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Plotting the death of a King

29/6/2016

‪It was on the 4th July 1459 that Thomas Vaughan, Alice, wife of Richard of Salisbury and William Oldhall, according the the November Parliament heard in Coventry, imagined and compassed the death of Henry VI.

"And forasmoch as Aleyse the wyf of the seid Richard erle of Salesbury, the first day of August, the yere of youre moost
noble reigne .xxxvij. th , at Middelham in youre shire of York, and William Oldhall knyght, and Thomas Vaghan late of
London squier, at London, in the parissh of Seint Jame at Garlikhithe, in the warde of Quenehithe, the fourth day of Jule, the same yere, falsely and traiterously ymagyned and compassed the deth and fynall destruccion of you, soverayne lord;
and in accomplisshment and executyng therof, the seid Aleise, at Middelham aforeseid the seid first day of August,
and the seid William Oldhall and Thomas Vaghan, at London, in the seid parissh and warde, the seid fourth day of
Jule,[col. b] traiterously labored, abetted, procured, stered and provoked the seid duc of York, and the seid erles of
Warrewyk and Salesbury, to doo the seid tresons, rebellions, gaderynges, ridynges and reryng of werre ayenst youre
moost roiall persone, at the seid toune of Blore and Ludeford: to ordeyne and establissh, by the seid auctorite, that the
same Aleise, William Oldhall and Thomas Vaghan for the same be reputed, taken, demed, adjugged and
atteinted of high treson."

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Death of William Ayscough

29/6/2016

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As chaos engulfed the streets of London in the summer of 1450, William Ayscough, Bishop of Salisbury was a frightened man, most probably believing that the mob who had plotted his death at the beginning of the year would now put their plans into action.

The death in the February of Adam Moleyns, murdered on a beach at Portsmouth and the murder three months later of William de la Pole off the coast at Dover must have playing on Ayscough's mind, and with Jack Cade's rebel's drawing ever closer, Asycough left the city heading for his home in Dorset.

William Ayscough, along with Moleyn's had been a royal councilor and in his capacity as Henry VI's confessor, had been one of a few men who had been close to the king. However, he did himself no flavours by suggesting (allegedly) to Henry that he abstain from having sex with the queen. This of course was taken as jeopardising the succession, and seeing that there was no Lancastrian heir and that Richard, Duke of York was hovering in the wings it was certainly a risky thing to say.

Asycough's movements after leaving London are not documented and the reason he was taking mass at the priory church
in Edington in Wiltshire on the 29th of June is unclear, but its likely that it was a stopping point on his southwards journey home to Sherborne.

Maybe he thought that he would be safe, but he was far from it.

Ayscough's fears that he too would die at the hands of a mob turned into reality when he was killed by the people of
Edington parish while at mass in the church of that forms part of the Bonhommes Priory.

Of Ayscough's death the Chronicles of England states

'William Ascoghe, bisshop of Salisbury was slayn of his owen parisshens and peple . . . aftir that he hadde saide
Mass, and was draw from the auter and lad up to an hill the beside, to his awbe and his stole aboute his necke; and their
they slow him horribly, thair fader and thair bisshoppe and spoillid him unto the nakid skyn, and rente his blody shirte
in to pecis.'

Hill in the fields just outside Edington Church and Priory.

You have to wonder if some of the men who died in the turmoil that engulfed the country in 1450 were all bad, Ayscouth it seems
'concerned himself regularly with diocesan affairs and the maintenance of orthodoxy'

It is thought that Ayscough was buried where he was slain, less than a mile where King Alfred fought Guthram at the Battle of Edington in 878.

(My photographs of Edington Church and the fields that surround it were taken in 2014 when my daughter lived in Bratton, Edington's neigbouring village.)

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Margaret Beaufort

29/6/2016

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The inscription on the tomb of Margaret Beaufort composed by Erasmus reads:

"Margaret of Richmond, mother of Henry VII, grandmother of Henry VIII, who gave a salary to three monks of this convent
and founded a grammar school at Wimborne, and to a preacher throughout England, and to two interpreters of Scripture,
one at Oxford, the other at Cambridge, where she likewise founded two colleges, one to Christ, and the other to St John,
his disciple. Died A.D.1509, III Kalends of July [29 June]".

Margaret Beaufort's Funeral Effergy at Westminster Abbey by Pietro Torrigiani

In 1455, at the age of just twelve years old Margaret had married Edmund Tudor as her second husband. Margaret was soon pregnant and gave birth to the future Henry VII a year later. The birth of Henry, while Margaret was just a child herself, did irreparable damage, and this could account for the fact that she never gave birth again. Thirty years later, Henry was aided at the Battle of Bosworth by Thomas Stanley, her fourth husband whose family famously stood and watched the battle, deciding at the last moment to take the side of the Lancastrian's against Richard III's Yorkist forces. Although Margaret never recognised it as a marriage she was firstly married to John de la Pole, the son of William de la Pole and Alice Chaucer. This marriage was later annulled.

Margaret's third husband was Humphrey, Duke of Buckingham, their marriage was said to be a happy one. In Henry VII's court, Margaret liked to be referred to as 'My Lady the King's Mother' she intensely disliked the fact that she was of a lower status than both Elizabeth of York, Henry's queen and her mother Elizabeth Woodville, the widow of Edward IV. She also disliked the fact that she had to adhere to court protocol and walk behind the queen and was probably responsible for the banishment of Elizabeth Woodville in 1487. Henry was said to have been a devoted son, his death in the June of 1509 was probably the beginning of the end for Margaret as she was dead only two months later.

Margaret Beaufort is famous as much for her piety and gifts to churches and collages as she is for being domineering, pushy and intimidating, she was a force to be reckoned with, but her achievements prove that medieval women did not always take the back seat to men.

Love her or hate her she was a very strong and determined woman.

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Jack Cade's Rebellion

28/6/2016

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It was towards the end of June in 1450 that London was about to be plunged into turmoil and whose streets would run red with blood.

This conflict came to be known as Cade’s Rebellion and it was one of the most important uprisings to take place in England since the Peasants Revolt some sixty-nine years earlier. Cade’s attempted to come to some sort of agreement along the diplomatic route when he presented, prior to the uprising, Fifteen Articles of Complaint, of which author Michael Miller writes.

“They were an eloquent and detailed description of the people's feelings at the time, and showed a great ability of expression. Alienation of the Crown's property and the half-hearted enforcement of Resumption Statutes lead to the natural corollaries that the Crown could not pay its debts, and the enrichment of the undeserving had made them arrogant and tyrannical.The overbearing attitude of the King's favourites, and their corrupt ways, was insufferable”

But these were dismissed and battle commenced.

The taking of London, was a success for Cade, his forces had stormed the Tower of London, but had failed to take control of it. By the first week of July a number of important kings men were executed and by 5th the rebels left the city threatening to return the following day. Later pardons were offered and Cade and his men began their return journey home.

Henry and his court learnt nothing from Cade's rebellion, and Miller rather amusingly writes:

‘King Henry VI and his Court, for want of anything constructive to do, went on Royal Progresses through the Midlands’

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The Arrest of Thomas Vaughan

12/6/2016

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Chapter Nine

Edward’s mighty castle at Ludlow stands on a raised area of land overlooking the River Teme that lies on its western and southern borders, the town itself lies on the castle's eastern side. The original castles foundations were built some twenty five years following the conquest of England, and by the beginning of the 14th century it was under the ownership of Roger Mortimer, the one time lover of Edward II’s queen. By 1425 it was the principal residence Richard, Duke of York and soon to be a symbol of Yorkist authority. Edward IV and his brother Edmund were both educated at Ludlow and in 1473 Edward established a home here for his young son, entrusting family and loyal members of his court with the princes care and education. The medieval household was strictly hierarchical, each position was placed in order of importance and at its head a person of equal importance to the lord, and Edward's household was no different.

“To Love and Wait Upon” is the motto of Sir Thomas Vaughan. Vaughan was a knight, an administrator and Chamberlain to Edward V yet he is only ever mentioned as one of the three men executed, in 1485, on the order of Richard Duke of Gloucester. Vaughan held an important role in the court of Edward IV, yet very few people are interested in him. Here is my attempt at telling his story.

Thomas Vaughan’s story continues on my website.

meanderingthroughtime.weebly.com/chapter-nine-the-arrest.html

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Plotting the death of a King

Death of William Ayscough

Margaret Beaufort

Jack Cade's Rebellion

The Arrest of Thomas Vaughan

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