John Savage (soldier)
Sir John Savage, KG (1444–1492), of Cheshire landed gentry, was a noted English military commander of the late 15th-century, who fought at the Battle of Bosworth Field, before being killed on active service in France.
John Savage KG | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1444 Cheshire, England |
| Died | 1492 Boulogne, France |
| Allegiance | England |
| Awards | Knight of the Garter Knight of the Bath |
| Relations | Archbishop Thomas Savage, Savage baronets, the Earls Rivers |
Savage was a supporter successively of Edward IV, Henry VII, who bestowed the Order of the Garter upon him in 1488.
Ancestral background
Son and heir of Sir John Savage (1422–1495) and Lady Catherine née Stanley, daughter of Lord Stanley, he died three years before his father, so never succeeded to the family estates, including Clifton Hall, near Runcorn.
The Savages had been established in Cheshire since his great-great-grandfather Sir John Savage (1343–1386) married Margaret d'Anyers, heiress of Clifton and other lands around what became called Rocksavage. The Daniell Chapel in All Saints' Church, Daresbury, also celebrates the d'Anyers family.
The eldest of ten sons and five daughters, his younger brother, Dr Thomas Savage became Archbishop of York, whilst another three (Sir Edward, Sir Richard and Sir Christopher Savage) were all knighted. His sisters married into county families, including the Booths, Duttons and Leighs. Among his cousins was Thomas Stanley who was created Earl of Derby after Bosworth in 1485.
Career
Savage fought with the Yorkists at the Battle of Tewkesbury and became close to Edward IV, whom he served as royal carver and knight of the body. Appointed by King Edward IV as Constable of Hanley Castle, later he was a pallbearer at the king's funeral. Under Richard III, the Savage family were regarded with suspicion although they retained their liberty, Sir John being admitted as a Freeman of Chester in 1484, during the mayoralty of his father, also Sir John Savage.
Support for Henry Tudor
According to Polydore Vergil, Savage was one of the prominent men who "invited" Henry Tudor to invade. His brother, Dr Thomas Savage, later Archbishop of York, may then have been studying abroad and acting as the English Savages' direct link to the future Henry VII. When Henry landed, Savage at once declared for him, and raised a considerable body of troops to fight at the Battle of Bosworth, wearing the Savage family's distinctive livery of white hoods, as described in the ballad Bosworth Feilde:
- Sir John Savage, that hardy Knight,
- deathes dentes he delt that day
- with many a white hood in fight,
- that sad men were at assay.
After that battle, where Savage commanded the left flank to victory,[1] he received extensive grants of land confiscated from King Richard's supporters, including those of John, Lord Zouche, and Francis, Lord Lovell. Appointed a Knight of the Garter on 16 November 1488,[2] Savage was killed during the Siege of Boulogne in October 1492.[3]
Family
Savage married Dorothy, daughter of Sir Ralph Vernon of Haddon. They had one son, Sir John Savage (1470–1527), ancestor of John Savage, 2nd Earl Rivers, and the subsequent Earls Rivers, and four daughters.
See also
- Savage baronets
References
External links
- Stephens, Henry Morse; Thornton, Tim (reviewer) (May 2008) [2004]. "Savage family". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
- Burke's Peerage & Baronetage