Nicholas Poyntz

Sir Nicholas Poyntz(d.1557), drawing by Hans Holbein the Younger, Royal Collection, RL 12234

Sir Nicholas Poyntz after Hans Holbein the Younger. National Portrait Gallery, NPG 5583

Sir Nicholas Poyntz after Hans Holbein the Younger, sold by Christie's London 7th July 2010

Sir Nicholas Poyntz (1510 – 1557) was a prominent English courtier during the latter part of Henry VIII's reign. There is a portrait drawing by Hans Holbein the Younger in the Royal Collection and an oil portrait after the same artist based on the drawing in the National Portrait Gallery, London. One further portrait also exists after Holbein.

He was the eldest son of Sir Anthony Poyntz (1480?–1533), vice-admiral, and his first wife Elizabeth Huddefield. He married Joan, daughter of Thomas Berkeley, 5th Baron Berkeley(d.1533).^[1]

On Saturday 21 August 1535, Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn visited Nicholas Poyntz at Acton Court, Iron Acton, Gloucestershire. Poyntz had built a special new lodging for his royal guests which still survives. It contained three first floor state rooms and one of these still has painted decoration by an artist of the Tudor court. These state rooms connected to the older house by a covered walkway called a 'pentice.' Archaeological excavations found fragments of precious Venetian glass and maiolica which Nicholas probably bought for the visit. The evidence of lengthy preparations by Nicholas at Acton shows that Henry's progress in the west of England was planned in advance.^[2]

In 1538 and 1544 he served as High Sheriff of Gloucestershire and in 1547 represented Gloucestershire in Parliament as Knight of the Shire.

Between 1544 and 1556 Poyntz built as a hunting lodge Newark Park, near the village of Ozleworth, Wotton-under-Edge, Gloucestershire. This was built at about the same time as nearby Siston Court was being built by Sir Maurice Denys(d.1563), first cousin of Poyntz's wife Jane Berkeley.

During the war of the Rough Wooing, Nicholas commanded the warship the Great Galley.^[3] In May 1544 the Earl of Hertford sent Nicolas to burn Kinghorn and other towns in Fife.^[4]

References

1. ^ http://thepeerage.com/p25035.htm#i250349
2. ^ Bell, Robert, in Starkey, David, ed., Henry VIII, A European Court in England, BCA (1991), 118-125.
3. ^ Letters & Papers Henry VIII, vol. 19, part 1 (1903), no. 264, 30 March 1544.
4. ^ The Late Expedition in Scotland, London (1544).

• Dictionary of National Biography, Poyntz, Sir Francis (d 1528), diplomatist, by A. F. Pollard. Published 1896.

External links

• Acton Court, built by Nicholas Poyntz in 1535
• www.tudorplace.com Poyntz pedigree

Attribution

 This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain:  Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co. 1885–1900. 

Persondata
Name	Poyntz, Nicholas
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	1510
Place of birth
Date of death	1557
Place of death