John Cheyne, Baron Cheyne

Sir John Cheyne, Baron Cheyne, KG KB (c. 1442 – 30 May 1499) was Master of the Horse to King Edward IV of England and personal bodyguard to King Henry VII of England.[1]

Biography
Garter-encircled arms of Sir John Cheney, Baron Cheyney, KG, KB (Quarterly 1st and 4th Azure six lions rampant three and three Argent a canton Ermine for Cheney; 2nd and 3rd Ermine a chief per pale dancetty Or and Gules in the canton a rose Gules seeded Or for Shotisbrooke; overall a crescent for difference Or.)

John was the third but second surviving son of John Cheyne (or Cheney) of Shurland Hall in Kent, by his wife, Eleanor, daughter and sole heiress of Sir Robert Shottesbrooke of Faringdon in Berkshire (now Oxfordshire).[1] He was the uncle of Thomas Cheyne, Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports[1] and grand-uncle of Tudor soldier and MP John Cheyne.[1]

In the 1460s he was appointed Esquire of the body to Elizabeth Woodville, Queen of Edward IV. He was MP for Wiltshire in 1478,[2] and in 1479 was appointed Master of the Horse. In the same year he married Margaret Chideock, eldest daughter of Sir John Chideock, and widow of William Stourton, 2nd Baron Stourton; some sources say that they had a son who predeceased his father.

He was present when the Treaty of Picquigny was signed in 1475, and remained behind as a hostage of King Louis XI of France until King Edward IV had gone back to Calais and thence to England.[1][3] Also in that year, he was granted the manor of Faulstone near Salisbury (now in Bishopstone parish) which had been confiscated from Sir Robert Baynton for his support of Henry VI.[4]

After the death of Edward, and the seizure of the crown by Richard III, Cheyne switched sides to support Henry Tudor's claim to the throne, joining him in exile in Brittany. Henry knighted him in 1483 after their return to England. He fought in 1485 at the Battle of Bosworth Field. When Richard III launched his last charge directly at Henry, Cheyne was part of Henry's personal bodyguard. Richard unhorsed him with a blow from his broken lance.[1] He fought again at the Battle of Stoke in 1487.[1][5] In 1486 he was made a Knight of the Garter and was called to parliament as Baron Cheyne.[1]

In later life he lived at Enborne in Berkshire.[1] Nicknamed the "Vigorous Knight" by contemporaries, he was a massive man of redoubtable strength. A 21" thighbone, found in his tomb at Salisbury Cathedral in the 18th century, puts his estimated height at 6 feet 8 inches.[1]

He had no surviving issue and the title died with him. His wife predeceased him, and his estates passed to his brother William or that brother's son Francis.[2]

References
  1. "RBH Biography: John Cheney, Baron Cheney (c.1442–1499)". Royal Berkshire History. Nash Ford Publishing. 2010. Archived from the original on 23 April 2021. Retrieved 7 August 2021.
  2. Wedgwood, Josiah C. (1936). History of Parliament (1439–1509). His Majesty's Stationery Office. pp. 182–183 – via Internet Archive.
  3. Philippe de Commines. "Memoirs: Book 4 – The war of 1475". Richard the Third Society. Archived from the original on 11 October 2008. Retrieved 13 September 2008.
  4. Baggs, A. P.; Critall, Elizabeth; Freeman, Jane; Stevenson, Janet H. (1980). "Parishes: Bishopstone". In Crowley, D. A. (ed.). A History of the County of Wiltshire, Volume 11. Victoria County History. University of London. pp. 3–19. Retrieved 8 January 2022 – via British History Online.
  5. Lundy, Darryl. "Person Page – 21644". thepeerage.com. Retrieved 13 September 2008.
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