John I Stanley of the Isle of Man

Sir John Stanley, K.G. (c. 1350 – 1414), was Lord Lieutenant of Ireland and titular King of Mann, the first of that name. The Stanley family later became the Earls of Derby and remained prominent in English history into modern times.

Early years

John Stanley was the second son of Sir William de Stanley of Stourton and Alice Massey of Timperley, Cheshire and grandson of John de Stanley and Emma Lathom of Lathom, Lancashire.^[1]

Stanley's father was a bailiff of the Forest of Wirral, notorious for his repressive activities. Both Stanley and his older brother, William, were involved in criminal cases which charged them with a forced entry 1369 and in the murder of Thomas Clotton in 1376.^[2]

Conviction for the murder of Clotton resulted in Stanley being declared an outlaw. However, he was already distinguishing himself in military service in the French wars, and he was pardoned in 1378 at the insistence of his commander, Sir Thomas Trivet.^[3]

Marriage and rise to prominence

In 1385 he married Isabel Lathom, heir to the extensive lands of of Sir Thomas Lathom in south-west Lancashire. The marriage took place despite the opposition of John of Gaunt and gave Stanley the sort of wealth and financial security he could never have hoped to have had as the younger son in his own family.^[4] Stanley had four sons, John, Henry, Thomas and Ralph as well as two daughters.^[5]

1386 saw his first appointment in Ireland as deputy to Robert de Vere, Duke of Ireland. In 1389, Richard II appointed him justiciar of Ireland, a post he held until 1391. He was heavily involved in the Richard's first expedition to Ireland in 1394–1395.^[6]

Throughout the 1390s he was involved in placating possible rebellion in Cheshire.^[7] Between 1396 and 1398 he served as captain of Roxburgh. Stanley took part in Richard II expedition to Ireland in 1399. However, on his return to England, Stanley, who had long proved adept at political manouevring, turned his back on Richard and submitted to Henry IV of England.^[8]

Under the Lancastrians

Stanley's fortunes were equally good under the Lancastrians. He was granted lordships in the Welsh marches, and served a term as lieutenant of Ireland. In 1403 he was made steward of the household of Henry, prince of Wales, (later Henry V). Unlike many of the Cheshire gentry, he took the side of the king in the rebellion of the Percys. He was wounded in the throat at the Battle of Shrewsbury.^[9]

In 1405 he was granted the tenure of the Isle of Man by which had been confiscated from the rebellious Henry Percy, 1st Earl of Northumberland.^[10] In this period he also became steward of the king's household, and was elected a knight of the Garter. In 1413 Henry V of England sent him to serve once more as lieutenant of Ireland. He died at Ardee, County Louth in 1414. His body was returned to Lathom and buried at Burscough Priory near Ormskirk.^[11]

Offices

During his career Stanley held the following offices:-

• Lord Lieutenant of Ireland between 1386 and 1388.
• Justiciary Ireland between 1389 and 1391.
• Justice of Chester in 1394
• Controller of the Royal Household in 1399
• Lieutenant of Ireland between 1399 and 1401
• Steward of the Household to the Prince of Wales circa 1403, later King Henry V
• Surveyor of the Forests of Macclesfield, Mare and Mondrem, Cheshire in 1403
• Governor of the City and County of Cheshire in 1403
• He was invested as a Knight, Order of the Garter (K.G.) circa 1405
• Steward of Macclesfield in 1406

He was granted the Isle, Castle, peel and Lordship of Mann, by King Henry IV of England

• Sovereign Lord of the Isle of Man in 1406
• Constable of Windsor Castle in 1409
• Lord Lieutenant of Ireland (second term) from 1413 until his death in 1414.

References

See also

• Audley-Stanley family for Ancestors and descendants of John I Stanley
• Lathom Wikipedia article containing Stanley & Lathom history