Thomas Manners, 1st Earl of Rutland
Encyclopedia
Thomas Manners, 1st Earl of Rutland, 13th Baron de Ros of Helmsley (c. 1492 – 20 September 1543) was created an earl by King Henry VIII of England
in 1525.
and his wife Anne St Leger (1476-1526). His maternal grandparents were Sir Thomas St Leger and Anne of York
.
His maternal grandmother was the second child and eldest surviving daughter of Richard Plantagenet, 3rd Duke of York
and Cecily Neville
. She was an older sister of Edward IV of England
, Edmund, Earl of Rutland
, Elizabeth of York, Duchess of Suffolk
, Margaret of York
, George Plantagenet, 1st Duke of Clarence
and Richard III of England
.
. Later, he brutally put down Catholic risings in the north such as the Pilgrimage of Grace
. He died in 1543 after helping the Duke of Norfolk
ravaging Scotland and allegedly burning twenty villages in a week, in the beginnings of The Rough Wooing
.
Church, Leicestershire
. His tomb is of alabaster
and was created by Richard Parker of Burton on Trent with John Lupton (rough mason) and his father, over a period of six days, strengthening the floor supports to take the weight of the tomb. The Belvoir Castle
accounts record in considerable detail the necessary arrangements for this funeral work. In commemorating the 1st Earl of Rutland and his wife this tomb also marks the first of the actual burials in the church of the eight earls and four dukes over a period of almost 250 years.
The Earl's effigy is in mail and full plate armour with a loose military tabard over which he wears the mantle of the Order of the Garter
while on his left leg is the Garter itself. The head, on which appears an elementary form of coronet, is supported by the a tilt-heaume complete with the "Cap of Maintenance
" and the peacock crest. The feet rest on a unicorn
(the horn has disappeared).
The effigy of the countess, dressed in a gown and a short cape, wears an ermine trimmed mantle fastened by a cordon whose ends almost reach her feet, under which is a griffon
. Tasselled cushions support her head.
The base of the tomb is decorated with corner pilasters, tasselled swags and "weeper" figures representing knights, ladies and others.
When the Earl died the body was embalmed with spices from Nottingham and a surgeon encased it in wax. A plumber then encased it in a close fitting leaden shell. While this was going on the masons were strengthening the chancel floor. Thos. Richard Parker "the alabaster man" was paid £20 for the sculpture and the supervision of its erection.
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 1525.
Family background
Thomas was the son of Sir George Manners, 12th Baron de RosGeorge Manners, 12th Baron de Ros
Sir George Manners, 12th Baron de Ros of Helmsley was an English nobleman of the reign of King Henry VII of England....
and his wife Anne St Leger (1476-1526). His maternal grandparents were Sir Thomas St Leger and Anne of York
Anne of York, Duchess of Exeter
-External links:* A Medieval Re-enactment Society based in London, featuring members of the Neville/Plantagenet family....
.
His maternal grandmother was the second child and eldest surviving daughter of Richard Plantagenet, 3rd Duke of York
Richard Plantagenet, 3rd Duke of York
Richard Plantagenêt, 3rd Duke of York, 6th Earl of March, 4th Earl of Cambridge, and 7th Earl of Ulster, conventionally called Richard of York was a leading English magnate, great-grandson of King Edward III...
and Cecily Neville
Cecily Neville
Cecily Neville, Duchess of York was the wife of Richard Plantagenet, 3rd Duke of York, and the mother of two Kings of England: Edward IV and Richard III....
. She was an older sister of Edward IV of England
Edward IV of England
Edward IV was King of England from 4 March 1461 until 3 October 1470, and again from 11 April 1471 until his death. He was the first Yorkist King of England...
, Edmund, Earl of Rutland
Edmund, Earl of Rutland
Edmund, Earl of Rutland was the fifth child and second surviving son of Richard Plantagenet, 3rd Duke of York and Cecily Neville...
, Elizabeth of York, Duchess of Suffolk
Elizabeth of York, Duchess of Suffolk
Elizabeth of York, Duchess of Suffolk was the sixth child and third daughter of Richard Plantagenet, 3rd Duke of York and Cecily Neville....
, Margaret of York
Margaret of York
Margaret of York – also by marriage known as Margaret of Burgundy – was Duchess of Burgundy as the third wife of Charles the Bold and acted as a protector of the Duchy after his death. She was a daughter of Richard Plantagenet, 3rd Duke of York, and Cecily Neville, and the sister of...
, George Plantagenet, 1st Duke of Clarence
George Plantagenet, 1st Duke of Clarence
George Plantagenet, 1st Duke of Clarence, 1st Earl of Salisbury, 1st Earl of Warwick, KG was the third son of Richard Plantagenet, 3rd Duke of York, and Cecily Neville, and the brother of kings Edward IV and Richard III. He played an important role in the dynastic struggle known as the Wars of the...
and 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...
.
Life
He was created the first Earl of Rutland on 28 June 1526. In 1531, Earl Thomas had a hand in the divorce between the King and Queen Catherine of AragonCatherine of Aragon
Catherine of Aragon , also known as Katherine or Katharine, was Queen consort of England as the first wife of King Henry VIII of England and Princess of Wales as the wife to Arthur, Prince of Wales...
. Later, he brutally put down Catholic risings in the north such as the Pilgrimage of Grace
Pilgrimage of Grace
The Pilgrimage of Grace was a popular rising in York, Yorkshire during 1536, in protest against Henry VIII's break with the Roman Catholic Church and the Dissolution of the Monasteries, as well as other specific political, social and economic grievances. It was done in action against Thomas Cromwell...
. He died in 1543 after helping the Duke of Norfolk
Thomas Howard, 3rd Duke of Norfolk
Thomas Howard, 3rd Duke of Norfolk, KG, Earl Marshal was a prominent Tudor politician. He was uncle to Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard, two of the wives of King Henry VIII, and played a major role in the machinations behind these marriages...
ravaging Scotland and allegedly burning twenty villages in a week, in the beginnings of The Rough Wooing
The Rough Wooing
The War of the Rough Wooing was fought between Scotland and England. War was declared by Henry VIII of England, in an attempt to force the Scots to agree to a marriage between his son Edward and Mary, Queen of Scots. Scotland benefited from French military aid. Edward VI continued the war until...
.
Marriages and issue
His first wife was Elizabeth Lovell, whom he married in 1512. His second wife was Eleanor Paston, daughter of Sir William Paston of Norfolk. His children were:.- Henry Manners, 2nd Earl of RutlandHenry Manners, 2nd Earl of RutlandHenry Manners, 2nd Earl of Rutland, 14th Baron de Ros of Helmsley, KG was the son of Thomas Manners, 1st Earl of Rutland. He also held the title of 14th Baron de Ros of Hamlake, a title to which he acceded in 1543....
and 14th Baron de Ros - Roger Manners, Esq., unmarried.
- Oliver Manners, Esq.
- Sir Thomas Manners, grandfather of Thomas Vavasour, 1st Baronet.
- Sir John Manners of Haddon HallHaddon HallHaddon Hall is an English country house on the River Wye at Bakewell, Derbyshire, one of the seats of the Duke of Rutland, occupied by Lord Edward Manners and his family. In form a medieval manor house, it has been described as "the most complete and most interesting house of [its]...
, grandfather of John Manners, 8th Earl of RutlandJohn Manners, 8th Earl of RutlandJohn Manners, 8th Earl of Rutland was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1640 until 1641 when he inherited the peerage....
and great-grandfather of Francis Talbot, 11th Earl of ShrewsburyFrancis Talbot, 11th Earl of ShrewsburyFrancis Talbot, 11th Earl of Shrewsbury, 11th Earl of Waterford was an English peer, the second son of the 10th Earl of Shrewsbury....
. - Gertrude Manners, married 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:...
; mother of Gilbert Talbot, 7th Earl of ShrewsburyGilbert Talbot, 7th Earl of ShrewsburyGilbert Talbot, 7th Earl of Shrewsbury, 7th Earl of Waterford, KG was was a peer in the peerage of England.He was the eldest surviving son of George Talbot, 6th Earl of Shrewsbury, by the latter's first marriage to Gertrude Manners, daughter of the first Earl of Rutland.In 1568, Gilbert was...
and Edward Talbot, 8th Earl of ShrewsburyEdward Talbot, 8th Earl of ShrewsburyEdward Talbot, 8th Earl of Shrewsbury and 8th Earl of Waterford , was the younger brother and nearest male heir of Gilbert Talbot, 7th Earl of Shrewsbury, whom he succeeded as Earl of Shrewsbury and Lord High Steward of Ireland in 1616.He was born in Sheffield, the son of George Talbot, 6th Earl of...
. - Anne Manners, married Henry Neville, 5th Earl of WestmorlandHenry Neville, 5th Earl of WestmorlandHenry Neville, 5th Earl of Westmorland was an English peer, member of the House of Lords and Knight of the Garter.He inherited the earldom from Ralph Neville, 4th Earl of Westmorland and was succeeded by his son Charles Neville, 6th Earl of Westmorland...
. They were parents to Charles Neville, 6th Earl of WestmorlandCharles Neville, 6th Earl of WestmorlandCharles Neville, 6th Earl of Westmorland was an English nobleman and one of the leaders of the Rising of the North in 1569....
. - Frances MannersFrances NevilleFrances Neville, Lady Bergavenny was an English noble and author. She was the daughter of Thomas Manners, 1st Earl of Rutland and married Henry Nevill, 6th Baron Bergavenny in 1554 and had a daughter, Mary, who married Sir Thomas Fane and became Baroness le Despencer...
, married Henry Nevill, 6th Baron BergavennyHenry Nevill, 6th Baron BergavennyHenry Nevill, 6th and de jure 4th Baron Abergavenny K.B. was an English peer. Son of Sir George Nevill, 5th Baron Bergavenny and Mary Stafford daughter of Edward Stafford, 3rd Duke of Buckingham...
; grandmother of Francis Fane, 1st Earl of WestmorlandFrancis Fane, 1st Earl of WestmorlandFrancis Fane, 1st Earl of Westmorland, KB head of the Fane family, of Mereworth in Kent, and then of Apethorpe in Northamptonshire, was first a Member of Parliament and then an English peer...
. - Katherine Manners, married Sir Henry Capell, Sheriff of EssexHigh Sheriff of EssexThe High Sheriff of Essex was an ancient High Sheriff title originating in the time of the Angles, not long after the invasion of the Kingdom of England, which was in existence for around a thousand years...
. - Elizabeth Manners (born about 1530 – 8 August 1570) married Sir John Savage of RocksavageRocksavageRocksavage or Rock Savage was an Elizabethan mansion, now in ruins, at in Clifton , Cheshire, England. Built for Sir John Savage, MP in 1565–8, Rocksavage was one of the great Elizabethan houses of the county; in 1674, it was the second largest house in Cheshire. James I visited in 1617...
, grandson of the 1st Earl of WorcesterCharles Somerset, 1st Earl of WorcesterCharles Somerset, 1st Earl of Worcester was the legitimised son of Henry Beaufort, 3rd Duke of Somerset and Joan Hill.-Biography:He was born around 1460 to Henry Beaufort, 3rd Duke of Somerset and Joan Hill...
and Elizabeth HerbertElizabeth Herbert, 3rd Baroness HerbertElizabeth Somerset, 3rd Baroness Herbert was the sole heir and daughter of William Herbert, 2nd Earl of Pembroke, and his first wife, Mary Woodville....
by their daughter, Elizabeth Somerset; she was the grandmother of Thomas Savage, 1st Viscount SavageViscount SavageViscount Savage was a title in the Peerage of England. It was created in 1626 for Sir Thomas Savage, 2nd Baronet, husband of Elizabeth Savage and heir-apparent by special remainder to his father-in-law's titles of Baron Darcy of Chiche , Viscount Colchester and Earl Rivers...
, the great-grandmother of John Savage, 1st Earl RiversEarl RiversEarl Rivers was an English title held in succession by the families of Woodville or Wydeville, Darcy and Savage. The first creation was made for Richard Woodville, 1st Baron Rivers in 1466 and remained in this family until 1491...
, and the great-great-grandmother of Charles Paulet, 1st Duke of BoltonCharles Paulet, 1st Duke of BoltonCharles Paulet, 1st Duke of Bolton, PC , son of John Paulet, 5th Marquess of Winchester. He became the sixth Marquess of Winchester on his father's death in 1675, was Member of Parliament for Winchester and then for Hampshire from 1660 to 1675...
. - Isabel Manners, died young.
Funeral, burial and tomb
He is buried in BottesfordBottesford, Leicestershire
This page is about the English village of Bottesford near Grantham. For the Bottesford near Scunthorpe, see Bottesford, LincolnshireBottesford is a village and civil parish within the Melton district of Leicestershire, England....
Church, Leicestershire
Leicestershire
Leicestershire is a landlocked county in the English Midlands. It takes its name from the heavily populated City of Leicester, traditionally its administrative centre, although the City of Leicester unitary authority is today administered separately from the rest of Leicestershire...
. His tomb is of alabaster
Alabaster
Alabaster is a name applied to varieties of two distinct minerals, when used as a material: gypsum and calcite . The former is the alabaster of the present day; generally, the latter is the alabaster of the ancients...
and was created by Richard Parker of Burton on Trent with John Lupton (rough mason) and his father, over a period of six days, strengthening the floor supports to take the weight of the tomb. The Belvoir Castle
Belvoir Castle
Belvoir Castle is a stately home in the English county of Leicestershire, overlooking the Vale of Belvoir . It is a Grade I listed building....
accounts record in considerable detail the necessary arrangements for this funeral work. In commemorating the 1st Earl of Rutland and his wife this tomb also marks the first of the actual burials in the church of the eight earls and four dukes over a period of almost 250 years.
The Earl's effigy is in mail and full plate armour with a loose military tabard over which he wears the mantle of the 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...
while on his left leg is the Garter itself. The head, on which appears an elementary form of coronet, is supported by the a tilt-heaume complete with the "Cap of Maintenance
Cap of Maintenance
A Cap of Maintenance is a ceremonial cap of crimson velvet lined with ermine, which is worn or carried by certain persons as a sign of nobility or special honour. It is worn with the high part to the fore, the tapering tail behind...
" and the peacock crest. The feet rest on a unicorn
Unicorn
The unicorn is a legendary animal from European folklore that resembles a white horse with a large, pointed, spiraling horn projecting from its forehead, and sometimes a goat's beard...
(the horn has disappeared).
The effigy of the countess, dressed in a gown and a short cape, wears an ermine trimmed mantle fastened by a cordon whose ends almost reach her feet, under which is a griffon
Griffon
Griffon is a type of dog, a collection of breeds of originally hunting dogs. There are three recognized lines of the griffon type Fédération Cynologique Internationale FCI, the griffon vendéens, the wirehaired pointers, and the smousje...
. Tasselled cushions support her head.
The base of the tomb is decorated with corner pilasters, tasselled swags and "weeper" figures representing knights, ladies and others.
When the Earl died the body was embalmed with spices from Nottingham and a surgeon encased it in wax. A plumber then encased it in a close fitting leaden shell. While this was going on the masons were strengthening the chancel floor. Thos. Richard Parker "the alabaster man" was paid £20 for the sculpture and the supervision of its erection.