Sir Robert Poynings (c.1419 – 17 February 1461), was the second son of Robert Poynings, 4th Baron Poynings (1382–1446). He joined the rebellion of

Jack Cade Jack Cade's Rebellion or 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 ...

in 1450, and was slain fighting on the

Yorkist The House of York was a cadet branch of the English royal House of Plantagenet. Three of its members became kings of England in the late 15th century. The House of York descended in the male line from Edmund of Langley, 1st Duke of York, th ...

side at the

Second Battle of St Albans The Second Battle of St Albans was fought on 17 February 1461 during the Wars of the Roses in St Albans, Hertfordshire, England (the First Battle of St Albans had been fought in 1455). The army of the Yorkist faction, under the Earl of War ...

in 1461.

Family

Robert Poynings was the second son of Robert Poynings, 4th Baron Poynings (1382 – 2 October 1446), by his first wife Eleanor Grey, the daughter of

Reginald Grey, 3rd Baron Grey de Ruthyn Reynold Grey, 3rd Baron Grey of Ruthyn (c. 1362 – 30 September 1440), a powerful Welsh marcher lord, succeeded to the title on his father's death in July 1388. Lineage Reginald Grey was the eldest son of Reynold Grey, 2nd Baron Grey of Rut ...

, and Margaret Roos (or Ros). By his father's first marriage, he had an elder brother, Sir Richard Poynings (d. 10 June 1429), slain near Orleans in France, and a younger brother, Edward Poynings (d.1484), Master of Trinity College in Arundel, Sussex, and rector of

North Cray North Cray is an area in South East Greater London, London, England, within the London Borough of Bexley. It is located east of Sidcup and south of Bexleyheath and is south-east of Charing Cross, the traditional centre of London in the Metropo ...

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 ...

. By his father's second marriage to Margaret Squery (d. 3 November 1448), elder daughter of Thomas Squery of

Westerham Westerham is a town and civil parishes in England, civil parish in the Sevenoaks District of Kent, England. It is located 3.4 miles east of Oxted and 6 miles west of Sevenoaks, adjacent to the Kent border with both Greater London and Surrey. I ...

and widow of

William Cromer William Cromer (occasionally also spelt Crowmer) (1386 – January 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 p ...

(d. January 1434),

Lord Mayor of London The Lord Mayor of London is the Mayors in England, mayor of the City of London, England, and the Leader of the council, leader of the City of London Corporation. Within the City, the Lord Mayor is accorded Order of precedence, precedence over a ...

, Robert Poynings had a half sister, Eleanor Poynings, who married Thomas Palmer.

Career

The 4th Baron had settled the manors of Tirlingham, Newington, Eastwell and Westwood in Kent on his granddaughter, Eleanor Poynings (1428–1484), wife of

Henry Percy, 3rd Earl of Northumberland Henry Percy, 3rd Earl of Northumberland, (25 July 1421 – 29 March 1461) was an English magnate. The Earldom of Northumberland was then one of the greatest landholdings in northern England; Percy also became Lord Poynings on his marr ...

, and daughter of Robert Poynings' elder brother, Sir Richard Poynings, by his second wife, Eleanor Berkeley. Robert Poynings claimed these manors against Eleanor 'as heir by

gavelkind Gavelkind () was a system of land tenure chiefly associated with the Celtic law in Ireland and Wales and with the legal traditions of the English county of Kent. The word may have originated from the Old Irish phrases ''Gabhaltas-cinne'' or '' ...

', claiming, as well, the manor of Great Perching in Sussex. He also claimed the 4th Baron's moveable goods against William Cromer, son of Margaret Squery by her first husband, Sir William Cromer. In the summer of 1450, Poynings joined the rebel

, and is said to have acted as Cade's 'carver and sword-bearer'. He was imprisoned and outlawed as a result, despite which he was elected a Member of Parliament for Sussex in 1450 and 1451. In 1457, he sued a pardon for his participation in Cade's rebellion. Poynings was slain on 17 February 1461 while fighting on the

side at the

Marriage and issue

In 1458 he married Elizabeth Paston (1 July 1429 – 1 February 1488), the daughter of

William Paston William Paston may refer to: *William Paston (died 1444) (1378–1444), Justice of the Common Pleas *William Paston, 2nd Earl of Yarmouth (1654–1732), British peer and politician *Sir William Paston, 1st Baronet (1528–1610), English benefactor ...

, by whom he had an only son,

Sir Edward Poynings Sir Edward Poynings KG (1459 – 22 October 1521) was an English soldier, administrator and diplomat, and Lord Deputy of Ireland under King Henry VII of England. Early life Edward Poynings was the only son of Sir Robert Poynings (c.1419–14 ...

, who married Elizabeth Scott (d. 15 August 1528), daughter of

Sir John Scott John Scott, 1st Earl of Eldon, (4 June 1751 – 13 January 1838) was a British barrister and politician. He served as Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain between 1801 and 1806 and again between 1807 and 1827. Early life Background Eldon ...

(d.1485), and who also fathered seven illegitimate children by several mistresses, including

Thomas Poynings, 1st Baron Poynings Thomas Poynings, 1st Baron Poynings (c.1512 – 17 August 1545) was an English soldier and courtier. Family Thomas Poynings was one of seven illegitimate children of Sir Edward Poynings of Westenhanger, Kent. His mother may have been his fat ...

, and Sir Adrian Poynings.Isabel Scott (1459-15 August 1528) A Who’s Who of Tudor Women: Sa-Sn, compiled by Kathy Lynn Emerson to update and correct ''Wives and Daughters: The Women of Sixteenth-Century England'' (1984)
Retrieved 19 September 2013. After Poynings' death his widow married Sir George Browne of

Betchworth Castle Betchworth Castle is a mostly crumbled ruin of a fortified medieval stone house with some tall, two-storey corners strengthened in the 18th century, in the north of the semi-rural parish of Brockham. It is built on a sandstone spur overlookin ...

Surrey Surrey () is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Greater London to the northeast, Kent to the east, East Sussex, East and West Sussex to the south, and Hampshire and Berkshire to the wes ...

, (beheaded 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 ...

4 December 1483), by whom she had two sons, Sir Matthew Browne (d. 6 August 1557), who married Frideswide Guildford, daughter of

Richard Guildford Sir Richard Guildford (about 1450 – 1506) was an English courtier, administrator, politician and military leader who held important positions under King Henry VII. Origins Guildford was the son of John Guildford (died 1493) and his first wif ...

, and George, and a daughter, Mary.

Notes

References

* * * * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Poynings, Robert 1410s births 1461 deaths 16th-century English soldiers Members of Parliament for Sussex

Robert The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of ''Hrōþ, Hruod'' () "fame, glory, honour, prais ...