Sir George HENEAGE, Knight

Born: BEF 1522

Died: 16 Oct 1595

Father: John HENEAGE of Benniworth

Mother: Anne COPE

Married 1: Elizabeth SOUTHWELL BEF 1561

Married 2: Olive BRETTON (dau. of Edward (Thomas) Bretton of Felmingham)

The details in this biography come from the History of Parliament, a biographical dictionary of Members of the House of Commons.

Born BEF 1522, first son of John Heneage of Benniworth by Anne Cope. Married first, by 1561, Elizabeth, dau. of Sir Richard Southwell of Wood Rising, Norf., s.p.; And secondly to Olive, dau. of Edward or Thomas Bretton of Felmingham, Norf., widow of Thomas Herne of London, s.p. Suc. family 21 Jul 1557. Kntd. 1583. V.-adm. Lincs. c.1536-49; commr. sewers, Cambs., Hunts., Isle of Ely, Lincs., Northants., Notts. 1555; j.p. Lincs. (Lindsey) 1569-d., q. by 1579; sheriff, Lincs. 1576-7; steward, manor of Louth, Lincs. by 1564-d.

Little is known of George Heneage's early career after his successful beginnings in Edmund Bonner's service. The post of vice-admiral of Lincolnshire in which he followed his father about 1536 was probably a sinecure. In 1539 he was in Paris with Bonner, then Ambassador to the French court: in Jul he received £7 for taking letters from Henry VIII to the ‘court of France’ and in the following May a similar sum for delivering letters.

Heneage clearly owed his return for Orford to the Parliament of 1547 to the patronage of Sir William Willoughby, 1º B. Willoughby of Parham, who was married to his cousin. He was not reelected at Orford in the spring of 1553 and is not known to have sat elsewhere, but in the autumn he was returned to Mary's first Parliament for Grimsby, for which his father and grandfather had sat in at least three Parliaments. He joined another cousin Thomas Heneage, a Member for Stamford, in opposition to the initial measures for the restoration of Catholicism. Unlike his cousin, he neither sat again nor played any part in affairs outside his county save that in 1569 he served against the northern rebels.

By his will of 15 Sep 1594 Heneage, after making provision for his second wife, left his lands, silver and plate to his brother William in tail male. He named his wife executrix and Sir Thomas Heneage and Charles, 2º B. Willoughby of Parham overseers. He died on 16 Oct 1595 and, as he had requested, was buried at Hainton.

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