Biography of Nicholas Pelham 1517-1560

In 1517 Nicholas Pelham was born to William Pelham (age 49) and Mary Carew (age 22).

In 1538 [his father] William Pelham (age 70) died.

In or before 1540 Nicholas Pelham (age 22) and Anne Sackville (age 18) were married. They were half third cousins.

Around 1540 [his son] Thomas Pelham 1st Baronet was born to Nicholas Pelham (age 23) and [his wife] Anne Sackville (age 19).

On 20th June 1541 Thomas Fiennes 9th Baron Dacre Gilsland (age 26) was tried for the murder of John Busbrig, servant of Nicholas Pelham (age 24) on whose land they were poaching on 30 Apr 1541. Thomas Howard 3rd Duke of Norfolk (age 68) was appointed Lord High Steward for the trial.

In 1547 Nicholas Pelham (age 30) was elected MP Arundel.

On 17th November 1549 Nicholas Pelham (age 32) was knighted.

In 1558 Nicholas Pelham (age 41) was elected MP Sussex.

On 15th September 1560 Nicholas Pelham (age 43) died.

Henry Machyn's Diary. 23rd September 1560. The xxiij day of September was bered in Sussex ser John Pellam (deceased) knyght, with a standard and a pennon of armes and a cott armur, elmett, crest, targett, mantylls, and sword, a iiij dosen of skochyons and d', and master Somersett was the harold.

Note. P. 243. Funeral of sir (Nicholas) Pelham. Sir Nicholas Pelham (to whom our diarist erroneously gave the Christian name John, which was that of his son and heir), was of Laughton in Sussex, and lineal ancestor of the earls of Chichester. He was M.P. for Arundel 1547, sheriff of Surrey and Sussex 1549, and knighted Nov. 17 in that year, and afterwards twice knight of the shire for Sussex. He died Dec. 15, 1560, æt. 44, and was buried in St. Michael's church, Lewes, where is his monument, with a kneeling effigy: of which see an engraving in Horsfield's History of Lewes, 4to. 1824, or the Gentleman's Magazine for Sept. 1825, p. 215.

On 10th May 1595 [his former wife] Anne Sackville (age 74) died.

[his father] William Pelham and Mary Sandys were married.

[his father] William Pelham and [his mother] Mary Carew were married. The difference in their ages was 27 years.

[his daughter] Anne Pelham was born to Nicholas Pelham and Anne Sackville.