Sir Humphrey was one of the very numerous children of James Tuchet, Lord Audley, by his second wife Alianore Holland (daughter of Constance of York by Edmund Holland, Earl of Kent.) Their family is so large that it confuses creators of family trees and it is hard to be absolutely certain just how many siblings there were. Humphrey was, however, the eldest of the sons.
He was born about 1434 and is often known as Humphrey Audley of Swaffham, although I am not clear as to how he acquired that manor.
In 1464, having acquired a dispensation, he married Elizabeth Courtenay, widow of Sir James Luttrell, who was Audley’s cousin. (One might ask who wasn’t given his extensive family connections.)
Elizabeth was the daughter of Sir Philip Courtenay of Powderham, Devon. With Humphrey she had a son, John, later Sir John, and two daughters, Philippa and Elizabeth. All these children eventually had children of their own.
Humphrey’s half-brother, John, Lord Audley, became a trusted member of Edward IV’s government, having defected to the Yorkists after his father’s death at Blore Heath. Indeed, Lord Audley was one of the clique around Edward to whom Warwick took exception. Humphrey though appears to have retained Lancastrian sympathies. It may be that his Courtenay connections were key.
In any event, he joined Margaret of Anjou following her arrival in England and fought for Lancaster at the Battle of Tewkesbury. Captured by the Yorkists, he was one of those sentenced to death by the court headed by Richard Duke of Gloucester and John Mowbray Duke of Norfolk, and executed in Tewkesbury Market Place on 6 May 1471. He was subsequently buried in the Abbey and lies under the book shop, near the Duke of Somerset.
His widow married someone called Thomas Mallet in 1478 and lived until 1493. She was buried in Dunster Church.
Sir John Audley certainly inherited Swaffham and married Muriel Brews, sister of Margery Brews. He was thus a brother-in-law of John Paston III. It’s a small world!
The New Murrey and Blue blog 
Leave a comment