Sir John Savile’s Household portrays the family,
servants and retinue of the Savile family from the middle of the
fifteenth century until the beginning of the reign of Henry Tudor.
The following history of the Savile family has been adpated from
a disertation by one of the group members, Adam Woodland. This outline
of the family starts with early origins of the Saviles and continues
with a history of the family up to the reign of Henry VII.
Early History
The origins of the Savile family are difficult to determine. Historians
and genealogists writing in the seventeenth century claimed the
Saviles were descended from the ‘Savelli’ or ‘Sabelli’
of Rome who were supposed to have been Roman consuls before the
birth of Christ. It is certain that these accounts are entirely
fictitious and it is more plausible that the Saviles began by holding
small amounts of land in West Yorkshire and gradually extended their
property. The earliest documentary evidence regarding the Saviles
supports this. In 1225, Henry de Seyvil is mentioned in a document
that granted him a license to found a Chantry in a chapel at Golcar
(West Yorkshire) and in 1251-2 and 1274-1307 other Saviles are mentioned
in Court and Assize rolls relating to West Yorkshire.
In 1286, a more detailed account of the Savile family appears during
the reign of Edward I. The account takes the form of a lunacy inquisition
conducted against Peter de Sayvell at York, and contains a list
of some of his lands and possessions. The inquisition opened by
stating that ‘Peter de Sayvell is clearly mad and an idiot
and incapable of managing his land’ The inquisition records
that Peter de Sayvell held land in Smeaton, Skelebrook, Golcar and
Thurleston which are all in West Yorkshire. Although these lands
might have been relatively small, the family certainly had a permanent
and significant presence in West Yorkshire by the thirteenth century.
The Savile family began to rise in status in the mid-fourteenth
century when the head of the family, Sir John Savile, married Isabel
de Elland in 1353. Isabel de Elland was an heiress and the marriage
brought the family the manors of Elland and Tankersley, which significantly
extended their property. Other lands held by Sir John in this period
included the manor of Marsden and lands in Brighouse, Carlinghow
and Cheshire.
Sir John Savile saw much military service and was present at most
of the important military events in the mid-fourteenth century.
In 1346-7, Sir John saw action at the Siege of Calais and in February
1356, he joined the Black Prince in Gascony and was probably at
the Battle of Poitiers later that year. Furthermore, Sir John Savile
fought in Brittany with Henry, Duke of Lancaster and in 1367 he
was a member of John of Gaunt’s retinue that fought at the
Battle of Najara in Spain. Additionally Sir John Savile and Robert
Rokley assembled 30 archers at Plymouth for service in John of Gaunt’s
campaign in France in 1373. In this period of Savile history, the
family served the Dukes of Lancaster and when Sir John was given
a license to found a Chantry at his manor of Elland in 1396, the
purpose was to pray for the souls of the Savile family along with
Henry, the late Duke of Lancaster and John, Duke of Aquitaine and
Lancaster.
Sir John’s military service was matched by an equally interesting
career in local government. Savile was appointed to Commissions
of Oyer and Terminer (‘Hear and Determine’) in the West
Riding, a court that investigated and tried all criminal activity
(in 1364, 1365 and 1370). Sir John was also elected as one of two
Knights of the Shire to represent the West Riding at Parliament
in April 1376, October 1382, April 1384, November 1384 and January
1389/90. After having been a representative at Parliament, a Knight
of the Shire could expect to serve as the Sheriff of a county in
the years following their election. Sir John held the post of Sheriff
of Yorkshire on three occasions in 1380, 1382-3 and 1387-8. Sir
John performed other duties for the Crown, including several Commissions
of Array for the West Riding and a Commission to assess a Royal
tax in 1379. In 1382 and 1385 Savile was also included among the
gentry of the West Riding ordered to maintain peace and break up
illegal gatherings in Yorkshire. In 1384, Richard II granted Sir
John an exemption from holding public office against his will. However,
Savile continued to serve in positions of civil authority until
1394 and this suggests the exemption was granted due to Savile’s
age rather than any malpractice.
Sir John died in 1399 and his will was proved on September 23rd
1399. His wife, Isabel de Elland, was also veiled in November of
the same year. Savile’s will leaves little indication of the
financial status of the family at the time of his death, however
Sir John left 14s 4d to his poor tenants at Golcar and expressed
the wish to be interred at Elland, the manor he gained through his
wife. The only other family member mentioned in the will is John
Saywell of Shelley who received six spoons of silver, one silver
cup with a cover, six quarters of corn, two quarters of barley,
a bed and a brass pot.
Other individuals sharing the Savile name were active during the
period. Thomas Savile served as a Sergeant-at-Arms to the Crown
from the 1370s until the fifteenth century and a John Savile served
in France before and during the campaigns of 1361. This John Savile
was accused of the murder of a Wakefield man, which supports the
likelihood he was a West Yorkshire Savile, although John received
a Crown pardon in 1361 for ‘…good service done in the
war in Brittany in the company on Robert de Herle…’
Perhaps this John Savile (or another of the same name) joined Military
Orders and was serving with the Knights Hospitaller by 1400. In
a letter patent dated 15th March 1400, this John Savile described
himself as ‘Brother of the Order of the Hospital of St. John
of Jerusalem and Preceptor of Temple Bruer in the Diocese of Lincoln.’
The seal placed to the bottom of the letter shows the Savile coat
of arms of three owls and a black bend.
After the death of Sir John Savile in 1399, he left three children,
John, Henry and Isabel, with the leadership of the family passing
to John (for clarity I’ve given him the title John the younger).
John the younger had also been knighted in or before November 1399
when a grant was given to John Sayvill ‘chivaler’ several
months after the death of his father. His political career was less
grand than his father’s and he only performed two official
duties; the Commission of Array for the West Riding in 1399 and
as Sheriff of Yorkshire in 1402. Sir John the younger died in 1407
or 1408 and it is likely that his minor political career was due
to the longevity of his father rather than his unsuitability for
the task. Sir John the younger had taken a wife during his lifetime
and his marriage to Isabel Radclyffe did produce issue but their
son had predeceased Sir John the Younger.
The second son, Henry Savile, gained considerable land through
marriage to Elizabeth de Thornhill, a West Yorkshire heiress. Elizabeth
stood to inherit the estates of the Thornhill family and proved
to be an attractive marriage prospect in the Yorkshire region. Although
she was only 2 years old when these lands came to her in 1370, the
Savile family purchased the rights to her marriage from the Crown
for £126 3s 4d. She was then wedded to Henry Savile, which
established a younger branch of the family at the manor of Thornhill.
As second son, Henry Savile had a minor political career and served
on the Commission of Array once in 1403. Despite holding the Thornhill
estates, Henry Savile was never knighted and retained his status
as esquire.
The Saviles 1415-1449
Henry Savile died in 1415 and his son, Thomas, inherited the Thornhill
estates. Thomas Savile was destined to become the head of the family
as the Elland Saviles died out and he inherited the property of
his uncle. As Thomas was resident at Thornhill, the principal seat
of the family transferred from Elland to Thornhill. During the Fifteenth
century, the heads of the family were always the Saviles of Thornhill.
Sir Thomas Savile continued the family tradition of serving the
crown and he had been made Knight of the Shire in 1442. He also
performed various other tasks, including a Commission for the defence
of the Realm in 1417 and an appointment to raise a loan for the
King in March 1439. Sir Thomas Savile had been knighted and this
came in or before 1430, as documents after 1430 acknowledge his
status. Sir Thomas had a rather short and uneventful political career,
although in the period under his leadership, the family became affiliated
to the Duke of York. This affiliation would lead to the Savile family’s
support of the Yorkist faction when armed conflict began in 1455.
The will of Sir Thomas, who died in 1449, suggests he was a pious
man, with many grants to religious houses in the vicinity of the
Savile estates. Certainly, he was a patron of Thornhill Parish church
and in 1447 he had paid for an extension to the Church to provide
a private family chapel. Surviving stained glass in the windows
of this chapel link it to Sir Thomas, with a Latin inscription that
translates ‘Pray for the soul of Thomas Savile, Knight, who
caused this chapel to be built, AD. 1447.’ Illustration in
the glass shows Sir Thomas and his wife, Margaret, at prayer, with
the arms of the Savile and Thornhill families quartered on Lady
Margaret’s dress and Sir Thomas’s armour. In this will
Savile also bequeathed his best horse and trappings towards the
expenses of his funeral and a set of vestments of yellow cloth and
a cap for the priest, deacon and sub-deacon of the church at Thornhill.
Since the seat of the family had transferred to the Thornhill estate,
Sir John left instructions for his body to be interred with his
wife in this church and three marks were left for a tomb to be raised
over their bodies. Other provisions for the church included a bequest
of 40s for a table for the High Altar and a like amount for candles
to burn before the crucifix. He also bequeathed 24d for a chaplain
to celebrate for the souls of his family for six years after his
death. The various other Houses patronised by Savile are indicated
by his gifts. The friars of Pontefract received a donation of 13s
8d and the House of St. Robert at Knaresborough received 3s 4d.
Three South Yorkshire Houses received gifts, the Friars of Tickhill
and the Carmelites and Friars Minor of Doncaster each were given
8d. To a recluse at ‘Beston’ (Beeston) Savile granted
3s. 4d. It was usual in the fifteenth century for prosperous landowners
or merchants to leave some provision for the repair of a public
highway or bridge. In Savile’s case, a donation of 40s was
bestowed to the ‘fabric and repair of the bridge at Horbury.’
The remainder of Sir Thomas’s goods were granted to Sir John,
his son and heir, who was also named executor by his father. Apart
from Sir John, Sir Thomas Savile left three daughters, all of who
married into local families of esquire or knightly status. Margaret
Savile was married to Sir John Hopton, Alice Savile to William Mirfield
and Elizabeth Savile to Sir John Harrington.
The Saviles 1449-1482
The son of Sir Thomas, Sir John Savile, assumed the leadership
of the family after his father’s death. Sir John Savile lived
through most of the Wars of the Roses and saw action at some of
the major battles. His military career began in 1441, when he was
part of the Duke of York’s retinue in his expedition to France.
A surviving list of a purchase of armours from 1441 mentions ‘John
Savyle’ as one of the recipients. Three suits armours were
purchased by Sir John de Cressy, one for himself at a cost of £8.6s.6d,
one for his squire at £5.16s.8d and one for John Savyle at
£6. Since this purchase is contemporary with Savile’s
presence in France and considering Sir John de Cressy was Captain
of Lisieux, Orbal and Pont l’Eveque, it is likely that the
John Savyle mentioned was John Savile of Thornhill and the armour
was a new harness intended for use in the Duke of York’s French
campaign.
By May 1442, John Savile had been knighted by the Duke of York.
He was also made steward of the lordship of Wakefield and Constable
of Sandal Castle, both possessions within the Duchy of York. With
these responsibilities, Sir John Savile became one of the Duke of
York’s principal estate managers in the North and a trusted
member of the Yorkist faction. In the 1450s when the Duke of York
was at the height of his influence, Sir John Savile played an important
role in the Duke’s political strategy. In 1450, Savile was
elected to parliament, which can be attributed almost directly to
the influence of York who tried to fill the House with his supporters
and oust those loyal to King Henry VI. Sir John’s loyalty
to the House of York in this period is unquestionable, as he fought
with the Duke at the First Battle of St. Albans in May 1455 and
in the weeks following the battle, was appointed as Sheriff of Yorkshire.
When armed conflict resumed in 1459, the Savile family remained
loyal to the Yorkist cause and Sir John’s eldest son (John
Savile, esquire) fought with the Earl of Salisbury at Blore Heath
in September of the same year. It is likely that Sir John sent the
men of the Savile estates under the command of his son so the family
would escape attainder if the House of Lancaster defeated the Yorkist
forces. Salisbury aimed to join with the forces of York and Warwick
at Ludlow, however he was intercepted in Staffordshire by the army
of Lords Audley and Dudley. Fortunately Salisbury was victorious,
a combination of outstanding generalship and Yorkist archery destroying
any Lancastrian resistance and he was able to complete his march
to Ludlow. However the upper-hand gained by this Yorkist victory
was to be short-lived. On October 12th 1459 Warwick, York and Salisbury
were forced to flee abroad after they were betrayed at Ludlow. In
the following days after their flight, a Lancastrian Parliament
met at Coventry and passed at Act of Attainder against, Warwick,
York, Salisbury and 24 of their supporters including John Savile
esquire. (An Act of Attainder stripped a person of all their property
and possessions and made them liable for execution). Additionally,
in December 1459, Sir John Savile lost his office as Steward of
Wakefield and Constable of Sandal Castle and was replaced the son
of the Earl of Shrewsbury, a known Lancastrian.
The Savile family’s misfortune was short-lived, and after
the Yorkist victory at the Battle of Northampton, Sir John was reinstalled
to his previous offices and the Act of Attainder against John esquire
was reversed. It is not known whether the Saviles took any further
part in the Wars of the Roses until the Battle of Wakefield. No
documentary evidence has come to light regarding whether the Saviles
were present at this battle, although it is very likely they were.
Sir John was the Constable of Sandal castle at the time of the battle
and the Yorkist army was camped all around the area. Furthermore,
the principal seat of the family at Thornhill was five miles to
the west of Sandal and most of the Savile estates were within a
day’s ride of Wakefield. Finally, Sir John Savile was one
of the Duke’s foremost supporters in Yorkshire and it is extremely
unlikely that the family and their retainers could have avoided
being drawn into the conflict at Wakefield.
The Battle of Wakefield proved to be a disaster for the House of
York, with the death of the Duke, however, his eldest son Edward,
Earl of March, took over the leadership of the faction. On the following
Palm Sunday 1461, the army of Edward engaged and defeated a large
Lancastrian force at the Battle of Towton. The battle was a decisive
victory for Edward and the House of York, although it is unlikely
that Sir John Savile was present. No member of the Savile family
is listed as having fought at Towton, although Sir John was certainly
of the status to be listed among the peers if he had been present
at the battle. It is a distinct possibility that Savile had been
captured after Wakefield and held prisoner by Lancastrians. A surviving
deed of enfeoffment dated 29th March 1461 had been witnessed by
John Neville (the Marquis of Montague), Sir John Savile and John
Woodruff. John Neville had taken no part in the battle of Towton
and had been captured after the Second Battle of St. Albans and
held prisoner in York until his release on 30th March. For all three
men to witness the deed, it is likely that Neville, Savile and Woodruff
were present in York on March 29th , the day of the battle at Towton.
It would seem that Savile and Woodruff had been imprisoned after
the Battle of Wakefield and detained at York. Both men held office
from the Duchy of York, Woodruff as receiver of the lordship of
Sandal and Sir John Savile as the steward of Wakefield and Constable
of Sandal castle. Certainly, the others mentioned in this deed were
tenants in the Wakefield area. It appears that after the Battle
of Wakefield, those in the area of Yorkist persuasion were taken
into custody and took no further part in the campaign until Edward’s
victory at Towton. Furthermore, two days after the ascendancy of
Edward IV, Sir John Savile retained his offices in the Duchy of
York and was appointed Sheriff of Yorkshire immediately after. To
be selected and confirmed in these offices it is evident that Savile
enjoyed crown favour and retained the trust of the king. It further
suggests the support of the Savile family for the House of York
had not been lukewarm and a genuine reason had kept them from attending
the Battle of Towton. Additionally, recruitment to the King’s
household in the 1460s was mostly restricted to the tenants of the
Duchy of York. At least five of eight appointed were from the Wakefield
area, suggesting Sir John Savile had secured their entry and the
King had been happy to accept his recommendations. Edward IV enjoyed
an unbroken rule from 1461 until September 1470, when the Readeption
of Henry VI forced the erstwhile king to flee abroad and seek refuge
with the Duke of Burgundy. The exile of Edward IV, proved short
and with support of the Burgundian Court he landed at Ravenspur
in East Yorkshire on 14th March 1471. The support of the gentry
of the Wakefield area as Edward marched south was criticised in
the ‘Historie of the Arrivall of Edward IV’ a work that
had been commissioned by the returning king shortly after May 26th
1471. The author, probably a member of the court, recorded that
from the Duchy of York’s territory around Wakefield and Sandal,
a Savile area of influence, ‘came some folk unto him, (Edward
IV) but not so many as he supposed would have come.’ It is
likely Sir John Savile was included in this number, and a reversion
of the offices of Steward of Wakefield and Constable of Sandal Castle
that had been granted to Sir John Pilkington on July 5th 1471, advocates
Edward IV had been less than pleased with Savile’s efforts
of his behalf.
More localised conflict involving the Savile family occurred in
the late 1470s. During this decade, the Yorkist dynasty was secure
with the wider threat of the Lancastrian dynasty virtually extinct.
Whereas family feuds had often been settled on the battlefields
of the Wars of the Roses, a lack of medium to settle old scores,
meant disagreements between Lords were settled with armed conflicts
between relatively small numbers of their tenants and retainers.
Such an episode occurred in September 1478 when a commission of
Oyer and Terminer was issued to inquire into numerous felonies committed
in Yorkshire, for the most part, between 1460 and 1478. This commission
was headed by several of England’s foremost peers, including
the King’s brother, Richard, Duke of Gloucester and the Earl
of Northumberland. Of 200 indictments presented to the commission,
thirty-four were associated with a feud that had developed between
the Yorkshire families of Savile and Pilkington. The fruition of
violence belonging to this particular dispute seems to have begun
on April 12th 1478, when Sir John Pilkington of Skipton-in-Craven,
took in maintenance one of Sir John Savile’s tenants, Richard
Elistones. Savile had raised a hedge on his manor at Elland, to
which Elistones objected, claiming it had enclosed part of his tenement.
Elistones then enfeoffed Pilkington with the land, in order that
he would aid him against the Saviles, despite the Savile family
asking Pilkington in an affable manner not to do so. On the orders
of Sir John Pilkington, a sizeable retinue of his supporters, led
by his bastard son Robert, then broke down the hedge and through
their violent manner scared other Savile tenants from their holdings.
The Savile response followed on May 14th led by Thomas Savile of
Thornhill, son of Sir John Savile, due his fathers age and illness
and his nephew being engaged in the King’s service. Raising
a host of 100 men, Thomas Savile proceeded to Elland and attacked
Richard Elistones and another yeoman, John Holes. Both were driven
from their homes and the Savile followers erected dykes over Hole’s
land claiming as they did this: ‘if ther be any man that will
pull down this dyke he shall die therfor other elles lose an arm
or a legge.’ Again, with a retinue reinforced with his two
uncles and other family members to the number of 400, Robert Pilkington
marched to Elland on May 19th and pulled down the dykes erected
by the Saviles. They then proceeded to the Pilkington manor of Efletburgh
with the intent of awaiting the Savile response. Reinforced by the
Stansfield family and with a retinue of 300-500 men, the Saviles
again made up the obstructions at Elland, before making their departure
to Efletburgh, where they demanded: ‘come forth thow Robart
Pylkynton and thy servaunts oute of that place or elles we shall
pull it down over your heads. Following this, the Savile entourage
dined at Halifax and were later ambushed by Robert Pilkington and
his 400 men on Skircote Moor, while attempting to return peacefully
to Elland, they claimed. A battle ensued and casualties were suffered
on both sides. This battle, however, did nothing to resolve the
conflict and on May 22nd Sir John Pilkington’s brother, Charles,
descended on Sandal Castle with up to 400 men, demanding Sir John
Savile come forth and fight them. On May 24th a servant of Sir John
Pilkington declared, speaking for his master, that all men in the
Lordship of Wakefield, should attend Almondbury on May 26th and
declare their support for Pilkington. Not only was Wakefield the
Lordship where Savile was steward, Pilkington’s servant declared
that all those staying away were to do so at their peril. Pilkington’s
tenants did come forth and declare their support for him, and in
the meantime the Pilkington family fortified several of their strongholds.
With these last moves by the Pilkingtons, the legibility of the
indictment ends.
There is scant evidence to suggest what had caused this conflict,
however the King’s Bench records a verbal disagreement between
Sir John Pilkington and Sir John Savile’s eldest son concerning
a minor land dispute between Pilkington and another party in April
or May 1478. Combined with this, the reversion of Sir John Savile’s
offices at Wakefield and Sandal, to Sir John Pilkington in 1471,
probably signalled a marked deterioration in relations between the
two families. Investigation by the commission indicates that a history
of sixty crimes perpetrated by the Pilkington family, from as far
back as the 1460s, on occasion targeted both the Saviles and their
supporters, the Stansfields. Indeed, in a sentence of death passed
against Thomas Pilkington, his conviction had been given for livestock
theft, including 142 rams belonging to Isabella Savile. It must
be noted however, that both the Saviles and the Stansfields were
not completely free from indictment during the commission. Four
accusations were brought against the Saviles, one for cattle theft
and three for expulsion and ten against the Stansfields. Several
family members from both sides were sentenced to death at this commission,
mostly for crimes not related to the felonies committed during the
feud. The King however, appears to have called a halt to the commission
on 26th September and the further consequences against each party
are unrecorded. Violence between the minor nobility was not uncommon
during the reign of Edward IV. Certainly, a feud between Lords Lisle
and Berkely in 1470 had resulted in a minor battle at Nibley Green
in Gloucestershire and in Lancashire, law and order was plagued
by the Harrington-Stanley feud between 1469 and 1473. Violent crime
between lords was commonplace in late fifteenth century England,
however for men with the right connections, it was possible to openly
defy the law and royal orders for years on end and yet still receive
crown pardons and retain the king’s favour. Perhaps this explains
why minor lords were so eager to resort to arms rather than any
other means of arbitration.
Sir John Savile and his family continued successful political careers
throughout the reign of Edward IV and Sir John and one of his younger
sons, William, were regular members of the West Riding Commission
of the Peace. William was a trained lawyer and a member of Gray’s
Inn in London, so despite being a younger son with no prospects
as head of the family, his legal knowledge made William a logical
choice as Justice of the Peace (indeed he remained in the post until
1498). However, after the Savile-Pilkington feud, Sir John was never
reappointed the Commission of the Peace (along with Sir John Pilkington)
which suggests the King had reconsidered his suitability for the
role. Sir John also held position in other day-to-day local government,
such as assisting on Commissions to investigate Crown revenues that
had fallen into decline and serving on Commissions of Array for
Yorkshire. Along with other gentry of a similar status, Sir John
Savile served the Crown in efforts to break up illegal gatherings
in Yorkshire.
In 1474, the Savile family were retained into the affinity of Richard,
Duke of Gloucester. An indenture from the family papers records
that:
‘Witnesseth that the said John (Sir John Savile) is belest,
withhold and retained with the said Duke for term of his life, his
allegiance to the king’s highness except, so that he shall
be ready at all times when he shall be required to await and attend
upon him as well in times of peace as of war without any delay sufficiently
horsed, harnessed and accompanied so that he may make in all fields
as other journeys and places taking of the said Duke reasonable
costs and expenses for the same provided. Over that in time of war
if it fortune any man of worship or captain to be taken by the said
John or any of his accompany, the said Duke to have him yielding
a reasonable reward to the taker of the same. And also the said
Duke shall have all the third of thirds, for the which retainder
the said John shall have yearly 10 marks of fee to be taken of the
revenues of the Lordship of Sheriff Hutton by the hands of the receiver
there for the time being, as in the letters patents thereupon made
more plainly it shall appear. In witness whereof the parties abovesaid
to these present indentures interchangeably have set their seals
the day and year abovesaid.
This indenture is not unusual considering that Gloucester was given
virtual control of the North by Edward IV after the Yorkist dynasty
was secured in 1471. Moreover, the North was traditionally a region
of Lancastrian sympathy, susceptible to Scottish raids and the scene
of petty rivalries between English lords jealous of encroachment
in their spheres of influence. In July 1474, the second premier
magnate in the North, Henry Percy, the Earl of Northumberland, agreed
to Gloucester’s supremacy in the region. Each lord recognised
the other’s rights and privileges and Gloucester acknowledged
the influence of the Percy family in some areas of the North. This
allowed Gloucester to extend his influence in Yorkshire without
alienating Northumberland.
Sir John Savile died in 1482 and it is thought to have been at
Sandal castle, which had been an occasional residence while he was
the Constable. Sir John was borne through Wakefield at his funeral
and interred at the parish church in Thornhill. His will was proved
on 21st June 1482 and Lady Alice Savile was veiled shortly afterward
on July 3rd. Savile’s will gave instructions that he should
be buried at the family chapel in Thornhill Church and he left £10
to be divided among his servants, according to their merit and status.
To his grandson he left items including a bed, farming equipment
and items for use in the brew-house. The will also gave various
grants of land to his wife and children for their support and it
is clear from this that Sir John and Dame Alice held land in…
• Bothamhall (Bothamsall, Notts?), (Broomhall)
• Rishworth (WR)
• Golcar (WR),
• a messuage at Coldeby and associated lands in the Isle of
Axhome (Lincs),
• Estrington (Eastrington ER?)
• Hundesworth
• Thurlstone (WR)
• Thornhill (WR)
• Ovenden (WR)
• Wadsworth (WR)
• Skircoates (WR)
Savile also left provisions for his sons, including sums of money
and life annuities from some of these manors. His children and their
portions were…
• Henry (40 shillings, plus a life annuity of £4)
• Richard (40 shillings, as above)
• Nicholas (40 shillings, as above)
• William (20 marks, a half share of the manor of Hundesworth)
• Thomas (20 marks, as William)
• Margaret (£40)
• Isabel (Married Oliver Mirfield)
• Elizabeth (Married Robert Waterton and mentioned in her
brother-in laws will, Ralph Snaith.)
• Anne (Married three times, John Butler, Ralph Snaith and
Sir Roger Hopton.
• Brian (not mentioned in the will, but instructed in 1440-1
to take holy orders, perhaps he was an illegitimate son?)
Sir John Savile’s son and heir, John Savile esquire (who
had fought at Blore Heath in 1459) was killed fighting in the Duke
of Gloucester’s campaign in Scotland in 1482. He had married
twice, firstly to Jane, the daughter of Sir Thomas Harrington with
whom he had two children and secondly, Elizabeth, the daughter of
Thomas, Lord Dacre. John Savile esquire had been expected to take
over the offices of his father at Wakefield and Sandal either at
the surrender or death of the elderly Sir John. However, due to
his untimely death, the leadership of the family passed to the son
of John Savile, esquire – a third John Savile.
The Saviles 1482-1509
This third John had been present with his father in the Scottish
campaign and was created a Knight Banneret by the Duke of Gloucester
after the siege of Berwick on 22nd August 1482. This established
a favourable relationship with Gloucester and Sir John remained
loyal to the Duke after his usurpation of the throne in 1483. After
Gloucester’s coronation, which Savile attended, the King brought
the men from his Northern affinity to serve in crown offices in
the South. This included Sir John who was created Captain of the
Isle of Wight in February 1484. This appointment was for life and
Savile was to receive all the profits from the island, an annual
salary of £200 and the power to appoint and dismiss offices.
Despite these generous terms, Sir John did not seem willing to hold
this position in person and appealed to the King to let him carry
out the office via a deputy. This request displeased Richard III
and he issued a humiliating 5000 mark bond for Savile’s future
good behaviour…
‘…Condition that if the above John Savile during his
life be off good behaviour towards our sovereign lord king Richard
and his heirs, Kings of England, and serve him as well in time of
war as of peace to his power, whensoever by the King thereto commanded,
and that he keep the Isle of Wight to the use and surety of Our
Lord, then this recognisance be void…’
Sir John Savile also lost his offices at Wakefield and Sandal castle
in winter 1484. This may have contributed to a growing dissatisfaction
with Savile’s treatment by Richard III, although it is likely
that Sir John lost these offices due to Sandal becoming the residence
of the heir presumptive, John de la Pole. Despite the disagreements,
Sir John Savile eventually took up his office in the Isle of Wight
and served Richard III in local government in the South, being appointed
to Commissions of Array and Commissions of the Peace for Hampshire
and Southampton. Additionally, Savile was given land in the South
including the manor of Stratton St Margaret in Wiltshire, the Manor
of Cornhampton in the county of Southampton and the manor and lordship
of Wogwille in Devon. Annually these lands were worth £66
14s 2d. The importance of Savile’s position in the South cannot
be underestimated, as it was in this region that Henry Tudor and
other dissident Lancastrians were expected to land.
In 1485, when Tudor seized the crown, Sir John Savile was one of
the first of the Yorkshire gentry to make his peace with the new
King. Indeed, the Savile connection of over 40 years to the House
of York was brought to a swift end. Certainly, no records indicate
that Sir John had fought alongside Richard at Bosworth and within
a month of Tudor’s accession, he had been appointed to the
Commission of the Peace for the West Riding, a position which he
held regularly until 1504. Indeed, Tudor appears to have placed
much trust in Savile’s loyalty to his dynasty as immediately
after his appointment as a JP in 1485, he was made the member of
a Commission of Array for Yorkshire in expectation of a Scottish
invasion. Furthermore Sir John was made Sheriff of Yorkshire on
November 5th 1485 and was relieved of the Captaincy of the Isle
of Wight and re-instated to his offices as Constable of Sandal and
Steward of Wakefield. This patronage by Henry Tudor continued, and
on November 29th 1485 Savile was created Feodary of the honour of
Pontefract and Steward of the Lordship of Bradford 4th March 1486.
When the king attended Yorkshire to quell disturbances in the North
of the county in April 1486, Savile attended his person and was
present at the Coronation of Elizabeth Woodville in November 1487.
During the rebellion of the earl of Lincoln in 1487, Savile supported
Henry Tudor and was appointed to the defence of the city of York.
In addition to this, by 1487 Sir John was also a Knight of the Body
in the King’s household.
Evidence suggests that Savile was an unpopular and reckless manager
in the running of some of his offices. In 1490, Savile was accused
of malpractice by tenants in the Wakefield area. These accusations
were taken seriously and a letter patent from August 1490 records:
Commission to look into complaints of the citizens of Souerby,
Warley, Northourum, Ovenden, Hiperom, and Shelf against John Savyll,
Knight, Nicholas Sayvill, Edward Whalley and Robert Thomas.
In 1501, Savile also demanded and obtained £20 from one John
Nawte, whom he accused of fighting against the King at Stoke Field
in 1487. This allegation was brought against Sir John as support
of an accusation of malpractice, so it is likely that this money
was gained through extortion rather than a formal fine. It appears
Savile was found guilty of these claims and was removed as Steward
of Wakefield in June 1502 and as Steward of Bradford and Feodary
of Pontefract around the same time. Certainly, Thomas Trigot had
replaced Savile as Feodary on 15 March 1501 and Sir William Calverley
as Steward of Bradford in 1502.
During his lifetime, Savile had been married twice, firstly to
Alice Vernon and secondly to Elizabeth Paston. The marriage to Elizabeth
Paston proved to be an important move for the Saviles and is perhaps
their most prestigious marriage during the fifteenth century. Elizabeth
Paston’s mother, Jane Paston was daughter of and co-heiress
to Edmund Beaufort, first cousin to the countess of Richmond; the
mother of Henry VII. Through this marriage, Savile had brought royal
blood into the family. Sir John Savile died in 1504 and was interred
in the family chapel at Thornhill. His eldest son, Henry, assumed
the leadership of the family. To give some indication of the status
of the family in the late fifteenth century, at the time of Henry’s
death, he owned 300 messuages, 300 tofts, 10 water mills, 22 000
acres of land, excluding wastes and commons. His annual income from
these lands was around £400 a year which was roughly equal
to the money received by the family in the 1460s (excluding the
money gained from crown offices).
The Savile family line has continued through to the present day,
however the history of the family after 1504 falls outside of the
scope of this study.
|