John Tamworth (died 1569) was an English courtier, Member of Parliament (1563), and ambassador toScotland.
He was a son of Thomas Tamworth and Elizabeth Denkaring.[1] The surname is sometimes spelled "Tomworth" or "Thomworth". He seems to have spent time in Italy in the 1550s, and continued to buy books printed in Italy, including a thesaurus,The Abundance of Words by Giovanni Marinello.[2]
In 1562, he married Christina or Christian Walsingham, daughter of William Walsingham andJoyce Denny, and sister ofFrancis Walsingham. Their eldest daughter Christian Tamworth died young,[3] Their younger daughter Elizabeth married George Reresby.
John Tamworth was Member of Parliament forBoston in 1563.[4]
Tamworth was aGroom of the Privy Chamber andKeeper of the Privy Purse toElizabeth I. An account of the purse survives in theBritish Library,[5] and was first published in 1823.[6]
Tamworth's receipts include £100 given by the City ofCoventry to Elizabeth at herRoyal Entry on 17 August 1566, and £100 from the City of Oxford on 31 August (Tamworth was awarded anMA). He paid for jewels, precious stones, and pearls for the queen, gave money to Thomas Litchfield to buy lute strings, he bought a greatsackbut for Elizabeth, and paid for perfumes and bookbinding. The Keeper of the Privy Purse also paid the wages or stipends of the queen's gentlewomen and maidens of honour. Tamworth paid for supplies given to thesilkwoman Alice Montague and for gold lace used by the queen's tailorWalter Fyshe. He also accounted for the wages of artisans, including the "Mistress Launder" who was supplied with 520 pearls costing a penny each, and in six months remade or "translated" Elizabeth'spartlets.[7]
Tamworth was also in charge of "Toyles", formerly part of theoffice of revels, tents and toyles.[8] A "toyle" was a canvas cloth for covering a wagon, but also, in this case, a stand of nets used in hunting.[9]
His account mentions 75 cloths bought for "the Toyle" in July 1566.[10] Elizabeth hunted atHatfield in July andKenilworth in August. From the evidence of surviving financial records, Elizabeth does not seem to have frequently used this form of hunting.[11]Mary I of England andPhilip II of Spain hunted on 7 August 1554 inWindsor forest over a four or five mile long course with a "toyle".[12]
He was sent as ambassador to Scotland in 1565 in matters concerning themarriage ofMary, Queen of Scots toLord Darnley and the beginnings of the rebellion known as theChaseabout Raid.[13][14][15] He brought several complaints, and advice that Mary ought not to reverse theScottish Reformation.[16] He brought money toAgnes Keith, the wife of the rebel leaderJames, Earl of Moray. He was instructed to speak to Mary in favour of her half-brother Moray. He was given a frosty reception by Mary on 7 August, and told that Elizabeth should "meddle no further" with her private business.[17]
After consulting withThomas Randolph, Tamworth refused a safe-conduct or passport written out bySandy Hay and signed jointly by Mary and Darnley, as Elizabeth had not yet recognised Darnley as a co-ruler.[18][19]
Randolph mentions that some men in Edinburgh drew their swords to threaten him and Tamworth.[20] During his journey back toBerwick-upon-Tweed, on 21 August 1565, Tamworth was stopped by 30 "well furnished warlike" horsemen near Dunbar and detained atHume Castle for 5 days.[21]
Elizabeth I complained to a French diplomatMichel de Castelnau about Tamworth's detention.[22] Randolph spoke to Mary atHolyrood Palace for Tamworth's release while Darnley was away visiting the new fortress onInchkeith. Mary agreed to send a letter toLord Home to secure his freedom. On 26 August Mary and Darnley left Edinburgh to address the rebellion in the west of Scotland.[23]
After his interview with Mary in August 1565, Tamworth consulted with Moray and his allies. Judging that a rebellion was likely, he sent toBerwick-upon-Tweed for the money that Elizabeth had promised them.[24] Later, two Scottish landowners or lawyers, James Nicolson and John Johnston, fled to England and wrote to Elizabeth for help. Mary had placed them "in extremity" and sent soldiers to occupy their houses and evict their families. Nicolson and Johnston had delivered the "first aid of money" from Tamworth to Moray.[25]
Mary wrote about John Johnston and the English money in a letter toRobert Melville in February 1566. She had granted Johnston a pardon or remission for his actions and he told her what had happened. Mary wrote that Johnston had delivered 3000 crowns in three bags from Randolph and Tamworth to Agnes Keith, "my Lady Murray" atSt Andrews.[26] This was clear evidence that Elizabeth was trying to subvert her rule. Mary made Johnston tell the story in front of Randolph. Randolph merely said that Johnston "might speak his pleasure, as anyone would do being in his case", and as a diplomat, he only had to answer to Elizabeth.[27] Mary wrote that she was planning to expel Randolph and wanted Melville (who was in London) to explain the matter to theEarl of Leicester. She wanted Melville and the French ambassador to make a report to Elizabeth, laying the blame on Randolph. Randolph left Edinburgh and stayed at Berwick.[28]
Mary sent a message toRambouillet, a French diplomat going to London in February, that he should tell Elizabeth that the payments had been discovered. News of the embarrassment of Elizabeth's diplomats speread around Europe.[29] Tamworth's account of the privy purse mentions a further £3,000 fromThomas Gresham sent to theEarl of Bedford at Berwick in September 1565, and £5,000 lent to Moray in 1568 at theWestminster Conference.[30]
He died at Fulham on 23 April 1569 and was buried atSt Botolph's Aldersgate. His widow married William Doddington ofBreamore (died 1600).[31] Tamworth's place at court as Groom of the Privy Chamber was given toHenry Middlemore.[32]