Sir John Gage | |
|---|---|
 Portrait of Sir John Gage, byHans Holbein the Younger (c. 1535–1540) | |
| Lord Chamberlain | |
| In office 1553–1556 | |
| Monarch | Mary I |
| Preceded by | The Lord Darcy of Chiche |
| Succeeded by | Sir Edward Hastings |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 28 October 1479 Burstow,Surrey,England |
| Died | 18 April 1556(1556-04-18) (aged 76) Firle Place,East Sussex,England |
| Resting place | Firle,East Sussex,England |
| Spouse | Philippa Guildford |
| Occupation | Courtier |
Sir John Gage (28 October 1479 – 18 April 1556) was anEnglish courtier during theTudor period. He held a number of offices, includingChancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (1542–1547),Comptroller of the Household (1540–1547),Constable of the Tower (1540–1556) andLord Chamberlain (1553–1556).
John Gage was born on 28 October 1479 atBurstow manor inSurrey and baptized at the parish church there on the same day.[1] He was the only son ofWilliam Gage and Agnes Bolney.
He married Philippa Guildford, daughter ofSir Richard Guildford, on 14 April 1502.[2][3]They were the parents of eight children:[4]
AnEsquire of the Body to bothHenry VII andHenry VIII, he served offices in thePale of Calais, becoming Comptroller in 1524. After receiving aknighthood in 1525,[6] he moved to the post ofVice-Chamberlain of the Household in 1526, leaving court in 1533. He also representedSussex three times (1529, 1539 and 1542) in the parliaments of Henry VIII.[6]
He remained active, attending, in 1537, the baptism ofPrince Edward and the funeral ofJane Seymour.[6] He returned to favour, and 1540 saw his appointment asComptroller of the Household,Constable of the Tower and as aPrivy Counsellor. In his role as Constable of the Tower, he supervised the arrangements for the execution ofCatherine Howard.[7]
In 1541 he became aKnight of the Garter and in 1542 he succeeded asChancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster.[6] In 1544 he undertook an important role for the invasion of France, organising transport and supplies for the army, and he became aknight banneret.
Present at the funeral of Henry VIII, he was appointed one of the executors of the king's will and a member ofEdward VI's Regency Council. Differences soon arose between him andThe Duke of Somerset, who expelled him from the council and from his posts of Comptroller and Chancellor when he becameLord Protector in 1547. He re-joined the council, before resigning upon the accession to power ofThe Earl of Warwick, later Duke of Northumberland. He was suspended as Constable for not supporting Northumberland's attempt to installLady Jane Grey as Edward's successor. The accession ofMary I saw his restoration as Constable and appointment asLord Chamberlain. He bore her train at hercoronation and at her marriage toPhilip of Spain. As Constable, he guardedPrincess Elizabeth in 1555; he was described byHeylyn as "her bitter enemy, but more for love of the Pope than for hate of her person".[8]
Gage died at his house,Firle Place, on 18 April 1556, and was buried on 25 April at West Firle Church next to his wife. Their alabaster altar tomb in the north chapel of that church is the work ofGerard Johnson the elder (1541–1611) and, along with monuments for some other members of their family, was erected in about 1595.[9][10]
His will, made on 20 February 1555/6, was proved at the Prerogative Court of Canterbury on 10 June 1556. A lengthy and detailed household inventory was added as a schedule to the will and points to the wealth and lifestyle that Sir John enjoyed. An introduction and transcription of the inventory has been published.[11]
This article incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Bradley, Emily Tennyson (1889). "Gage, John". InStephen, Leslie (ed.).Dictionary of National Biography. Vol. 20. London: Smith, Elder & Co.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)There does not appear to be a biography of Sir John Gage in the form of a book. However, the following lengthy and profusely referenced article provides extensive information about him and discusses his role in contemporary public life:
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Vice-Chamberlain of the Household 1526–1533 | Unknown Next known title holder: Sir William Kingston |
| Preceded by | Comptroller of the Household 1540–1547 | Succeeded by |
| Constable of the Tower 1540–1556 | Unknown | |
| Preceded by | Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster 1542–1547 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Lord Chamberlain 1553–1556 | Unknown Next known title holder: Sir Edward Hastings |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| People | |
| Other | |
