SIR HUGH LUTTRELL OF DUNSTER CASTLE. HIS ROLE – OR NON ROLE – IN THE PERKIN WARBECK REBELLION

Sculpted stone heraldic shields on western arch of the Gatehouse to Dunster Castle in Somerset, erected by Sir Hugh Luttrell (d.1521).  Link to article covering everything you needed to know about the Gatehouse.

For this post I have drawn heavily from  A history of Dunster and of the Families of Mohun & Luttrell by Sir Henry Church Maxwell Lyte. Published 1909.  

The Luttrell family first came to prominence in the thirteenth century and are probably best remembered for the wonderful illuminated Luttrell Psalter,  a book of psalms, religious texts and prayers,  commissioned by Sir Geoffrey Luttrell (1276-1345). This particular Psalter, now in the British Museum,  is richly illustrated with scenes of everyday life and weird and wonderful illustrations of creatures that are combinations of human and animals.  However moving on…

The fabulous Luttrell Psalter commissioned by Sir Geoffey Luttrell. British Museum.

My interest lies with the branch of the family that resided at Dunster Castle, Somerset.  The reversion of the castle was  purchased by Elizabeth, the mother of Sir Hugh Luttrell (b.c.1364 d.1428) from the wife of the last de Mohun.  Unfortunately Elizabeth predeceased the vendor dying  at Bermondsey on the 7 August 1395.   Following a rather convoluted legal battle final possession was at long last  gained by Sir Hugh in 1405 following the death of the vendor, Lady Mohun (1).  Of most interest to me is the Sir Hugh Lattrell (b.c.1455 d. February 1521) who was involved with the Perkin Warbeck rebellion in 1497.  We will return to this later.

Sir Hugh’s place of birth is unknown although an educated guess would place it at Dunster Castle.

Dunster Castle Gateway.  Sir Hugh Latterall and his wife’s coat of arms above.  Photo thanks to Somerset  Archaeology and Natural History.  From an article by Isobel Richardson. Photo Tony Harding.  

Dunster Castle Gateway.  Photo thanks to Tripadvisor.

The 15th century Gateway Towers. Photo thanks to Somerset  Archaeology and Natural History.  From an article by Isobel Richardson. Photo Tony Harding.  

LIFE EVENTS:

November 1487.  Created a Knight of the Bath at the coronation of Elizabeth of York, wife of Henry VII (2).  

1487: Received from his uncle, Peter Courtenay, Bishop of Winchester, a grant of the office of Master of Poundsford Park, near Taunton, with an annuity of 10𝑙 for life.

1488: Sheriff of Somerset and Dorset.  Appointment for one year.

1497: Served under the Duke of Buckingham to suppress the Perkin Warbeck/Cornish rebellion of that year.  More on this below (3). 

1501:  One of the seven knights and gentlemen of Somerset who were selected to escort Catherine Aragon on her arrival in England  from Crewkerne to Sherborne.

1513: Served in the royal navy in the ship of Leonard Fiscaballi. 

Unknown date:  Sir Hugh Luttrell built a small pier at Minehead and enlarged the harbour considerably, to the great benefit of the town.  Admiral there during the reign of HVII.  Presided over a court of Admiralty for the decision of a maritime case

FAMILY 

His father was James Luttrell (b.c1426 d. 1 February 1461).  In 1450 Edmund Lacy,  Bishop of Exeter,  issued a license for a marriage to be celebrated in the private chapel of Powderham Castle between James and Elizabeth, daughter of Philip Courtney,  his former guardian. A large part of the Lutterell estates were settled on Elizabeth in jointure some two years later (4).

Interestingly Elizabeth’s sister, Joan (d.1465) was Sir Henry Bodrugan’s first wife.  She had borne him a son, John Beaumont, after the collapse of her marriage to William Beaumont (d.1453) but prior to her marriage to Henry.   John being born before  the death of William thus took the Beaumont name.  John would be raised by Henry, was later knighted and died at Stoke. in 1487.  Bodrugan would play an important role in attempting to return the young Edward V to the throne.  But that is another story. 

James fought against Richard Plantagenet, Duke of York,  at Wakefield on the 29 December 1460 (although some accounts have it as the 30th) and was knighted by Henry Beaufort,  Duke of Somerset on the field of battle. Indeed it would appear James played a hand in the actual death of the Duke of York.  See below.  Seven weeks later he again fought for Lancaster at the second battle of Saint Albans, 17 February 1461,  where although Lancaster prevailed, James was fatally wounded (5).

The triumph of the House of York and Edward IV taking the throne in 1461 was a disaster for the Luttrell family,  Lancastrian ‘since the time of John of Gaunt’.  The Yorkist Parliament of November of that year passed a sweeping ordinance against all the chief supporters of Henry IV.  Sir James was posthumously attainted being named amongst those who ‘with grete despite and cruell violence, horrible and unmanly tyrannye’  had murdered Richard Duke of York, who had fallen into their hands at some point during or after the battle and who were consequently to ‘stand and be convycted and attainted of high treason, and forfett to the King and his heires all the castles, maners’ and other lands of which they were or had been possessed.  In June 1463, Edward IV granted Sir William Herbert, Baron Herbert, and the heirs of his body, the honour, castle, manor and borough of Dunster and other Luttrell properties. 

However following Bosworth 1485 fortune turned in favour of the Luttrells.   Hugh petitioned the new king, Henry VII,  on grounds  that his father had been attainted “for the true faith and allegiaunce which he owid unto the right famous prince of moost blessed memory, then his soveraine lord, Henry late King of England the sixth” requesting that the Act of Attainder should be repealed, and the consequent letters patent made void. His petition was readily granted and the agents of the Earl of Huntingdon made way for the rightful lord of Dunster (6).

Hugh would however have a troubled relationship with his widowed mother, Elizabeth Luttrell née Courtney ( c.1430-d.1493 ) and her third husband Thomas Malet with regard to lands which she claimed to hold in jointure, and jewels, plate, and household stuff, valued at 800 marks, which Sir James Luttrell had bequeathed to his eldest son Alexander who had died young. At last after legal proceedings had begun a compromise was reached whereby Lady Luttrell retained the manor of East Quantoxhead/Quantockshead and Hugh undertook to pay her eighty marks a year for the manor of Minehead during her life. She and her husband then delivered to him “ two basons of silver, two ewers, two gilte cuppes covered standyng, two pottes of silver and gilt with a pot of silver, two saltes with one cover, three boules with one cover, a chafyng disshe of silver, two doseyn spones, a chaleys, a masse boke, a peir of vestementes, ”  plus a list of the other goods that should pass to him at her death. Hopefully peace then prevailed…. 

MARRIAGE:

Hugh’s first wife was Margaret Hill whom he married 1484.  They had several children and this list may contain inaccuracies.  However it can be said with certainty that Andrew was his heir.

Andrew

John

Eleanor

Elizabeth

Jane

His second wife was Walthean Yard/Walthera Drelne – there are various spellings of this lady’s name –  whom he married  before 1508.  This marriage appears to have been childless.

THE PERKIN WARBECK REBELLION 1497

Now here begins the mystery.   Upon Perkin Warbeck’s arrival in Cornwall, Sir Hugh, served under the command of Edward Stafford,  Duke of Buckingham who was engaged in suppressing the ensuing uprising (7).  At this point accounts differ. 

An article written in 1878 by Edmund Chisholm-Batten opined that Hugh was heavily fined for his role, or non role,  in the rebellion although noting that afterward all was forgiven as Henry ‘…dealt generously with those who had forborne to render him quick service or from a mistaken feeling had allowed local prejudices to sway them and by his gracious dealing he won the hearts and by his encouraging example he raised the best aspirations of great men and great ecclesiastics (8). Chisholm-Batten, who appears to have thought that Henry Tudor was the best thing since sliced bread,  also included in his paper a list of rebels and the amounts of their fines including Sir Hugh receiving a massive fine of £200.   At the time of writing he noted that this list was in the British Museum, which if so,  would today be in the British Library.  This should be looked into.

However this version of events is disputed in that rich source of Luttrell information that is A History of Dunster and of the Families of Mohun & Luttrell written by Sir Henry Church Maxwell Lyte published 1909.  His notes say:     

‘Mr. E. C. Batten’s idea that Sir Hugh Luttrell was fined for assisting the rebels seems to be founded on a misapprehension’ (9). 

If it were the case that Sir Hugh was heavily fined for shirking his responsibilities  in putting the rebellion down, it would be difficult to fathom why his input was either lacklustre, tardy or non existent as he had previously followed in his family footsteps being a loyal supporter to the Lancastrian cause and later to Henry VII.  If Sir Hugh was fined he was not the only one.  Following the suppression of the Cornish/Yorkist rebellion Henry sent commissioners to the West Country to fine anyone who had not been zealous enough, had shown the rebels sympathy, provided them with food or shelter or simply had failed to act as the rebels marched past.  It is also within the realms of possiblity that Hugh was acting clandestinely in favour of the rebellion although this is sheer speculation. 

It has also been suggested there may be confusion with an earlier situation where Sir Hugh, while not actually receiving a monetary fine,  had two of his hunting hounds seized as a result of a hunting foray in the Royal Forest of Exmoor.  A letter from his brother-in-law Giles, Lord Daubeny (d.1508), to Sir John Trevelyan – in an attempt to pour oil over troubled waters – reads: 

” I am enformed that of late a litle grugge Is fallen bitwene my brother, Sir Hugh Luttrell, and you, for that he hunted of late in the outewods of the said forest, and therupon a couple of hounds were taken up by servants of yours from his servants. After that, cousyn, inasmoche as my said brother Luttrell is a boderer (borderer) of the said forest, and that ye know he hath maried my sister, and the man whom I doo love tenderly, my mynde is and desire unto you that ye shuld have an yghe unto hym above all others in those parties. And that when it shall like hym to kyll a dere or to hunt for his disporte, that ye suffer hym soo to doe, I pray you as hertily as I can. Writen at Grenewich the xx daie of Feverer.

“And I pray you, cousyn, let my said broder take his disporte, and if he list let hym kyll one dere in somer and a nother in wynter herafter” (10).    

However, whatever the truth of the matter,  Sir Hugh was back in royal favour by 1501, see above, when he was appointed with seven other knights and gentleman to escort Catherine of Aragon on her arrival in England for part of her journey from Crewkerne to Sherborne (11).  

Upon his death on the Ist February 1521 Sir Hugh was succeeded by his heir Andrew….  However we will leave them there.

1. Somerset  Archaeology and Natural History 
2. Shaw’s Knights of England, vol. i. p.142. Sherratt and Hughes, 1906.
3. Holinshed’s ‘Chronicle  Vol iii. p. 78.
4.  A History of Dunster and of the Families of Mohun & Luttrell by Sir Henry Church Maxwell Lyte. Published 1909.   Page 120. 
5. ibid. p.122.
6. Roils Parliametitorum, vol. vi. p. 297 ; D.C.M. i. 26.
7. Holinshed’s ‘Chronicle  Vol iii. p. 78.
8. E.Chisholm Batten. Henry VII in Somerset p.71.
9. Proceedings of Somerset Archaeological Society,vol  xxv.pp. 71,74.
10. Trevelyan Papers, vol. i. p. 12
11. Letters and Papers, Richard III and Henry VII vol. i. p. 406.