Biography of George Darcy 1st Baron Darcy Aston 1497-1558

Before 1495 [his father] Thomas Darcy 1st Baron Darcy Templehurst [aged 27] and [his mother] Dousabella Tempest [aged 27] were married. They were fourth cousin once removed. He a great x 5 grandson of King Edward III of England. She a great x 5 granddaughter of King Edward III of England.

In 1497 George Darcy 1st Baron Darcy Aston was born to [his father] Thomas Darcy 1st Baron Darcy Templehurst [aged 30] and [his mother] Dousabella Tempest [aged 30].

Around 1500 [his father] Thomas Darcy 1st Baron Darcy Templehurst [aged 33] and [his step-mother] Edith Sandys Baroness were married.

On 17th October 1509 [his father] Thomas Darcy 1st Baron Darcy Templehurst [aged 42] was created 1st Baron Darcy of Darcy aka Templehurst. [his step-mother] Edith Sandys Baroness by marriage Baroness Darcy of Darcy aka Templehurst.

In or after 1521 [his daughter] Edith Darcy was born to George Darcy 1st Baron Darcy Aston [aged 24] and [his future wife] Dorothy Melton Baroness Darcy [aged 15]. She married in or before 1534 her half fourth cousin once removed Thomas Dawney and had issue.

After 26th March 1521 George Darcy 1st Baron Darcy Aston [aged 24] and Dorothy Melton Baroness Darcy [aged 15] were married. They were fifth cousins.

Around 1522 [his daughter] Agnes Darcy was born to George Darcy 1st Baron Darcy Aston [aged 25] and [his wife] Dorothy Melton Baroness Darcy [aged 16]. She married 1545 her fifth cousin William Fairfax.

Around 1525 [his daughter] Dorothy Darcy was born to George Darcy 1st Baron Darcy Aston [aged 28] and [his wife] Dorothy Melton Baroness Darcy [aged 19].

On 22nd August 1529 [his mother] Dousabella Tempest [aged 62] died.

In or before 1534 [his son-in-law] Thomas Dawney [aged 16] and [his daughter] Edith Darcy [aged 12] were married. They were half fourth cousin once removed. He a great x 5 grandson of King Edward III of England.

Around 1535 [his daughter] Elizabeth Darcy was born to George Darcy 1st Baron Darcy Aston [aged 38] and [his wife] Dorothy Melton Baroness Darcy [aged 29]. She married before 1560 her fourth cousin once removed Brian Stapleton and had issue.

Around 1540 [his son] John Darcy 2nd Baron Darcy Aston was born to George Darcy 1st Baron Darcy Aston [aged 43] and [his wife] Dorothy Melton Baroness Darcy [aged 34] at Aston. He married before 18th October 1602 his sixth cousin Anne Babington and had issue.

Around 1543 [his daughter] Mary Darcy was born to George Darcy 1st Baron Darcy Aston [aged 46] and [his wife] Dorothy Melton Baroness Darcy [aged 37]. She married (1) 1559 her sixth cousin Henry Babington and had issue (2) after 1571 Henry Foljambe of Barlborough.

In 1545 [his son-in-law] William Fairfax [aged 14] and [his daughter] Agnes Darcy [aged 23] were married. They were fifth cousins.

In 1548 George Darcy 1st Baron Darcy Aston [aged 51] was created 1st Baron Darcy of Aston. [his wife] Dorothy Melton Baroness Darcy [aged 42] by marriage Baroness Darcy of Aston. Some argue this was a restoration of his father's Barony although when he took his place in the House of Lords it was a junior Baron ie without the precedence of the former Barony suggesting it was a new creation. However, when his son John Darcy 2nd Baron Darcy Aston [aged 8] took his place in the House of Lords it was with the precedence of the former Barony.

In 1553 [his daughter] Dorothy Darcy [aged 28] died.

Henry Machyn's Diary. 25th May 1555. The xxv day of May was slayne by my lord Dacre's [aged 58] son master West sqwyre [Lewis West son of William West of Aughton]; ther wher xl men a-ganst master West and ys viij men, be-syd Roderam in Yorke-shyre. The lord Dacre dwellys at Aston in the sam contrey.

Note. P. 107. Master West esquire slain by my lord Dacre's (Darcy's) son. Our journalist here, and at p. 121, has miswritten Dacre for Darcy. The murdered man was Lewis West, of Wales near Doncaster, esquire, son and heir apparent of sir William West, of Aughton in the same county, whose death followed before the end of the year, and his funeral occurs at p. 161. The lord Darcy's son was George Darcy, whose name is not mentioned in the peerages, but has been traced in some other documents by Mr. Hunter, who, in his History of South Yorkshire, vol. ii. pp. 173–176, has printed a curious contemporary ballad relative to this event, accompanied by some other particulars connected with it. It arose from one of those family feuds which were still prevalent in the sixteenth century; and the two sons of lord Darcy, John and George, were implicated in it, as well as the two sons of sir William West, Lewis and Edmund. The ballad is headed "The murder of the two brothers, Lewis and Edmund, by the sons of lord Darcy;" but this is an error, for only Lewis was killed and one of his men, as the ballad itself states. The brothers West were returning from Rotherham fair, held on Whitmonday, to their cousin's house at Aughton, when they were assaulted by the Darcys, who were much more numerously attended, "with men three score," and after a desperate fight the result was as already stated. George Darcy, the younger brother, who appears to have been the actual murderer, took sanctuary at Westminster, and an account of the penance he performed is recorded by our chronicler, p. 121, as is his subsequent trial in p. 165.

Henry Machyn's Diary. 6th December 1556. [The vj day of December the abbot of Westminster [aged 41] went a procession with his convent; before him went all the] santuary men with crosse keys apon [their garments, and] after whent iij for murder; on was the lord Dacres [aged 59] [his son] sone of the Northe was wypyd with a shett a-bowt [him, for] kyllyng of on master West sqwyre dwellyng be-syd ....; and anodur theyff that dyd long to one of master comtroller .... dyd kylle Recherd Eggyllston the comtroller('s) tayller, and k[illed him in] the Long Acurs, the bak-syd Charyng-crosse; and a boy [that] kyld a byge boye that sold papers and pryntyd bokes [with] horlyng of a stone and yt hym under the ere in Westmynster Hall; the boy was one of the chylderyn that was [at the] sckoll ther in the abbey; the boy ys a hossear sune a-boyff London-stone.

Henry Machyn's Diary. 20th December 1556. [The xx day of December the Queen [aged 40] rode in her chariot through the park from] Santt James unto the galere, and so [took] her barge unto Westmynster, and landyd [at the palace,] and so in-to the abbay, and ther her grace hard [even song], and my lord cardenalle [aged 56] and my lord Montyguw [aged 28], [and my] lord Darse of Essex [aged 59] dyd bere the sword a-for [her grace], and my lade Montyguw [aged 18] bare up the quen ['s train].

Henry Machyn's Diary. 23rd April 1557. The xxiij day of Aprell was sant George('s) day [the King's [aged 29]] grace whent a pressessyon at Whyt-halle [through the hall] and rond abowt the court hard by the halle; and so [certain of] the knyghts of the garter as they whent in ther [robes] of the garter; the bysshope of Wynchaster [aged 47] dyd exsecute the masse with ys myter; the furst as they whe[nt the lord] Montyguw [aged 28], my lord admerall [aged 47], ser Antony Sely[ger, the] lord Cobham [aged 60], the lord Darce [aged 60], ser Thomas Chenne, [the lord] Pagett [aged 51], the lord of Penbroke [aged 56], the lord of Arundel [aged 45], [the] lord tressorer [aged 74], and secretore Peter in a robe of cremesun velvett with the garter brodered on ys shuder, and [one bare] a rod of blake, and a docthur bare a boke; and [then went all] the harodes, and then my lord Talbott [aged 29] bare the sword, then sergant(s) of armes, and the Kyng('s) grace [came next], and Quen('s) [aged 41] grace lokyng owt of a wyndow [beside] the cowrt on the garden syde.

Henry Machyn's Diary. 22nd July 1557. The sam day cam from my lord Dacurs of the North [aged 60], beyond Carlylle [Map], (blank) lyght hors-men to go [beyond] see.

Henry Machyn's Diary. 4th August 1557. The iiij day of August was the masse of requiem for my lade prenses of Cleyff [deceased], and dowther to [William] duke of Cleyff [Note. Anne of Cleves was daughter to John de la Marck III Duke Cleves]; and ther my lord abbott of Westmynster [aged 42] mad a godly sermon as ever was mad, and [then] ... the byshope of London [aged 57] song masse in ys myter; [and after] masse my lord byshope and my lord abbott mytered dyd [cense] the corsse; and afterward she was caried to her tomb, [where] she leys with a herse-cloth of gold, the wyche lyys [over her]; and ther alle her hed offesers brake ther stayffes, [and all] her hussears [ushers] brake ther rodes, and all they cast them in-to her tombe; the wyche was covered her co[rps] with blake, and all the lordes and lades and knyghtes and gentyllmen and gentell-women dyd offer, and after masse agrett [dinner] at my lord (abbat's); and my lade of Wynchester was the cheyff [mourner,] and my lord admeroll [aged 47] and my lord Darce [aged 60] whent of ether syde of my lade of Wynchester, and so they whent in order to dinner.

Henry Machyn's Diary. 19th August 1557. The xviiij day of August was the hers for the kyng of Denmarke fenysshed, with wax, the wyche was never sen shyche on [seen such a one] in England of that fassyon, of sqware tapurs, and xxj baners and baners rolles of all ther leneges and mareges in baner-rolles. The sam nyght was the durge, my lord tresorer cheyff morner; and after that my lord Darcy [aged 60], ser Robart Uxinbryge [aged 49], ser Edmond Peckam [aged 62], ser [Robert] Freston [aged 57], cofferer to the quen [aged 41], and ser Recherd Sowthwell [aged 54], ser [his brother] Arthur Darcy [aged 62], and mony nobull men and gentyllmen alle in blake; and my lord of London [aged 57] begane the durge, with ys myter [on] alle the durge wylle; and after the durge alle the haroldes and the lordes whent to the bysshope of London('s) plasse and dronke; and iiij goodly whytt branchys, and vj dosen torchys, and the qwer hangyd with blake and armes; and vj pilers covered with velvet, and a goodly hers-cloth of tensell, the crosse of cloth of selver; and the morow masse, and a goodly sermon, and after to my lord('s) of London to dener for the kyng of Denmarke('s) obseque and fenerall, and a mageste and valans fryng of gold, and x dosen pensels, and x dosen skochyns of armes.

On 21st September 1557 [his wife] Dorothy Melton Baroness Darcy [aged 51] died.

On 28th August 1558 George Darcy 1st Baron Darcy Aston [aged 61] died at Stepney [Map]. His son John [aged 18] succeeded 2nd Baron Darcy of Aston.

[his son] George Darcy was born to George Darcy 1st Baron Darcy Aston and Dorothy Melton Baroness Darcy.