Table Of ContentArthur Plantagenet
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Arthur Plantagenet
Henry VIII’s Illegitimate Uncle
Sarah-Beth Watkins
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First published in Great Britain in 2022 by
Pen & Sword History
An imprint of
Pen & Sword Books Ltd
Yorkshire – Philadelphia
Copyright © Sarah-Beth Watkins 2022
ISBN 978 1 39900 061 1
The right of Sarah-Beth Watkins to be identified as Author of this work
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Dedication
To Jake and Shay
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Contents
Dramatis Personae viii
Introduction xii
Chapter 1 The Early Years 1461–1509 1
Chapter 2 The King’s Uncle 1510–1532 22
Chapter 3 To Calais 1533 39
Chapter 4 Life as Lord Deputy 1534 55
Chapter 5 The Trouble with Calais 1535 70
Chapter 6 The Year of Three Queens 1536 85
Chapter 7 The Problem of Pole 1537 103
Chapter 8 Feeling Forsaken 1538 118
Chapter 9 S uspected Sacramentaries 1539 131
Chapter 10 Commission and Conspiracy 1540–1542 147
Epilogue 165
References 168
Bibliography 178
Index 182
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Dramatis Personae
The life story of Arthur Plantagenet, later known as Lord Lisle, is
peppered with characters from the Tudor court to the garrison town of
Calais. Listed here are some of the most referred to.
Bryan, Francis (c.1490–1550)
Lisle’s lifelong friend and supporter at court. Bryan was a diplomat and
one of Henry VIII’s Gentleman of the Privy Chamber, later becoming
Lord Justice of Ireland. He was a jouster, poet, soldier, sailor, ambassador
and one of Henry’s closest companions with a reputation for being a hell-
raiser and a womaniser.
Botolf, Gregory
A priest and Lisle’s chaplain from 1538. Responsible for the failed plot to
take Calais in the name of Rome.
Cheriton, John
An unlucky mariner and merchant. Builder of Lisle’s ship the Mary
Plantagenet.
Cranmer, Thomas (1489–1556)
Supporter of the English Reformation and the first Protestant Archbishop
of Canterbury during the reigns of Henry VIII, Edward VI and Mary I.
He was instrumental in building the case for Henry VIII’s divorce from
Katherine of Aragon. Burnt at the stake by Mary I.
Cromwell, Thomas (1485–1540)
Henry VIII’s chief minister, principal secretary and Lord Privy Seal.
A staunch proponent of the English Reformation and in charge of the
dissolution of the monasteries. Executed in 1540.
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Dramatis Personae ix
Edward IV (1442–1483)
The first Yorkist king of England from 1461–1483 and Lisle’s father.
Married to Elizabeth Woodville and father of ten legitimate children.
Fitzwilliam, William (c.1490–1542)
Served Cardinal Wolsey as treasurer, conducted diplomatic duties and
was made vice-admiral. He was also comptroller of the royal household
and keeper of the privy seal. He rose to become lord high admiral and in
1537 was made Earl of Southampton.
Henry VII (1457–1509)
The first Tudor king of England. Henry spent the early part of his life
in exile until his defeat of Richard III at the Battle of Bosworth in 1485.
He married Elizabeth of York, daughter of Edward IV and reigned for
twenty-four years.
Henry VIII (1491–1547)
Henry VII’s second son who came to the throne after his father’s death in
1509. The most famous Tudor monarch and notorious for the treatment
of his six wives.
Husee, John (c.1500–1548)
Husee was Lord Lisle’s agent and right-hand man. He apprenticed under
his father as a vintner in 1520 and joined the company in 1527. He joined
the retinue of Sir Robert Wingfield the same year but transferred to
Lisle’s service in 1533 and is the main correspondent in the Lisle Letters.
Kingston, William (c. 1476–1540)
Kingston was another close friend of Lisle’s and had a varied career at
the Tudor court rising from sewer (server) to knight of the king’s body
and captain of the guard. He was the Constable of the Tower of London
during the reign of Henry VIII and while Queen Anne was incarcerated.
Lisle, Honor (c. 1493–1566)
Honor married Lisle as her second husband in 1529. The daughter of Sir
Thomas Grenville of Stowe in the parish of Kilkhampton, Cornwall, and
Bideford in North Devon, she first married Sir John Basset in 1515.
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