Christopher Garneys

Last updated

Sir Christopher Garneys or Garnysse (died 1534), was the chief porter of Calais, and a gentleman usher of the king's chamber in the beginning of the reign of Henry VIII.

He was the king's companion in the masquerades then popular at court, and won money at cards from his royal master. He was rewarded by an annuity of 10l., soon afterwards increased to 20l. and 30l., by grants of lands in several counties, viz. the manors of Bargham, Wiggenholt, and Greatham in Sussex, Saxlingham in Norfolk, and Wellington in Shropshire, and by the wardship of the son and heir of Henry Kebill, a London Alderman. He was bailiff of the lordship of Stockton Socon, Suffolk, and keeper of the New Park, near Nottingham Castle. In 1513 he took part in the campaign in France, when the king, on the day (25 September) of his victorious entry into Tournai, knighted him in the cathedral after mass. He afterwards resided at Greenwich, probably near the palace, and served on the commission of the peace in Kent from 1514 to 1521.

In 1514 he was sent with the embassy to Louis XII just before his marriage with the Princess Mary of England. In the following year he went north with a present of dress from Henry VIII to his other sister the queen of Scotland. In 1520 he was at Calais preparing lodgings for the court at the Field of the Cloth of Gold. In 1522 his signature is regularly appended to the letters from the deputy and council of Calais, though his office, if he held one, must have been insignificant. In 1526 he was appointed chief porter of Calais, a post of which he had already held the reversion for some ten years, and the remainder of his life was spent in the discharge of his duties as porter, and as commissioner of sewers for the marshes of Calais, which included supervision of the sea-banks. One of his duties, not mentioned in his patent, was to keep the king supplied with artichokes, fresh vegetables and fruit being a scarce luxury in England at that time. He died in October 1534, and was succeeded by Sir Thomas Palmer of Newnhambridge, who describes his predecessor as 'an honest man, and no beggar as I am. Sir, thanks be to the king's highness, he had cause, for the king gave him a widow with four hundred marks land, and l,000l. In her purse, and she had five hundred marks in plate; and also the ward of a merchant's son of London, where he had for the said ward 800l. sterling paid on a day, and besides, the kind's highness gave him 30l. land to him and his heirs.'

For coat armour he bore argent, a chevron azure between three escallops sable, and for crest, a cubit arm grasping a scimitar embossed, all proper, hilt and pommel or. There are several specimens of his handwriting among the State Papers of the period. His widow, whose name was Joan, survived him some time, but it does not appear that he left any heirs.

Related Research Articles

William Blount, 4th Baron Mountjoy English courtier, scholar, and patron of learning

William Blount, 4th Baron Mountjoy, KG, of Barton Blount, Derbyshire, was an extremely influential English courtier, a respected humanistic scholar and patron of learning. He was one of the most influential and perhaps the wealthiest English noble courtier of his time. Mountjoy was known internationally as a humanist writer and scholar and patron of the arts.

John Bourchier, 2nd Baron Berners English soldier, statesman and translator

John Bourchier, 2nd Baron Berners was an English soldier, statesman and translator.

Arthur Plantagenet, 1st Viscount Lisle Illegitimate son of King Edward IV of England

Arthur Plantagenet, 1st Viscount Lisle, KG was an illegitimate son of the English king Edward IV, half-brother-in-law of Henry VII, and an uncle of Henry VIII, at whose court he was a prominent figure and by whom he was appointed Lord Deputy of Calais (1533–40). The survival of a large collection of his correspondence in the Lisle Letters makes his life one of the best-documented of his era.

Richard Wingfield Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster

Sir Richard WingfieldKG of Kimbolton Castle was an influential courtier and diplomat in the early years of the Tudor dynasty of England.

Katherine Brandon, Duchess of Suffolk English Baroness

Katherine Brandon, Duchess of Suffolk, suo jure12th Baroness Willoughby de Eresby, was an English noblewoman living at the courts of King Henry VIII, King Edward VI and Queen Elizabeth I. She was the fourth wife of Charles Brandon, 1st Duke of Suffolk, who acted as her legal guardian during his third marriage to Henry VIII's sister Mary. Her second husband was Richard Bertie, a member of her household. Following Charles Brandon's death in 1545, it was rumoured that King Henry had considered marrying Catherine as his seventh wife, while he was still married to his sixth wife, Catherine Parr, who was Katherine's close friend.

Court of Wards and Liveries

The Court of Wards and Liveries was a court established during the reign of Henry VIII in England. Its purpose was to administer a system of feudal dues; but as well as the revenue collection, the court was also responsible for wardship and livery issues.

William Sandys, 1st Baron Sandys English diplomat

William Sandys, 1st Baron Sandys of the VyneKG was an English Tudor diplomat, Lord Chamberlain and favourite of King Henry VIII.

Gregory Cromwell, 1st Baron Cromwell English peer

Gregory Cromwell, 1st Baron Cromwell, KB was an English Peer. He was the only son of the Tudor statesman Thomas Cromwell, 1st Earl of Essex and Elizabeth Wyckes.

Thomas Benolt was a long-serving officer of arms at the College of Arms in London. As part of his service, he was also a diplomat. He appears to have been born at Rouen, though his family had stronger links with Calais. Benolt is thought to have been raised in that city, and his brother at one time became its secretary. Thomas Benolt is reported to have served Kings Edward IV and Richard III as a pursuivant, but these claims cannot be substantiated. The first definitive evidence of his royal service is an appointment as Windsor Herald of Arms in Ordinary on 6 May 1504. Six years later, he was promoted to the post of Norroy King of Arms and on 30 January 1511 he was made Clarenceux King of Arms.

Thomas Lovell English soldier, administrator and politician

Sir Thomas Lovell, KG was an English soldier and administrator, Speaker of the House of Commons, Secretary to the Treasury and Chancellor of the Exchequer.

William Willoughby, 1st Baron Willoughby of Parham English Baron

William Willoughby, 1st Baron Willoughby of Parham was an English nobleman and soldier who in 1547 was made an hereditary peer of the House of Lords.

Thomas Grey, 2nd Marquess of Dorset English peer and soldier

Thomas Grey, 2nd Marquess of Dorset was an English peer, courtier, soldier, and landowner.

Thomas Darcy, 1st Baron Darcy de Darcy English politician

Thomas Darcy, 1st Baron Darcy of Darcy or of Temple Hurst, was an English nobleman, the only son, and heir, of Sir William Darcy and his wife, Euphemia Langton, the daughter of Sir John Langton. Darcy was opposed to the Dissolution of the Monasteries, and for his role in the Pilgrimage of Grace was convicted of high treason for delivering up Pontefract Castle to the rebels. He was executed on Tower Hill 30 June 1537.

Sir Thomas Neville or Nevill was a younger son of George Neville, 4th Baron Bergavenny. He was a prominent lawyer and a trusted councillor of King Henry VIII, and was elected Speaker of the House of Commons in 1515.

Richard Guildford English courtier

Sir Richard Guildford, KG was an English courtier who held important positions at the court of Henry VII, including the office of Master of the Ordnance.

Henry VIII of England had several children. The best known children are the three legitimate offspring who survived infancy and would succeed him as monarchs of England successively, Edward VI, Mary I and Elizabeth I.

William Denys English knight

Sir William Denys (1470–1533) of Dyrham, Gloucestershire, was a courtier of King Henry VIII and High Sheriff of Gloucestershire in 1518 and 1526.

Richard Delahide was an Irish judge of the sixteenth century, who held the offices of Chief Justice of the Irish Common Pleas and Chief Baron of the Irish Exchequer. His career was seriously damaged by the Rebellion of Silken Thomas, in which several members of his family played a leading part, and he narrowly escaped permanent disgrace.

William Courtenay (1477–1535) leading member of the Devon gentry and a courtier of King Henry VIII

Sir William Courtenay"The Great", of Powderham in Devon, was a leading member of the Devon gentry and a courtier of King Henry VIII having been from September 1512 one of the king's Esquires of the Body. He served as Sheriff of Devon three times: from February to November 1522, 1525/6, and 1533/4. He was elected Knight of the Shire for Devon in 1529.

Sir Edward Wotton (1489–1551) was the Treasurer of Calais and a privy councillor to Edward VI of England.

References

    "Garneys, Christopher"  . Dictionary of National Biography . London: Smith, Elder & Co. 1885–1900.