Henry Manners, 2nd Earl of Rutland
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Henry Manners, 2nd Earl of Rutland (~1526 - September 17, 1563) was the son of Thomas Manners, 1st Earl of Rutland. He also held the title of 14th Baron de Ros of Hamlake, a title to which he acceded in 1543. The Earl's mother was Eleanor Paston. On July 3, 1536, he married Margaret Neville, daughter of Ralph Neville, 4th Earl of Westmorland, and they had three children:
- Edward Manners, 3rd Earl of Rutland
- John Manners, 4th Earl of Rutland
- Elizabeth Manners
After Margaret's death, he married Bridget, the widow of Richard Morrison. Her third husband was Francis, Earl of Bedford.
Like his father, Earl Henry held many offices. As Warden of the Scottish Marshes he sacked the town of Haddington in 1549, and as Captain-general of the cavalry at the siege of St Quentin under Mary I of England. Under Elizabeth I he served successfully and she made him Lord Lieutenant of Nottinghamshire and Rutland, Knight of the Garter and President of the North. Not long before his death he completed the building of Belvoir Castle.
He is buried at Bottesford Church in Leicestershire. His tomb, in the centre of the chancel next to that of his father, is of alabaster and considered unique. The effigies lie beneath a decorated example of an Elizabethan dining table on heavy carved legs, suggesting an attempt to represent a communion table. Earl Henry is depicted in armour of conventional pattern except that the breast plate is made up of laminated plates. He wears a coronet and his head is supported on a tilt-heaume. He is wearing a chain nearly reaching his thighs, and the Order of the Garter is on the left leg. He holds a closed book in his right hand and a sword in his left. At his feet is a hornless unicorn. His wife, Margaret, also wears a coronet and is dressed in the style of the time, with an ermine-trimmed mantle. Her head rests on a scroll and her feet on a lion.
| Peerage of England | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Thomas Manners |
Earl of Rutland 1543–1563 |
Succeeded by Edward Manners |
