Edward Belknap

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Sir Edward Belknap was active in the service of the English crown, both on the battlefield and as a court official, during the 16th and 17th centuries.

He fought for Henry VII at the battles of Stoke Field and Blackheath and possibly at other battles as well. In 1508, he was appointed to the post of “surveyor of the King's prerogative”. This office gave him the power to appropriate the lands and property of anyone who had violated the king's prerogative in some way, such as conviction for a felony. Belknap’s appointment was part of an effort by Henry VII to improve the royal finances. Belknap was a privy councillor for both Henry VII and Henry VIII. In 1520, he was most probably at the Field of the Cloth of Gold with Henry VIII.