Sir-james-wilsford-1515-1550-english-commander-at

Sir James Wilsford or Wilford (about 1516–1550) was an English soldier and politician, who was commander at the Siege of Haddington in the war known as the

Rough Wooing The Rough Wooing (; December 1543 – March 1551), also known as the Eight Years' War, was part of the Anglo-Scottish Wars of the 16th century. Following the English Reformation, the break with the Catholic Church, England attacked Scotland ...

and also sat as Member of Parliament for

Barnstaple Barnstaple ( or ) is a river-port town and civil parish in the North Devon district of Devon, England. The town lies at the River Taw's lowest crossing point before the Bristol Channel. From the 14th century, it was licensed to export wool from ...

Origins

James Wilsford was born about the year 1516, the son of Thomas Wilsford (died 1553), a landowner at Hartridge in the parish of Cranbrook in

Kent Kent is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Essex across the Thames Estuary to the north, the Strait of Dover to the south-east, East Sussex to the south-west, Surrey to the west, and Gr ...

, and his first wife Elizabeth (died by 1531), daughter of Walter Culpeper, of Bedgebury in Kent. They had four sons and nine daughters. His father's second wife was Rose, daughter of William Whetenhall of Hextall's Court, Kent, with a further five sons and a daughter, Cecily (died 1584), who married Edwin Sandys,

Archbishop of York The archbishop of York is a senior bishop in the Church of England, second only to the archbishop of Canterbury. The archbishop is the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of York and the metropolitan bishop of the province of York, which covers the ...

One of his brothers was the soldier and politician Sir Thomas Wilsford (died 1610).

In Scotland

Wilsford was a Provost Marshal at the

Battle of Pinkie Cleugh The Battle of Pinkie, also known as the Battle of Pinkie Cleugh (), took place on 10 September 1547 on the banks of the River Esk, Lothian, River Esk near Musselburgh, Scotland. The last pitched battle between Scotland and England before the U ...

on 10 September 1547 and was subsequently knighted.

Ulpian Fulwell Ulpian Fulwell (1545/6 – before 1586) was an English Renaissance theatre playwright, satirist and poet. Later as a Gloucestershire parish priest, he appears to have neglected his duties. Church, stage and satire Born one of the two sons of a li ...

wrote of Sir James in his ''Flower of Fame'' (1575);

"He was so noble a capitaine, that he wonne the hartes of all Souldiers. He was in the towne among his Souldiers and friends, a gentle lamme. In the field amongst his enemies a Lyon.

Sir James was one of the captains who supervised and garrisoned the fort at

Lauder The former Royal Burgh of Lauder (, ) is a town in the Scottish Borders in the historic county of Berwickshire. On the Southern Upland Way, the burgh lies southeast of Edinburgh, on the western edge of the Lammermuir Hills. Etymology Alt ...

, the future site of

Thirlestane Castle Thirlestane Castle is a castle set in extensive parklands near Lauder in the Scottish Borders, Borders of Scotland. The site is aptly named Castle Hill, as it stands upon raised ground. However, the raised land is within Lauderdale, the valley o ...

, in April 1548. Lord Grey of Wilton recommended him for the command of the English and Italian mercenary force occupying Haddington on 28 April. On 3 June 1548, Wilford and Thomas Wyndham captured

Dalkeith Palace Dalkeith Palace is a country house in Dalkeith, Midlothian, Scotland. It was the seat of the Duke of Buccleuch, Dukes of Buccleuch from 1642 until 1914, and is owned by the Buccleuch Living Heritage Trust. The present palace was built 1701–1711 ...

, burnt the town, and took prisoner James Douglas, the future

Regent Morton James Douglas, 4th Earl of Morton (c. 1516 – 2 June 1581) was a Scottish nobleman. He played a leading role in the murders of Queen Mary's confidant, David Rizzio, and king consort Henry Darnley. He was the last of the four regents of Scot ...

. On 1 November 1548, Wilford wrote to Protector Somerset describing the state of Haddington, with a garrison stricken by plague:

"The state of this town pities me both to see and to write it; but I hope for relief. Many are sick and a great number dead, most of the plague. On my faith there are not here this day of horse, foot and Yttalians 1000 able to got the walls, and more like to be sick, than the sick to mend, who watch the walls every 5th night, yet the walls are un-manned."

Capture

Wilsford was captured at

Dunbar Dunbar () is a town on the North Sea coast in East Lothian in the south-east of Scotland, approximately east of Edinburgh and from the Anglo–Scottish border, English border north of Berwick-upon-Tweed. Dunbar is a former royal burgh, and ...

in January 1549. One account relates his capture by Robert Lauder of the Bass while supervising a wagon train of provisions. The French soldier

Jean de Beaugué Jean de Beaugué, was a French soldier who served in Scotland in the 1540s during the war of the Rough Wooing. He wrote a memoir of the fighting, which first published in 1556 is still an important source for historians. Much of the book concerns t ...

also included the event in his ''History of the War in Scotland''.

Mary of Guise Mary of Guise (; 22 November 1515 – 11 June 1560), also called Mary of Lorraine, was List of Scottish royal consorts, Queen of Scotland from 1538 until 1542, as the second wife of King James V. She was a French people, French noblewoman of the ...

described his capture as a "bonne prise", a good catch, in a letter to her brother, the

Duke of Aumale Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of Royal family, royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and above sovereign princes. As royalty or nobi ...

. James Croft succeeded him in command at Haddington. A legal record narrates that Wilford was held by a French soldier, Captain Escho, and transferred into the keeping of Thomas, Master of Erskine, a son of the keeper of

Stirling Castle Stirling Castle, located in Stirling, is one of the largest and most historically and architecturally important castles in Scotland. The castle sits atop an Intrusive rock, intrusive Crag and tail, crag, which forms part of the Stirling Sill ge ...

John Erskine, 5th Lord Erskine John Erskine, 5th Lord Erskine (7 July 148711 November 1555) was a Scotland, Scottish nobleman. He was the son of Robert Erskine, 4th Lord Erskine (died 1513) and Isabel Campbell, a daughter of George Campbell of Loudon. His family was claimant ...

. By June 1549, Wilford was imprisoned at Stirling Castle where he was visited by an English herald. The English Privy Council wrote to the

Earl of Rutland Earl () is a rank of the nobility in the United Kingdom. In modern Britain, an earl is a member of the peerage, ranking below a marquess and above a viscount. A feminine form of ''earl'' never developed; instead, ''countess'' is used. The titl ...

to organize his release by an exchange of prisoners. Wilford was valued as a "man of special service" and "someone who has notably served", but was now "vexed with much sickness." It was suggested he might be exchanged for the son of Lord Fleming. Wilford was transferred to the keeping of Janet Stewart, Lady Fleming, and was released sometime in November 1549. In February and March 1550, Wilsford was granted the keeping of the Bailiwick of

Gravesend Gravesend is a town in northwest Kent, England, situated 21 miles (35 km) east-southeast of Charing Cross (central London) on the Bank (geography), south bank of the River Thames, opposite Tilbury in Essex. Located in the diocese of Roche ...

and Milton and the Little Park of Otford, Kent for his lifetime. James Wilsford died in November 1550, and his eulogy was delivered by Miles Coverdale. He was buried at St. Bartholomew's by the Exchange in London. A brass plate from his monument engraved with the Barrett and Wilford arms is preserved at the

Museum of London London Museum (known from 1976 to 2024 as the Museum of London) is a museum in London, covering the history of the city from prehistoric to modern times, with a particular focus on social history. The Museum of London was formed in 1976 by ama ...

. Coverdale was also buried at St Bartholomew's.

Family

He married Joyce Barrett, who soon after his death married Thomas Stanley, later an Under-Treasurer of the Mint, who in 1553 became guardian of Wilford's only son Thomas.

Portrait

Wilford's portrait was painted, perhaps by

Hans Eworth Hans Eworth (or Ewouts; ) was a Flemish painter active in England in the mid-16th century. Along with other exiled Flemings, he made a career in Tudor London, painting allegorical images as well as portraits of the gentry and nobility.''Co ...

; four copies of this portrait survive, three versions show a view of Haddington. The portraits are (retrospectively) dated 1547 and give Wilford's age as 32.

Footnotes

External links

Biography of Sir James Wilford
at

Portrait of James Wilford
with view of Haddington, at Coughton Court, Throckmorton Collection,

National Trust The National Trust () is a heritage and nature conservation charity and membership organisation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The Trust was founded in 1895 by Octavia Hill, Sir Robert Hunter and Hardwicke Rawnsley to "promote the ...

British Library, (Hamilton Papers) Add MS 32657, ff. 4-6. Letter from Sir James Wilsford, Governor of Haddington, to Grey of Wilton, 2 July 1548, in cipher with decipher document
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wilford, James 1510s births 1550 deaths People from Cranbrook, Kent English people of the Rough Wooing 16th-century English soldiers English MPs 1547–1552