Thomas Dacre, 2nd Baron Dacre
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Thomas Dacre, 2nd Baron Dacre KG (25 November 1467 – 24 October 1525) was the son of Humphrey Dacre, 1st Baron Dacre and Mabel Parr.
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[edit] Early career
He was born in Cumberland. His father died on natural causes on 30 May 1485 and Thomas succeeded him as Baron Dacre of Gillesland
Dacre took part in the Battle of Bosworth Field (22 August 1485) on the side of Henry Tudor, Earl of Richmond. The rival forces of Richard III of England were defeated and Richard himself was killed.
His early support for the House of Tudor earned him some favor with Henry VII who would continue to trust his services for the remainder of his reign. Dacre was named a deputy to the Lord Warden of the Marches in 1485. He would become Warden himself in 1509.
[edit] Marriage
Meanwhile in 1487/1488, Dacre eloped with Elizabeth Greystock, 6th Baroness Greystock. She was the eldest granddaughter and heiress of Ralph de Greystock, 5th Baron Greystock. She had only recently succeeded her grandfather but their marriage made Dacre the Jure uxoris Baron Greystock. The lands of the Greystocks passed to the Dacre family through this marriage.
Thomas and Elizabeth had seven children:
- Mabel Dacre (c. 1490 - 1533). Married Henry Scrope, 7th Baron Scrope of Bolton. They were parents of John Scrope, 8th Baron Scrope of Bolton and granparents of Henry Scrope, 9th Baron Scrope of Bolton. The 9th Baron is better known because he was governor of Carlisle in the time of Elizabeth I of England, and as such took charge of Mary I of Scotland when she crossed the border in 1568. He took her to Bolton Castle, where she remained till January 1569.
- William Dacre, 3rd Baron Dacre (c. 1493 - 18 November 1563). Married Elizabeth Talbot, a daughter of George Talbot, 4th Earl of Shrewsbury and Anne Hastings. Anne was a daughter of William Hastings, 1st Baron Hastings and Katherine Neville. Katherine was a daughter of Richard Neville, 5th Earl of Salisbury and Alice Neville, 5th Countess of Salisbury.
- Anne Dacre (c. 1500 - 1548). Married Christopher Conyers, 2nd Baron Conyers. They were the parents of John Conyers, 3rd Baron Conyers.
- Mary Dacre (1502 - 29 March 1538). Married Francis Talbot, 5th Earl of Shrewsbury, a son of George Talbot, 4th Earl of Shrewsbury and Anne Hastings. They were parents of George Talbot, 6th Earl of Shrewsbury.
- Jane Dacre.
- Humphrey Dacre.
- Elizabeth Dacre. Married Thomas Musgrave of Hayton Castle.
[edit] Later Career
Henry VII named him a Knight of the Bath in 1503. He swore loyalty to Henry VIII of England in 1509.
Dacre and his forces served under Thomas Howard, Earl of Surrey in the Battle of Flodden Field (9 September 1513) where the invading army of James IV of Scotland was defeated. James IV himself was killed and the Kingdom of Scotland ceased its involvement in the wider War of the League of Cambrai. The victory further helped solidify the reputation of Dacre as a soldier.
Henry VIII named him a Knight of the Garter in 1518, alongside William Sandys, 1st Baron Sandys of the Vyne.
By the time of his death in 1525, Dacre held about 70,000 acres of land in Cumberland, 30,000 acres in Yorkshire and 20,000 acres in Northumberland. Much of these lands had been through grants by both Henry VII and Henry VIII.
[edit] Legacy
His illegitimate son Thomas Dacre, nicknamed "the Bastard", successfully led a few hundred English bordermen against part of the invading force of James V of Scotland on 12 November 1542. His success paved the way for the Battle of Solway Moss (24 November, 1542) the final defeat of the invading Scottish forces.
Thomas was rewarded with land grants and from him starts a secondary line of "Dacres of Lanercost".
| Preceded by Humphrey Dacre |
Baron Dacre 1485–1525 |
Succeeded by William Dacre |
