John of Gloucester

by Peter Hammond

The first reference to John is in September 1483, when according to Buck, ‘(the King) made Richard of Gloucester, his base son (Captain of) Calais.’ He was possibly in fact knighted on this occasion. The reference to Richard must be a mistake for John of Gloucester because of a later grant to ‘our dear bastard son, John of Gloucester’ of the offices of Captain of Calais, and of the fortresses of Rysbank, Guisnes, Hammes, and Lieutenant of the Marches of Picardy for his life. this patent is dated 11th March 1485, and gives John all necessary powers, with the exception of that of appointing the officers. this was reserved until John became twenty-one, from which it may be gathered that he had not yet reached that age, although how much younger he was we do not know. It may be surmised that he was not too near it or the reservation would not have been worth making. The initial notice of the appointment to the Captaincy of Calais provides a possible clue to the birthplace of John, since he is there referred to as John of Pomfret.

It seems probable that John was acting as Captain of Calais before the date of his patent of appointment, since in the Canterbury City Archives there occur references to payments in November 1484 for an allowance of wine and leavened bread ‘for the Lord Bastard riding to Calais’, and for a pike and wine for ‘Master Brakynbury Constable of the Tower of London’ returned from Calais at that time ‘from the Lord Bastard’. The linking of ‘Lord Bastard’ with Calais leaves little doubt that John of Gloucester is meant. A warrant to deliver clothing to ‘the Lord Bastard’ dated 9th March 1485, two days before the grant of the Captaincy of Calais must also refer to John and not to Edward V as has been suggested in the past.’

The next reference shows that John survived the death of his father, and was provided for to some extent by Henry VII. It is a grant in 1486 to ‘John de Gloucester, bastard, of an annual rent of 20 li. during the King’s pleasure, issuing out of the revenues of the lordship or manor of Kyngestonlacy, parcel of the duchy of Lancaster, in co. Dorset.’ This grant is not ungenerous, and perhaps shows that at that time Henry felt he had nothing to fear from an undoubted bastard of his late rival. This state of affairs does not seem to have lasted very long, however, since the last reference apparently to John, again from Buck, states that ‘about the time these unhappie gentlemen suffered (i.e. at the time of the deaths of Perkin Warbeck and the Earl of Warwick in 1499) there was a base sone of King Richard III made away, and secretly, having been kept long before in prison.’ The reason for the execution was apparently the wish of some unspecified Irishmen to make him their ruler. Although Buck does not name the person involved, there is no reason to doubt that John is meant, as he is the only openly acknowledged male bastard of Richard known. John also appears to be referred to in the Confession of Perkin Warbeck as ‘King Richard’s bastard son’, then (i.e. in 1491) in the hands of Henry VII.

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