Nicholas Arnold (lord justice) facts for kids
Sir Nicholas Arnold (born 1507, died 1580) was an important English person who worked for the King and later became a leader in Ireland.
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Life Story
Nicholas Arnold was born in a place called Churcham in Gloucestershire, England. He was the oldest son of John Arnold. His family owned land in Highnam and Over.
When he was young, in 1526, he started working for Thomas Cromwell, a powerful advisor to King Henry VIII. Nicholas helped Cromwell with a big change called the Dissolution of the Monasteries. This was when the King took control of many religious buildings and their lands.
By 1526, Nicholas was a special helper to Henry VIII, called a "gentleman pensioner." This meant he was part of the King's personal staff and received payments. In 1538, he joined the King's Bodyguard, a group of people who protected the King.
Soldier and Government Worker
In 1546, Nicholas was sent to take charge of an English fort called Boulogneberg, near Boulogne in France. In May 1549, the French army attacked the fort, but Nicholas and his soldiers fought them off. Nicholas was even hurt in the fight. After another attack in August, he realized it was impossible to defend the fort. So, he took it apart and moved his soldiers to Boulogne.
He was made a knight during the time of King Edward VI. After this, he traveled around Italy for a while.
Nicholas was chosen to be a Member of Parliament (MP) several times. An MP is a person elected to represent an area in the country's government. He represented Gloucestershire in 1545–47, 1553, and 1555. Later, he was an MP for Gloucester from 1559 to 1567, and for Cricklade in 1571.
From 1558 to 1580, he was also the Custos Rotulorum of Gloucestershire. This was an important job where he was in charge of keeping official records for the county. In 1558 and 1559, he was the High Sheriff of Gloucestershire, which meant he was the main law enforcement officer for the county. In 1574, he joined the Council of the Marches of Wales, a group that helped govern the border areas between England and Wales.
Leading Ireland
From 1564 to 1565, Nicholas Arnold was appointed Lord Justice of Ireland. This was like being the main governor or leader of the country for the English Crown. Before this, he had already worked in Ireland, looking into how the previous leader, Thomas Radcliffe, 3rd Earl of Sussex, had done his job.
As Lord Justice, Nicholas focused on protecting the Pale, which was the area of Ireland controlled by the English. However, he faced challenges. He couldn't stop a big fight between two powerful Irish families, the Desmonds and the Ormonds, which led to a battle in 1565.
Some people thought he didn't do a good job as Lord Justice. They said he was difficult to work with and sometimes believed things too easily. Within a year, he was replaced by Sir Henry Sidney. One of the biggest concerns was that he hadn't done enough to control the growing power of Shane O'Neill, a powerful Irish prince. This later led to a conflict between O'Neill and the English Crown. Nicholas also had disagreements with Adam Loftus, who was an important religious leader. He also seemed to favor Gerald FitzGerald, 11th Earl of Kildare, which upset other important Irish families.
When he returned to England, the Earl of Sussex, who he had investigated earlier, tried to bring charges against him. However, these charges were not pursued. In his later years, Nicholas focused more on local government work. From 1572 until he died, he served again as an MP for Gloucestershire. He passed away in 1580 and was buried in Churcham.
Personality and Beliefs
Nicholas Arnold was a very religious Protestant. Even though he seemed to welcome Queen Mary becoming queen (she was Catholic), he was suspected of being involved in a rebellion against her. He was put in the Tower of London twice, but nothing could be proven against him. For the last two years of Queen Mary's rule, he was allowed to live on his own land.
People described him as a determined and hard-working person. In his free time, he loved horse breeding. He was known for helping to improve the quality of horses in England.
Family Life
Nicholas Arnold was married twice:
- First, he married Margaret Denys. Her father was Sir William Denys from Dyrham, Gloucestershire.
- Second, he married Margaret Isham. She was the daughter of John Isham and the widow of Nicholas Hore.
He had two sons and one daughter with his first wife. He had one son with his second wife. His granddaughter, Dorothy, was the first wife of Thomas Lucy. Thomas Lucy's father, Sir Thomas Lucy, was famous for having disagreements with a young William Shakespeare.
