Sir Phillip HOBY

Born: 1505, probably at Leominster, Herefordshire, England

Died: 31 May 1558, Westminster, Middlesex, England

Father: William HOBY of Leominster

Mother: Catherine FORSTER

Married: Elizabeth STONOR (d. 25 Aug 1560) (dau. of Sir Walter Stonor and Anne Foliot) (w.1 of Sir William Compton - w.2 of Walter Walshe) 1540

Sir Phillip Hoby

by Hans Holbein the Younger

© Copyright of David Nash Ford.

Biography reproduced by kind permission of the Royal Berkshire History Website.

Sir Phillip Hoby was son of William Hoby of Leominster in Herefordshire, by his first wife, Catherine Forster. His zeal for the Reformation recommended him to King Henry VIII and, during 1535 and 1536, he was employed in the diplomatic service at the Courts of Spain and Portugal. In 1542, Hoby, being then one of the gentlemen ushers of the King's Privy Chamber, was authorised, along with Sir Edward Kerne and Dr. Peter, to apprehend certain persons suspected of being Jews and, on 4 Feb in that year, he laid before the Privy Council, the books containing their examinations and inventories of their goods. On 18 Mar 1543, however, Hoby was, with two others, committed to the Fleet Prison for maintaining one Thomas Parson, a clergyman who held "evil opinions" touching the sacrament of the altar, but was discharged six days later.

Soon after the dissolution of the monasteries, the Countess of Salisbury managed to get back many of her family’s lands in Bisham, including the Abbey. Both she and many of her children lost their heads during Tudor attempts to exterminate the last of the Plantagenets. Her lands were confiscated and later Bisham was given to the unfortunate Anne of Cleves, Henry VIII’s fourth wife, who swapped it, for Westhorpe in Suffolk, with Sir Phillip Hoby. Sir Phillip had no children and Bisham passed to his half-brother, Sir Thomas Hoby.

He then took part in the Siege of Boulogne and was rewarded with knighthood for his services, immediately after the conquest of the town, on 30 Sep 1544. He was, further, granted certain houses in London, which he appears to have, afterwards, conveyed to the Drapers' Company for the purpose of providing dowries yearly of four maiden orphans. Sir Phillip was, likewise, liberally rewarded with monastic spoils. On 12 May 1545, he was appointed Master of the Ordnance in the North. In Apr 1548, he succeeded Thomas Thirlby, Bishop of Westminster, as Ambassador resident at the court of the Holy Roman Emperor, Carlos V. Upon his returning to England for a brief holiday, in Oct 1549, he conducted the negotiations between the Councils at Windsor and London in regard to the Protector Somerset; and contrived that the Duke should fall into the hands of the Earl of Warwick. With the Lord Warden, Sir Thomas Cheney, he was then despatched to Carlos V to declare the causes of Somerset's removal.

In Apr 1551, he was appointed, with the Marquis of Northampton and others, to discuss, in Paris, the marriage then proposed between King Edward VI and Elizabeth, the daughter of King Henri II of France. He departed thither, says King Edward in his 'Journal', on 15 May, attended by "ten gentlemen of his own, in velvet coats and chains of gold". In Jan 1552, Hoby, together with Sir Thomas Gresham, was sent to Antwerp to negotiate the payment of certain moneys owing to the Fuggers. He was, afterwards, frequently employed in negotiating loans with the wealthy merchants of Antwerp. In the following Feb, he was despatched to Mary, Queen-Regent of Flanders, to complain of certain infringements upon in the Naval and commercial interests of England. A copy of his instructions is preserved in the Harleian manuscripts. In accordance with Henry VIII's wish, Hoby was made Master of the Ordnance and was admitted to the Privy Council in Mar 1552. The manor of Bisham Abbey in Berkshire was also bestowed on him, greatly to the disgust of its owner, Anne of Cleves, who found herself obliged to swap it for alternative lands in Suffolk.

During the King's progress in Jul 1552, Hoby was left at the Tower of London, in charge of the metropolis. In April 1553, with Thirlby and Sir Richard Morryson, he was sent to Carlos V to endeavour to mediate a peace between him and Henri II of France. In the ensuing May, he was chosen Ambassador resident in Flanders. One of the few state papers issued during the nine days' reign of Lady Jane Grey was addressed to Hoby, and continued him and Morryson in their posts as Ambassadors with the Emperor at Brussels (12 Jul 1553). Hoby and Morryson, in reply to the council, termed Lady Jane's husband, Lord Guilford Dudley, King. When Queen Mary acceded to the throne, the council recalled Hoby and Morryson. Hoby, however, despite his protestantism, soon regained his offices and the Royal favour. In Jun 1554, he was again sent to Brussels on a diplomatic mission. Owing to failing health, he obtained leave of absence to try the water at Liege and the baths of Pau. By Jun 1555, he was staying with Sir John Cheke, also an invalid, at Padua. In the Nov following, he visited his friend Sir John Mason, the English Ambassador at Antwerp and, a few days later, had a long interview with King Felipe at Brussels, who assured him that he might firmly rely on his favour, Hoby having supposed that the King hated him "for the profession he made of being at heart exclusively English". He returned home in Jan 1555/6, bearing with him a consolatory message from Felipe to Mary.

Sources:

Dictionary of National Biography" (1891).

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