Thomas Dacre, 2nd Baron Dacre

Thomas Dacre, 2nd Baron Dacre KG (25 November, 1467 – 24 October 1525) was the son of Humphrey Dacre, 1st Baron Dacre and Mabel Parr.

Early career

He was born in Cumberland. His father died on natural causes on 30 May, 1485 and Thomas succeeded him as Baron Dacre of Gillesland

Dacre took part in the Battle of Bosworth Field (22 August, 1485) against Henry Tudor, Earl of Richmond. The rival forces of Richard III of England were defeated and Richard himself was killed.

His early support for the House of Tudor earned him some favor with Henry VII who would continue to trust his services for the remainder of his reign. Dacre was named a deputy to the Lord Warden of the Marches in 1485. He would become Warden himself in 1509.

Marriage

Meanwhile in 1487/1488, Dacre eloped with Elizabeth Greystoke, 6th Baroness Greystoke. She was the eldest granddaughter and heiress of Ralph de Greystoke, 5th Baron Greystoke. She had only recently succeeded her grandfather but their marriage made Dacre the Jure uxoris Baron Greystoke. The lands of the Greystokes passed to the Dacre family through this marriage.

Thomas and Elizabeth had seven children:

*Mabel Dacre (c. 1490–1533). Married Henry Scrope, 7th Baron Scrope of Bolton. They were parents of John Scrope, 8th Baron Scrope of Bolton and grandparents of Henry Scrope, 9th Baron Scrope of Bolton. The 9th Baron is better known because he was governor of Carlisle in the time of Elizabeth I of England, and as such took charge of Mary I of Scotland when she crossed the border in 1568. He took her to Bolton Castle, where she remained till January 1569.
*William Dacre, 3rd Baron Dacre (c. 1493 - 18 November, 1563). Married Elizabeth Talbot, a daughter of George Talbot, 4th Earl of Shrewsbury and Anne Hastings. Anne was a daughter of William Hastings, 1st Baron Hastings and Katherine Neville. Katherine was a daughter of Richard Neville, 5th Earl of Salisbury and Alice Neville, 5th Countess of Salisbury.
*Anne Dacre (c. 1500–1548). Married Christopher Conyers, 2nd Baron Conyers. They were the parents of John Conyers, 3rd Baron Conyers.
*Mary Dacre (1502 - 29 March, 1538). Married Francis Talbot, 5th Earl of Shrewsbury, a son of George Talbot, 4th Earl of Shrewsbury and Anne Hastings. They were parents of George Talbot, 6th Earl of Shrewsbury.
*Jane Dacre.
*Humphrey Dacre.
*Elizabeth Dacre. Married Thomas Musgrave of Hayton Castle.

Later career

Henry VII named him a Knight of the Bath in 1503. He swore loyalty to Henry VIII of England in 1509.

Dacre and his forces served under Thomas Howard, Earl of Surrey in the Battle of Flodden Field (9 September, 1513) where the invading army of James IV of Scotland was defeated. Dacre commanded the "Border Lancers" at the battle, and his charge, saving Edmund Howard, commander of the English right wing. James IV himself was killed and the Kingdom of Scotland ceased its involvement in the wider War of the League of Cambrai. The victory further helped solidify the reputation of Dacre as a soldier.

Henry VIII named him a Knight of the Garter in 1518, alongside William Sandys, 1st Baron Sandys of the Vyne.

By the time of his death in 1525, Dacre held about 70,000 acres (280 km²) of land in Cumberland, 30,000 acres (120 km²) in Yorkshire and 20,000 acres (80 km²) in Northumberland. Much of these lands had been inherited through marriages to the heiresses of the Greystoke, de Multon and de Vaux families as well as grants by both Henry VII and Henry VIII.

Legacy

His illegitimate son Thomas Dacre, nicknamed "the Bastard", successfully led a few hundred English bordermen against part of the invading force of James V of Scotland on 12 November, 1542. His success paved the way for the Battle of Solway Moss (24 November, 1542) the final defeat of the invading Scottish forces.

Thomas was rewarded with land grants and from him starts a secondary line of "Dacres of Lanercost".

External links

* [http://www.tudorplace.com.ar/DACRE.htm#Thomas%20DACRE%20(Capt.)1 A biographical article on him]

Persondata
NAME= Dacre, Thomas, 2nd Baron Dacre
ALTERNATIVE NAMES=
SHORT DESCRIPTION=Knight of Henry VIII of England
DATE OF BIRTH=25 November 1467
PLACE OF BIRTH=Cumberland, England
DATE OF DEATH=24 October 1525
PLACE OF DEATH=