Humphrey Stafford (died 1486) facts for kids
Sir Humphrey Stafford (born around 1427 – died 8 July 1486) was an important English gentleman from Grafton Manor in Worcestershire. He lived during a time of big changes in England called the War of the Roses. Sir Humphrey fought on the side of the Yorkist family. He was later put to death by King Henry VII because he had supported Richard III and was involved in a rebellion known as the Stafford and Lovell rebellion.
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Who Was Humphrey Stafford?
Humphrey Stafford was born around the year 1427. His family lived in a place called Grafton in Worcestershire. His father, also named Sir Humphrey Stafford, was born in 1400 and sadly died in 1450 during a big uprising called Jack Cade's Rebellion.
His Life and the Wars
Sir Humphrey Stafford took over his family's lands, Grafton and Upton Warren, around 1449 or 1450. He was a loyal supporter of the Yorkist side in the War of the Roses. He even fought alongside King Richard III at the important Battle of Bosworth.
The Stafford and Lovell Rebellion
After the Yorkists lost the Battle of Bosworth, Sir Humphrey Stafford, his brother Thomas Stafford, and another nobleman named Francis Lovell, 1st Viscount Lovell, tried to start a rebellion in 1486. They wanted to bring back the Yorkist kings.
The three men first went to a safe place called a sanctuary in Colchester. There, they made plans for their uprising. Lord Lovell headed north to Yorkshire, while the Stafford brothers went to the Midlands.
Their plan didn't go well. On 23 April 1486, Lord Lovell tried to capture King Henry VII in York but failed and had to escape to another country called Burgundy. Meanwhile, the Stafford brothers' rebellion in Worcester also failed. This was partly because they didn't plan very well. Also, King Henry had a lot of support in that area.
After many years of fighting in the War of the Roses, most English people wanted peace. This meant very few people supported another rebellion. There were also bad rumors about King Richard III, especially about what happened to the young princes Edward V and his brother Richard of Shrewsbury, Duke of York. This made people less likely to support anyone loyal to Richard III.
King Henry VII was traveling around the country at this time. When he heard about the rebellion, he quickly moved towards Worcester to stop any Yorkist support. On 11 May 1486, the Stafford brothers ran away to a sanctuary in Culham.
Even though Sir Humphrey Stafford was in a sanctuary, he was taken out by force on 13 May. He was accused of treason, which means betraying the king. King Henry then ordered that Humphrey be put to death, but he pardoned his younger brother, Thomas.
This event caused many protests to Pope Innocent VIII, because taking someone from a sanctuary was usually against the rules. However, the Pope later issued a special order called a Papal bull in August. This order said that sanctuaries could not protect people accused of treason. This meant the King's actions were seen as right.
Sir Humphrey Stafford was put to death at Tyburn on 8 July 1486.
Family Life
Humphrey Stafford married Catherine Fray (who lived from 1437 to 1482) in Grafton. Catherine was the daughter of Sir John Fray, who was a very important judge. Humphrey and Catherine had eight children:
- Anne Stafford, who married Richard Neville, 2nd Baron Latimer
- Joyce Stafford
- Margarita Stafford (1456–1530)
- Elizabeth Stafford (born around 1465)
- William Stafford (died 1556)
- Thomas Stafford (born around 1450)
- Henry Stafford (born 1455)
- Humphrey Stafford (died 1545) of Blatherwick, Northamptonshire, who married Margaret Fogge
