ON THIS DAY ...

de bene esse: literally, of well-being, morally acceptable but subject to future validation or exception

On this day in history, 19th March...
1563 - Death of Arthur Brooke, translator and poet, in the shipwreck of the Greyhound off the coast of Rye in East Sussex, while travelling to LeHavre. Shakespeare used his "The tragicall historye of Romeus and Juliet, written first in Italian by Bandell, and nowe in Englishe by Ar. Br." as his main source for Romeo and Juliet
1563 - Death of Sir Thomas Finch,... knight-marshal, in the same wreck.
1563 - Peace (Edict) of Amboise signed at the Château of Amboise by Catherine de' Medici, as regent for her son, Charles IX.
1577 - Death of Edmund Harman, former barber of Henry VIII, at Burford in Oxfordshire.
1590 - Baptism of William Bradford, separatist and founder of the Plymouth Colony, Massachusetts, at Austerfield in Yorkshire. Bradford was Governor of the colony for over thirty years.

 

On this day in history, 18th March...
1496 - Birth of Mary Tudor, Queen of France.
1496 - Death of Thomas Burgh, Baron Burgh, soldier and administrator. He was buried in the chantry chapel he had built in Gainsborough Parish Church. Burgh had served as an Esquire of the Body, Master of the Horse and Privy Councillor to Edward IV, and also served Henry VII as Knight of the Body and Privy Councillor....
1539 - Death of Sir Robert Wingfield, diplomat, probably in Calais. He was laid to rest in St Nicholas Church, Calais.
1601 - Execution of Sir Christopher Blount, soldier, secret agent and rebel, after his involvement in the rebellion of Robert Devereux, Earl of Essex. He was executed at the Tower of London for high treason and buried there.

 

On this day in history, 17th March...
1473 - Birth of James IV, King of Scots, at Stirling in Scotland. He was the eldest son of James III and Margaret of Denmark, the husband of Margaret Tudor and the father of King James V.
1565 - Death of Alexander Ales (Alesius, Aless), theologian and reformer, in Edinburgh.
1570 - Death of William Herbert, 1st Earl of Pembroke, soldier, courtier and landowner..., at Hampton Court, aged sixty-three. Herbert was married to Anne Parr, sister of Catherine Parr, and served Henry VIII, Edward VI, Mary I and Elizabeth I.
1612 - Death of Thomas Holland, Calvinist scholar and theologian, at Exeter College, Oxford. He was buried in the University Church of St Mary the Virgin, in the chancel.

 

On this day in history, 16th March...
1485 - Death of Anne (née Neville), Queen Consort of Richard III, in London. She was buried on the south side of the high altar at Westminster Abbey. Anne was the daughter of Richard Neville, 16th Earl of Warwick and a man known as the 'Kingmaker', and his wife, Anne (née Beauchamp).
1503 - Death of Edward Story, Bishop of Chichester. He was buried at the cath...edral, on the north side of the altar.
1523 - Birth of Anthony Rudolph Chevallier, French Protestant Hebraist, at Montchamps, Normandy, France. It appears that Chevallier tutored Princess Elizabeth, the future Elizabeth I, in French and Hebrew in the early 1550s.
1533 - Death of John Bourchier, 2nd Baron Berners, soldier, translator and diplomat, at Calais, while serving Henry VIII as Deputy of Calais.
1553 - Death of Sir Richard Lyster, Judge and Chief Justice of the King's Bench. He was buried at St Michael's Church in Southampton.
1559 - Death of Sir Anthony St Leger, Lord Deputy of Ireland, at Ulcombe, Kent.
1561 - The body of Marie de Guise (Mary of Guise), mother of Mary, Queen of Scots, was put on a ship heading to France to be buried at Rheims.
1589 (15th or 16th) - Executions of priests Robert Dalby and John Amias at York as traitors, due to their Catholic faith.
1590 (15th or 16th) - Death of Bartholomew Clerke, civil lawyer, politician and diplomat, at Clapham. Clerke served Elizabeth I as a member of Parliament, as an ambassador to the French court and to Flanders, and Archdeacon of Wells.
1593 - Death of Thomas Snagge, lawyer, Serjeant-at-Law and Speaker of the House of Commons in Elizabeth I's reign, in his chambers at Serjeants' Inn.
1619 - Burial of actor Richard Burbage at St Leonard's Church, Shoreditch.

 

On this day in history, 15th March...
1493 - Arrival of Christopher Columbus, explorer and navigator, at Palos in Spain after his 1492 voyage to the New World.
1504 - Death of John Arundell, Bishop of Exeter, at Exeter House in the Strand, London. He was buried at St Clement Danes Church in London.
1532 - William Warham, Archbishop of Canterbury, criticised Henry VIII in the House of Lords when Pa...rliament was discussing the annulment. The King responded with what historian G. W. Bernard describes as "foul language".
1551 - The Lady Mary, sister of Edward VI and the future Mary I, rode through London accompanied by knights, gentlemen and ladies all carrying rosaries. It was a profession of their Catholic faith.
1554 - Marian martyr John Hooper was deprived of the bishopric of Gloucester while imprisoned in Fleet Prison.
1628 - Burial of composer John Bull in the Groenplats cemetery near Antwerp Cathedral.

 

On this day in history, 14th March...
1471 - Death of Sir Thomas Malory, known for his work "Le Morte d'Arthur", which he wrote in prison.
1540 - Death of Sir John Port, Judge. He is known for mumbling in 1535 in Lord Dacre's case and being counted on the wrong side, giving the Crown a majority.
1553 - Death of Arthur Bulkeley, Bishop of Bangor, at his home in Bangor. He was buried in the cathedr...al choir.
1555 - Death of Sir John Russell, 1st Earl of Bedford, courtier, envoy and landowner, at his home on the Strand in London. Russell served Henry VIII as Lord High Admiral and Lord Privy Seal, following the fall of Thomas Cromwell. He was an executor of Henry VIII's will, and carried on as Lord Privy Seal in the reigns of Edward VI and Mary I.

 

On this day in history, 13th March...
1540 - Death of Henry Bourchier, Earl of Essex. He died after falling off a horse, and his title was given to Thomas Cromwell.
1543 - Death of Sebastian Giustinian, the Venetian diplomat. He died in Venice at the age of eighty-three.
1594 - Death of John Woolton, Bishop of Exeter, from asthma at the bishop's palace in Exeter. He was buried in the cathedral cho...ir.
1601 - Execution of Welshman Sir Gelly Meyrick at Tyburn. He was hanged, drawn and quartered for his part in the rebellion led by Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex.
1619 - Death of Richard Burbage, actor and star of Shakespeare's Lord Chamberlain's Men and the King's Men. He was named in Shakespeare's will of 1616 as a "fellow", meaning a close friend or colleague.

 

On this day in history, 12th March...
1537 - Execution of William Haydock, Cistercian monk. He was hanged for his involvement in the Pilgrimage of Grace.
1539 - Death of Thomas Boleyn, Earl of Wiltshire and Earl of Ormond, father of Anne Boleyn, at Hever Castle.
1564 - Baptism of Christopher Bales, Roman Catholic priest and martyr.
1573 (11th or 12th) - Death of Edmund Brydges, 2nd Baron Chandos, soldier, politician, Lord Lieutenant of Gloucestershire and Vice-Admiral of Gloucestershire. He was laid to rest at Sudeley.
1628 - Death of John Bull, composer, musician and organ builder, at Antwerp.

 

On this day in history, 11th March...
1513 - Giovanni di Lorenzo de' Medici was proclaimed Pope Leo X after being elected on 9th March. You can see him here in the painting by Rubens.
1521 - Death of Andrew Forman, diplomat and Archbishop o...f St Andrews, at Dunfermline. He was buried at St Andrews Cathedral.
1563 - Death of Antoine de Noailles, soldier, Admiral of France and French ambassador to the English court during the reign of Mary I, at Bordeaux. He was also Chevalier of the order of St Michel. It was rumoured that he had been poisoned.
1609 - Burial of William Warner, poet and lawyer, at Great Amwell in Hertfordshire. He was buried there at the church of St John the Baptist.
1611 - Giles Fletcher the Elder, poet, diplomat and member of Parliament during Elizabeth I's reign, died in London.See More

 

On this day in history, 10th March...
1513 - Death of John de Vere, 13th Earl of Oxford, magnate and one of the main commanders on the Lancastrian side during the Wars of the Roses.
1524 - King Henry VIII suffered a jousting accident after he forgot to lower his visor in a joust against Charles Brandon, Duke of Suffolk. According to the records, "the duke struck the king on the brow right under th...e guard of the headpiece on the very skull cap or basinet piece", splintering and sending splinters into the King’s helmet. Fortunately the King survived the blow but a mortified Suffolk vowed that he would never joust against the King again. The King laughed it off, saying that it was no-one’s fault and that he and his sight were saved.
1526 - Marriage of Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, and Isabella of Portugal. Their children included Philip II of Spain, who went on to marry Mary I.
1538 - Birth of Thomas Howard, 4th Duke of Norfolk, eldest son of Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey, and Frances de Vere, at Kenninhall Palace in Norfolk.
1572 - Death of William Paulet, 1st Marquis of Winchester, nobleman and administrator. His offices under Henry VIII included Lord Treasurer, Great Master of the Household and Lord Great Chamberlain, and he served under Edward VI, Mary I and Elizabeth I.

 

On this day in history, 9th March...
1528 - Death of Sir Ralph Egerton, courtier, administrator and a favourite during the early reign of Henry VIII.
1566 - Assassination of David Rizzio (Riccio), private secretary of Mary, Queen of Scots, ...at the Palace of Holyroodhouse. The group who attacked him were led by Mary's husband, Lord Darnley (pictured below). See http://www.elizabethfiles.com/the-murder-of-david-rizzio-9-march-1566/4783/
1571 - Death of Sir Clement Heigham, Judge, Speaker of the House of Commons and Chief Baron of the Exchequer in Elizabeth I's reign.
1578 - Death of Lady Margaret Douglas, Countess of Lennox, daughter of Margaret Tudor and Archibald Douglas, 6th Earl of Angus. She was buried at Westminster Abbey, in the Henry VII Chapel.
1579 - Burial of Sir Nicholas Bacon, lawyer, administrator and poetry lover, in St Paul's Cathedral.
1589 - Death of Lady Frances Radcliffe (née Sidney), wife of Sir Thomas Radcliffe, Lord Fitzwalter, and one of Elizabeth I's Ladies of the Bedchamber.

On this day in history, 8th March...
1495 - Birth of John of God (João Cidade) in Montemor-o-Novo, Portugal. He was one of Spain's leading religious figures and the order he created, the Brothers Hospitallers of St. John of God, still has bases around the world today.
1539 (some say 3rd March) - Sir Nicholas Carew was beheaded on Tower Hill for treason. Apparently, a letter was found at the Marchi...oness of Exeter's home, which was evidence of Carew being involved in a conspiracy with the Marquis of Exeter and Baron Montagu, and plotting with Cardinal Pole, Montagu's exiled brother.
1542 - Burial of Geoffrey Blythe, clergyman, Treasurer of Lichfield, former Warden of King's Hall, Cambridge and former Archdeacon of Stafford.
1569 - Death of Richard Tracy, evangelical reformer and cousin of Protestant martyr James Bainham, at his manor in Stanway, Gloucestershire.

 

On this day in history, 7th March...
1530 - Pope Clement VII issued a bull forbidding Henry VIII to marry again and threatening excommunication if he did.
1544 - Executions of Germaine Gardiner, nephew of Stephen Gardiner, and John Larke for denying the royal supremacy.
1544 - Execution of Robert Singleton, clergyman, for treason at Tyburn. Singleton served Thomas Cromwell as a Preacher and Anne ...Boleyn as a chaplain before becoming Arch-priest of St Martin's-le-Grand in Dover.
1556 - One of the days on which the Great Comet, or the Comet of Charles V, was seen and recorded by Paul Fabricius, mathematician and physician at Charles V's court.
1574 - Baptism of John Wilbye, composer and musician, at Diss in Norfolk.
1594 - Death of Sir John Burgh, soldier, from a rapier wound suffered in a duel with John Gilbert, stepbrother of Sir Walter Ralegh.

 

On this day in history, 6th March...
1492 - Birth of Juan Luis Vives, scholar and humanist (see previous post).
1536 - Introduction into Parliament of the "Act for the Suppression (or Dissolution) of the Lesser Monasteries".
1547 - Thomas Wriothesley lost the Great Seal of his Lord Chancellorship and was confined to his home at Ely Place for abusing his authority. He was found guilty of issuing a ...commission without the knowledge or permission of the other executors of Henry VIII's will, but it was probably more to do with his opposition to Edward Seymour, Duke of Somerset, becoming Lord Protector.
1597 - Death of William Brooke, 10th Baron Cobham, courtier and diplomat, from an ague. He had served Elizabeth I as Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports, Constable of Dover Castle, Lord Lieutenant and Vice Admiral of Kent, and Privy Councillor.

 

On this day in history, 5th March...
1496 - Henry VII issued letters patent to John Cabot (see other post).
1549 - A bill of attainder was passed against Thomas Seymour, Baron Sudeley, after it was argued that his offences 'were in the compasse of treason'. Seymour had been accused of attempting to kidnap his nephew, Edward VI, and also of plotting to marry the teenaged Elizabeth and put her on th...e throne.
1558 - Smoking tobacco was introduced in Europe by Francisco Fernandes.
1563 - Birth of Sir John Coke, politician and influential administrator during Charles I's reign.
1572 - Death of Edward Hastings, Baron Hastings of Loughborough, nobleman and soldier.
1575 - Birth and baptism of William Oughtred, the mathematician responsible for developing a straight slide-rule, a gauging rod and various sundials. He also introduced the "×" symbol for multiplication and the abbreviations "sin" and "cos" for the sine and cosine functions.
1618 - Burial of Robert Abbot, Bishop of Salisbury, in Salisbury Cathedral.

 

On this day in history, 4th March...
1526 - Birth of Henry Carey (see other post), 1st Baron Hunsdon.
1584 - Death of Bernard Gilpin, reformer, theologian, Church of England clergyman and preacher. He was known as the "Apostle of the North".
1590 - Execution of Christopher Bales, Catholic Priest, in Fleet Street, London. He was found guilty of treason under the "Acts against Jesuits and Seminarist...s" (1585).
1606 - Death of Sir Edward Fitton, member of Parliament and administrator, in London. He was buried in Gawsworth Church in Cheshire.
1607 - Death of George Coryate, clergyman and Latin poet, at Odcombe in Somerset.
1609 - Death of William Bullokar at Chichester. Bullokar was a spelling reformer and grammarian.

 

On this day in history, 3rd March...
1500 - The traditional date given for birth of Cardinal Reginald Pole, Mary I's Archbishop of Canterbury, at Stourton Castle in Staffordshire.
1528 - Marriage of Margaret Tudor, sister of Henry VIII and widow of James IV, and her third husband, Henry Stuart (Stewart), 1st Lord Methven.
1542 - Death of Arthur Plantagenet, Lord Lisle, courtier, soldier, diplomat,... administrator and illegitimate son of Edward IV. According to John Foxe, he suffered a fatal heart attack when told the news of his release from the Tower.
1551 - Death of Thomas Wentworth, 1st Baron Wentworth and Lord Chamberlain in the reign of Edward VI. He was a member of the jury at the trials of Anne Boleyn and George Boleyn, Lord Rochford, as well as those of Henry Pole, Baron Montagu, and Henry Courtenay, Marquis of Exeter.
1551 - Burial of Martin Bucer, theologian and reformer, in Great St Mary's Church, Cambridge.
1582 - Birth of Edward Herbert, 1st Baron Herbert of Cherbury, soldier, diplomat, philosopher, poet and author of "The Life and Raigne of King Henry the Eighth".

 

On this day in history, 2nd March...
1535 - Death of Sir Robert Drury, lawyer, Privy Councillor and Speaker of the House of Commons.
1545 - Birth of Sir Thomas Bodley (pictured), scholar, diplomat and founder of the Bodleian Library, in Exe...ter.
1618 - Burial of Elizabeth Carey, Lady Hunsdon, wife of Sir George Carey (Mary Boleyn's grandson). She was buried in the Hunsdon vault in Westminster Abbey.
1619 - Death of Anne of Denmark, consort of James VI and I, of dropsy and consumption. She was buried in Henry VII's Chapel in Westminster Abbey.See More

On this day in history, 1st March...
1522 - Anne Boleyn played the part of Perseverance at the pageant of 'The Château Vert', her first recorded public appearance at court since her return from France.
1546 - Hanging and burning of George Wishart, Scottish evangelical preacher and martyr, at St Andrews, Scotland.
1553 - Edward VI opened Parliament. The King was ill at the time, so it was a much m...ore low key ceremony than usual.
1554 - Birth of William Stafford, son of Sir William Stafford (husband of the late Mary Boleyn) and his second wife Dorothy Stafford. William is known as a conspirator, having concocted a plot, The Stafford Plot, probably on the instructions of William Cecil. This plot was supposedly against Elizabeth I, but its purpose is likely to have been to show Elizabeth that her life was in danger from Mary, Queen of Scots and her followers.
1559 - Death of Sir Thomas Tresham, Catholic politician and Grand Prior of England in the Order of Knights Hospitallers of St. John of Jerusalem, at Rushton in Northamptonshire.
1562 - The Massacre of Vassy. Sixty-three Huguenot worshippers were killed, and over a hundred injured, when Francis, Duke of Guise, ordered his troops to set fire to the barn being used as a church in Vassy (Wassy), France.
1568 - Death of Sir Thomas Throckmorton, son of William Throckmorton. He was buried at Tortworth in Gloucestershire.
1587 - Death of Welsh landowner, lawyer and antiquary Rice Merrick at Cotrel.
1602 - Death of Herbert Westfaling, Bishop of Hereford, at Hereford. He was buried in the cathedral there.
1620 - Death and burial of physician, poet and musician Thomas Campion. He was laid to rest at St Dunstan-in-the-West, Fleet Street.