John Stanley (KG)
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Sir John Stanley, KG (c. 1350–1414) of Lathom, near Ormskirk in Lancashire, was Lord Lieutenant of Ireland and titular King of Mann, the first of that name. He married a wealthy heiress, Isabel Lathom, which, combined with his own great abilities, allowed him to rise above the usual status of a younger son.
Origins
He was the second son of Sir William Stanley of Stourton,[1]) by his wife Alice Massey of Timperley, Cheshire. Sir William Stanley was Master-Forester of the Forest of Wirral and was notorious for his repressive activities.
Marriage and children
In 1385 he married Isabel Lathom, daughter and heiress of Sir Thomas Lathom of Lathom in Lancashire, a great landowner in south-west Lancashire. The marriage took place despite the opposition of John of Gaunt, 1st Duke of Lancaster and gave Stanley great wealth he could never have hoped for as the younger son.[1] By his wife, he had four sons and two daughters, including:
- Sir John Stanley (died 1437), eldest son and heir;
- Henry Stanley;
- Thomas Stanley;
- Ralph Stanley
Crest of Lathom
The heraldic crest of Lathom (An eagle wings extended or preying on a child proper swaddled gules in a cradle laced or[2]) was adopted by Sir John Stanley and his descendants. An ancient myth ("the Stanley Legend"), of several varieties, is attached to the image depicted, one given by Thomas Stanley (died circa 1568), Bishop of Sodor and Man being that the "Lord of Lathom" was issueless and aged "fowerscore" adopted an infant "swaddled and clad in a mantle of redd," which an eagle brought unhurt to her nest in Terlestowe wood, and which he named Oskell, and made heir of Lathom, where he became the father of Isabel Stanley, stolen away in the first instance by her knight, and afterwards forgiven by Sir Oskell".
Career
Declared an outlaw
Both John Stanley and his elder brother, William Stanley (who succeeded their father as Master-Forester), were involved in criminal cases which charged them with a forced entry in 1369 and with the murder of Thomas Clotton in 1376.[1] Conviction for the murder of Clotton resulted in Stanley being declared an outlaw. However, he was already distinguishing himself in military service in the French wars, and he was pardoned in 1378 at the insistence of his commander, Sir Thomas Trivet.[1]
Justiciar of Ireland
The year 1386 saw his first appointment in Ireland as deputy to
Throughout the 1390s he was involved in placating possible rebellion in Cheshire.[1] Between 1396 and 1398 he served as Captain of Roxburgh Castle. He took part in Richard II's expedition to Ireland in 1399. However, on his return to England, Stanley, who had long proved adept at political manoeuvring, turned his back on Richard and submitted to King Henry IV,[1] the first of the House of Lancaster.
Under the Lancastrians
Stanley's fortunes were equally good under the Lancastrians. He was granted lordships in the Welsh Marches, and served a term as Lieutenant of Ireland. In 1403 he was made
In 1405 he was granted the
Death and burial
In 1414 he died at Ardee, County Louth, Ireland, after being satirised by the O'Higgins' of Meath for despoiling the lands and raiding the cows of Niall O'Higgins. He lasted but five weeks, according to the Four Masters, before succumbing "to the virulence of the lampoons". His body was returned to his home at Lathom and was buried at Burscough Priory near Ormskirk,[1] about 3 miles south-west of Lathom. This was deemed in some quarters the second such "Poet's Miracle" performed by the O'Higgins.
Offices
During his career Stanley held the following offices:-
- Lord Lieutenant of Ireland between 1386 and 1388.
- Justiciar of Ireland between 1389 and 1391.
- Justice of Chester in 1394
- Controller of the Royal Household in 1399
- Lieutenant of Ireland between 1399 and 1401
- Steward of the Household to the Prince of Wales circa 1403, later King Henry V
- Surveyor of the Forests of Macclesfield, Mare and Mondrem, Cheshire in 1403
- Governor of the City and County of Cheshire in 1403
- He was invested as a Knight, Order of the Garter (K.G.) circa 1405
- Steward of Macclesfield in 1406
He was granted the Isle, Castle, Peel and Lordship of Mann, by
- Sovereign Lord of the Isle of Man in 1406
- Constable of Windsor Castle in 1409
- Lord Lieutenant of Ireland (second term) from 1413 until his death in 1414.
Poet
It has been suggested that Stanley was the as-yet unidentified "
See also
- History Of Liverpool- Stanley Family Page
- Audley-Stanley familyfor Ancestors and descendants of John I Stanley
- Lathom Wikipedia article containing Stanley & Lathom history
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j John Stanley, Dictionary of National Biography
- ^ a b Montague-Smith, P.W. (ed.), Debrett's Peerage, Baronetage, Knightage and Companionage, Kelly's Directories Ltd, Kingston-upon-Thames, 1968, p. 344, Stanley, Earl of Derby
- ^ Collectanea Topographica et Genealogica, "On the Stanley Legend and Family of Lathom"[1]
- ^ Rolls of 9 Richard II – Part II. Membrane 1, cont. 18 June 1386 Westminister {as before Membrane 6, 163
- ^ Patent Roll 10 Richard II "34" (18 September 1386) RCH 131/31 – see Trinity College Dublin, The University of Dublin. CIRCLE A Calendar of Irish Chancery Letters c. 1244–1509: http://chancery.tcd.ie/document/patent/10-richard-ii/34
- S2CID 162203676. Retrieved 29 March 2018.