Another Complete Peerage Addition: Death date of Margaret de la Pole, Countess of Lincoln
Douglas Richardson
Complete Peerage, 7 (1929): 689–690 (sub Lincoln) has a good account
of John de la Pole, Earl of Lincoln, who was the nephew of Kings
Edward IV and Richard III. Following the accession of King Henry
VII, he took an active part in promoting the cause of the imposter
Lambert Simnel and proclaimed Simnel in Dublin, 24 May 1487. Earl
John de la Pole was subsequently slain at the Battle of Stoke 16 June
1487.
Regarding Earl John's marriage, Complete Peerage gives the following
information:
"He married Margaret, daughter of Thomas (Fitzalan), Earl of Arundel,
by Margaret, daughter of Richard (Wydville), Earl Rivers, and sister
of Elizabeth, wife of Edward IV. He [John de la Pole] died as
aforesaid ... 16 June 1487 ... His widow Margaret was living in 1493
or later." END OF QUOTE.
In a footnote, the editor cites a Chancery lawsuit filed by Countess
Margaret as a widow regarding the manor of Bromholm, which had been
settled on her at her marriage. No date is assigned to the lawsuit.
Actually there are two lawsuits, not one, involving Countess Margaret,
both in the time period, 1493–1499. In the first of them, Margaret,
Countess of Lincoln, sued the prior of Bromholme regarding a rent of
£20 payable out of the manor of Bacton, Norfolk given by John de la
Pole, Duke of Suffolk, on complainant’s marriage with the Earl of
Lincoln. In the second lawsuit, Countess Margaret sued Richard
Drylond regarding the detention of deeds relating to lands and
tenements called ‘Wyghtes’ in West Cheam and Cuddington, Surrey [see
National Archives, C 1/212/18; C 1/212/19 (abstract of documents
available online at www.catalogue.nationalarchives.gov.uk/search.asp).
It is indeed odd that there is no indication of a death date for such
an important person as Margaret de la Pole, Countess of Lincoln.
While no one seems to know her exact date of death, recently I found a
record which proves she died sometime before 11 March 1498/9.
The book, John Hopton, by Colin Richmond, published in 1981, pages 240–
241 includes a reference to the will of Sir John Heveningham, of
Heveningham, Suffolk, dated 11 March 1498/9. The testator makes the
following bequests:
He left plate to George his son that he might be minded to pray for
the soul of Lady Margaret Pole, and, "in a postscript he left a
further 13s. 4d. to the nuns of Denny, Cambridgeshire, to pray for her
soul and only half that to pray for his." END OF QUOTE.
This material can be viewed at the following weblink:
In this instance, the testator does not identify Lady Margaret as a
countess, but this is doubtless because Lady Margaret's husband, Earl
John de la Pole, was attainted following his death in 1487. As such,
the earldom of Lincoln officially ceased to exist after 1487.
I might note that the Lady Margaret Pole named in Sir John
Heveningham's will is clearly a separate and distinct person from
Margaret Scrope, wife of Edmund de la Pole (brother of John de la
Pole). This other Margaret Pole died in Feb. 1514/5, and left an
undated will proved 15 May 1515 (P.C.C. 6 Holder). She is also a
separate and distinct person from Margaret Plantagenet, wife of Sir
Richard Pole, who was executed in 1541.
Best always, Douglas Richardson, Salt Lake City, Utah
Douglas Richardson
Checking further records, I find that Sir John Heveningham was the
executor for yet another Margaret Pole, widow of Sir Walter de la
Pole, as indicated by the Chancery lawsuit below dated 1473-1475:
C 1/48/539:
Johanne, late the wife of Edmund Ingaldesthorp, knight. v. Sir John
Hevenyngham, knight, executor of Margaret, late the wife of Walter de
la Pole, knight.: Waste done by the said Margaret in the manors of
Sauston and Derneford, Pole's manor in Trumpyngton, and an inn called
`the Saressenhede' in Sauston.: Cambridge.
Covering dates 1473-1475
I assume this fourth Lady Margaret Pole is the one who was remembered
in Sir John Heveningham's will dated 1499.
As such, we are still lacking a firm death date (or an indication of
one) for the first Margaret [de la] Pole who was Margaret Arundel,
wife of John de la :Pole, Earl of Lincoln.
Douglas Richardson
In my first post yesterday regarding Margaret Arundel, widow of John
de la Pole, Earl of Lincoln, I erroneously stated that this lady was
the Lady Margaret Pole who was mentioned as deceased in the will of
Sir John Heveningham dated 1499. Actually it appears that the
Margaret Pole named in the Heveningham will was Margaret, widow of Sir
Walter de la Pole, for whom Sir John Heveningham previously served as
an executor. This point was covered in my second post.
As for Margaret Arundel, widow of John de la Pole, checking further
records it is now clear that she survived her husband many years.
I find that she presented to the church of Drayton, Norfolk in 1501,
1503, and 1531 - see Blomefield, Essay towards a Top. Hist. of
Norfolk, 10 (1809): 412, which may be viewed at either of the
following weblinks:
http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=78704&strquery=%22Countess%20of%20Lincoln%22
Margaret, Countess of Lincoln, also presented to the church of
Felthorpe, Norfolk in 1525 - see Blomefield, Essay towards a Top.
Hist. of Norfolk, 10 (1809): 415, which may be viewed at either of the
following weblink:
http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=78705&strquery=%22Countess%20of%20Lincoln%22
These records prove beyond any doubt that Margaret Arundel, widow of
John de la Pole, Earl of Lincoln, survived her husband for many years
and was living as late as 1531.