William Eure, 1st Baron Eure facts for kids

Quick facts for kids William Eure
1st Baron Eure
Arms of the Eures of Witton
Born	1483
Died	1548
Noble family	Eure
Spouse(s)	Elizabeth Willoughby
Father	Ralph Eure
Mother	Muriel Hastings

William Eure, 1st Baron Eure (born around 1483, died 1548) was an important English knight and soldier. He lived at Witton Castle and spent much of his time working on the border between England and Scotland. In 1544, King Henry VIII made him a baron, giving him the title of Baron Eure. His family name is sometimes spelled "Evers."

William Eure held many important jobs. He was the Governor of Berwick upon Tweed in 1539 and a Commander in the North in 1542. He was also the Warden of the Eastern March, which meant he was in charge of keeping peace and order on the eastern part of the border. He was also the High Sheriff of Durham. During a war with Scotland called the Rough Wooing, William Eure and his sons, Henry and Ralph, led many attacks on Scottish towns and farms near the border.

Who Was William Eure's Family?

William Eure was the son of Ralph Eure and Muriel Hastings. He married Elizabeth Willoughby. Together, they had several children, including:

• Sir Ralph
• Henry, who was in charge of weapons at Berwick
• Margery
• Muriel
• Anne

Sir Ralph Eure, William's son, was also a Warden of the Middle March. He married Margery Bowes. Sadly, Sir Ralph was killed in a battle called the Battle of Ancrum Moor in 1545. Ralph's son, William Eure, later became the 2nd Baron Eure.

Keeping Peace on the Border

William Eure's father, Ralph Eure, showed great bravery in 1536. He defended Scarborough Castle for 20 days against a large protest called the Pilgrimage of Grace. He only had his household servants to help him.

After this protest ended, King Henry VIII took over the job of Warden of the Scottish Marches. William Eure became the deputy Warden of the Eastern March. The Wardens' main job was to keep order on the border. They had to deal with problems from both sides and work with the Scottish Wardens.

At first, the border was calm. This was because King James V was in France looking for a wife. But things changed by the end of 1538, after James V married Mary of Guise. In November 1538, King James V visited Jedburgh and changed his own border Wardens.

In December, Pope Paul III announced that King Henry VIII was no longer part of the church. William Eure and Thomas Wharton, another Warden, had to complain to King James V. They said that songs against King Henry were being spread from Scotland.

In January 1539, William Eure was made the Keeper and Captain of the Castle and town of Berwick upon Tweed. This was a very important position.

A Play at Linlithgow Palace

One of William Eure's letters gives us the first look at a play called A Satire of the Three Estates by David Lindsay of the Mount. William spoke with Sir Thomas Bellenden, who described a performance of the play. It took place at Linlithgow Palace in front of King James, Mary of Guise, and his advisors.

The play was about reforming the church. William Eure got more details about it from a Scottish contact for Thomas Cromwell, a powerful English minister. Eure sent a summary of the play in his letter in January 1540. This summary matches the play we know today.

Eure also said he talked with Bellenden about changing the church in Scotland. Bellenden said that after the play, the King told the church leaders to improve their behavior. He warned them that if they didn't, he would send six of them to England to his uncle, King Henry VIII.

Surveying Northumberland in 1541

In 1541, William Eure had another important task. King Henry VIII asked him to be part of a group that would remove Scottish people from Northumberland. This was because of a new law.

In June, Eure wrote to King James V, complaining that Scottish people were grazing sheep and planting crops on English land. In October, Eure's men checked the border along the river Tweed. They destroyed crops that Scots had planted on English ground. The Scots moved away, thinking Eure's men were invaders.

During this time, Eure held meetings at Alnwick Castle and Etal Castle. He hoped to convince men from Tynedale and Redesdale to attack Scots in Liddesdale. By November, he found many Scottish people living in England as herders, workers, or craftspeople. Most of them did not own land, and they were told to leave. Scots who owned land or mills were replaced by English tenants. Many empty Scottish homes were not good enough for new English settlers. However, Scottish servants or apprentices working for English craftspeople were allowed to stay. But in the future, using Scottish apprentices would not be encouraged.

William Eure also noted that a Scottish armor maker named Troilus Taylor and a mountain guide named Gilbert Cocklands were very helpful. They had helped lead raids into Scotland. Eure asked that these useful people be allowed to become English citizens. He said sending them back to Scotland would be a bad idea.

Eure's job also included checking the border forts from Harbottle Castle to the river Coquet. He found that many old Pele towers (small fortified houses) were falling apart. The owners were living in less protected places, which Eure thought was a shame. He ordered the owners to fix their fortified homes. He also planned to check the strongholds in the Middle March.

Overall, he found the border mostly peaceful. The main problems came from "traitorous Scottish thieves of Liddesdale" or King Henry's "evil subjects of Tynedale and Redesdale." These groups seemed to work together instead of respecting the peace between England and Scotland.

The Rough Wooing War

Sir William Eure and his sons, Henry and Ralph, were very active during the war known as the Rough Wooing. They were based at Berwick upon Tweed. This war was King Henry VIII's attempt to force a marriage between his son, Prince Edward, and the young Mary, Queen of Scots.

William Eure sent news to Lord Hertford about rumors he heard from Scotsmen. They said that Matthew Stewart, 4th Earl of Lennox, Regent Arran, and Mary of Guise had met at Stirling Castle and would settle their disagreements. If these Scottish leaders united, they could resist England's plan for Mary's marriage.

The Burning of Edinburgh

In May 1544, Lord Hertford planned a big attack on Edinburgh by sea. William and Ralph Eure were supposed to bring a smaller force of border men to Haddington to distract the Scots. Ralph asked Hertford for 1,000 extra archers from Yorkshire. This would allow them to push from Haddington and be seen from the landing place at Granton.

It was decided that Hertford would call Eure when his troops landed in Edinburgh. Eure's men would get paid when they arrived in Edinburgh. Hertford landed on Sunday, May 4, 1544, and sent for Eure. Eure's 4,000 border horsemen arrived in Edinburgh on Wednesday, May 7. While the army was camped near Seton Palace, Lord Maxwell asked to speak to Ralph Eure, but Hertford did not allow it. Instead, Maxwell was taken back to England.

Promises from Scottish Borderers

On June 7, 1544, many Scottish borderers promised to fully support England. These were known as "Assured Scots". Ralph Eure, as Warden of the Middle March, received "pledges" or hostages to make sure these promises were kept. For example, three members of the Oliver family were kept at Warkworth Castle. On the same day, Ralph took four Nixon hostages for 35 Nixons, and four Crosier hostages for 50 of their family, and three hostages for the Hall family.

In October 1544, Ralph Eure also gained the loyalty of Andrew Kerr of Ferniehurst and 40 of his followers, as well as the town of Jedburgh. Eure took 21 hostages, including one person from each family. If the Scots did not keep their promise, the hostages could be executed.

Attack on Jedburgh

On June 9, 1544, Sir William and his fellow leaders met at Milfield and decided to march on Jedburgh. Lord Hertford had proposed this plan on May 27, and King Henry VIII approved it.

William Eure seems to have led the attack. At Jedburgh, where he heard there were seven cannons, he split his force into three groups. The Scottish defenders ran away without fighting. Sir William burned the Abbey, the Greyfriars monastery, and many fortified houses in the town. They captured 500 horses and seven cannons. On their way back to England, they burned other places like the Tower of Cailing Craig, Cessford Castle, and Morebattle church.

Near the English border, at Kirk Yetholm, they saw fires started by a Scottish raiding party. Ralph Eure, with Richard Bowes and 500 men, rode forward and captured or killed many Scots.

Capturing Coldingham

Later that month, Henry Eure and George Bowes captured Coldingham. The Priory there was defended by cannons, and the battle lasted five hours. William Eure later wrote that he had taken an Italian military expert to Coldingham. The new Captain of Coldingham, George Bowes, said he could hold the place for 40 hours against the Scottish army if they brought two cannons.

Ralph Eure reported to William that Regent Arran and other Scottish lords were gathering an invasion force at Dunbar. Arran's army did move towards Coldingham, but Arran stopped their advance before Sir William's force could fight them. In July 1544, Henry Eure joined George Bowes and raided several Scottish towns. On July 3, William Eure organized the burning of Greenlaw Castle. Ralph burned the fortified wall of Ormiston and the church tower at Eckford.

Battles at Muirhouse and Ancrum Moor

The Eure family continued these raids into November 1544 and again in 1545. As a Scottish army gathered near Lauder, Ralph Eure suggested an attack on Hawick. However, a raid to Melrose or Jedburgh led to Ralph Eure's death at the Battle of Ancrum Moor in February 1545. His companions were killed beside him.

Regent Arran was shown Ralph's body. He said that Ralph was a very cruel man and that many people would remember his cruelty. He also expressed sadness about the bloodshed among Christians. The English defeat at Ancrum was blamed on Ralph's over-reliance on his Scottish allies, who were not always loyal, and his own reckless bravery. Robert Bowes took Ralph's place as Warden of the Middle March. To get revenge for Ralph's death, Henry Eure and George Bowes went to Bowmont and destroyed two towers and burned farms belonging to the Laird of Molle.

In March 1548, Henry Eure reported his father's death to Lord Grey of Wilton. Henry's next job was to find out about a captured Spanish soldier and an Italian who had escaped to Scotland.

Leading Berwick

In April 1545, a diplomat named Ralph Sadler told Thomas Wriothesley that William Eure was not suitable to be Captain of Berwick town. Sadler thought Eure and Sir Cuthbert Ratcliff, Captain of Berwick castle, were honest men who could serve elsewhere. However, he felt they lacked the experience needed to keep a fortress.

Eure had a long-running disagreement with Thomas Gower, the Marshall of Berwick. Gower was called to London and, after not answering Eure's accusations, was sent to prison in June 1546.

After William Eure died, Lord Grey of Wilton asked for Henry Eure to take his father's jobs. However, the Wardenship of the East March and the Governorship of Berwick were given to Grey of Wilton himself. Later, Ralph's son, William Eure (the 2nd Baron Eure), became Warden of the Middle March and Governor of Berwick. Another Ralph Eure, who was the brother of this William Eure, was killed in a duel in 1557.