Miles Partridge
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Sir Miles Partridge (died 26 February 1552) was an English courtier and a soldier during the reigns of
Henry VIII Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is known for his Wives of Henry VIII, six marriages and his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. ...
and
Edward VI Edward VI (12 October 1537 – 6 July 1553) was King of England and King of Ireland, Ireland from 28 January 1547 until his death in 1553. He was crowned on 20 February 1547 at the age of nine. The only surviving son of Henry VIII by his thi ...
. He was arrested in 1551, before being convicted of felony and hanged, as part of the factional struggle that followed the fall of
Protector Somerset Edward Seymour, 1st Duke of Somerset, 1st Earl of Hertford, 1st Viscount Beauchamp (150022 January 1552) was an English nobleman and politician who served as Lord Protector of England from 1547 to 1549 during the minority of his nephew King Ed ...
.


Life


Origins

Sir Miles Partridge of
Almondsbury Almondsbury () is a large village and civil parish in South Gloucestershire, England. It is situated on the A38 road in the Avon Green Belt north of Bristol city centre. It is adjacent to junction 16 of the M5 motorway and Almondsbury Interc ...
and
Bristol Bristol () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, the most populous city in the region. Built around the River Avon, Bristol, River Avon, it is bordered by t ...
is said, conventionally, to have belonged to one of the numerous Partridge or Partryche families of Gloucestershire, as may seem likely from his association with that region during his lifetime. Sir
Bernard Burke Sir John Bernard Burke, (5 January 1814 – 12 December 1892) was a British genealogist and Ulster King of Arms, who helped publish ''Burke's Peerage''. Personal life Burke, of Irish descent, was born at London and was educated in London an ...
claimed that he was a relative of William Partryche of Wishanger in
Miserden Miserden is a village and civil parish in Stroud District, Gloucestershire, England, north east of Stroud. The parish includes Whiteway Colony and the hamlets of Sudgrove and The Camp. In the 2001 census the parish had a population of 420 ...
,'Partridge of Bishop's Wood: Lineage', in B. Burke (ed. Burke), ''A Genealogical and Heraldic History of the Landed Gentry in Great Britain and Ireland'', 8th edition (1894), vol. II
p. 1570
(Internet Archive).
shown as a descendant of Sir Roger Partryche of Kendal, although Miles's name is not shown in the pedigree of that family taken in the 1623
Heraldic visitation Heraldic visitations were tours of inspection undertaken by Kings of Arms (or alternatively by heralds, or junior officers of arms, acting as the kings' deputies) throughout England, Wales and Ireland. Their purpose was to register and regulat ...
for Gloucestershire. Miles is commonly identified as a son of Sir John Partridge and his wife Agnes Bennett shown in this pedigree. However,
Clive Cheesman Clive Edwin Alexander Cheesman FSA (born 1968) is a British officer of arms at the College of Arms in London. He is currently Norroy and Ulster King of Arms, having been appointed to that position on 14 November 2024. Background Son of architec ...
,
Norroy and Ulster King of Arms Norroy and Ulster King of Arms is the provincial King of Arms at the College of Arms with jurisdiction over England north of the River Trent, Trent and Northern Ireland. The two offices of Norroy and Ulster were formerly separate. Norroy King of ...
, has pointed out that when Hugh Partridge, brother of Miles, was granted arms by Gilbert Dethick, Norroy, in February 1548/49, he was described as "borne in ye northern partes gentelman... descended of a house undefamed". The arms awarded to Hugh (tricked with a crescent cadency mark for the second son) were entirely unlike those of the Partridges of Wishanger. Apparently an augmentation (and perhaps a confirmation) of Hugh's arms was prepared for Miles Partridge by Sir Christopher Barker,
Garter A garter is an article of clothing comprising a narrow band of fabric fastened about the leg to keep up stockings. In the eighteenth to twentieth centuries, they were tied just below the knee, where the leg is most slender, to keep the stocking f ...
(died January 1549/50). That Hugh and Miles were brothers appears from their various joint grants or conveyances of former monastic properties, and other transactions, at this date. If they were born in northern parts, this seems to contradict the proposed Gloucestershire origins.C. Cheesman, 'Partridges: the history of a prohibition', ''The Coat of Arms. The journal of the Heraldry Society'', Third Series, Vol. IV part 1, No. 215 (Slough, Spring 2008), pp. 29-62
at pp. 50, 58, and Plate 5
(Heraldry Society pdf).


Courtier and soldier

Miles has been described as a courtier and a soldier, an urbane figure who mixed with well-read courtiers. In the London subsidy of 1541, where his name is listed next to that of the historian John Leland, he was appraised at 20s on property valued at £40 in the half-parish of St Michael-le-Querne, in the ward of
Farringdon Within Farringdon Within is one of the 25 wards of the City of London, the historic and financial centre of London, England. It was formed in the 14th century from the sub-division of the pre-existing Farringdon Ward into ''Farringdon Within'' (inside ...
. He was granted the lordship and manor of
Almondsbury Almondsbury () is a large village and civil parish in South Gloucestershire, England. It is situated on the A38 road in the Avon Green Belt north of Bristol city centre. It is adjacent to junction 16 of the M5 motorway and Almondsbury Interc ...
in Gloucestershire (formerly belonging to
St Augustine's Abbey, Bristol Bristol Cathedral, formally the Cathedral Church of the Holy and Undivided Trinity, is a Church of England cathedral in the city of Bristol, England. It is the seat of the Bishop of Bristol. The cathedral was originally an abbey dedicated to St ...
), with a reservation of £8.10s rent, in fee, for £1,773 (April 1545). With the grant of Almondsbury, Partridge received also certain lands and mills in
Kingswood, South Gloucestershire Kingswood is a town and civil parish in the South Gloucestershire district of the ceremonial county of Gloucestershire, England. The town is situated east-northeast of Bristol. Broadly speaking, Kingswood spans the area from John Cabot Acade ...
, and also "the buildings and steeple commonly called Jhesus Steple in the parish of St Faith, London, with the site and precinct of the same... except the bells in the said steeple". This relates to a celebrated story. Partridge held the office of chief Master of the King’s games, pastimes, and sports, and gained notoriety as a gambler. It was commonly said that on one occasion, when gambling with the king, he staked £100 on a single throw of the dice against the bells of the Jesus Chapel in the churchyard of
St. Paul's Cathedral St Paul's Cathedral, formally the Cathedral Church of St Paul the Apostle, is an Anglican cathedral in London, England, the seat of the Bishop of London. The cathedral serves as the mother church of the Diocese of London in the Church of Engl ...
and the tower on which they hung. Partridge won, and had the bells broken and the tower taken down. "The same had a great spire of timber, covered with lead, with the image of St Paul on the top." Partridge retained Henry's favour, for at the Coronation of Edward VI he was confirmed as Groom Porter to the young king under a grant of reversion made by Henry, so displacing Edward's own preferred servant Edward Cornwallis."4 Edward VI, Part VI. 1 September 1550, Leighes", in ''Calendar of Patent Rolls, Edward VI'', III: A.D. 1549-1551 (HMSO, London 1925)
p. 327
(Hathi Trust).
He accompanied Sir
Edward Seymour, 1st Duke of Somerset Edward Seymour, 1st Duke of Somerset, 1st Earl of Hertford, 1st Viscount Beauchamp (150022 January 1552) was an English nobleman and politician who served as Lord Protector of England from 1547 to 1549 during the minority of his nephew King E ...
in the expedition to Scotland in 1547. He accepted the surrender of Thornton Castle, fought at the
battle of Pinkie 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 near Musselburgh, Scotland. The last pitched battle between Scotland and England before the Union of the Crowns, ...
on 10 September, and was knighted at
Roxburgh Roxburgh () is a civil parish and formerly a royal burgh, in the historic county of Roxburghshire in the Scottish Borders, Scotland. It was an important trading burgh in High Medieval to early modern Scotland. In the Middle Ages it had at lea ...
on 28 September. In 1547-48 (commencing 27 November 1547) he served as
High Sheriff of Gloucestershire This is a list of Sheriffs and High Sheriffs of Gloucestershire, who should not be confused with the Sheriffs of the City of Gloucester. The High Sheriff is the oldest secular office under the Crown (in England and Wales the office previously kn ...
, the oldest secular office under the Crown. In 1548, he was granted extensive former monastic properties in and around Bristol, and with Sir John Butler he purchased other properties in Gloucestershire. In May 1549 he acquired the riverside mansion at
Kew Kew () is a district in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. Its population at the 2011 census was 11,436. Kew is the location of the Royal Botanic Gardens ("Kew Gardens"), now a World Heritage Site, which includes Kew Palace. Kew is ...
which John Machell had purchased in 1546 (befitting a Master of the
Clothworkers' Company The Worshipful Company of Clothworkers is one of the Livery Companies of the City of London. It was incorporated by Royal Charter in 1528, following the merger of two older guilds: the Fullers (incorporated in 1480) and the Shearmen (incorporat ...
): Partridge's occupancy was equally short-lived. In June 1550 he was also occupying a large property in
Paternoster Row Paternoster Row is a street in the City of London that was a centre of the London publishing trade, with booksellers operating from the street. Paternoster Row was described as "almost synonymous" with the book trade. It was part of an area call ...
(in the parish of
St Faith under St Paul's St Faith under St Paul's in Castle Baynard, Castle Baynard Ward was an unusual parish within the City of London. It originally had its own building to the east of St Paul's Cathedral, serving as a parish church for the residents of St Paul's ...
), belonging to the estate of Sir Christopher Barker,
Garter Principal King of Arms Garter Principal King of Arms (also Garter King of Arms or simply Garter) is the senior king of arms and officer of arms of the College of Arms, the heraldic authority with jurisdiction over England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The position has ...
, the same who granted arms to Miles Partridge.


Condemnation and death

In September 1550 Edward Cornwallis was granted a reversion to succeed Partridge as Groom Porter. After his long service in the court of Henry VIII and Edward VI, Partridge became implicated in the plot against Edward Seymour’s successor as Regent,
John Dudley, 1st Duke of Northumberland John Dudley, 1st Duke of Northumberland (1504Loades 2008 – 22 August 1553) was an English general, admiral, and politician, who led the government of the young King Edward VI from 1550 until 1553, and unsuccessfully tried to install Lady Jane ...
. On 7 October 1551 he was accused by Sir Thomas Palmer of having undertaken to raise London and seize the
Great Seal of the Realm The Great Seal of the Realm is a seal that is used in the United Kingdom to symbolise the sovereign's approval of state documents. It is also known as the Great Seal of the United Kingdom (known prior to the Treaty of Union of 1707 as the Gr ...
, with the help of the apprentices. It was reported that he had entered too deeply into the amusements of the Court. His guilt is not clear: both Palmer and Northumberland subsequently confessed that the evidence was false. While gallantly protecting a duchess, he was arrested at her house on 16 October 1551 on charges of conspiring against Lord Dudley. He was imprisoned in the
Tower of London The Tower of London, officially His Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress of the Tower of London, is a historic citadel and castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London, England. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamle ...
and was afterwards moved, on grounds of ill-health, to the lieutenant's house on
Tower A tower is a tall Nonbuilding structure, structure, taller than it is wide, often by a significant factor. Towers are distinguished from guyed mast, masts by their lack of guy-wires and are therefore, along with tall buildings, self-supporting ...
Hill, where his wife was permitted to attend him. The charges brought against him, and against Sir
Ralph Vane Sir Ralph Vane (also Ralph Fane, died 26 February 1552) was a supporter of Edward Seymour, 1st Duke of Somerset. He was hanged on Tower Hill as a result of factional strife. Life Ralph Vane or Fane was born at the manor of Badsell in Tudely, K ...
, Sir
Thomas Arundel Thomas Arundel (1353 – 19 February 1414) was an English clergyman who served as Lord Chancellor and Archbishop of York during the reign of Richard II, as well as Archbishop of Canterbury in 1397 and from 1399 until his death, an outspoken o ...
and Sir Michael Stanhope were for "the Felony of moving, stirring and procuring of diverse persons for the felonious taking imprisoning and killing of diverse of our Privy Council", to which all four knights pleaded Not Guilty. A commission being appointed for his trial on 29 November, he was convicted of
felony A felony is traditionally considered a crime of high seriousness, whereas a misdemeanor is regarded as less serious. The term "felony" originated from English common law (from the French medieval word "''félonie''") to describe an offense that r ...
and was hanged on
Tower Hill Tower Hill is the area surrounding the Tower of London in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It is infamous for the public execution of high status prisoners from the late 14th to the mid 18th century. The execution site on the higher gro ...
on Friday 26 February 1552.The writs for the executions of the Duke of Somerset and the four knights are printed at length in T. Rymer, ''Foedera, Conventiones, Literae, et Cujuscunque Genere Acta, etc.'' (A. and J. Churchill, London 1713), vol XV
pp. 295-97
(Google).
Others implicated were executed there the same day: Vane was also hanged, and Arundel and Stanhope were beheaded.E.W. Brayley, ''Londiniana: or, Reminiscences of the British Metropolis: including characteristic sketches, antiquarian, topographical, descriptive, and literary'' (Hurst, Chance, and Co., London 1829), IV
p.166
(Internet Archive).
Partridge was little pitied, wrote
John Strype John Strype (1 November 1643 – 11 December 1737) was an English clergyman, historian and biographer from London. He became a merchant when settling in Petticoat Lane Market, Petticoat Lane. In his twenties, he became perpetual curate of Theydo ...
, both because of his association with the actions of Edward Seymour, and also because his destruction of the bells at the Jesus Chapel was thought to have served King Henry's renunciation of papal authority. After his death, on 16 April 1552 the capital messuage, gardens, orchards, stable, dairy house and lands at Kew (within the parish of
Mortlake Mortlake is a suburban district of the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames on the south bank of the River Thames between Kew and Barnes, London, Barnes. Historically it was part of Surrey and until 1965 was in the Municipal Borough of Barnes ...
), together with all his goods and chattels there, were granted to Sir Henry Gates, Gentleman of the Privy Chamber, in light of the attainder of Miles Partridge. In April 1553, by patent of the
Court of Augmentations Thomas Cromwell established the Court of Augmentations, also called Augmentation Court or simply The Augmentation in 1536, during the reign of King Henry VIII of England. It operated alongside three lesser courts (those of General Surveyors (1540 ...
, his widow Joan received compensation of her dower from the Crown and was granted the lordship, manor and borough of Kenn, in Devon. Early in the reign of Queen Mary, in December 1553 his heirs were restored in blood by private act of Parliament,'Martis, 5o Decembris. Pertryche's Restitution' (05 December 1553), in ''Journal of the House of Commons: Volume 1, 1547-1629'' (London 1802)
pp. 32-33
(British History Online, accessed 6 February 2025).
and by further grants Joan's dower was confirmed to her during 1554.


Family

Miles Partridge had one documented brother, Hugh Partridge, who was granted arms at London in 1549 by Sir Gilbert Dethick. Miles and Hugh acted jointly in land acquisitions in Bristol, Gloucestershire and elsewhere during the period 1545-1551. One Hugh Partridge married Eleanor Burbage (as her second husband) soon after 1553: she remarried to Oliver St John of Lambeth (1510-1571) in July 1567.C.F.H. Evans, 'The family of St John of Lambeth', ''Surrey Archaeological Collections'' LXIII (Surrey Archaeological Society, Guildford 1966), pp. 151-56
at p. 153, and see note 15 at pp. 155-56
(Internet Archive).
The suggested relationship of Miles (and therefore Hugh) to William Partridge of Wishanger, as sons of Sir John Partridge of Cirencester and Dame Agnes (or Anne) Bennett, was a conjecture by Sir Bernard Burke for which no documentary verification was cited. Miles Partridge married a wife named Jane (or Joan). Two daughters, Margery and Katherine, are named as his heirs when, following his attainder and execution, they obtained restitution in blood by act of Parliament in 1553. One of these daughters married William Stokebrege, Grocer. In 1563 George Barton, rector of
St Mary Abchurch St Mary Abchurch is a Church of England church off Cannon Street in the City of London. Dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary, it is first mentioned in 1198–1199. The medieval church was destroyed in the Great Fire of London in 1666, and replac ...
, was imprisoned for committing
adultery Adultery is extramarital sex that is considered objectionable on social, religious, moral, or legal grounds. Although the sexual activities that constitute adultery vary, as well as the social, religious, and legal consequences, the concept ...
with her. Daughters: * Margery Partridge, living 1553. * Katherine Partridge, living 1553. * ? Anne Partridge, (reputedly) married (as his first wife) John Vavasor of Waltham Abbey, Essex, son of Marmaduke Vavasor of Acaster and Anna Saltmarsh.'Vavasor', in W.C. Metcalfe (ed.), ''The Visitations of Essex in 1552, 1558, 1570, 1612 and 1634'', 2 vols, Harleian Society XIII-XIV (1878-79), II: Miscellaneous Essex Pedigrees
p. 611
(Internet Archive).


References

;Attribution * {{DEFAULTSORT:Partridge, Miles 1552 deaths People executed under the Tudors for treason against England Executed English people 16th-century English knights High sheriffs of Gloucestershire People executed under Edward VI Year of birth unknown English people of the Rough Wooing