John Stafford, 1st Earl of Wiltshire

John Stafford
Earl of Wiltshire
Arms of Sir John Stafford, 1st Earl of Wiltshire, KG
Born24 November 1427
Died8 May 1473
Spouse(s)Constance Green
IssueEdward Stafford, 2nd Earl of Wiltshire
FatherHumphrey Stafford, 1st Duke of Buckingham
MotherLady Anne Neville

John Stafford, 1st Earl of Wiltshire KG, KB (24 November 1427[1][unreliable source] – 8 May 1473) was an English nobleman, the youngest son of Humphrey Stafford, 1st Duke of Buckingham. In 1461 he was appointed Knight of the Order of the Bath.

Career

He fought on the Yorkist side at the Battle of Hexham in 1464. In 1469, he was made Steward of the Duchy of Cornwall for life. He was made Earl of Wiltshire on 5 January 1470[2] by King Edward IV, and was briefly arrested under Warwick's government and prevented from attending the Parliament of November 1470 (he was one of six Yorkist nobles not to receive a summons).[3]

In return for his loyalty he was made Chief Butler of England, and was empowered, with Lord Mountjoy to pardon rebels who surrendered by 7 June that year.[4] He was made a Knight of the Garter in 1472.

Diplomacy

He did act for some time as a diplomat, working with the Earl of Northumberland to deal with ambassadors of James III of Scotland about national grievances.[5]

Personal life

He married Constance Green, daughter of Sir Henry Green of Drayton House Northamptonshire[5] and Margaret de Ros. They only had one child, Edward, who succeeded him as Earl of Wiltshire, although during the latter's minority he was kept as a ward of the King, meaning revenues from his estates were paid to the Crown.[6]

Ancestors

Ancestors of John Stafford, 1st Earl of Wiltshire
16. Ralph Stafford, 1st Earl of Stafford
8. Hugh de Stafford, 2nd Earl of Stafford
17. Margaret de Audley
4. Edmund Stafford, 5th Earl of Stafford
18. Thomas de Beauchamp, 11th Earl of Warwick
9. Philippa de Beauchamp
19. Katherine Mortimer
2. Humphrey Stafford, 1st Duke of Buckingham
20. Edward III of England
10. Thomas of Woodstock, 1st Duke of Gloucester
21. Philippa of Hainault
5. Anne of Gloucester
22. Humphrey de Bohun, 7th Earl of Hereford
11. Eleanor de Bohun
23. Joan Fitzalan
1. John Stafford, 1st Earl of Wiltshire
24. Ralph Neville, 2nd Baron Neville de Raby
12. John de Neville
25. Alice Audley
6. Ralph Neville, 1st Earl of Westmorland
26. Henry de Percy, 2nd Baron Percy
13. Maud Percy
27. Idoine de Clifford
3. Anne Neville
28. Edward III
14. John of Gaunt, 1st Duke of Lancaster
29. Philippa of Hainault
7. Joan Beaufort, Countess of Westmorland
30. Payen de Roet
15. Katherine Swynford
31. ??

References

  1. ^ "Stafford".
  2. ^ The historic peerage of England: exhibiting, under alphabetical arrangement, the origin, descent, and present state of every title of peerage which has existed in this country since the Conquest; being a new edition of the "Synopsis of the Peerage of England" by Sir Nicholas Harris Nicolas and William Courthope, published 1857. On Google Books, accessed 6 February 2010.
  3. ^ Ross, C., Edward IV, Trowbridge 1975, p. 155
  4. ^ Ross, C., Edward IV, Trowbridge 1975, p. 150
  5. ^ a b Burke, J. (1831). A general and heraldic dictionary of the peerages of England, Ireland, and Scotland, extinct, dormant, and in abeyance. England. H. Colburn & R. Bentley. p. 493. Retrieved 14 September 2015.
  6. ^ Ross, C., Edward IV, Trowbridge 1975, p.380; this 'provided up to £1,400 a year towards the rebuilding of St George's Chapel at Windsor'.
Political offices
Preceded by Chief Butler of England
1471–1473 		Succeeded by
Peerage of England
New creation Earl of Wiltshire
1470–1473 		Succeeded by


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