Tag: cardinal thomas wolsey

Cromwell wrote to Thomas Wolsey for the last time, with Wolsey only two weeks away from his next arrest. If Cromwell wrote to Wolsey again before Wolsey’s death on 29 November, or if Wolsey wrote back, nothing has survived. This letter itself has barely survived, a mutilated partial letter, which shows no sign of concern. Cromwell writes ‘if anything shall fall,’ suggesting that something may soon go well for the cardinal, and Cromwell talks of several people he wishes the cardinal to favour should he prove successful, including the’ Cambridge scholars’ Gregory Cromwell, Christopher Wellyfed and Nicholas Sadler. After the last few letters, with Cromwell’s suggestions to Wolsey to be humble to avoid King Henry’s wrath, this letter is far calmer. If this was the last correspondence between these two friends, it is benign after all they have been through. After Wolsey’s popularity in the North, along with his arrogant behaviour, and writing to the Pope and Queen Katharine, neither Cromwell nor anyone could save the cardinal from King Henry. But these surviving notes show that Cromwell had no part in Wolsey’s eventual treasonous behaviour, rather, that he urged Wolsey to stop his actions to reclaim his titles and money. That could be why these letters remain in the archive, as a letter dated December 1530 by Eustace Chapuys describes Cromwell becoming an official councillor to the King, and Cromwell would have needed to clear his name.^[1] These surviving letters would have proved Cromwell’s innocence.

CROMWELL TO THOMAS WOLSEY, 21 October 1530 (Jesus Coll. in Bibl. Bodl. Oxon. c.74, pp. 262 ff)

. . . . even three months in Chancery, howbeit your Grace shall be so provided for that you shall be out of all doubts, for all the King’s officers in the main season…

… I most humbly beseech your Grace to be a good lord to my poor kinsman Doctor Carbott and let him have some little office under your Grace. I doubt not he be somewhat simple in appearance, yet he shall discharge himself if you put him in a place of trust and a little authority. I beseech your Grace also to be a good lord to your servant Nicholas Gifford when anything shall happen to fall which may do him good, remember him for my sake. Your Grace shall find him, in my opinion, though he be young and somewhat wild youth, disposed both to truth honest and hardiness, and he is one that will love you with all his heart…

…If anything falls, I beseech your Grace to remember my scholars in Cambridge and both they and I shall pray to our lord Jesus Christ to preserve you in long life good health with increase of honour…

…The Emperor will be at Cologne in the Feast of… without fail…

…the Parliament is prorogued until the 6th day of January. The prelates shall not appear in the premunire. There is another way devised in place thereof as your grace shall further know.

The Princes of Germany will not agree with the Emperor…

…I beseech the Holy Trinity preserve your Grace . . . in quietness and contention. I beseech your . . . for this letter . . . Written for lack of . . . haste, the xxi of October

[1] Spanish Calendar 5 i no.228

This is a very old letter of Cromwell’s, written on behalf of Thomas Wolsey, likely as a draft, as it bears no one’s signature. Cromwell wrote up the petition of yeoman Robert Leighton, the porter at the Tower, of London, against two men who assaulted his cousins in Shropshire. As it was sent under Wolsey’s signature, there is little way to find out the outcome of the case, as much of Wolsey’s work has been destroyed. John Corbett did go on to be the steward of Worthen from 1536 onwards, so clearly there was no punishment given out for the beating of Margaret Bayley. The only other recording of Margaret Bayley is of her being deceased, previously being a widow, as of 1527.

MASTER CROMWELL ON BEHALF OF CARDINAL WOLSEY TO ROBERT LEIGHTON,  22 September 1524 (LP iv no. 681)

Petition of Robert Leighton, gentleman porter of the Tower of London, and yeoman of the Crown, to Wolsey, against John and William Corbett, of Worthen parish, Shropshire, who have assaulted William Bayley and Thomas Leighton, the petitioner’s cousins, to whom he had granted the parsonage of Worthen.

On Sunday 21 August, 1524, they entered the church during divine service with 14 armed people, and would have killed Thomas Leighton and Margaret, (William) Bayley’s wife, who were in the chancel, if the parishioners had not prevented it. After that, John and William Corbett, and Joyce, wife of the former, with 12 others, went to the parsonage, pulled Margaret Bayley out of the house, and beat her, being great with child, so that she is like to die, and boasted that they would slay her husband, who was advised not to return home. He (Bayley) went to Sir Richard Herbert, steward, asking him to see the King’s peace kept. Herbert sent for the Corbetts and their accomplices, but they would not appear before him. He then sent Bayley home with servants of his own, but he dared not stay in the house, but went to the sessions at Shrewsbury, 22 September 1524, and presented bills before the judges, which were thrown out by the jury, as the foreman was Corbetts’ cousin, and several jurymen said they could not live in the country if they did otherwise.

 Cromwell wrote to Wolsey yet again on 18 August 1530, this time to calm the cardinal. The letter is similar to the previous letter, the earlier one likely an initial draft, this one being the full letter sent. Cromwell spends the first half writing to Wolsey about what he needs to do to help himself and then follows up with news from court and a heartfelt attempt to ensure Wolsey still feels remembered and loved. Cromwell also mentions Thomas Strangwish/Strangways, the Porter of Berwick, who kept writing to Wolsey and the court about a huge sum of money owed by Wolsey. This message travelled with a well-informed bearer, who is unnamed, but whoever went, Cromwell dispatched someone close to him. It could have been Ralph Sadler who had undertaken the trip to York before.

THOMAS CROMWELL to CARDINAL THOMAS WOLSEY, 18 August 1530 (MSS. Jesus Coll. in Bibl. Bodl. Oxon. c.74, pp. 262 ff)

my lorde Cardenall

Please it your grace to be informed, that perceiving after the receipt of your letters dated at Southwell on Saint Laurence Day (10 August), I perceived how your Grace remained in some displeasure and anxiety of mind. My letters had before certified you of the finding certain offices concerning your bishopric of York, the finding whereof, as I perceive by your letters, you do suppose should be much to your dishonour and detriment. For which intent that your Grace may put yourself in repose and quietening of mind, I have sent to you this bearer who shall at length declare to you, besides the demonstration of the copies of such offices as be drawn for that purpose that the finding of said offices, saving only that in the preamble is touched by the conviction of your Grace in the premunire, which all the world already knows shall be for your good only profit and avail.

And yet your pardon and restitution stand in good and perfect effect, so that your Grace shall have no need neither to be in fear of loss of any your spiritual or temporal goods, or to be troubled about these being put to any new suit in the obtaining of any other pardon or restitution. And if in case your said pardon and restitution were in any part insufficient, I assure your Grace I know that the king’s highness would see it be made good as by any council. It could be devised and doubt not that his Highness is your gracious and benign sovereign lord and would in no ways see you be grieved, molested, or troubled. Wherefore, it may please your Grace to quiet yourself and to take the finding of these offices patiently and upon the return of the same, there shall be such orders taken that your Grace shall not be interrupted in the receiving of your revenues, nor otherwise be molested in any manner or case for any new suit.

As touching your colleges, the offices shall be found, however the dean and such others as have sued to the king’s highness have had very good answers, whereof I think they have certified your Grace for this time. As touching the 1000 marks (about £45,000 today) of the revenues of Winchester, I doubt not it shall be obtained at the audit. And concerning Battersea, it may please your Grace that such copies of may be sent hither under seal, for we will trust no friends, and also that search may be made for Bishop Bothes’ will concerning the same.

(Thomas) Strangways continually cries and makes exclamation in the court of you, so much that the lords of the council have determined to write to you on that behalf, so our lord your Grace are rid of that man. As concerning the prebends of Wetwang (parish in York), doubt it not, all things shall be ordered to your good contention. Sir, I assure your Grace that you be much bound to our lord God that in such ways has suffered you so to behave and order yourself in these parties to attain the good minds and hearts of the people in the whole country there. The reports in the courts and elsewhere in these parts is, and has been, your great good to the acquiring and augmenting the good opinions of many persons towards your Grace. Beseeching your Grace therefore to continue, after such sort and fashion by your approved high wisdom as you lose not, the well and benefit for you may daily increase, not only in the favours of the people there but also here and elsewhere, to the pleasure of God and the Prince. And notwithstanding your good, virtuous, and charitable demeaning and using yourself there, I assure your Grace you have in these parts not your enemies, which do and will not interpret all your doings in the best part, alleging that your only desire interpreted, after the best fashion, is always as follower and pursuer of worldly affections. I shall serve to stand best with the pleasure of God and the King.

Sir, some there say that your Grace keeps too great a house and family and that you are continually building. For the love of God therefore I eftsoones (again), as I often have done most heartily, beseech your Grace to have respect to everything and consider the time to refrain yourself for a season from all manner of building, no more than mere necessity required. I assure your Grace shall be good to yourself, shall sense and silence persons that much speak of the same.

For the geldings which your Grace did send me, I do most humbly and heartily thank you, beseeching your Grace to give further credence to this bearer, who shall declare to your Grace other things not written. I do realise your Grace is happy that you are now at liberty to serve God, and to learn to experiment how you shall banish and exile the vain desires of this unstable world, which undoubtably does nothing else but lure every person therein. To be satisfied in finding and seeking whereof, most persons, besides the great travails and afflictions that men suffer daily, are driven to extreme repentance, and search for pleasure and felicity, and find nothing but trouble and sorrow, anxiety, and adversity. Wherefore, in my opinion, your Grace, being as you are, I suppose you would not be as you (were if you) were to win a hundred times as much as you were possessed from the Bishop of Bayonne as is daily looked for (Bishop Jean du Bellay was Wolsey’s French counterpart with King Francis).

And my lord of Wiltshire (Thomas Boleyn) is coming home saying that the Emperor has good obedience from his subjects in all things, saying that they will not dissent to the Lutheran sect. It is also said that Emperor makes musters for a great army to be prepared against the Turks, to pass into Hungary for the recovery of that region, and that the second son of the Emperor has departed this present life (Ferdinand died aged eight months). The news here is that the Germans will have a general Council for the Reformation of many things.

The Florentines do still continue to defend the power of the Pope, and it is supposed that they shall win by means, but there is a great pestilence fallen amongst them in the Pope’s party (The Siege of Florence ended in August 1530, with Florence becoming part of papal Italy). There is also a great caristie (change) in Italy of all manner of grain, in so much quarter of wheat is worth generally forty shillings. They look daily for an ambassador from the Pope who at the furthest and will be here within eight days.

The King’s Highness is this night at Ampthill and there will continue there for nine days. It may please your Grace to pardon me that I do not repair (visit) you at this time, for undoubtably it is not possible, as this bearer shall further declare to your Grace, our lord knows my will and mind. And I trust verily that your Grace does perfectly think that I would be glad to see you and unfeignedly I would have seen your Grace longer if I had not been letted (delayed) by important business, wherefore I eftsoones (again) most humbly beseech your Grace of pardon, and though I am not with you in person, be assured I am, and during my life, shall be with your Grace in heart, spirit, prayer, and service to the uttermost of my poor and simple power as knows our lord, whom I most heartily beseech to preserve your Grace in long life good health with the increase of your heart’s desire.

At London, the 28th day of August. I beseech your Grace to dispatch this bearer, whom I might evil have forbid at this time, but I was persuaded by your letters that you much desired to be put in quietation, and that besides myself I could not send any that could certify your Grace of the effects of such things as you desire to be answered. But only he eftsoones (again), beseeching your Grace, speedily returns home, for my business is such that I cannot lack him.