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"GENTLEMEN OF THE KING’S HOUSE"
The most important event in Bryan’s personal life during these years was his marriage to Phillippa Spice sometime between 1517 and 1526. She was the only child and heir of Clement Spice, a clergyman, who held a rectory in the village of Black Notley, Essex. She had previously been married to John Fortescue, a lawyer and son of the renowned Lancastrian judge and writer, Sir John Fortescue. Knighted in August 1485 at Milford Haven, John at one time served as a sheriff of both Essex and Hertfordshire. Upon his death in 1517, Phillippa’s two year old son, Henry, received five hundred acres of land distributed in Essex and Hertfordshire valued at f150 a year.
It is not surprising that young Henry became an object of intense interest to men who had the means to purchase his wardship. Since his father had died holding land of the king, that is by knight service, and Henry was still a minor, he became a ward of the crown. This meant his lands came into the possession of the crown until he was eighteen years of age. Until this time the king could sell control of the ward and his land to the highest bidder, who in this case was Francis Bryan. As guardian, he was also entrusted with the child’s education and upbringing until Henry came of age. In return, Bryan was granted a lease of the boy’s land and the right to marry him to whom he chose. Unfortunately there is no record of how much Bryan paid for the wardship nor, more importantly, whether he wed Phillippa before or after receiving the grant. Nevertheless a suit in the Court of Chancery in 1526 indicates that by this date they were husband and wife.
During their early married life together, Bryan and Phillippa may have resided at the Fortescue’s ancestral home of Faulkbourne, Essex, which was visited on several occasions by the king. As a close attendant of Henry VIII, Bryan was unable to settle down for long periods of time to the occupation of country gentlemen. After receiving Henry Fortescue’s wardship, however, Bryan made occasional appearances on the Sheriff rolls and as a Justice of the Peace for Essex, Buckinghamshire, and Bedfordshire. "Hertfordshire 11 February 1526" In the eyes of most of his companions his position must have appeared an enviable one. Faulkbourne, originally a manor house with 1 1/4 acres of land granted to the Fortescue family in the fourteenth century, now included grounds of 65 acres in extent that contained pear and apple orchards, pasture and woodland. Of the house, which was located just a few miles from Clement Spice’s residence and five miles south of the town of Halstead, nothing now remains. Other property holdings in Essex totaling over 550 acres of pasture, wood, heath, and meadow also belonged to the Fortescue estate.
Although there survives evidence of discord between them leading ultimately to separation, Bryan and Phillippa remained together for over twenty years. No children, however, came from this marriage, and soon after it had taken place Bryan found himself involved in disputes concerning the debts Phillippa had contracted prior to marrying him. In January 1526 Jasper Filloll, formerly a Gentleman Usher of Henry VII and at on time well-endowed with numerous properties, began a law suit in the Court of Chancery, the purpose of which was to collect debts of Phillippa totaling f171. As her husband, Bryan was now responsible for their payment. The result is not known, since the bill only lists particulars of the case furnished by the claimant. The importance of this document is that it is the earliest surviving record of the marriage of Bryan and Phillippa.
Bryan’s activities as a country gentlemen were interrupted when he was notified early in 1522 to return to court. Henry was preparing to fulfill his agreement, made two years earlier with Charles V in Bruges, to invade France. This suited the emperor’s plans, as he intended concentrating his efforts in Northern Italy, to secure Milan, using the English to divert some of Francis’s troops. On 16 June, therefore, Henry and Charles declared war against France. A fleet of ships was assembled under the command of Thomas Howard, earl of Surrey, later third duke of Norfolk, and his vice-admiral Sir William Fitzwilliam, formerly ambassador at the French court. Later that month Bryan was assigned to command one of his uncle’s thirty ships that had gathered at Hampton Dock in London to pillage the western tip of Brittany. By the end of June these vessels, appropriately manned and supplied, departed, "noising that they should only scour the seas for safeguard" of their king and the emperor.
Lack of sufficient victuals and wine on the ships restricted the scope of Surrey’s operations. The fleet sailed the Channel at brief intervals, making quick attacks on towns, and spending the rest of the time in harbor reprovisioning. For instance, on the night of 30 June, Surrey’s vessels sailed into the haven of Morlaiz, on the Breton coast. Bryan and the other officers commanding the ships then disembarked their men. The Lord Admiral encamped on the beach that night, completing plans with his lieutenants, awaiting daybreak before moving against the town of Morlaix.
At 8 o’clock.the next morning Bryan and his company were issued their instructions for the day. Surrey decided to split his force into two units, commanding the first himself, while Sir Richard Wingfield’s took command of the second group. Bryan’s contingent was placed under Wingfield’s direction. Soon thereafter Francis and the rest of the troops began their short march toward the town of Morlaiz with banners unfurled. The expedition had not brought horses, so each of the fourteen pieces of ordnance was manually drawn by the men. As they made their journey inland, an alarm was raised throughout the country, and Morlaiz readied itself for siege. On the approach of the attackers the garrison discharged flights of arrows from the walls of the town.
In the hard fought battle Bryan and his company of 75 men gained possession of the town-gate. The remainder of Surrey’s army was then able to enter Morlaix, dispatch the remaining defenders who had not already fled into the countryside, and finally plunder and burn the town. The entire operation took approximately ten hours. Anticipating the arrival of large French forces, Surrey’s army retreated to its ships, indiscriminately burning cornfields and destroying houses, churches, and barns. In this initial foray, Bryan had played a conspicuous role and received due reward from Surrey. He and several other officers, whose courage in battle had been especially noted, were each knighted by the Lord Admiral on the beach outside of Morlaix on 1 July 1522.
A few days later, after a brief port call at Calais, Surrey’s fleet again sailed for the Breton coast. During one foggy night, they anchored their vessels about a mile off the town of Saint Pol-de-Leon. The troops, including Bryan and his company, were lowered in rowboats from their ships and made the short journey toward the town. The twinkling lights from the inhabitants’ homes guided the raiders into the harbor where they burnt and damaged as many vessels as possible before retreating to their own ships.
Two days after this attack, Surrey’s fleet sailed into Brest haven where a number of raiding parties disembarked. Maintaining some distance between themselves and the town, the English soldiers pillaged houses and burned cornfields. Quickly learning of this activity, a large Breton force was assembled from the town of Brest and surrounding countryside to drive off the invaders. But by the time they were ready to attack, Surrey’s forces had retreated to their ships and sailed away.
For the next two weeks the lord admiral’s attack on the western tip of Brittany continued unabated. Many costal towns and villages were attack and burnt as skirmishing with the Bretons continued almost on a daily basis. Bryan’s participation in the raiding parties was excellent training for his long career as an army officer. But it was cut short in this instance when the king ordered the fleet home in the middle of July. Naval expeditions such as this required large stores of food and wind and thus proved very expensive over short periods of time, whereas an army could maintain itself in the enemy’s country and thus serve on prolonged expeditions.
Henry now followed up these raids with full scale invasion of France. After a brief respite at court, Bryan rejoined Surrey at Southhampton. Between 8 August and 2 September he and his men were part of a 15,000 man contingent transported across the Channel to Calais. But the day before Surrey’s army departed to begin their thrust into France, Bryan was recalled to court. Apparently Wolsey and Henry were eager that Surrey receive some important letters, but it is unclear why they could not have delivered by a messenger from court, unless the king wished to communicate specific instructions verbally for Bryan to pass along.
Departing from court soon thereafter, Sir Francis hastily rode to Dover where he hires a vessel to transport him to Calais. Knowing the itinerary of Surrey’s expedition, Bryan was compelled by time to travel through enemy territory that had just been pillaged by English troops. Setting out from the town of Guisnes in a generally southerly direction, he made his way through the pillaged and burnt remains of the town of Arde, St. Norbyns, Daverne, and St Mary de Bois. For his own survival Bryan had to remain as inconspicuous as possible. Doubtless his knowledge of the French language aided in the process and may have prevented him from being recognized as an Englishman and murdered by angry and destitute countrymen. By 9 September he rejoined Surrey’s army just outside the town of Boyardes.
Surrey’s aim was to march his troops toward Paris, where they would join up with the emperor’s forces advancing from Spain. Placed in command of a company of men, Bryan resumed his position in Surrey’s army. It continued to push southwards, meeting little resistance from the enemy. Surrey exhibited grave concern at the unhindered progress that his army was making through the country, uneasy perhaps that the enemy might be preparing an ambush. But Wolsey’s letters to him reaffirmed the confidence his expedition maintained at home. However, in the same communication, he was informed that the emperor would give him no aid, preferring to concentrate his forces in Northern Italy. Therefore the cardinal ordered his return to Calais, and, as it passed through the Boulonnois region (the area surrounding the city of Boulogne), to destroy every fortress remaining in that area. These instructions were ignored by Surrey; whether he consulted his captains about the decision is unclear, but it is certain that he continued to move along a southward path, possibly intending to lay siege to Paris.
On 1 September Bryan and the rest of the company arrived at the walls of Hesdin, a small town on the Canche River 30 miles southeast of Boulogne. Here they besieged the town for eight days. Finally after fierce fighting the defenders fled. Food had become scare for the invaders by this time so it was welcome relief to find some livestock and stores of grain in Hesdin. After pillaging the town, the English troops burned it to the ground. Surrey continued his advance as far as the River Some where he found his path barred by extensive flooding. He decided, in spite of the lateness of the season and the starved condition of his men, to push on across the river and deeper into France. Some of his captains agreed, but others thought his plan foolhardy. In this latter view they had the support of most of the troops, who had suffered terrible privation and were on the verge of mutiny. Bryan’s own opinion was not recorded, but one thing is clear; the army did retreat. By 16 October Surrey’s forces were back at Calais. The campaign had served little purpose, bringing only misery to the French civilian population and consuming a good deal of the king’s money.
For almost a year Bryan was free from any military obligations abroad, though he found much to occupy him at home. Like most of his companions at court, he grew rapidly in wealth and influence during this time, receiving grants of land and offices for his services. In November 1522 he was appointed as sheriff for the counties of Essex and Hertfordshire. His official responsibilities included convening and presiding over the county and hundred courts within his jurisdiction and assuring its orderly and proper function. In remuneration, Bryan received a large share of the amercements imposed by his courts.
As the summer of 1523 drew to a close, he was recalled to court amid preparations for a resumption of hostilities against France. While Charles Brandon duke of Suffolk prepared a large army to lead across the Channel, rumors circulated throughout England of the duke of Albany’s impending voyage to Scotland. The name John Stuart, duke of Albany, the king of Scotland’s cousin and heir presumptive to the Scottish throne, reawakened fears of the ‘auld alliance’ between France and Scotland that had menaced England’s northern borders since the end of the thirteenth century and now threatened Henry with a front war. Soon after Bryan’s return to court he was assigned to captain one of Sir William Fitzwilliam’s squadrons of ships. "The epitome of an early Tudor adventurer", Fitzwilliam was an experienced naval officer under whom Bryan had served the year before in Brittany. His assignment now was to prevent the passage of Albany and his troops across the Channel from France to Scotland.
By the end of July intelligence reports noted the amassing of twelve Scottish ships at the port of Dieppe, 90 miles southwest of Calais. Determined to attack the fleet while they remained moored in port and hoping also to capture Albany, Fitzwilliam and his fleet departed from Calais at the beginning of August. Since he had recently piloted a vessel in this vicinity with Surrey’s expedition, Bryan may have provided valuable advice. Upon their arrival at Dieppe, however, they found that the vessels had already put to sea. This discovery set off a flurry of panic, as Fitzwilliam realized that Albany might have slipped through his grasp and be on his way to Scotland. It was learned from citizens of the town that the ships had only recently departed for the port town of Boulogne. Quickly weighting anchor, the fleet sailed after its quarry. As the English ships made their way northward, a lookout on Bryan’s vessel sighted two Scottish vessels, which were immediately attached and sunk. Continuing their pursuit, the fleet captured two more Scottish ships, however, the remaining vessels arrived safely in Boulogne harbor.
On arriving at Boulogne, Bryan’s vessel was anchored just outside of the harbor as part of Fitzwilliam’s blockade. He called Bryan and his other captains together to deliberate their next move. Though anxious to destroy the remaining ships, Fitzwilliam realized that the harbor was heavily defended and that a full-scale assault would be risky. Later, It was learned from a Piedmontese captain, who had been detained by ships of the English blockade, that the Scottish privateer John Barton, and not the duke of Albany, was commanding the vessels in Boulogne harbor.
On 14 August instructions from Wolsey, arriving with a shipment of supplies, indicated that Albany might be residing in Le Treport, a port town about 50 miles south of their present location. Ships commanded by Fitzwilliam, Bryan, and number of other captains therefore departed southward the next day, leaving enough vessels in place in Boulogne to prevent the Scottish ships from escaping Albany’s crossing. Reaching their destination just at nightfall, Bryan and his men disembarked and waited for daybreak. In the early morning hours they trekked the short distance to Le Treport, where they began an assault on the main gate; the defense was stubborn, and gradually, as Frenchmen from the surrounding country joined in the battle, Fitzwilliam’s men were forced back. Burning all that they could, they retreated to their ships. Hall reported that "a great many on both sides were lost that day", although Wolsey noted only the loss of twelve Englishmen in the attack against the town.
Despite the intensive effort of the English fleet to prevent Albany from returning to Scotland, by the middle of September he and 3000 men departed from Brest, eluded the surveillance of the English fleet, and made their way north up the Irish Sea. By 21 September they had arrived at the west Scottish port town of Kirkcudbright. However English forces under Surrey’s command had been present on the northern border since June, ready to repel any invasion from Scotland. Yet the imposing army attending Albany caused Surrey to request anxiously the presence of Bryan and other gentlemen of the king’s house to be sent to him as quickly as possible. Upon receipt of this message, Bryan was dispatched, along with Nicholas Carew and others, to take command of troops on the spot.
With his captains now in place, Surrey adopted a defensive strategy against Albany’s impending attack. He stationed the main body of his men on Holy Island, a small piece of land two miles off the eastern coast of England and only twelve miles from the border. From one of his spies in Edinburgh he learned that 2600 footmen and 500 horses, all Frenchmen, had joined Albany’s large contingent of Scotsmen, who were now moving toward England. On 31 October the anticipated attack commenced against Wark Castle, a stronghold situated just across the border in England that lay equidistant between the towns of Kelso and Coldstream. The attack was swift, but Surrey’s defensive forces were prepared. Bryan’s contingent quickly armed and joined the rapidly massing force of English infantrymen moving toward Albany’s army. The stout resistance of the English troops at Wark and rumors of Surrey’s imminent arrival induced Albany to lift the siege and withdraw across the border on the same day.
However, no one in England knew whether he would attempt another attack. Therefore Surrey’s troops were ordered to remain stationed along the northern border. Part of Bryan’s duties during this time was to lead patrols in designated areas between the towns of Coldstream and Berwick. Since it was late autumn, the days were cold and damp with snow and sleet frequently falling. As he and his followers scouted along the River Tweed, they often were compelled to camp out in these foul conditions unless they could find a small village in which to lodge. Provisions were also difficult to find, and what little they had usually was supplements by food taken from the villages and farms of the area. Scarcity of victuals, continual marching, and long exposure to the cold must have wearied Bryan and his men. As to Albany’s present whereabouts, Surrey learned from the prioress of Coldstream that the duke and his army had withdrawn deeper into Scotland.
On 4 November 1523 Surrey’s report of the entire operation presented a dismal picture of the conditions that his border army faced. Unpaid and underfed, many of his troops simply deserted, and he experienced great difficulty in keeping the remaining foot soldiers in the border garrisons, since most of the horsemen already had returned home. In another letter written a few days later, Surrey asked that he be recalled from his post, fearing the winter’s effect on his health if he remained much longer. Bryan was one of five gentlemen who endorsed this request, probably hoping that they too might be called home. The lord chancellor’s reply to this plea was to assure Surrey of his release from duty once the threat from Scotland had dissipated.
While Surrey’s army protected England’s northern borders against attack, Henry prepared for another invasion into France. This renewal of warlike activity was spurred by the willingness of Charles duke of Bourbon, Constable of France, the greatest of the French feudal nobles, to assist the king of England and the emperor against his own monarch Francis I. The allies launched a triple invasion. As the Imperial army moved into Burgundy and Bourbon into Guienne, the duke of Suffolk’s army of 10,000 men marched out of Calais toward Paris in September. A month later, however, Wolsey could no longer find money to keep Suffolk and Bourbon in the field. The emperor did almost nothing to assist England’s invasion of France, expending his whole energy retrieving the city of Milan. Deprived of their expected support, the English army, only fifty miles from Paris, was forced to retreat to Calais.
Bryan had been released from his post on the inhospitable northern border following Surrey’s last letter of appeal in November 1523. A month later he returned to court in time to participate in the Christmas celebrations at Greenwich. Bryan, the poet Thomas Wyatt, the king’s favorites Henry Norris, Anthony Browne, Nicholas Carew, and many others, entertained Henry and his court in mock battles staged for their enjoyment. The spectacle was presented to display the knightly qualities of its participants. Hall says that "The Castle of Loyalty", erected in the king’s tiltyard, was occupied by four ladies of the court, who were to be defended by a captain and his gentlemen. Bryan and his three companions were among the numerous individuals who attempted to guard the castle against all comers. With blunted swords they fought against four assailants, "who for all their bravado, could not drive the defenders from their position". At the conclusion, each of the participants received a reward; Bryan was given a green satin coat with white velvet.
The mock battles of Henry’s court would be the only recourse to arms that Bryan would have for many years, because on 14 February 1525, Charles V inflicted an overwhelming defeat on the French outside the walls of Pavia in Italy; 10,000 French soldiers were killed and Francis I taken prisoner. Henry immediately saw the opportunity to seize the French throne, and began marshaling an army while an embassy was sent to the emperor to arrange a joint invasion of France. But Charles told the ambassadors that his purpose was peace, not war, and showed no interest in redrawing the map of France. Also he refused to carry out his promise to marry Henry’s eldest daughter Mary, choosing a Portuguese Princess instead.
Henry’s humiliating rebuff by Charles marked a great turning point in his reign that would see the casting off of ties, first, with his wife Catherine and Spain, and then with Rome. When this process began in the summer of 1525, Bryan was still receiving many grants of offices and property as a reward for his military service. In May he was granted the right to present the next prebend to the Church of St. Mary and St. George in Windsor. In addition he was appointed bailiff of the lordship of the manors of Hanneslop, Castlethrope, and Cosgrave in Buckinghamshire, and also received the stewardship to the lordships and borough of Warwick along with the office of constable of Warwick castle. This lucrative grant included the manors of Warwick, Enytterfeld, Kyngton, Barkeswell, Mareton, Lyghtem, Weggenok Claredon, and Henley-Arderns as well as fees that accompanied a fishery and park.
Bryan’s official position as Gentleman of the Privy Chamber ensured that, if he was not serving abroad, he could maintain a regular presence at court. As one of many favorites surrounding the king, Bryan attended him on his progresses and participated in his many amusements, and so far from restraining Henry’s pleasures, probably encouraged his extravagance. On one January day in 1526, the king organized a tournament at his palace of Greenwich. Henry, Bryan and ten other gentlemen were arrayed against the Marquess of Exeter and his eleven companions. During the competition, many a lance was broken, and it unluckily befell Bryan that a splinter from a shivered spear he had used damaged his eye so grievously that he lost all use of it for the remainder of his life. The resulting physical deformity may explain why no portrait of him exists.
As in 1519, so again in 1526, Wolsey attempted to counteract the growing influence of the Privy Chamber upon the king. This time his plans were aided by the bankrupt condition of Henry’s treasure following his two wars. With this approval, the lord chancellor introduced the Eltham Ordinances to reorganize the king’s household. The Privy Chamber was reduced to six gentlemen, two gentlemen Ushers, four Grooms, a Barber, and a page a total of fourteen. All were named and given instructions for their duties; the emphasis was placed upon discipline, strict accounting procedures, and proper budgeting.
By the end of January the Eltham Ordinances were published and eight of the Privy Chamber staff, including Sir Francis Bryan and the Groom of the Stool, Sir William Compton, were expelled from court. Thus, Bryan’s second dismissal removed him form the king’s side at a time when he had been regularly attending the court for almost three years, uninterrupted by military service. He undoubtedly resented his second dismissal from office by Wolsey, even if the sole motive had been efficiency, nor would he forget that this was the second injury he had received from the lord chancellor.