Biography of James Croft 1518-1590

Paternal Family Tree: Croft

In 1517 [his father] Richard Croft of Croft Castle (age 33) and [his mother] Catherine Herbert (age 15) were married.

Around 1518 James Croft was born to Richard Croft of Croft Castle (age 34) and Catherine Herbert (age 16).

In or before 1540 James Croft (age 21) and Alice Warnecombe (age 17) were married.

Around 1540 [his son] Edward Croft was born to James Croft (age 22) and [his wife] Alice Warnecombe (age 18).

Around 1550 [his son] James Croft was born to James Croft (age 32) and [his wife] Alice Warnecombe (age 28).

Diary of Edward VI. 4th August 1550. Mr. Setlienger (age 54)² was apointed by mi lettres patentes to be deputy there (in Ireland), and had his commission, iastructions, and lettres to the nobles of Irland for the same purpose.

Note 2. Sir Anthony St. Leger, K.G. had been lord deputy of Ireland for several periods since the year 1540. He had been replaced by sir Edward Bellingham (see before, p. 221) by patent dated 22 April, 2 Edw. VI. (1548). Sir Edward was now dead, and sir Anthony was reappointed by patent 4 Aug. 4 Edw. VI. (1550). He was succeeded by sir James Croft (age 32) on the 29th April following, but again became lord deputy after the accession of Mary. On the 28th June, 1550, the council had resolved, "That in consideration of the greate chardge the lorde deputie of Irelande doth and shall susteigne in th'execucion of his office there, his fee shall be augmented CC marks, to make it up full a thousand pounds a yere." (Council Book.)

Diary of Edward VI. 3rd April 1551. Mr. Croftis (age 33)³ apointed to goe into Irlande, and there with Rogers and certain artificers to take the havens aforsaid, and begine some fortification.

Note 3. "Feb. xxiij. A lettre to the lorde deputie of Irelande, declareing the cause why sir James Crofte is presently sent thither, requireing him to credit him; and further instruccions were given unto the said sir Jamnes, the mynutes whereof to remaigne with the secretaries.

"Feb. XXV. The King's majestie's lettre to the lorde deputie of Irelande, by sir James Crofte, haveing credit and commission thereby for certaine fortificacions at Corke and Kinsale, against the lorde Cobham's repaire thither with an armye for like purpose.

"Feb. xxvj. A warrant to sir Edmund Peckham (age 56) to paie unto sir Thomas Challoner, threasorer of th'expedicion into Irelande, cc. li., to be paied over in trust to sir James Crofte."

This incident in the life of sir James Croft was overlooked in the memoir of him (compiled by the late Sir T. E. Croft and Sir Harris Nicolas,) pubUshed in the Retrospective Review, 1827. On the 23rd May following he became lord deputy of Ireland, in succession to sir Anthony St. Leger (age 55).

Henry Machyn's Diary. 7th July 1553. [The same day there came to the Tower the lord Treasurer, the earl of Shrewsbury (age 53), and the lord Admiral, with others; and there they discharged sir James Croft (age 35) of the] constabullshype of the Towre, and ther thay put [in the said lord] Admerall, and toke ys othe and charge of the Towre, and [the morrow] after he convayd in-to all plasys of the Towre and ... grett gunnes, as the Whyt Towre on hee.

Chronicle of Queen Jane and Two Years of Queen Mary 1553. 23rd July 1553. A lettere written in London mentiones that the lord admirall, and the lords Greye (age 44),^b Garret, Wormon,^c and the lord Fitzwarren, sir Henry Sidney (age 24), and sir James Croffts (age 35), with divers others, have already their pardon graunted them.

The duke of Northumberland is in custody of the garde as a prisoner in Cambridge, and my ladie his wyfe, the lord Guilford (age 18), and the lady Jane (age 17), are in the Towere as prisoneres. My lord marques of Northampton, the earle of Huntingdon, sir Henry Gates, and divers other, cannot as yet gett their pardones."

Note b. William lord Grey of Wilton was the commander upon whose military talents the duke of Northumberland seems to have mainly relied: but lord Grey, who had been an adherent of the duke of Somerset, probably did not serve on this occasion very cordially. He seems to have left Northumberland when at Cambridge, and made his submission to Mary; who on her arrival at her manor of Newhall in Essex, on the 31st of July, dismissed him to his former charge of the castle of Guisnes, with a reinforcement of 350 footmen and 50 horsemen demi-lances: see her letters patent, printed in the Appendix to the Life of Lord Grey of Wilton, No. VI.

Note c. The earl of Ormond.

Wyatt's Rebellion

Calendar of State Papers of Spain. 19th February 1554. Simon Renard to Prince Philip.

My Lord: Since I last wrote to your Highness French plots have been discovered to show that Courtenay and the Lady Elizabeth, by means of intermediaries called Peter Carew, Wyatt (age 33), Crofts (age 36) and my Lord Thomas (Grey), conspired to throw the Queen of England into the Tower and put her to death, in order to seize the crown for themselves. The King of France had promised help in troops and money, and had already distributed some 10,000 to 12,000 crowns to private individuals. In the meantime 200 or 300 gentlemen, all of them heretics, were meeting together: the Duke of Suffolk (age 37) and his two brothers [Note. Thomas Grey and John Grey (age 30)], Cobham (age 57) and his three sons [Note. William Brooke 10th Baron Cobham (age 26), George Brooke (age 21), Thomas Brooke (age 21)], Pelham, Pickering, Carew and many more, and agreed to put their plans into execution in the spring. However, as God means to protect this good lady, the conspirators were forced to take up arms sooner than they had intended because Courtenay did not keep the secret and letters from the French ambassador, seized and enclosed herewith, were deciphered and revealed part of the plot. Moreover, Courtenay had a servant of his in France, and six weeks ago he and one Valbic (Welby?) were intriguing for the conspirators. To start with, Peter Carew made a violent effort to rouse the people on account of your Highness's marriage with the Queen, but as the people refused to rise, he had to fly to France, where trustworthy accounts tell he had a nocturnal conversation with the King-a sign of their malignity. His adherents were taken prisoners at Coventry (Compierre) where a similar attempt was made; and on the first day of Lent the rebels were defeated as your Highness will see by the copies of letters I wrote from time to time to the Emperor.

All About History Books

The Chronicle of Geoffrey le Baker of Swinbroke. Baker was a secular clerk from Swinbroke, now Swinbrook, an Oxfordshire village two miles east of Burford. His Chronicle describes the events of the period 1303-1356: Gaveston, Bannockburn, Boroughbridge, the murder of King Edward II, the Scottish Wars, Sluys, Crécy, the Black Death, Winchelsea and Poitiers. To quote Herbert Bruce 'it possesses a vigorous and characteristic style, and its value for particular events between 1303 and 1356 has been recognised by its editor and by subsequent writers'. The book provides remarkable detail about the events it describes. Baker's text has been augmented with hundreds of notes, including extracts from other contemporary chronicles, such as the Annales Londonienses, Annales Paulini, Murimuth, Lanercost, Avesbury, Guisborough and Froissart to enrich the reader's understanding. The translation takes as its source the 'Chronicon Galfridi le Baker de Swynebroke' published in 1889, edited by Edward Maunde Thompson. Available at Amazon in eBook and Paperback.

Wriothesley's Chronicle. 29th April 1554. The 29 of Aprill Sir James Croft (age 36), knight, was arrayned in the Guildhall [Map] of treason, and there by a jurie of the citizens of London condemned and had judgment of death.

Henry Machyn's Diary. 21st February 1554. The sam day cam rydyng to the Towre the lord Thomas Gray, the duke of Suffoke('s) (age 37) brodur, and ser James a Croft (age 36) knyght, sum tyme depute of Yrland.

Henry Machyn's Diary. 17th April 1554. The xvij day of Aprell was had to Yeld-hall [Map] ser Necolaus Frogmortun (age 39), ser James a Croft (age 36), master Wynter, master Vaghan; and ther Waghan gaff evedens agaynst ser Necolas Frogmortun of tresun, but the qwest dyd qwytt hym.

Henry Machyn's Diary. 29th April 1554. The xxix day of Aprell was raynyd at Yeldhall [Map] ser James a Croft (age 36), late depute of Yrland, and cast; and master Wynter whent ther too.

Henry Machyn's Diary. 18th January 1555. The sam day whent to the Towre [Map] my lord chansseler (age 72), and dyvers odur lordes and of the conselle, and delyvered a nomber presonars, as ther names folowes-ser James a Croft (age 37), ser Gorge Harper, ser Gawynn Carow, ser Necolas Frogmortun (age 40), master Vaghan, ser Edward Varner, Gybbs, the bysshope of Yorke, master Rogers (age 50), and dyvers odur presonars, and after ther was a gret shottyng of gones.

On 1st January 1562 [his father] Richard Croft of Croft Castle (age 78) died.

After 1573 James Croft (age 55) and Catherine Blount (age 53) were married. They were second cousins.

Around July 1573 [his wife] Alice Warnecombe (age 51) died.

In 1574 [his mother] Catherine Herbert (age 72) died.

In 1580 [his son] James Croft (age 30) and [his daughter-in-law] Margery Wentworth were married.

Around 1585 [his wife] Catherine Blount (age 65) died.

On 4th September 1590 James Croft (age 72) died.

Biography of James Croft 1518-1590

Ancestors of James Croft 1518-1590