Humphrey Stafford (died 1486)

Sir Humphrey Stafford (c. 1427 – 8 July 1486) of Grafton Manor in Worcestershire, was an English nobleman who took part in the War of the Roses on the Yorkist side. He was executed by Henry VII following his fighting for Richard III and his role in the Stafford and Lovell rebellion.

Origins
Effigies to Stafford's parents, Sir Humphrey (died 1450) and Eleanor. In the church of St John, Bromsgrove[1]

Humphrey Stafford was born in about 1427 in Grafton, Worcestershire, the son of Sir Humphrey Stafford (1400-1450) who was slain in 1450 in Jack Cade's Rebellion.[2]

Career

Humphrey Stafford inherited Grafton and Upton Warren in 1449–50.[3] He fought at the Battle of Bosworth with Richard III.

Stafford and Lovell Rebellion

Sir Humphrey Stafford and his brother Thomas Stafford, joined by Francis Lovell, 1st Viscount Lovell, led the inauspicious Stafford and Lovell Rebellion in 1486.[4]

The conspirators hoped to restore the Yorkist monarchy. While Lord Lovell went to Yorkshire, the Stafford brothers went to the Midlands. On 23 April 1486, after a failed attempt to seize Henry VII in York, Lord Lovell escaped to Burgundy. In the meantime, the Stafford brothers' rebellion in Worcester had failed, in part due to lack of planning and in part because King Henry had some support in that area.

During this time King Henry was on a nationwide tour of the country. As soon as he advanced towards Worcester in order to eliminate Yorkist support, on 11 May 1486 the Stafford brothers fled to sanctuary at Culham.[5]

Despite the fact that Stafford had sought sanctuary, Henry decided to force Stafford to kiss his feet. Stafford was forcibly removed from his sanctuary on the night of 13 May by John Barrowman and one follower.[6] Henry then ordered Humphrey's execution, but pardoned the younger Thomas.

The arrest prompted a series of protests to Pope Innocent VIII over the breaking of sanctuary; these resulted in a Papal bull in August which severely limited the rights of sanctuary, excluding it completely in cases of treason, thereby vindicating the King's actions.

Humphrey was executed at Tyburn on 8 July 1486.

Marriage and family

Humphrey Stafford married Catherine Fray (1437–1482), the daughter of Sir John Fray, Chief Baron of the Exchequer, in Grafton. They had eight children:

  1. Anne Stafford, married Richard Neville, 2nd Baron Latimer
  2. Joyce Stafford
  3. Margarita Stafford (1456-1530)
  4. Elizabeth Stafford (b. circa 1465)
  5. William Stafford (d. 1556)
  6. Thomas Stafford (b. circa 1450)
  7. Henry Stafford (b. 1455)
  8. Humphrey Stafford (died 1545) of Blatherwick, Northumberland

A fictionalised version of Stafford appeared as a character in the two opening episodes of the 1972 BBC 2 drama series about the reign of Henry VII, The Shadow of the Tower which covered the aftermath of the Battle of Bosworth and the failure of the Stafford and Lovell Rebellion. He was played by Maurice Roëves.[7]

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References
  1. Cotton, William, Bromsgrove Church : its history & antiquities ; with an account of the Sunday schools, churchyard, and cemetery, p.61
  2. Lipscomb, p.243
  3. Parishes: Grafton Manor, A History of the County of Worcester: volume 3 (1913), pp. 123-127.
  4. Richardson, Douglas (2011). Magna Carta Ancestry: A Study in Colonial and Medieval Families, ed. Kimball G. Everingham I (2nd ed.). Salt Lake City. ISBN 1449966373
  5. Williams 1928, p. 186; Stanley Bertram Chrimes, Henry VII. -, Berkeley, ISBN 0-520-02266-1, 0520022661 p71
  6. Williams 1928, p. 186
  7. "The Shadow of the Tower (1972) Full Cast & Crew". IMDB. Retrieved 14 May 2018.
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