James Fiennes, 1st Baron Saye and Sele (22 September 1395 – 4 July 1450) was an English soldier and politician. He was born at Herstmonceux, Sussex, the second son of Sir William Fiennes (1 August 1357 – 18 January 1402) and his wife Elizabeth Batisford (Wartling, Sussex, 1363 - Herstmonceux, 18 January 1405). Fiennes fought in the Hundred Years' War and served as High Sheriff of Kent in 1436 and

High Sheriff of Surrey The list of known High Sheriffs of Surrey extends back to 1066. At various times the High Sheriff of Surrey was also High Sheriff of Sussex (1229–1231, 1232–1240, 1242–1567, 1571–1635). 1066–1228 (High Sheriffs of Surrey only) 1229– ...

and Sussex in 1438. He was Constable of Dover Castle and Warden of the Cinque Ports from 1447 to 1450, and

Lord High Treasurer of England The post of Lord High Treasurer or Lord Treasurer was an English government position and has been a British government position since the Acts of Union of 1707. A holder of the post would be the third-highest-ranked Great Officer of State i ...

from 1449 to 1450. Fiennes' tenure as Lord High Treasurer occurred during the

Great Bullion Famine The Great Bullion Famine was a shortage of precious metals that struck Europe in the 15th century, with the worst years of the famine lasting from 1457 to 1464. During the Middle Ages, gold and silver coins saw widespread use as currency in Eur ...

and the Great Slump in England. He was summoned to Parliament from 1446 to 1449 and is said to have been created

Baron Saye and Sele Baron Saye and Sele is a title in the Peerage of England held by the Twisleton-Wykeham-Fiennes family. The title dates to 1447 but it was recreated in 1603. Confusion over the details of the 15th-century title has led to conflicting order for t ...

by letters patent in 1447. Saye and Sele was a supporter of

William de la Pole, 1st Duke of Suffolk William de la Pole, 1st Duke of Suffolk, (16 October 1396 – 2 May 1450), nicknamed Jackanapes, was an English magnate, statesman, and military commander during the Hundred Years' War. He became a favourite of the weak king Henry VI of England ...

, the principal power behind the throne of Henry VI. After Suffolk's deposition and murder in 1450, Fiennes was imprisoned in the

Tower A tower is a tall structure, taller than it is wide, often by a significant factor. Towers are distinguished from masts by their lack of guy-wires and are therefore, along with tall buildings, self-supporting structures. Towers are specifi ...

with his son-in-law William Cromer, deputy-sheriff of Kent. Having been released from the tower and handed over to the rebels as a placatory gesture Baron Saye was brought to

Guildhall A guildhall, also known as a "guild hall" or "guild house", is a historical building originally used for tax collecting by municipalities or merchants in Great Britain and the Low Countries. These buildings commonly become town halls and in som ...

for a sham trial. Upon being found guilty of treason, he was paraded through part of London and beheaded by a mob of the rebels in London under

Jack Cade Jack Cade's Rebellion was a popular revolt in 1450 against the government of England, which took place in the south-east of the country between the months of April and July. It stemmed from local grievances regarding the corruption, maladmi ...

at the Standard in

Cheapside Cheapside is a street in the City of London, the historic and modern financial centre of London, which forms part of the A40 London to Fishguard road. It links St. Martin's Le Grand with Poultry. Near its eastern end at Bank junction, where ...

on 4 July 1450. His son-in-law was also executed by the rebels outside the city walls on the same day. The heads of the two men were put on pikes and unceremoniously paraded through the streets of London while their bearers pushed them together so that they appeared to kiss. He was succeeded in the barony by his son

William William is a male given name of Germanic origin.Hanks, Hardcastle and Hodges, ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'', Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, , p. 276. It became very popular in the English language after the Norman conquest of Engl ...

Ancestry

Family and legacy

He married twice. His first wife was Joan, whose family name is uncertain, and their children were: *Elizabeth (died 1475), who married three times. First, her stepmother's brother William Cromer (died 1450), of Tunstall, murdered like her father by Jack Cade's rebels; secondly Alexander Iden, of Westwell, Jack Cade's capturer, and lastly Sir Lawrence Raynsford (died 1490). Both her first two husbands had been a High Sheriff of Kent and her last was a

High Sheriff of Essex The High Sheriff of Essex was an ancient 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. On 1 April 1974, under the provisions of the ...

and of

Wiltshire Wiltshire (; abbreviated Wilts) is a historic and ceremonial county in South West England with an area of . It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset to the southwest, Somerset to the west, Hampshire to the southeast, Gloucestershire ...

. *

(born about 1428), who became 2nd Baron Saye and Sele and was killed in 1471 during the

Battle of Barnet The Battle of Barnet was a decisive engagement in the Wars of the Roses, a dynastic conflict of 15th-century England. The military action, along with the subsequent Battle of Tewkesbury, secured the throne for Edward IV. On Sunday 14 April ...

. Before 1441, he married as second wife Emmeline (died 5 January 1452), daughter of Sir

William Cromer William Cromer (occasionally also spelt Crowmer) (died 1434) was an English Sheriff and Lord Mayor of London and a Member of Parliament for the city. He was described as the son of John Cromer of Aldenham, Hertfordshire but was probably original ...

, twice

Lord Mayor of London The Lord Mayor of London is the mayor of the City of London and the leader of the City of London Corporation. Within the City, the Lord Mayor is accorded precedence over all individuals except the sovereign and retains various traditional pow ...

. They may have had two daughters. Fiennes appears as a named character in the play

Henry VI, Part 2 ''Henry VI, Part 2'' (often written as ''2 Henry VI'') is a Shakespearean history, history play by William Shakespeare believed to have been written in 1591 and set during the lifetime of King Henry VI of England. Whereas ''Henry VI, Part 1'' ...

William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

, while the Battle of Barnet at which his son William died is referenced in the next play of the trilogy,

Henry VI, Part 3 ''Henry VI, Part 3'' (often written as ''3 Henry VI'') is a history play by William Shakespeare believed to have been written in 1591 and set during the lifetime of King Henry VI of England. Whereas '' 1 Henry VI'' deals with the loss of Eng ...

. His elder brother,

Roger Fiennes Sir Roger Fiennes (1384–1449) was an English knight of the shire, High Sheriff of Surrey and Sussex, and builder of Herstmonceux Castle. He was also Treasurer of King Henry VI's household. Origins Roger Fiennes was the son of William de Fienne ...

(1384–1449) married Elizabeth Holland (daughter of John Holland (Duke of Exeter, half-brother of Richard II, son of Thomas Holland and Joan "the fair" of Kent) and Elizabeth of Lancaster (daughter of John of Gaunt and Blanche of Lancaster)) , - , -

References

*Kidd, Charles, Williamson, David (editors). ''Debrett's Peerage and Baronetage'' (1990 edition). New York: St Martin's Press, 1990. * {{DEFAULTSORT:Saye and Sele, James Fiennes, 1st Baron 1395 births 1450 deaths James Lords Warden of the Cinque Ports Lord High Treasurers of England People of the Hundred Years' War High Sheriffs of Kent High Sheriffs of Surrey High Sheriffs of Sussex Prisoners in the Tower of London English MPs 1447 People from Herstmonceux Barons Saye and Sele