on either side of the river....
with the Scottish nobles in April 1570. Soon afterwards he retired to Flanders; and in a letter from Francis Norton, 18 September 1571, he is stated to have applied to the Duke of Alva for arms. In June 1572 he was at Mechlin. In the same year he wrote to Jane Dormer
Jane Dormer
Jane Dormer, Duchess of Feria was an English lady-in-waiting to Mary I who went on to serve as the Duchess of Feria.-Biography:...
, duchess of Feria, to urge Philip II of Spain
Philip II of Spain
Philip II was King of Spain, Portugal, Naples, Sicily, and, while married to Mary I, King of England and Ireland. He was lord of the Seventeen Provinces from 1556 until 1581, holding various titles for the individual territories such as duke or count....
to take more energetic means relative to England, as the refugees were without hope. He was then receiving a pension from Philip of one hundred florins per month.
A Latin epitaph upon a monumental stone formerly visible in the church of St. Nicholas at Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
records that he died in that city on 12 August 1573.