Henry Iden facts for kids

Henry Iden (who died in 1568) was an English writer, a member of Parliament, and a government worker. He translated a book called Circe by Giambattista Gelli in 1557. He also represented Shaftesbury in Parliament in 1564. From 1565 until his death in 1568, he was the chief inspector of the Royal Ordnance, which made weapons for the king or queen.

Iden's Book Circes and the Herbert Family

We don't know much about where Henry Iden came from. He might have been the son of Robert Iden from West Farleigh in Kent. When he died, he was married to a widow named Anne Sandford. He left gifts in his will for her children, but he didn't seem to have any children of his own.

By the mid-1550s, Iden seemed to be supported by William Herbert, the first Earl of Pembroke. Iden dedicated his translation of Gelli's Circe to two of Herbert's sons, William and Edward, and to his step-son, Henry Compton.

In this dedication, Iden mentioned how much he had benefited from their father's help. He also noted the kindness the boys, who were all under fifteen, had shown him. This suggests that the Earl of Pembroke might have hired Iden to teach his sons.

The book is a series of conversations between sailors of Odysseus who were turned into animals by the magical Circe. For example, the first conversation is between an Oyster and a Mole. The dedication of Circes was dated March 15 from London. The year isn't given, but the book was printed in 1557.

William Herbert was a very powerful man in Wiltshire. It's possible he used his influence to help Iden get a church position in December 1552. Iden kept this position until September 1556. Herbert's influence also helped Iden get one of the two seats for Shaftesbury in Parliament in 1563. The other seat went to another person who worked for Herbert, William Jordyn. Neither man spoke during this Parliament.

Henry Iden's Homes and Land

Iden had a connection to Islington in Middlesex, especially to land that used to belong to St Mary's Priory in nearby Clerkenwell. This connection goes back to at least the 1550s. Iden became interested in two pieces of land called Weryngs and the Hides after their previous owner, John Clerke, died in 1557. This was the same year Iden's Circe was published.

However, Iden's link to Clerke and Islington must have started even earlier than 1557. In his will, Clerke gave Iden another piece of land. This was so Iden could help raise Edward and William Wroth, who were Clerke's step-sons. This shows that Clerke trusted Iden, perhaps similar to how William Herbert trusted him.

By the time Iden died in 1568, he had bought other pieces of land from the old priory's estate. These included Cowley, Highbury, Lower Place, and London Fields. He also owned a house in Clerkenwell. All these properties were connected to John Clerke and his family. Iden's will stated that most of his interest in these lands should go back to the younger members of this family. These were all descendants or step-descendants of Richard Callard, a wealthy painter-stainer from Islington and London. Iden's will also shows he owned property in Canbury, Surrey, and Frindsbury, Kent. He also owned the manor of Woodmansterne in Surrey between 1558 and 1562.

Iden and the Royal Ordnance

On February 15, 1561, Anthony Anthony, who was the chief inspector of the Royal Ordnance, had a new official document made. He had been the chief inspector since 1549. This new document named Henry Iden as his successor.

The chief inspector worked under the Master of Ordnance at the Tower of London. He was in charge of checking the quality of weapons and ammunition stored there, especially guns and cannons. Anthony was very interested in artillery. However, he probably used someone else to do the actual work and paid them from his own salary. Iden likely did the same. Anthony died in 1563, and Iden took over his role. He didn't get to enjoy the salary for very long, though, because Iden himself died five years later in 1568.

It's not clear how Iden became Anthony's successor. Powerful friends must have helped him get the job. We can say that Iden had important friends at court. These included William Herbert, the Earl of Pembroke, who was a military man. Another friend was Sir Walter Mildmay, who was the Treasurer of the Household in 1561 and later the Chancellor of the Exchequer. Iden left Mildmay £100 in his will.

Iden and Early English Translations

Iden wrote his will on November 27, 1568, and it was officially approved on December 3. As we've seen, he left money to his Sandford step-children and also to the Callard grandchildren.

He also left a gift to his "loving friend" William Wightman from Harrow-on-the-Hill. Wightman was another person who was helped by William Herbert to get into Parliament. Wightman was also a friend of the poet Thomas Phaer. Wightman helped publish Phaer's translation of Virgil's Aeneid in 1562.

Even closer to Iden was his friend Thomas Powell, who was a clerk in a legal office. Iden asked Powell to take care of his wife and her children. Powell was also interested in literature. Even though he wasn't a writer himself, he clearly supported other writers. In 1569, William Hayward dedicated his translation of Andrea Guarna's Bellum grammaticale to Powell. And in 1585, Robert Parry dedicated his translation of part of Diego Ortúñez de Calahoora's Mirror of Knighthood to Powell. Perhaps Iden's friendships with Wightman and Powell show that there was a group of literary friends back then.

It's also worth noting that one of the people who oversaw Anthony Anthony's will in 1563 was William Painter. Painter translated Nicholas a Moffan's Horrible Murder of Sultan Solyman in 1557. This was later included in his book The Palace of Pleasure in 1566. Painter started working as a clerk for the Royal Ordnance in 1561, so he might have known Henry Iden.