The New Murrey and Blue blog

The current edition of the Ricardian contains a very interesting article by Lynsey Metcalfe about the Earl and Countess of Salisbury, a couple who have received relatively little attention despite their obvious importance.

It is not my purpose to rehash the article – I recommend that the reader seek it out. However, one intriguing aspect is that at the time of the Ludford Bridge debacle, the Countess was at Middleham, and she is next noted in Ireland.

The Countess had to flee because she was attainted by Parliament. (1). The unresolved question is how she reached Ireland.

Such a journey was no minor undertaking for anyone, but was more difficult for a woman, let alone a lady, than it was for a man. There was plenty of trading between England and Ireland, and a man could easily have posed as a merchant or a servant of a merchant. A woman would have more difficulty in travelling in clandestine style.

The obvious route would have been via Chester or Liverpool. (Chester was still the main port at this time but Liverpool was growing in importance.) A ship to Ireland would almost certainly have been available in either place, given reasonable luck. However, both were under Stanley influence if not Stanley control.

Sir William, at this point, was very much a Yorkist and, given that, Chester was possibly the better option. However, Cheshire was also home to a very large proportion of Lancastrian gentry, albeit many had died at Blore Heath. It is also further from Middleham than Liverpool. You would have to cross Cheshire to get there.

Thomas, Lord Stanley had huge influence over western Lancashire, and thus Liverpool. At this stage, he was at least nominally a loyal subject of Henry VI. Against that, he happened to be Lady Salisbury’s son-in-law. Given his tendency not to commit too strongly to either side, it may be that he allowed or even encouraged her transit.

The other option would have been to travel from one of the smaller ports, like Lancaster or Ravenglass. However, a ship headed for Ireland would be a possibility in these places rather than a certainty and the whole area was thick with Lancastrian gentry. A journey to Ravenglass, in particular, would be circuitous, lengthy and rather lacking in secure places of refuge.

On balance, I think Liverpool is the most probable route, but there is absolutely no evidence to confirm that. It’s anyone’s guess. All we can say with assurance is that Lady Salisbury arrived safely in Ireland.

(1) I believe she was the first woman ever to be attainted. Earlier offenders were usually imprisoned on the King’s direction, often without any formal trial. They often lost their lands on a temporary or (rarely) permanent basis, but they were not formally attainted. The fact that the Duchess of York and Lady Warwick were not attainted at the same time suggests that Lady Salisbury was more active politically than the other two.