Thomas Darcy 1st Baron Darcy 1506-1558

Tudor Tracts Chapter 4. [August 1547]. Certain Noble men and othersm being special Officers in this Expedition.

The Duke of Somerset, my Lord Protector's Grace, General of the Army: and Captain of the Battle [the main body], having in it 4,000 footmen.

The Earl of Warwick, Lord Lieutenant of the Army; and having the Foreward, of 3,000 footmen.

The Lord Dacres, the Rereward, of 3,000 footmen.

The Lord Grey of Wilton [aged 38], Lord Lieutenant of Boulogne, High Marshal of the Army, and Captain General of all the Horsemen there.

Sir Ralph Sadler [aged 40] Knight, Treasurer of the Army.

Sir Francis Bryan [aged 57] Knight, Captain of the Light Horsemen, being in number, 2,000.

Sir Ralph Vane Knight, Lieutenant of all the Men of arms and Demi-lances, being in number, 4,000.

Sir Thomas Darcy [aged 40] Knight, Captain of all the King's Majesty's Pensioners and Men of arms.

Sir Richard Lee Knight, Devisor [i.e., Engineer] of the fortifications to be made.

Sir Peter Mewtys Knight, Captain of all the Hackbutters a foot, being in number, 600.

Sir Peter Gamboa Knight, a Spaniard, Captain of 200 Hackbutters on horseback.

Sir Francis Fleming Knight, Master of the Ordnance.

Sir James Wilford Knight, Provost Marshal.

Sir George Blague and Sir Thomas Holcroft, Commissioners of the Musters.

Edward Sheley [aged 44], my Lord Grey; Lieutenant of the Men of arms of Boulogne.

John Bren, Captain of the Pioneers, being 1,400.

Tudor Tracts Chapter 4. [10th September 1547]. Their device was thus. That my Lord Grey [aged 38], with his band of Boulogners, with my Lord Protector's band, and my Lord Leiutenant's; all to the number of an eighteen hundred men, on the East half: and Sir Ralph Vane, with Sir Thomas Darcy [aged 40] Captain of the Pensioners, and my Lord Fitzwalter with his band of Demi-lances; all to the number of a sixteen hundred, to be ready and even with my Lord Marshal, on the West half: and thus, all these together, afore [before], to encounter the enemy a front: whereby either to break their array, and that way weaken their power by disorder; or, at the least, to stop them of their gate [march], and force them to stay, while our Foreward might wholly have the hill's side, and our Battle and Rereward be placed in grounds next that in order, and best for advantage.

And after this, then that the same our horsemen should retire up the hill's side; to come down, in order, afresh, and infest them on both their sides; while our Battles should occupy them in fight a front.

The policy of this device, for the state of the case, as it was, to all that knew of it, generally allowed to be the best that could be: even so, also, taken to be of no small danger for my Lord Marshal, Sir Ralph Vane, and others the assailers; the which, nevertheless, I know not whether more nobly and wisely devised of the council, or more valiantly and willingly executed of them.

For even there, with good courage taking their leaves of the council, my Lord Marshal requiring only that if it went not well with him, my Lord's Grace would be good to his wife and children; he said, "he would meet these Scots!" And so, with their bands, these captains took their way towards the enemy.

By this, were our Foreward and theirs with a two flight shot asunder. The Scots hasted with so fast a pace, that it was thought of the most part of us, they were rather horsemen than footmen. Our men, again, were led the more with speed.

Henry Machyn's Diary. 29th September 1551. The xxix day of September was Saynt Myghell, the Kyng grase dyd where the robes of order of [Saint] Myghell with skalopshells of Franse; and the sam tyme was chossen of the order of the garter the lord chamburlayne Darcy [aged 44], in the plasse of ser John Wallop knyght of the gartter and captayn of Gynes.

Note. The king wearing the order of St. Michael. "The fest of Michelmas was kept by me in the robes of th'ordre." (King Edward's Diary.) The following minutes are from the register of the privy council:

"14 June, 1551. This daye the French ambassador had accesse to the lordes, to whom he declared that the kinge his master and the company of the ordere of Saint Michael had appointed the kinges majestie to be of the same order, for which purpose the marshall St. Androwe was enjoyned to bringe the same order to his majestie, prainge his majestie that he would accepte the same accordinglye." (MS. Harl. 352, f. 160b.)

"June 22, 1551. A Letter of apparance to the deane of Windsore, that for asmuch as there shall arive here shortely a nobleman sente from the French kinge wth the order of St. Michalle to bee presented to the kinges Matie, and to bringe wth him such recordes as remayne in his custodie, as well for the acceptacion of the said order by his majesties behalfe, or for any other thinge by ceremony concerning the said order; and that all thinges there may be put in good order for the celebracione of St. George's feaste, and to bringe wth him also a note of so muche money of the poore knights as he hathe in his custodie." (Ibid. f. 161b.) King Edward was invested by the ambassador at Hampton Court on the 16th of July, as detailed by himself in his diary, and more fully in Ashmole's History of the Garter, pp. 368, 369. The documentary instruments brought to England on this occasion are still preserved in the Chapter House at Westminster.

Note. P. 9. The king wearing the order of St. Michael. The robes of Saint Michael worn by king Edward the Sixth were preserved for fifty years after in the royal wardrobe,—Elizabeth, who never parted with any of her own gowns, nor with those of her sister that had come into her possession, retaining these also among her stores. They were thus described in the year 1600: "Robes late king Edwarde the VIth's. Firste, one robe of clothe of silver, lyned with white satten, of th'order of St. Michale, with a brode border of embrodirie, with a wreathe of Venice gold and the scallop shell, and a frenge of the same golde, and a small border aboute that; the grounde beinge blew vellat, embrodered with half-moones of silver; with a whoode and a tippet of crymsen vellat, with a like embroderie, the tippet perished in one place with ratts; and a coate of clothe of silver, with demi-sleeves, with a frenge of Venice golde." Nichols's Progresses, &c. of Queen Eliz.—In the Addit. MS. (Brit. Mus.) 6297, art. 7 describes "How king Edward VI. received the order of St. Michael."