Sir Henry Jerningham KB (1509/10 – 6 September 1572) was an English courtier during the Tudor period. He was a Gentleman Pensioner during the reign 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 best known for his six marriages, and for his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. His disa ...

. In the succession crisis of 1553 he was one of the foremost supporters of Mary Tudor, and after her accession was one of her most trusted servants, being appointed Vice-Chamberlain of the Household, Captain of the Yeomen of the Guard, and a member of the

Privy Council A privy council is a body that advises the head of state of a state, typically, but not always, in the context of a monarchic government. The word "privy" means "private" or "secret"; thus, a privy council was originally a committee of the mon ...

Family

Henry Jerningham was the son of Edward Jerningham (died 6 January 1515) of

Somerleyton Somerleyton is a village and former civil parish in the north of the English county of Suffolk. It is north-west of Lowestoft and south-west of Great Yarmouth in the East Suffolk district. The village is closely associated with Somerleyton Ha ...

, Suffolk, and

Mary Scrope Mary Scrope (died 25 August 1548) was the granddaughter of Henry Scrope, 4th Baron Scrope of Bolton, and the sister of Elizabeth Scrope (d. 1537), wife of John de Vere, 13th Earl of Oxford, and Margaret Scrope (d. 1515), wife of Edmund de la Pol ...

(died 15 August 1548), in her first marriage. His mother was one of the nine daughters of Richard Scrope (died 1485) of Upsall, Yorkshire (second son of Henry Scrope, 4th Baron Scrope of Bolton (1418–1459)), by Eleanor (died 1505/06), daughter of Norman Washbourne (1433–1482).K.L. Emerson (comp.)
''A Who's Who of Tudor Women: Sa-Sn''
(update and correction of ''Wives and Daughters: The Women of Sixteenth-Century England'' (1984)). . Retrieved 26 May 2013. Through his mother he was a nephew of Elizabeth Scrope (died 1537), who married first William Beaumont, 2nd Viscount Beaumont, and secondly, John de Vere, 13th Earl of Oxford, and also of Margaret Scrope (died 1515), who married Edmund de la Pole, 3rd Duke of Suffolk. By his mother (in this her first marriage) Henry Jerningham is said to have had three brothers and a sister.W. Betham, ''The Baronetage of England'' (Burrell and Bransby, Ipswich 1801), I
pp. 227–9
(Google). *Ferdinand Jerningham. *Edmund Jerningham (died 9 February 1546), whose wardship was granted to his mother's second husband, Sir

William Kingston Sir William Kingston, KG ( – 14 September 1540) was an English courtier, soldier and administrator. He was the Constable of the Tower of London during much of the reign of Henry VIII. Among the notable prisoners he was responsible for wer ...

. He was a

Gentleman of the Bedchamber Gentleman of the Bedchamber was a title in the royal household of the Kingdom of England from the 11th century, later used also in the Kingdom of Great Britain. A Lord of the Bedchamber was a courtier in the Royal Household; the term being fir ...

King Henry VIII Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is best known for his six marriages, and for his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. His disag ...

S. Lehmberg, 'Kingston, Sir William (c.1476–1540)', ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' (OUP 2004). *Edward Jerningham, born after the death of his father. *Elizabeth Jerningham, Maid of Honour to

Queen Mary I Mary I (18 February 1516 – 17 November 1558), also known as Mary Tudor, and as "Bloody Mary" by her Protestant opponents, was Queen of England and Ireland from July 1553 and Queen of Spain from January 1556 until her death in 1558. Sh ...

. By his father's first marriage to Margaret Bedingfield, Jerningham had several brothers and sisters of the half blood, including Sir John Jerningham of Somerleyton, and Lady Anne Grey. Jerningham's father died in 1515, and by 1532 his mother had married

Sir William Kingston Sir William Kingston, KG ( – 14 September 1540) was an English courtier, soldier and administrator. He was the Constable of the Tower of London during much of the reign of Henry VIII. Among the notable prisoners he was responsible for were ...

, who had been appointed Constable of the Tower of London on 28 May 1524.

Career

St Olave's Priory in St Olaves - geograph

Jerningham was admitted to the Inner Temple in 1528, and in the same year was appointed

Constable A constable is a person holding a particular office, most commonly in criminal law enforcement. The office of constable can vary significantly in different jurisdictions. A constable is commonly the rank of an officer within the police. Other peop ...

of Gloucester Castle.M.K. Dale, 'Jerningham, Sir Henry (1509/10-72), of Costessey, Norfolk; Herringfleet and Wingfield, Suffolk; Painswick, Gloucestershire, and London', in S.T. Bindoff (ed.), ''The History of Parliament: the House of Commons 1509-1558'' (from Boydell and Brewer 1982),
History of Parliament Online
At about the same time he entered the service of

's elder daughter, Mary Tudor, as a sewer.A. Weikel, 'Jerningham, Sir Henry (1509/10–1572)', ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' (OUP 2004). He became one of Henry VIII's Gentlemen Pensioners about 1540, and thereafter was present at "major state occasions", and took part in the King's campaign in France in 1544 with his own contingent of five horsemen. In 1544 he and his wife were granted the manor of Wingfield in Suffolk,W.A. Copinger, ''The Manors of Suffolk'' (Taylor, Garnett, Evans & Co. Ltd, Manchester 1909), IV
p. 111
(Internet Archive). and in 1546 he was granted the site of the former St Olave's Priory in Herringfleet. Little is known of his career under King Edward VI. However he was among the first to join the future

at Kenninghall when

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 Ja ...

, attempted to place

Lady Jane Grey Lady Jane Grey ( 1537 – 12 February 1554), later known as Lady Jane Dudley (after her marriage) and as the "Nine Days' Queen", was an English noblewoman who claimed the throne of England and Ireland from 10 July until 19 July 1553. Jane was ...

on the throne after King Edward's death in 1553. He raised troops in

Suffolk Suffolk () is a ceremonial county of England in East Anglia. It borders Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south; the North Sea lies to the east. The county town is Ipswich; other important towns include Lowes ...

on Mary's behalf, and at her accession to the throne she appointed him Vice-Chamberlain of the Household, and Captain of the Guard. He was created a Knight of the Bath at Mary's coronation, and shortly thereafter was sworn to the

. His wife, Frances, became one of the Queen's gentlewomen. Further rewards followed in the form of grants of lands, including the manor of Costessey, one of the largest manors in Norfolk, where he rebuilt

Costessey Hall Costessey Hall (pronounced and sometimes spelt Cossey Hall, also written as Cotesby Hall) was a manor house in Costessey, Norfolk, England, four miles west of Norwich. The first mention of it dates to 1066, when William I gave it to Alan Rufus, Ea ...

. He played a decisive role in the suppression of Wyatt's rebellion in 1554, and "was clearly one of the Queen's most trusted servants". In December 1557 he became Master of the Horse, an appointment accompanied by the grant of an annuity of £300. He was a Knight of the Shire throughout Queen Mary's reign, four times for

between 1553 and 1555, and once for Gloucestershire in 1558. Queen Mary appointed Jerningham one of the six assistant executors of her will. However

Queen Elizabeth Queen Elizabeth, Queen Elisabeth or Elizabeth the Queen may refer to: Queens regnant * Elizabeth I (1533–1603; ), Queen of England and Ireland * Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022 ...

dismissed him from office. He retired to

, where he made his will on 15 August 1572, and died on 6 September at the age of sixty-three. He was buried in the parish church at Costessey. He was survived by his wife, Frances, by two of his sons, Henry and William, and by one of his daughters, Jeronyma. His will was proved on 27 May 1573.

Marriage and issue

Jerningham's marriage is said to have been arranged by his stepfather, Sir William Kingston. In 1536 he married Kingston's granddaughter, Frances Baynham, the daughter of Sir George Baynham of

Clearwell, Gloucestershire Clearwell (anciently "Clower-Wall" etc.) is a village and former ancient manor in the Forest of Dean, West Gloucestershire, England. A recent survey indicated that the population of Clearwell is approximately 350. There are mines locally that d ...

. By her he had three sons and two daughters, as follows: * Henry Jerningham * William Jerningham * Francis Jerningham * Mary Jerningham, who married Sir Thomas Southwell (died 1568) of

Woodrising, Norfolk Woodrising is a village and former civil parish, now in the parish of Cranworth, in the Breckland district, in the county of Norfolk, England. The village of Woodrising is south of Dereham. In 1931 the parish had a population of 103. The parish c ...

* Jeronyma Jerningham, who married Charles Waldegrave of Stanninghall.

References

External links

Will of Edward Jerningham, proved 19 February 1515, PROB 11/18/104, National Archives
Retrieved 26 May 2013
Will of Sir Henry Jerningham of Costessey, Norfolk, proved 27 May 1573, PROB 11/55/240, National Archives
Retrieved 26 May 2013
Will of Frances Jerningham, widow, of Costessey, Norfolk, proved 15 February 1584, PROB 11/66/340, National Archives
Retrieved 26 May 2013
Will of Mary Kingston, widow, proved 25 January 1549, PROB 11/32/320, National Archives
Retrieved 26 May 2013 {{DEFAULTSORT:Jerningham, Henry 1500s births 1572 deaths Knights of the Bath Members of the Privy Council of England People from Suffolk Coastal (district) English MPs 1553 (Mary I) English MPs 1554 English MPs 1554–1555 English MPs 1555 English MPs 1558 Politicians from Gloucestershire People from Costessey