Thomas Dacre, 2nd Baron Dacre
Encyclopedia
Thomas Dacre, 2nd Baron Dacre of Gilsland, KG (25 November 1467 – 24 October 1525) was the son of Humphrey Dacre, 1st Baron Dacre
of Gilsland and Mabel Parr; great-aunt of queen consort Catherine Parr
, the sixth and final wife of King Henry VIII of England
.
. His father died of natural causes on 30 May 1485 and Thomas succeeded him as Baron Dacre
of Gilsland. He had one sister, Catherine, who married firstly, George FitzHugh, 8th Lord FitzHugh; and secondly Sir Thomas Neville, by whom she had a daughter, Margaret.
Dacre took part in the Battle of Bosworth Field
(22 August 1485) against Henry Tudor, Earl of Richmond
. The rival forces of Richard III of England
were defeated and Richard himself was killed.
His early support for the House of Tudor earned him some favor with Henry VII who would continue to trust his services for the remainder of his reign. Dacre was named a deputy to the Lord Warden of the Marches
in 1485. He would become Warden himself in 1509.
and Lady Katherine Percy
. Elizabeth Dacre was the eldest granddaughter and heiress of Ralph de Greystoke, 5th Baron Greystoke. She had only recently succeeded her grandfather in the barony, but their marriage made Dacre the jure uxoris
Baron Greystoke. The lands of the Greystokes passed to the Dacre family through this marriage.
Thomas and Elizabeth had seven children:
in 1503. He swore loyalty to Henry's son and successor, Henry VIII of England
in 1509.
Dacre and his forces served under Thomas Howard, Earl of Surrey in the Battle of Flodden Field
(9 September 1513) where the invading army of James IV of Scotland
was defeated. Dacre commanded the "Border Lancers" at the battle, and their charge saved Edmund Howard, commander of the English right wing. James IV himself was killed and the Kingdom of Scotland
ceased its involvement in the wider War of the League of Cambrai
. The victory further helped solidify the reputation of Dacre as a soldier.
Henry VIII named him a Knight of the Garter in 1518, alongside William Sandys, 1st Baron Sandys of the Vyne
.
By the time of his death in 1525, Dacre held about 70,000 acres (280 km²) of land in Cumberland
, 30,000 acres (120 km²) in Yorkshire
and 20,000 acres (80 km²) in Northumberland
. Much of these lands had been inherited through marriages to the heiresses of the Greystoke
, de Multon and de Vaux
families as well as grants by both Henry VII and Henry VIII.
on 12 November 1542. His success paved the way for the Battle of Solway Moss
(24 November 1542) the final defeat of the invading Scottish forces.
Thomas was rewarded with land grants and from him starts a secondary line of "Dacres of Lanercost".
Humphrey Dacre, 1st Baron Dacre
Humphrey Dacre, 1st Baron Dacre of Gilsland , was an English soldier, Cumberland landowner and peer.He remained loyal to the House of Lancaster when Henry VI was deposed by Edward IV and fought on the Lancastrian side at the Battle of Towton of 1461, after which he was attainted...
of Gilsland and Mabel Parr; great-aunt of queen consort Catherine Parr
Catherine Parr
Catherine Parr ; 1512 – 5 September 1548) was Queen consort of England and Ireland and the last of the six wives of King Henry VIII of England. She married Henry VIII on 12 July 1543. She was the fourth commoner Henry had taken as his consort, and outlived him...
, the sixth and final wife of King Henry VIII of England
Henry VIII of England
Henry VIII was King of England from 21 April 1509 until his death. He was Lord, and later King, of Ireland, as well as continuing the nominal claim by the English monarchs to the Kingdom of France...
.
Early career
He was born in CumberlandCumberland
Cumberland is a historic county of North West England, on the border with Scotland, from the 12th century until 1974. It formed an administrative county from 1889 to 1974 and now forms part of Cumbria....
. His father died of natural causes on 30 May 1485 and Thomas succeeded him as Baron Dacre
Baron Dacre
Baron Dacre is a title that has been created three times in the Peerage of England, every time by writ. The first creation came in 1321 when Ralph Dacre was summoned to Parliament as Lord Dacre. He married Margaret, 2nd Baroness Multon of Gilsland, heiress of a large estate in Cumbria centred on...
of Gilsland. He had one sister, Catherine, who married firstly, George FitzHugh, 8th Lord FitzHugh; and secondly Sir Thomas Neville, by whom she had a daughter, Margaret.
Dacre took part in the Battle of Bosworth Field
Battle of Bosworth Field
The Battle of Bosworth Field was the penultimate battle of the Wars of the Roses, the civil war between the House of Lancaster and the House of York that raged across England in the latter half of the 15th century. Fought on 22 August 1485, the battle was won by the Lancastrians...
(22 August 1485) against Henry Tudor, Earl of Richmond
Henry VII of England
Henry VII was 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 House of Tudor....
. The rival forces of Richard III of England
Richard III of England
Richard III was King of England for two years, from 1483 until his death in 1485 during the Battle of Bosworth Field. He was the last king of the House of York and the last of the Plantagenet dynasty...
were defeated and Richard himself was killed.
His early support for the House of Tudor earned him some favor with Henry VII who would continue to trust his services for the remainder of his reign. Dacre was named a deputy to the Lord Warden of the Marches
Lord Warden of the Marches
The Lord Warden of the Marches was an office in the governments of Scotland and England. The holders were responsible for the security of the border between the two nations, and often took part in military action....
in 1485. He would become Warden himself in 1509.
Marriage
Circa 1488, Dacre eloped with Elizabeth Greystoke, 6th Baroness Greystoke (10 Jul 1471-14 Aug 1516), daughter of Sir Robert de Greystoke by Lady Elizabeth Grey, daughter of Edmund Grey, 1st Earl of KentEdmund Grey, 1st Earl of Kent
Edmund Grey, 1st Earl of Kent , English administrator, nobleman and magnate, was the son of Sir John Grey, KG and Constance Holland...
and Lady Katherine Percy
Lady Katherine Percy
Lady Katherine Percy was the daughter of Henry Percy, 2nd Earl of Northumberland and Lady Eleanor Neville.Her maternal grandparents were Ralph Neville, 1st Earl of Westmorland and his second wife Joan Beaufort, a legitimized daughter of John of Gaunt.She married Edmund Grey, 1st Earl of Kent and...
. Elizabeth Dacre was the eldest granddaughter and heiress of Ralph de Greystoke, 5th Baron Greystoke. She had only recently succeeded her grandfather in the barony, but their marriage made Dacre the jure uxoris
Jure uxoris
Jure uxoris is a Latin term that means "by right of his wife" or "in right of a wife". It is commonly used to refer to a title held by a man whose wife holds it in her own right. In other words, he acquired the title simply by being her husband....
Baron Greystoke. The lands of the Greystokes passed to the Dacre family through this marriage.
Thomas and Elizabeth had seven children:
- Mabel Dacre (c. 1490–1533), married Henry Scrope, 7th Baron Scrope of Bolton. They were parents of John Scrope, 8th Baron Scrope of BoltonJohn Scrope, 8th Baron Scrope of BoltonJohn le Scrope, 8th Baron Scrope of Bolton was the son of Henry le Scrope, 7th Baron Scrope of Bolton and Mabel Dacre....
and grandparents of Henry Scrope, 9th Baron Scrope of BoltonHenry Scrope, 9th Baron Scrope of BoltonSir Henry Scrope, 9th Baron Scrope of Bolton, KG was the son and heir of John Scrope, 8th Baron Scrope of Bolton and Catherine Clifford, daughter of Henry Clifford, Earl of Cumberland....
. The 9th Baron is better known because he was governor of Carlisle in the time of Elizabeth I of EnglandElizabeth I of EnglandElizabeth I was queen regnant of England and 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 as such took charge of Mary, Queen of Scots, when she crossed the border in 1568. He took her to Bolton CastleBolton CastleBolton Castle in North Yorkshire, is located in Wensleydale in the Yorkshire Dales . The nearby village Castle Bolton takes its name from the castle. The castle is a Grade I listed building and a Scheduled Ancient Monument. The castle was damaged in the English Civil War, but much of it remains...
, where she remained till January 1569. - William Dacre, 3rd Baron DacreWilliam Dacre, 3rd Baron DacreWilliam Dacre, 7th Baron Greystock, later 3rd Baron Dacre of Gilsland was an English peer, a Cumberland landowner, and the holder of important offices under the Crown, including many years' service as Warden of the West Marches....
(c. 1493 - 18 November 1563), married Lady Elizabeth Talbot, a daughter of George Talbot, 4th Earl of ShrewsburyGeorge Talbot, 4th Earl of ShrewsburyGeorge Talbot, 4th Earl of Shrewsbury, 4th Earl of Waterford, 10th Baron Talbot, 9th Baron Furnivall, KG was the son of John Talbot, 3rd Earl of Shrewsbury and Lady Catherine Stafford, daughter of the 1st Duke of Buckingham....
and Lady Anne HastingsAnne Hastings, Countess of ShrewsburyAnne Hastings, Countess of Shrewsbury was an English noblewoman who served as a lady-in-waiting to Queen consort Catherine of Aragon, the first wife of King Henry VIII of England. Anne was the first wife of George Talbot, 4th Earl of Shrewsbury, by whom she had 11 children...
, by whom he had issue. - Anne Dacre (c. 1500–between 16 Dec 1547 and 21 Apr 1548), married Christopher Conyers, 2nd Baron ConyersChristopher Conyers, 2nd Baron ConyersChristopher Conyers, 2nd Baron Conyers was an English baron and aristocrat, the son of William Conyers, 1st Baron Conyers.-Early life and family:...
. They were the parents of John Conyers, 3rd Baron ConyersJohn Conyers, 3rd Baron ConyersJohn Conyers, 3rd Baron Conyers was a British aristocrat, and the son of Christopher Conyers, 2nd Baron Conyers.-Personal life:...
. - Mary Dacre (c.1502 - 29 March 1538), married her sister-in-law's brother, Francis Talbot, 5th Earl of ShrewsburyFrancis Talbot, 5th Earl of ShrewsburyFrancis Talbot, 5th Earl of Shrewsbury, 5th Earl of Waterford, 11th Baron Talbot KG was the son of George Talbot, 4th Earl of Shrewsbury and Anne Hastings....
, a son of the before mentioned George Talbot, 4th Earl of ShrewsburyGeorge Talbot, 4th Earl of ShrewsburyGeorge Talbot, 4th Earl of Shrewsbury, 4th Earl of Waterford, 10th Baron Talbot, 9th Baron Furnivall, KG was the son of John Talbot, 3rd Earl of Shrewsbury and Lady Catherine Stafford, daughter of the 1st Duke of Buckingham....
and Lady Anne HastingsAnne Hastings, Countess of ShrewsburyAnne Hastings, Countess of Shrewsbury was an English noblewoman who served as a lady-in-waiting to Queen consort Catherine of Aragon, the first wife of King Henry VIII of England. Anne was the first wife of George Talbot, 4th Earl of Shrewsbury, by whom she had 11 children...
. They were parents of George Talbot, 6th Earl of ShrewsburyGeorge Talbot, 6th Earl of ShrewsburyGeorge Talbot, 6th Earl of Shrewsbury, 6th Earl of Waterford, 12th Baron Talbot, KG, Earl Marshal was a 16th century English statesman.-Life:...
. - Hon. Humphrey Dacre.
- Jane Dacre.
- Philippa Dacre.
Later career
Henry VII named him a Knight of the BathOrder of the Bath
The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate mediæval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath...
in 1503. He swore loyalty to Henry's son and successor, Henry VIII of England
Henry VIII of England
Henry VIII was King of England from 21 April 1509 until his death. He was Lord, and later King, of Ireland, as well as continuing the nominal claim by the English monarchs to the Kingdom of France...
in 1509.
Dacre and his forces served under Thomas Howard, Earl of Surrey in the Battle of Flodden Field
Battle of Flodden Field
The Battle of Flodden or Flodden Field or occasionally Battle of Branxton was fought in the county of Northumberland in northern England on 9 September 1513, between an invading Scots army under King James IV and an English army commanded by the Earl of Surrey...
(9 September 1513) where the invading army of James IV of Scotland
James IV of Scotland
James IV was King of Scots from 11 June 1488 to his death. He is generally regarded as the most successful of the Stewart monarchs of Scotland, but his reign ended with the disastrous defeat at the Battle of Flodden Field, where he became the last monarch from not only Scotland, but also from all...
was defeated. Dacre commanded the "Border Lancers" at the battle, and their charge saved Edmund Howard, commander of the English right wing. James IV himself was killed and the Kingdom of Scotland
Kingdom of Scotland
The Kingdom of Scotland was a Sovereign state in North-West Europe that existed from 843 until 1707. It occupied the northern third of the island of Great Britain and shared a land border to the south with the Kingdom of England...
ceased its involvement in the wider War of the League of Cambrai
War of the League of Cambrai
The War of the League of Cambrai, sometimes known as the War of the Holy League and by several other names, was a major conflict in the Italian Wars...
. The victory further helped solidify the reputation of Dacre as a soldier.
Henry VIII named him a Knight of the Garter in 1518, alongside William Sandys, 1st Baron Sandys of the Vyne
William Sandys, 1st Baron Sandys of the Vyne
William Sandys, 1st Baron Sandys of the Vyne was an English Tudor diplomat, Lord Chamberlain and favourite of King Henry VIII....
.
By the time of his death in 1525, Dacre held about 70,000 acres (280 km²) of land in Cumberland
Cumberland
Cumberland is a historic county of North West England, on the border with Scotland, from the 12th century until 1974. It formed an administrative county from 1889 to 1974 and now forms part of Cumbria....
, 30,000 acres (120 km²) in Yorkshire
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
and 20,000 acres (80 km²) in Northumberland
Northumberland
Northumberland is the northernmost ceremonial county and a unitary district in North East England. For Eurostat purposes Northumberland is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three boroughs or unitary districts that comprise the "Northumberland and Tyne and Wear" NUTS 2 region...
. Much of these lands had been inherited through marriages to the heiresses of the Greystoke
Greystoke
Greystoke may refer to:* Greystoke, Cumbria, a village and civil parish in Cumbria, England** Greystoke Castle in this village* Greystoke Park, an area of Newcastle upon Tyne, England* Greystoke Park, a modern housing development in Penrith, England...
, de Multon and de Vaux
De Vaux
The De Vaux was an automobile produced by the De Vaux Motors Company of Grand Rapids, Michigan and Oakland, California ....
families as well as grants by both Henry VII and Henry VIII.
Legacy
His illegitimate son Thomas Dacre, nicknamed "the Bastard", successfully led a few hundred English bordermen against part of the invading force of James V of ScotlandJames V of Scotland
James V was King of Scots from 9 September 1513 until his death, which followed the Scottish defeat at the Battle of Solway Moss...
on 12 November 1542. His success paved the way for the Battle of Solway Moss
Battle of Solway Moss
The Battle of Solway Moss took place on Solway Moss near the River Esk on the English side of the Anglo-Scottish Border in November 1542 between forces from England and Scotland.-Background:...
(24 November 1542) the final defeat of the invading Scottish forces.
Thomas was rewarded with land grants and from him starts a secondary line of "Dacres of Lanercost".