Sir Edward Belknap (died 1521) was active in the service of the English crown, both on the battlefield and as a court official, during the 15th and 16th centuries. He fought for Henry VII at the battles of Stoke Field and Blackheath and possibly at other battles as well. In August 1508, he was appointed to the newly created office of

Surveyor of the King's Prerogative Surveying or land surveying is the technique, profession, art, and science of determining the terrestrial two-dimensional or three-dimensional positions of points and the distances and angles between them. A land surveying professional is c ...

. This office gave him the power to appropriate the lands and property of anyone who had violated the king's prerogative in some way, such as conviction for a felony. Additionally, the king instructed Belknap to collect debts that were owing to the Crown, as well as fines which the king himself often assessed for breaches of the law.R. Lockyer, ''Henry VII'', Second Edition, United States, Longman, 1983, p.20. Belknap's appointment was part of an effort by Henry VII to improve the royal finances. Belknap was a

privy councillor A privy council is a body that advises the head of state of a state, typically, but not always, in the context of a monarchic government. The word "privy" means "private" or "secret"; thus, a privy council was originally a committee of the mo ...

for both Henry VII and

Henry VIII Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is best known for his six marriages, and for his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. His disa ...

. In 1520, he was most probably at the

Field of the Cloth of Gold The Field of the Cloth of Gold (french: Camp du Drap d'Or, ) was a summit meeting between King Henry VIII of England and King Francis I of France from 7 to 24 June 1520. Held at Balinghem, between Ardres in France and Guînes in the English ...

with Henry VIII. His heir and daughter Elizabeth married Thomas Bishopp whose son became

Sir Thomas Bishopp, 1st Baronet Sir Thomas Bishopp, 1st Baronet (1550–1626), also spelt Bishop and Bisshopp, was an English politician. He was the only son of Thomas Bishop of Henfield, Sussex and his wife, Elizabeth Belknap. He was educated at St John's College, Oxford ...

of Parham.

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Sir Edward Belknap, Knight
Family tree

{{DEFAULTSORT:Belknap, Edward Year of birth missing 1521 deaths Members of the Privy Council of England High Sheriffs of Warwickshire 16th-century English soldiers 17th-century English soldiers Sheriffs of Warwickshire