Thomas Stanley 1st Earl of Derby ^{1 2 3}

  Research Notes:

Stepfather to King Henry VII of England.

Wikipedia (Thomas Stanley, 1st Earl of Derby), Thomas Stanley, 1st Earl of Derby was a maternal ancestor of John Lennon.

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From http://stanleyroots.co.uk/thenorthwest.htm :

"Since 1200 the Stanleys had become important landowners and administrators in north-west England (especially Cheshire and Lancashire), and in 1485 the two brothers Sir Thomas Stanley and Sir William Stanley played a decisive role in winning the Battle of Bosworth for Henry Tudor and therefore in establishing the Tudor dynasty - a feat for which Thomas was created 1st Earl of Derby in 1485. Thereafter, the Earls of Derby were a prominent political force in north-west England for the next four centuries, with the 14th earl becoming Prime Minister three times, in 1852, 1858 and 1866...

"Sir Thomas was 2nd Baron Stanley (his father had been created 1st Baron in 1456), so he is also referred to as Lord Stanley before his creation as Earl of Derby in 1485.
"There had been earlier Earls of Derby (from other families) from 1138 to 1266 and 1337 to 1399, whose title was based on Derby in Derbyshire. Thomas Stanley's title in 1485 therefore had the ring of antiquity, but was based not on Derby but on West Derby, near to the family's estates at Lathom and Knowsley in Lancashire. Lathom House near Ormskirk (Lancashire)(SD4609) was the family's main residence from around 1400 until 1644, when it was largely destroyed by Sir Thomas Fairfax and his Parliamentary forces after a four-month siege during the English Civil War (the Stanleys of Lancashire were Royalists and had been holding out against the dominant Parliamentary forces)."

From Volume 11 of Manx Note Book - http://www.isle-of-man.com/manxnotebook/manxnb/v11p101.htm
THOMAS II. AFTERWARDS THE FIRST EARL OF DERBY, ELDEST SON OF THOMAS I., BARON STANLEY, BY HIS WIFE JOAN, ONLY DAUGHTER AND HEIRESS OF SIR ROBERT GOUSHILL, succeeded his father in 1460. He was summoned to Parliament in the first year of Edward IV. (1461), and in 1472 he was made Judge of Chester. In the Civil war he did good service for the Yorkist cause, his most conspicuous feat being the taking of Berwick by assault. During the greater part of his reign he was steward of the Royal Household, and, having been one of Edward's most devoted adherents, he naturally transferred his allegiance to his son Edward the fifth. When Edward the fourth died, Richard Duke of Gloucester, who was plotting to supplant his nephew on the throne, saw that Stanley would be one of the chief obstacles in his way, and so he contrived to get rid of him by having him arrested on a charge of treason.

When, however, he had succeeded in ascending the throne, he decided that his best policy would be, if possible, to purchase Lord Stanley's allegiance, which he endeavoured to accomplish by making him Constable of England for life and conferring upon him the Order of the Garter. It is well known that this scheme failed and that Lord Stanley largely contributed to Richmond's success at the battle of Bosworth field, after which he is said to have placed the dead Richard's crown on his head,^* and to have proclaimed him king as Henry VII. The new king shortly afterwards created him Earl of Derby, and constituted him one of the Lord's Commissioners for executing the office of Lord High Steward at his coronation. In 1486 he was made Constable of England for life. In 1487 he was one of the godfathers of Prince Arthur, Henry VII.'s eldest son.

He took a prominent part in arranging the treaty of Etaples between England and France in 1492. It would seem that he used his wealth nobly, both in relieving the burdens of his people and in promoting public works such as the bridges at Garstang and Warrington, for their welfare. He was the builder of Latham House which became famous through its defence by the 7th Earl's noble consort 150 years later.

Lord Stanley married, firstly, Eleanor 4th daughter of Richard Nevill, Earl of Salisbury, and sister to the Earl of Warwick, the famous " king-maker, " and secondly, Margaret, daughter of the Duke of Somerset and Dowager-Duchess of Richmond, who was King Henry VII.'s mother. By his first wife he had issue 6 sons and 4. daughters, by his second, there was no issue. He died in 1504. It does not appear that he ever visited the Isle of Man, and during his reign the Statute book is a blank.

*It is not certain whether the crown was placed on Henry's head by Lord Stanley or by his brother Sir William Stanley

  Noted events in his life were:

• Battle: of Bosworth Field, 1485.

• Created: 1st Earl of Derby, 1485. by Henry Tudor

• Summoned: to Parliament, 1461. in the first year of Edward IV.

• Made: Judge of Chester, 1472.

• Made: Constable of England for life, 1486.

Thomas married Eleanor Neville, daughter of Richard Neville Earl of Salisbury and Alice de Montagu Countess of Salisbury, in 1459. (Eleanor Neville was born before 1447 and died before Nov 1482.)

Thomas next married Margaret Beaufort Countess of Richmond and Derby. (Margaret Beaufort Countess of Richmond and Derby was born 31 May <1443> in Bletsoe Castle, Bletsoe, Bedfordshire, England, died on 29 Jun 1509 in Deanery of Westminster Abbey and was buried in Henry VII Lady Chapel, Westminster Abbey.)