John la Zouche, 7th Baron Zouche, 8th Baron St Maur

John la Zouche, 7th Baron Zouche, 8th Baron St Maur (1459–1526) was a Yorkist nobleman, noted for his loyalty to Richard III, for whom he fought at the Battle of Bosworth. Under the Tudor dynasty he suffered attainder and forfeiture of much of his property, but was eventually restored to a degree of favour, due partly to a fortunate marriage connection to the new dynasty.

Background

John la Zouche was the son of William la Zouche, 6th Baron Zouche and his first wife, Katherine Lenthall.[1] His father had inherited the barony of St Maur through his mother Alice St Maur, first wife of William la Zouche, 5th Baron Zouche (c. 1402 – 1462), and daughter of Sir Richard St. Maur (died 6 January 1409) by Mary Pever, the daughter of Thomas Pever (died 22 September 1429).[2]

After the death of Alice St Maur, the 5th Baron married Elizabeth St. John, whose half-sister was Margaret Beaufort, mother of the future Henry VII,[3] a connection which later proved of great value to his grandson.

Zouche's mother seems to have died soon after his birth; his father died when he was nine. His stepmother, Katherine Plumpton, remarried Sir Gilbert Debenham, a Suffolk landowner who acquired considerable influence at the Court of Edward IV. Other family connections strengthened the tie to the House of York: Elizabeth, Lady Zouche, after the 5th Baron's death, remarried John Scrope, 5th Baron Scrope of Bolton, who was to be a strong supporter of Richard III. John's sister Margaret married Sir William Catesby, who was to be one of the mainstays of Richard's government.[4]

Under Richard III

During Richard's brief reign Zouche became a figure of some power. His family's influence in Northamptonshire was useful to the King, who otherwise relied mainly on the Yorkshire nobility for support.[4] Zouche in turn sought to expand his influence in Cornwall, and especially in Devonshire, where his wife's family, the Dynhams, had gained considerable power under Edward IV.

Zouche's influence was destroyed at the Battle of Bosworth; he remained loyal to Richard, fought for him, and was captured either during or shortly after the battle. Unlike his brother-in-law Catesby, who was considered so dangerous that he was executed summarily, Zouche's life was spared.[5]

Attainder

He was attainted by Henry VII's first Parliament, with the forfeiture of his lands. He was pardoned in July 1486 and given a small annuity,[3] but the attainder was not reversed even in part until 1489, and even then he was permitted only to inherit the property his grandfather had received on his second marriage.[3] It has been suggested that Henry's treatment of him was exceptionally severe, perhaps reflecting his position of power under Richard III; on the other hand Henry VII always strove to discipline his nobility by imposing on them severe financial penalties, often on the flimsiest of pretexts, to such an extent that in his last years the nobility have been described as living in a perpetual atmosphere of "watchfulness, fear and suspicion".[6]

Zouche attempted to gain favour by serving in the French campaign of 1492, but his financial situation continued to suffer: his position was considered insufficient for the status of a nobleman and he suffered the humiliation of being styled a mere knight.[3]

Restoration

He was eventually restored to all his titles and dignities in 1495. He owed a good deal to the prominent courtier Sir Reginald Bray, for whose support he had to pay a heavy price, selling him several manors at an undervalue. A more surprising ally was Margaret Beaufort, the King's mother, who throughout her life showed a warm affection for her extended family, and especially the St. Johns of Lydiard Tregoze;[7] even Lord Zouche, who was merely the grandson of her sister's husband by a previous marriage, benefited from her generosity. She probably used her influence to have the attainder reversed; she certainly obtained a pension for Lady Zouche, and had some of the Zouche children brought up in her own household.[3]

Lady Margaret Beaufort, mother of KIng Henry VII, later a surprising ally of Lord Zouche.

By 1500 Zouche was in fairly good standing at Court : he was part of the entourage which accompanied the King to meet Archduke Philip of Austria at Calais, and the following year he was one of the nobles who greeted Catherine of Aragon on her arrival at Amesbury. His later years were uneventful; he died at Castle Cary in March 1526.

Family

He married Joan Dynham, sister and co-heiress of John Dynham, 1st Baron Dynham, and they had at least six children:[8]

Notes

  1. ↑ Cokayne 2000, Vol. XII, p. 946.
  2. ↑ Blaydes 1886, pp. 63–4, 186-7, 342–5.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 Jones & Underwood 1993, p. 113.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Ross 1984, p. 48.
  5. ↑ Chrimes 1999, p. 63.
  6. ↑ Chrimes 1999, p. 215.
  7. ↑ Jones & Underwood 1993, p. 33.
  8. ↑ Cokayne 2000, Vol. XII, p. 948.
  9. ↑ Lee 1891, p. 257.
  10. ↑ Harrison 1891, pp. 259, 260.

References