Walter Manny, 1st Baron Manny | |
|---|---|
| Born | c. 1310 |
| Died | 14 or 15 January 1372 Great Chesterford,Essex |
| Buried | Charterhouse,London |
| Spouse | Margaret Marshal, Duchess of Norfolk |
| Issue | Thomas Manny Anne Manny |
| Father | Jean "le Borgne" de Masny |
| Mother | Jeanne de Jenlain |
Walter Manny (orMauny),1st Baron Manny,KG (c. 1310 – 14 or 15 January 1372[1]),soldier of fortune and founder of theCharterhouse, was fromMasny inHainault, from whose counts he claimed descent. He was a patron and friend ofFroissart, in whose chronicles his exploits have a conspicuous and probably an exaggerated place.[2]
Born about 1310, Walter Manny was the fourth of five sons[1] of Jean "le Borgne" de Masny and Jeanne deJenlain. His father, who was Lord ofMasny (situated some twelve miles west ofValenciennes), was slain in 1324 atLa Réole nearBordeaux. In 1346 Walter recovered his father's body, and had it sent to Valenciennes for burial in the church of the Cordeliers. Jean le Borgne's epitaph refers to his son Walter as one"qui fut merveilles en armes aux gueres des Anglois".[3]
Manny entered the serviceWilliam I, Count of Hainault, and was in attendance on the Count's brother,Jean de Beaumont;[3] it has been conjectured that Manny and his four brothers all likely grew up in Beaumont's household. Both William and Jean were brothers ofAlice of Hainault, for whose soul Manny requested prayers in his will.
In December 1327, Manny came to England as apage in the household ofEdward III's bride,Philippa of Hainault, Count William's daughter.[1] Froissart describes him as the Queen's esquire carver, and Keeper of the Queen's Greyhounds.[3]
Manny played a distinguished role in the Scottish wars ofEdward III, being present at theBattle of Dupplin Moor and theSiege of Berwick.[1] He captured the pirateJohn Crabbe, whose expertise in fighting at sea would become of great value to the king.
In 1337 Manny was appointedAdmiral of the Northern Seas, and in the following year accompanied King Edward to the continent, where in the campaigns of the next few years he proved himself one of the boldest and ablest of the English king's military commanders.[2] He distinguished himself at theBattle of Sluys.[4]
Manny figured prominently in the defense ofBrest during theBreton War of Succession. WhenHennebont was besieged during that War, councillors tried to persuade the Montforts, led byJoanna of Flanders, to surrender toCharles of Blois, nephew ofPhilip VI of France. When she looked out a window, she saw the ships commanded by Manny sailing towards them. With the help of Manny and his small force, she managed to withstand the siege.[5]
In 1346, after the Breton War of Succession, Manny was captured, despite having been offered safe conduct, and thrown into prison atSaint-Jean-d'Angély. He quickly broke out of prison and joined theSiege of Calais, where he negotiated with the governor, after Philip VI had abandoned the city. He asked for mercy forthe Burghers of Calais, but Edward only granted this request when Queen Philippa added her pleas to his.[6] Manny also took part in the expedition to defend the city once again in 1349, during that year's failed FrenchSiege of Calais. According to Froissart, King Edward III and his son fought incognito under Manny's banner.[7]
In 1347, he bought the parish ofTunstall, Kent.[8]
Manny also took part in the campaigns of theEarl of Derby inGuyenne, being present at the battles ofBergerac andAuberoche.[1] He was summoned to parliament as a baron by writ from 12 November 1347 to 8 January 1371. In 1359, he was made aKnight of the Garter, succeeding John, Lord Grey (died 1 September 1359),[9] and at various times he received extensive grants of land both in England and inFrance. He was frequently employed by King Edward in the conduct of diplomatic negotiations as well as in military commands. He was one of those charged with the safe custody of the French kingJohn II when a prisoner atCalais in 1360; in 1369 he was second in command underJohn of Gaunt in his invasion of France.[2]
Manny is remembered for his share in the foundation of theCharterhouse inLondon. In 1349 he bought some acres of land nearSmithfield, London, which were consecrated as a burying-place where large numbers of the victims of theBlack Death were interred; and here he built a chapel, from which the place obtained the name of "Newchurchhaw." The chapel and ground were bought from Manny by theBishop of London,Michael Northburgh, who died in 1361 and by his will bequeathed a large sum of money to found there aCarthusianconvent. It is not clear whether this direction was ever carried out; for in 1371 Manny obtainedletters patent from King Edward III permitting him to found, apparently on the same site, a Carthusian monastery called "La Salutation Mere Dieu", where the monks were to pray for the soul of Northburgh as well as for the soul of Manny himself. The bishop's bequest may have contributed to the building and endowment of the house; or possibly, as seems to be implied by abull granted byUrban VI, in 1378, there were originally two kindred establishments owing their foundation to Northburgh and Manny respectively. At all events Manny, who died early in 1372, left instructions in his will, dated St Andrew's Day (30 November) 1371, that he was to be buried in the church of the Carthusian monastery founded by himself.[2][10] During archaeological investigations at Charterhouse in 1947,W. F. Grimes discovered a skeleton in a lead coffin before the high altar of the monastic chapel. It was identified beyond reasonable doubt as Manny's by the presence in the coffin of a leadbulla (seal) ofPope Clement VI: in 1351 Clement had granted Manny a licence to select his own deathbed confessor, a document that would have been issued with just such abulla attached.[11]
At the beginning of 1354, Manny marriedMargaret, daughter and heiress ofThomas of Brotherton, a younger son ofKing Edward I, whose first husband had beenJohn Segrave, 4th Baron Segrave. This lady, who outlived Manny by many years, was Countess of Norfolk andEarl Marshal in her own right, and in 1397 she was createdDuchess of Norfolk. Manny's only son,Thomas Manny, died young. His daughterAnne, Baroness Manny in her own right, marriedJohn Hastings, 2nd Earl of Pembroke, and on the death of her only son in 1389 without children, the barony of Manny became extinct.[2]
One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Manny, Sir Walter de Manny, Baron de".Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 17 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 591.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)| Preceded by New Creation | Baron Manny 1347–1372 | Succeeded by |
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