Sir Richard Long, Kt., MP

Richard Long (courtier)

Sir Richard Long (ca. 1494 – 1546) was an English politician and courtier, for many years a member of the privy chamber of Henry VIII.

Long was the third son of Sir Thomas Long of Draycot (ca. 1449–1508), Wiltshire landowner, and his wife, Margery (d. in or after 1508), daughter of Sir George Darrell of Littlecote House in Wiltshire.

Long was among the retinue of Sir Gilbert Talbot in 1512, who went as deputy to Calais, and by 1515 he was one of the spears of Calais, a post that he seems to have held for the rest of his life. How he came to be appointed to the court is not clear, but Long was listed by the Treasurer of the Chamber as working in the stables in December 1528,[1] and certainly by 1533 he was an esquire of the stable. He had come to the attention of Cromwell by this time, who, with the exception in times of war, arranged for him to be non-resident in Calais. In 1532 Cromwell received a letter from Long's brother, Henry, to thank him for his favour to Richard. In 1535 Long was appointed to the privy chamber as Gentleman Usher, possibly through the influence of Cromwell. He quickly rose in prominence, gaining the favour of the King.

In 1537 he was knighted, on 15 October in the celebrations following the baptism of Prince Edward, in which he was one of the bearers of the canopy held over the infant in the baptismal procession, and the same day that his kinsman Edward Seymour, 1st Duke of Somerset was created earl of Hertford. In 1538 Long was appointed Master of the Buckhounds and Master of the Hawks. By 1539, he was a Gentleman of the Privy Chamber, and was present at the reception of Anne of Cleves, also in 1539. He was MP for Southwark the same year. Surviving the fall of his patron Cromwell, Long became a prominent servant of the government throughout the 1540s. He was one of the most senior members of the privy chamber during these years and his intimacy with the King made him a useful agent for secret and covert affairs.

Arriving in January 1541 at Calais to put its affairs in order, Long was described by the French ambassador, Charles de Marillac, bishop of Vienne, as ‘a person of authority and conduct’ (LP Henry VIII, 16.466). On his return he was instructed to arrest Sir John Wallop, a diplomat suspected of colluding with Cardinal Pole. This was a sensitive mission, and its failure was blamed not on Long, but on his kinsman Hertford. Later that year he worked on various commissions and juries dealing with the treason of Catherine Howard.

Making use of Long's military experience, the government appointed him governor of Guernsey, Alderney, and Sark in 1541, a post that he held until retirement due to illness in 1545, and in 1542 he was appointed captain of Kingston upon Hull with power to levy forces whenever occasion required, and with a place on the king's council of the north.

In a letter written by Henry VIII, he referred to Long as 'our trusty & right well-beloved Councillor, Sir Richard Long, Knt'. In 1542 Long gave the King a gift of a pair of purple satin stockings 'embrauded all over with pirles of damask gold and damask silver',[2] and the following year the King granted Long the manor of Shingay in Cambridgeshire.

On 10 November 1541 he obtained the marriage settlement of Margaret, only daughter of John Donington of Stoke Newington in Middlesex, and widow of Sir Thomas Kitson of Hengrave. They had one son, Henry, to whom the King stood as godfather in 1544, and three daughters. His granddaughter Elizabeth married William Russell, 1st Baron Russell of Thornhaugh.

He received large grants of Abbey lands from Henry VIII, in Essex, Cambridge, Suffolk and elsewhere, and together with his marriage, meant that like his fellow courtiers Welsbourne and Walsh, he was a rich man at his death on 30 September 1546. His widow married John Bourchier, 2nd Earl of Bath, on 11 December 1548. She died on 20 December 1561 at Stoke Newington and was buried at Hengrave on 12 January 1562.

See also: Category:Long family of Wiltshire

• Further Reading
• Inquisition Post Mortem: An Adventurous Jaunt Through a 500 Year History of the Courtiers, Clothiers and Parliamentarians of the Long Family of Wiltshire; Cheryl Nicol 2011
• References and Sources
• 1.^ Letters and Papers, Foreign and Domestic, of the Reign of Henry VIII. Vol. 5:1531-32.
• 2.^ A Complete View of the Dress and Habits of the People of England, from the Establishment of the Saxons in Britain to the Present Time 1796-99 - Joseph Strutt
• Dictionary of National Biography
• The Privy Purse Expences of King Henry the Eighth, from November 1529, to December 1532, Sir Nicholas Harris Nicolas 1827

From: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sir_Richard_Long_(c.1494-1546)

• ___________
• Sir Richard Long1
• M, d. 29 September 1546
• Father Thomas Long2 b. c 1455
• Mother Margery Darell2 b. c 1462
• Sir Richard Long married Margaret Donington, daughter of John Donnington, Esq. and Elizabeth Pye, after 11 September 1540.2 Sir Richard Long died on 29 September 1546 at of Shengay, Cambridgeshire, England.1
• Family Margaret Donington b. 1499, d. 20 Dec 1560
• Citations
• 1.[S11568] The Complete Peerage of England, Scotland, Ireland, Great Britain, and the United Kingdom, by George Edward Cokayne, Vol. II, p. 17.
• 2.[S61] Unknown author, Family Group Sheets, SLC Archives.
• http://our-royal-titled-noble-and-commoner-ancestors.com/p1923.htm#...
• ______________
• Sir Richard LONG
• Born: ABT 1494
• Died: 29 Sep 1546
• Father: Thomas LONG of Draycot (Sir) (See his Biography)
• Mother: Margery DARRELL
• Married: Margaret DONNINGTON (C. Bath) (b. 1509 - d. 12 Jan 1561) (dau. of John Donnington and Elizabeth Pye) (w. of Thomas Kytson - m. 3 John Bourchier, 2º E. Bath) 1541
• Children:
  • 1. Jane LONG (b. ABT 1541)
  • 2. Mary LONG (b. ABT 1543)
  • 3. Catherine LONG (b. ABT 1546)
  • 4. Henry LONG (b. 1542 - d. 15 Apr 1573) (m. Dorothy Clarke)
• Politician and courtier, for many years a member of the privy chamber of Henry VIII.
• Long was the third son of Sir Thomas Long of Draycot, Wiltshire landowner, and his wife, Margery (d. in or after 1508), daughter of Sir George Darrell of Littlecote House in Wiltshire. Brother of Sir Henry Long, Sheriff of Wiltshire.
• Long was among the retinue of Sir Gilbert Talbot in 1512, who went as deputy to Calais, and by 1515 he was one of the spears of Calais, a post that he seems to have held for the rest of his life. How he came to be appointed to the court is not clear, but Long was listed by the Treasurer of the Chamber as working in the stables in Dec 1528, and certainly by 1533 he was an esquire of the stable. He had come to the attention of Cromwell by this time, who, with the exception in times of war, arranged for him to be non-resident in Calais. In 1532 Cromwell received a letter from Long's brother, Henry, to thank him for his favour to Richard. In 1535 Long was appointed to the privy chamber as Gentleman Usher, possibly through the influence of Cromwell. He quickly rose in prominence, gaining the favour of the King.
• In 1537 he was knighted, on 15 Oct in the celebrations following the baptism of Prince Edward, in which he was one of the bearers of the canopy held over the infant in the baptismal procession, and the same day that his kinsman Edward Seymour was created earl of Hertford. In 1538 Long was appointed Master of the Buckhounds (an office in the Master of the Horse Department) and Master of the Hawks. By 1539, he was a Gentleman of the Privy Chamber, and was present at the reception of Anne of Cleves, also in 1539. He was MP for Southwark the same year. Surviving the fall of his patron Cromwell, Long became a prominent servant of the government throughout the 1540s. He was one of the most senior members of the privy chamber during these years and his intimacy with the King made him a useful agent for secret and covert affairs.
• Arriving in Jan 1541 at Calais to put its affairs in order, Long was described by the French ambassador, Charles de Marillac, bishop of Vienne, as ‘a person of authority and conduct’ (LP Henry VIII, 16.466). On his return he was instructed to arrest Sir John Wallop, a diplomat suspected of colluding with Cardinal Pole. This was a sensitive mission, and its failure was blamed not on Long, but on his kinsman Hertford. Later that year he worked on various commissions and juries dealing with the treason of Catherine Howard.
• Making use of Long's military experience, the government appointed him governor of Guernsey, Alderney, and Sark in 1541, a post that he held until retirement due to illness in 1545, and in 1542 he was appointed captain of Kingston upon Hull with power to levy forces whenever occasion required, and with a place on the king's council of the north.
• In a letter written by Henry VIII, he referred to Long as 'our trusty & right well-beloved Councillor, Sir Richard Long, Knt'. In 1542 Long gave the King a gift of a pair of purple satin stockings 'embrauded all over with pirles of damask gold and damask silver', and the following year the King granted Long the manor of Shingay in Cambridgeshire.
• On 10 Nov 1541 he obtained the marriage settlement of Margaret, only daughter of John Donington of Stoke Newington in Middlesex, and widow of Sir Thomas Kitson of Hengrave. They had one son, Henry, to whom the King stood as godfather in 1544, and three daughters. His granddaughter Elizabeth married William Russell, 1st Baron Russell of Thornhaugh.
• He received large grants of Abbey lands from Henry VIII, in Essex, Cambridge, Suffolk and elsewhere, and together with his marriage, meant that like his fellow courtiers Welsbourne and Walsh, he was a rich man at his death on 30 Sep 1546. His widow married John Bourchier, 2nd Earl of Bath, on 11 Dec 1548. She died on 20 Dec 1561 at Stoke Newington and was buried at Hengrave on 12 Jan 1562. Margaret’s monument in Hengrave Church is to herself and all three husbands.
• For more information see: Long family of Wiltshire
• http://www.tudorplace.com.ar/Bios/RichardLong.htm
• __________
• LONG, Sir Richard (by 1494-1546), of Southwark, Surr. and Shingay, Cambs.
• Constituency Dates
• SOUTHWARK1 1539
• Family and Education
• b. by 1494, 3rd s. of Sir Thomas Long of Draycot Cerne, and bro. of Sir Henry. m. settlement 10 Nov. 1541, Margaret, da. of John Donington of Stoke Newington, Mdx., wid. of Sir Thomas Kitson (d.11 Sept. 1540) of London and Hengrave, Suff., 1s. 3da. Kntd. 18 Oct. 1537.2
• Offices Held
• King’s spear, Calais 1515; esquire of the stable 1533; keeper, Eltham park 1534, Southwark palace and Paris garden 1536, St. Thomas’s hospital Southwark 1538, Otford and Knole, Kent 1542; gent. usher 1535 gent. privy chamber 1536; master of the buckhounds and hawks 1538; j .p. Surr. 1538-43, Calais 1541, Yorks. 1542-3; steward of the Household 1540; capt. Kingston-upon-Hull, Yorks. 27 Feb. 1542, Alderney, Guernsey, and Sark 1541-Mar. 1545; member council in the north 1542; commr. benevolence Surr. 1544/45, Kent 1546, array, Kent 1545, chantries Kent, Canterbury, Rochester 1546.3
• Biography
• Richard Long must be distinguished from a namesake who was admitted to the Mercers’ Company in 1502 and who died on 12 Jan. 1552. As a younger son Long received but a minor, albeit substantial, part of his father’s possessions, inheriting a half-share in all the land purchased by Sir Thomas, and 300 sheep. While his brother Robert was trained as a lawyer, Long followed a military career; his name appears among the ‘great retinue’ at Calais in 1513 and two years later as a spear there. Until the King’s visit to Francis I in 1532 when Long evidently came to the attention of Cromwell, he appears to have remained at Calais without any advancement; shortly afterwards his eldest brother thanked Cromwell for his favour to Long. He retained his post in the pale for several years more, but under Cromwell’s aegis he became established in the royal household and attended the principal state occasions. When Cromwell fell, Long did not share his disgrace but continued to rise in the King’s esteem. Long’s kinsmanship with the Seymours probably stood him in good stead during the last decade of his life; his later military appointments were probably supported by the Earl of Hertford with whom he was on good terms, and in the performance of his duties he had to co-operate with many of Hertford’s most intimate associates. In 1537 Long had been one of the canopy-bearers at the christening of Prince Edward and three days later he had been knighted with, amongst others, Sir Thomas Seymour II.4
• As keeper of the recently acquired royal palace in Southwark, Long was in 1536 petitioned together with Robert Actonagainst numerous alleged abuses by the members of St. Thomas’s hospital. It was presumably this office which gave the pretext for Long’s nomination as a Member for the borough three years later. Early in the Parliament Long and his ‘cousin’ Sir Thomas Seymour obtained an Act assuring certain lands to them (31 Hen. VIII, no. 24). Apparently Long took his obligation to his constituents seriously for on 12 May 1540 during the third session he and Stephen Gardiner, bishop of Winchester, went before Sir Richard Rich, the chancellor of augmentations, and were bound in a recognizance for 50 marks so that the parishioners of Southwark could buy the church of St. Mary Overy. Long subsequently defended Southwark against the efforts of the city of London to assert its rights in the borough. In 1538 Long’s growing affinity with Henry VIII had been implicit in a letter written by Thomas, 9th Lord la Warr, asking him to use his influence with the King to have certain poachers questioned before the Privy Council. Several months after Cromwell’s execution he was chosen to order affairs in Calais, being described on the occasion by Marillac as a person ‘of authority and bearing’.5
• Long invested his considerable profits as a royal official in property which at his death was found to be worth £510 a year in Cambridgeshire alone. He served with a large company in France in 1544, but in November he was so seriously ill, perhaps as the result of an injury received during the campaign, that Sir William Paget wrote to Secretary Petre about the devolution of his numerous offices. Long recovered but his continuing poor health forced him to resign his command in the Channel Islands. He was present at the reception of the French ambassador in 1546, but was a sick man when he made his will on 27 Sept. of that year, dying three days later. He appointed his wife his sole executrix, stating that he had settled on her one third of his possessions. His heir was his son Henry (then aged two years and nine months) who became a royal ward and to whom he left his disposable land in tail. Long begged in his will that the King would be content with the land set aside for the maintenance of his heir since he had been obliged to sell so much to raise money for service in the war in France. In 1548 Long’s widow married John Bourchier, 2nd Earl of Bath.6
• Ref Volumes: 1509-1558
• Authors: D. F. Coros / A. D.K. Hawkyard
• Notes
• 1. E159/319, brev. ret. Mich. r. [1-2].
• 2. Date of birth estimated from first office. Wilts. Vis. Peds. (Harl. Soc. cv, cvi), 117; Surr. Arch. Colls. iv. 24-25; C142/74/11, 13; PCC 18 Alen.
• 3. LP Hen. VIII , i, ii, vii, ix, xii-xvii, xix-xxi.
• 4. List of mercers (T/S Mercers’ Hall), 300; PCC 6 Bennett; LP Hen. VIII , i-xxi; C142/97/89.
• 5. LP Hen. VIII , xi, xiii-xvii; Survey London , xxii. 67n; Greater London RO, P92/SAV/463; D. J. Johnson, Southwark and the City , 106; Corresp. Politique de MM. de Castillon et de Marillac ed. Kaulek, 262; SP1/164, ff. 188 seq.; 165, ff. 9-16.
• 6. LP Hen. VIII , xiii-xxi; PCC 18 Alen; C142/74/11, 13, 106.
• http://www.historyofparliamentonline.org/volume/1509-1558/member/lo...
• ____________
• Links
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Kitson
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Bourchier,_2nd_Earl_of_Bath
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sir_Thomas_Long_of_Draycot
• http://www.historyofparliamentonline.org/volume/1509-1558/member/lo...
• _____________________