Sir Henry Vernon, KB (1441–13 April 1515), was a Tudor-era English landowner, politician, and courtier. He was the Controller of the household of

Arthur, Prince of Wales Arthur, Prince of Wales (19/20 September 1486 – 2 April 1502), was the eldest son of King Henry VII of England and Elizabeth of York, and an older brother to the future King Henry VIII. He was Duke of Cornwall from birth, and he was crea ...

, eldest son of

Henry VII of England Henry VII (28 January 1457 – 21 April 1509), also known as Henry Tudor, was King of England and Lord of Ireland from his seizure of the crown on 22 August 1485 until his death in 1509. He was the first monarch of the House of Tudor. Henr ...

and heir to the throne until his untimely death.

Family

Vernon was born into the prominent

Vernon family The Vernon family was a wealthy, prolific and widespread English family with 11th-century origins in Vernon, Normandy, France. Their extant titles include Baron Vernon and Vernon baronets of Shotwick Park. Vernon of Shipbrook, Cheshire William ...

Cheshire Cheshire ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in North West England. It is bordered by Merseyside to the north-west, Greater Manchester to the north-east, Derbyshire to the east, Staffordshire to the south-east, and Shrop ...

and

Derbyshire Derbyshire ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands of England. It borders Greater Manchester, West Yorkshire, and South Yorkshire to the north, Nottinghamshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south-east, Staffordshire to the south a ...

. His father,

William Vernon William Vernon (January 17, 1719 – December 22, 1806), of Newport, Rhode Island, was a merchant in the Atlantic slave trade who played a leading role in the Continental Congress' maritime activities during the American Revolution. In 1774, Ver ...

, was Knight-Constable of England,

Treasurer of Calais The town of Calais, France, was in English hands from 1347 to 1558. During this historical period the task of the treasurer, in conjunction with the Captain of Calais, was keeping the defences in order, supplying victuals and paying the garrison ...

, and a Member of Parliament, while his grandfather

Richard Vernon Richard Evelyn Vernon (7 March 1925 – 4 December 1997) was a British actor. He appeared in many feature films and television programmes, often in aristocratic or supercilious roles. Prematurely balding and greying, Vernon settled into playi ...

had been the Speaker of the House of Commons.Carrington, W. A
"Haddon: The Hall, the Manor, and Its Lords"
''Journal of the Derbyshire Archaeological and Natural History Society'', Volume 22 (1900), pp. 11–13 His mother, Margaret Swynfen, was the heiress of Sir Robert Pype. Henry Vernon was one of twelve children, and was the principal heir, succeeding his father at the latter's death in 1467.

Wars of the Roses

Vernon came of age during the

Wars of the Roses The Wars of the Roses, known at the time and in following centuries as the Civil Wars, were a series of armed confrontations, machinations, battles and campaigns fought over control of the English throne from 1455 to 1487. The conflict was fo ...

, and managed to quite adroitly steer through the turbulent times. He had family connections to the Lancastrian side through his marriage to Anne Talbot, daughter of

John Talbot, 2nd Earl of Shrewsbury John Talbot was the 2nd Earl of Shrewsbury, 2nd Earl of Waterford, 8th Baron Talbot, KG (12 December 1413 – 10 July 1460) was an English nobleman and soldier and the son of John Talbot, 1st Earl of Shrewsbury, 1st Earl of Waterford, 7th Baro ...

, but his own sympathies seem to have inclined towards the Yorkists. Vernon's involvement in the events of the day is reflected in surviving correspondence to him from the Duke of Clarence summoning him to the field of battle, and a letter from Richard Neville "the Kingmaker" which includes the only known surviving sample of Warwick's handwriting. Manners, Victoria
"Pembruge and Vernon Tombs at Tong. – II"
''The Art Journal'', Vol. 68 (1906), pp. 257–258 For his part, Vernon seems to have avoided committing himself too firmly with one side. Despite Clarence's requests for Vernon to join the battles at

Barnet Barnet may refer to: People *Barnet (surname) *Barnet (given name) Places United Kingdom *Chipping Barnet or High Barnet, commonly known as Barnet, one of three focal towns of the borough below. *East Barnet, a district of the borough below; anc ...

and

Tewkesbury Tewkesbury ( ) is a market town and civil parish in the north of Gloucestershire, England. The town grew following the construction of Tewkesbury Abbey in the twelfth century and played a significant role in the Wars of the Roses. It stands at ...

, Vernon managed to find excuses to avoid involvement.Leyland, John
"Haddon Hall"
''The Portfolio: An Artistic Periodical'', Vol. 22 (1891), pp. 61–62 Though his answers to Clarence and Warwick do not survive, there is no evidence to suggest that he left his home at Haddon. His lackluster response does not seem to have harmed his standing with the Yorkist faction; he was made an esquire of the body to both

Edward IV Edward IV (28 April 1442 – 9 April 1483) was King of England from 4 March 1461 to 3 October 1470, then again from 11 April 1471 until his death in 1483. He was a central figure in the Wars of the Roses, a series of civil wars in England ...

and

Richard III Richard III (2 October 1452 – 22 August 1485) was King of England from 26 June 1483 until his death in 1485. He was the last king of the Plantagenet dynasty and its cadet branch the House of York. His defeat and death at the Battle of Boswor ...

. He also served as MP for Derbyshire in 1478. Despite holding these offices, Vernon seamlessly transitioned from Yorkist loyalist to Tudor official.

Tudor courtier

Almost immediately after the Tudor victory, Vernon came into high favor with the new monarch, Henry VII. He was commended for his service to the king at Stoke Field, and was appointed governor and treasurer of the new king's heir, Arthur. When the latter was made Prince of Wales in 1489, Vernon was made a Knight of the Bath. One apartment at

Haddon Hall Haddon Hall is an English country house on the River Wye, Derbyshire, River Wye near Bakewell, Derbyshire, a former seat of the Duke of Rutland, Dukes of Rutland. It is the home of Lord Edward Manners (brother of David Manners, 11th Duke of Rut ...

was known as the "Prince's Chamber", as Arthur spent much of his time at Vernon's estate, as well as at

Tong Castle Tong Castle was a very large mostly Gothic country house in Shropshire whose site is between Wolverhampton and Telford, set within a park landscaped by Capability Brown,Wolverhampton's Listed Buildings on the site of a medieval castle of the sa ...

, which Vernon greatly renovated around 1500. Vernon was one of the witnesses to the marriage contract between Arthur and

Katherine of Aragon Catherine of Aragon (also spelt as Katherine, historical Spanish: , now: ; 16 December 1485 – 7 January 1536) was Queen of England as the first wife of King Henry VIII from their marriage on 11 June 1509 until its annulment on 23 May ...

. The young prince's early death was a blow to the influence of the Vernons, depriving them of the opportunity for royal patronage. The same year that the prince died, Vernon abducted an heiress, the widow Margaret Kebell, to marry his own son, Roger, possibly as an attempt to recoup some of the expenses he had incurred from years of royal service. His action, a blatant abuse of his authority, brought rebuke and a heavy fine from the king. Nevertheless, Vernon was still sent to accompany the king's daughter,

Margaret Tudor Margaret Tudor (28 November 1489 – 18 October 1541) was List of Scottish royal consorts, Queen of Scotland from 1503 until 1513 by marriage to King James IV. She then served as regent of Scotland during her son's minority, and fought to exte ...

, to Scotland for her marriage to

James IV of Scotland James IV (17 March 1473 – 9 September 1513) was List of Scottish monarchs, King of Scotland from 11 June 1488 until his death at the Battle of Flodden in 1513. He inherited the throne at the age of fifteen on the death of his father, James I ...

, and he was later pardoned for his role in the abduction.Emerson, Kathy Lynn
"Margaret Bassett (d. 1534)"
''A Who's Who of Tudor Women'' (2017), accessed 4 February 2019 He served as

High Sheriff of Derbyshire This is a list of Sheriffs of Derbyshire from 1567 until 1974 and High Sheriffs since. The 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 ...

in 1504.

Marriage and children

Vernon married Lady Anne Talbot (died 1494), daughter of

. Among their children were: * Roger Vernon, abducted and married against her will the heiress Margaret Kebell * Richard Vernon (d. 1517), married Margaret Dymoke, daughter of Sir Robert Dymoke * Thomas Vernon (d. 1556), married Anne Ludlow; his son

Thomas Thomas may refer to: People * List of people with given name Thomas * Thomas (name) * Thomas (surname) * Saint Thomas (disambiguation) * Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) Italian Dominican friar, philosopher, and Doctor of the Church * Thomas the A ...

was MP for Shropshire * Humphrey Vernon (d. 1542), married Alice Ludlow * Arthur Vernon (d. 1517), a priest * John Vernon (d. 1545), married Ellen/Helen Montgomery, daughter of Sir John Montgomery * Elizabeth Vernon (d. 1563), married Sir Robert Corbet * Mary Vernon (d. 1525), married Sir Edward Aston * Margaret Vernon * Anne Vernon (d. by 1507), married Sir Ralph Shirley * Alice Vernon

Death and burial

Tong_St_Bart_-_Anne_Talbot_and_Henry_Vernon_01

Vernon died on 13 April 1515, and was buried in

St Bartholomew's Church, Tong The Collegiate Church of St Bartholomew, Tong (also known as St Bartholomew's Church) is a 15th-century church in the village of Tong, Shropshire, Tong, Shropshire, England, notable for its architecture and fittings, including its fan vaulting ...

, near many of his family members. His wife, Anne Talbot, had predeceased him in 1494. Their tomb effigies, unlike the others in the church, were of stone.

References

External links

Discovering Tong: Sir Henry Vernon

{{DEFAULTSORT:Vernon, Henry 1441 births 1515 deaths English MPs 1478 Members of the Parliament of England for Derbyshire High sheriffs of Derbyshire Esquires of the Body Knights of the Bath

Henry Henry may refer to: People and fictional characters * Henry (given name), including lists of people and fictional characters * Henry (surname) * Henry, a stage name of François-Louis Henry (1786–1855), French baritone Arts and entertainmen ...

Arthur, Prince of Wales