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Saye and Sele, Baron (E, 1446/7 - 1781)

Broughton Castle, Oxfordshire - ancestral home of the Fiennes family

Creation: let. pat. Feb 1446/7

Extinct: 29 Jul 1781

Family name: Fiennes

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Arms:

See Viscount Saye and Sele

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James [Fiennes], 1st Baron Saye and Sele

2nd son of Sir William Fiennes, of Hertsmonceux, co. Sussex, Sheriff of Surrey and Sussex (by his wife Elizabeth Batisford, dau. and hrss. of William Batisford), 1st surv. son and heir of Sir William Fiennes, by his wife Joan de Say, sister and cohrss. in her issue of William [de Say], 3rd Baron Say, and 3rd dau. of Geoffrey [de Say], 2nd Baron Say

born

c.1395

mar.

Emmeline Cromer (d. 5 Jan 1451/2; bur. with her husband in Grey Friars, Newgate, London), dau. of ..... Cromer, of Willingham, by his wife ..... Trillow, dau. and hrss. of ...... Trillow

children

1. Sir William Fiennes, later 2nd Baron Saye and Sele

1. Elizabeth Fiennes (d. after 1459), mar. William Crowmer

died

4 Jul 1450 (bur. in Grey Friars (Allhallows Chapel), Newgate, London)

created

Feb 1446/7 Baron Saye and Sele

suc. by

son

note

served in the Agincourt campaign and received the Lordship of Court-le-Comte from King Henry V; Captain of Arques 1419; attended the Coronation of King Henry VI in Paris 1431; Commissioner of the Peace for Kent 1433-51; Commissioner of Array for Kent 1435; Sheriff of Kent 1436; Esquire of the Body 1437; Sheriff of Surrey and Sussex 1438; Member of Parliament for Kent 1439-40, 1442, 1445-46 and 1447; Constable of Rochester Castle 1442; King's Serjeant 1443; Knight of the Body 1444; King's Alnager of Cloths for Northamptonshire and Rutland 1444; Constable of Dover Castle and Warden of the Cinque Ports 1447-50; Administrator of the goods of Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester 1447; King's Chamberlain and Privy Councillor 1447; Constable of the Tower of London 1447; Treasurer of England 1449-50; indicted by the House of Commons with the Earl of Suffolk and others for treason as being responsible for the loss of Anjou and Maine 1450; took refuge in the Tower of London at the beginning of the Peasant's Revolt, but given up to the mob, indicted at Guildhall for treason, and beheaded

Editor's Note:

The exact date of the creation of this peerage is unknown - in the letters patent granting him the offices of Constable of Dover Castle and Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports dated 24 Feb 1446/7 it is stated that the King had lately created the said James one of the "Barons of Our Realm of England" and Lord "de Say and Sele". This is taken to prove that Sir James Fiennes had been created a baron before his summons to Parliament by writ dated 3 Mar 1446/7 and as a consequence the Barony of Saye and Sele falls into that group of English baronies created by letters patent rather by writ of summons. There is no reason to doubt that the letters patent creating the barony contained the usual restriction to heirs male of the body of the grantee.

William [Fiennes], 2nd Baron Saye and Sele

born

c.1428

mar.

Margaret Wykeham (mar. (2) John Hervy; d. bef. 30 May 1477), dau. and hrss. of William Wykeham otherwise Parrott, of Broughton Castle, co. Oxford (by his wife Jane ......), son and heir of Sir Thomas Wykeham otherwise Parrott, 3rd son of William Parrott, of Ash, nr. Overton, co. Hampshire, by his wife Alice Champneys, dau. and hrss. of William Champneys by his wife Agnes, sister of William of Wykeham, Bishop of Winchester

died

14 Apr 1471 (bur. in the Church of St Thomas's Hospital, Southwark)

children

1. Richard Fiennes

2. Henry Fiennes, later 3rd Baron Saye and Sele

3. John Fiennes

suc. by

son

note

Knight of the Body 1450; defended Calais and Guisnes 1451; Commissioner of Oyer and Terminer for Kent 1452; Privy Councillor 1453/4; Commissioner of Sewers for Sussex 1461; Constable of Porchester Castle for life, 1461; Commissioner of the Peace for Kent 1461; Keeper of the New Forest 1461-66/7; Commissioner of Array for Kent 1461/2; Commissioner of Oyer and Terminer for Middlesex, Surrey and Sussex 1468; fought with the Earl of Warwick on the Yorkist side at the Battle of Northampton 1460; Vice-Admiral 1462; with King Edward IV on his flight to the Low Countries 1470; returned with him the next year and was killed at the Battle of Barnet 1471

Henry [Fiennes], 3rd Baron Saye and Sele

born

c. 1460

mar.

Anne Harcourt (d. 1 Oct 1486), dau. of Sir Richard Harcourt, of Stanton Harcourt, co. Oxford, by his first wife Edith St Clere, dau. and hrss. of Sir Thomas St Clere

only child

1. Richard Fiennes, later de jure 4th Baron Saye and Sele

died

2 Aug 1476 (bur. in Broughton Church, co. Oxford)

suc. by

son

note

used the title of Lord Saye but was never sum. to Parliament

Richard Fiennes, de jure 4th Baron Saye and Sele

born

1471

mar.

Elizabeth Croft (mar. (2) aft. 7 Jul 1503 Richard West;  d. 29 Mar 1527), dau. of Richard Croft, of Chaffing Norton, co. Oxford, by his second wife ..... Fox, dau. of ..... Fox

children

1. Edward Fiennes, later de jure 5th Baron Saye and Sele

2. Richard Fiennes (dspm.), mar., and had issue

1a. Alice Fiennes, mar. (1) John Horn, of Winchester, co. Hampshire, and (2) Sir John St Barbe, Bt., of Broadlands and Ashington

1. Elizabeth Fiennes, mar. 1522 William Danvers, of Culworth, co. Northampton (d. 20 Jun 1544), and had issue

2. Anne Fiennes

died

30 Sep 1501

suc. by

son

note

his wardship was granted to Richard, Duke of Gloucester 1476/7; this was eventually sold to Richard Croft, of Chaffing Norton, co. Oxford

Edward Fiennes, de jure 5th Baron Saye and Sele

born

c.1500

mar.

c.1518 Margaret Danvers (mar. (2) bef. 1539 as his third wife Sir Thomas Nevill, of Holt, co. Leicester; d. aft. Jun 1541), 3rd dau. of Sir John Danvers, of Dauntsey, co. Wiltshire, by his wife Anne Stradling, dau. and hrss. of John Stradling, of Dauntsey, co. Wiltshire

children

1. Sir Richard Fiennes, later de jure 6th Baron Saye and Sele

1. Elizabeth Fiennes, mar. Francis Barentine

died

7 Mar 1527/8 (bur. in Broughton Church, co. Oxford)

suc. by

son

note

his wardship was granted to Sir Thomas Brandon 1509

Sir Richard Fiennes, de jure 6th Baron Saye and Sele

born

c.1519/20

mar.

Ursula Fermour, dau. of Richard Fermour, of Easton Neston, co. Northampton, Merchant of the Staple at Calais, by his wife Anne Brown, dau. and cohrss. of William Brown, Lord Mayor of London

children

1. Sir Richard Fiennes, later de jure 7th Baron Saye and Sele and de facto 7th/1st Baron Saye and Sele

1. Elizabeth Fiennes, mar. Sir George Turpin, of Knaptoft, co. Leicester, and had issue

2. Ursula Fiennes, mar. as his second wife Sir Edward Marrow, of Berkswell (d. 1632), and had issue

died

3 Aug 1573

suc. by

son

note

a Commissioner of the Peace for Oxfordshire 1545 and 1547; Sheriff of Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire 1550 and 1558; Commissioner of goal delivery for Oxford 1553; Sheriff of Oxfordshire 1567; knighted c. 1568;

Richard [Fiennes], de jure later de facto 7th and 1st Baron Saye and Sele

born

c.1557

mar. (1)

c.1581 Constance Kingsmill, 1st dau. of Sir William Kingsmill, of Sidmanton, co. Hampshire, by his wife Bridget Raleigh, only child by his second wife of George Raleigh, of Thornborough, co. Warwick

children by first wife

1. Hon William Fiennes, later 8th/2nd Baron Saye and Sele later 1st Viscount Saye and Sele

1. Hon Elizabeth Fiennes (dsp.), mar. c. 1614 as his second wife Sir William Villiers, 1st Bt.

2. Hon Anne Fiennes

3. Hon Ursula Fiennes

mar. (2)

Elizabeth Paulet (widow of William Paulet, of Ewalden, co. Somerset;  d. 1632), dau. and cohrss. of Henry Coddingham, Auditor of the Mint

died

c. 6 Feb 1612/3

created

9 Aug 1603 Baron Saye and Sele, with remainder to the heirs of his body

suc. by

son by first wife

note

admitted to Winchester as Founder's Kin 1569; knighted c.1592; Sheriff of Oxfordshire 1594 ; accompanied his cousin the Earl of Lincoln on his embassy to the Landgrave of Hesse 1596; Keeper of Banbury Castle 1603; accompanied the Earl of Hertford on his embassy to the Archduke Albert

Editor's Note:

The letters patent dated 9 Aug 1603 recognised and confirmed to Lord Saye and Sele and the heirs of his body lawfully begotten the name, style, title, rank, dignity and honour of Baron of Saye and Sele, and also creating him Baron of Saye and Sele with the same remainder. The patent ended with an order that the grantee or his heirs should not claim or enjoy the precedence of the old Barons Saye and Sele, but should rank next after the Barons now existing. It is accepted that the first Barony of Saye and Sele was created by patent rather than by writ and therefore would have been restricted to the heirs male of the body of the 1st Baron - consequently the clause in the 1603 patent recognising and confirming the first Barony to the heirs general of the 7th Baron are of no effect as the descent of a peerage cannot be changed from that set out in the patent of creation except by an Act of Parliament. On the other hand, the House of Lords in 1781 did accept that the 1603 patent had created a new peerage with the same designation as the old one and descending to the heirs general of the grantee.

William [Fiennes], 8th and 2nd Baron Saye and Sele later 1st Viscount Saye and Sele

created

7 Jul 1624 Viscount Saye and Sele

The 1446/7 Barony of Saye and Sele was held by the Viscounts Saye and Sele from 7 Jul 1624 until 29 Jul 1781, when on the death of Richard [Fiennes], 6th Viscount Saye and Sele and 13th Baron Saye and Sele without issue, both the Viscountcy and the 1446/7 Barony of Saye and Sele became extinct. On 15 Mar 1673/4 on the death of James [Fiennes], 2nd Viscount Saye and Sele and 9th and 3rd Baron Saye and Sele, the 1603 Barony of Saye and Sele had fallen into abeyance between his two daughters and co-heiresses:  (1) Hon Elizabeth Fiennes, third wife of Col Sir John Twistleton, 1st Bt., of Barley, co. York, and Horsmans Place, Dartford, co. Kent;  and (2) Hon Frances Fiennes, wife of Andrew Ellis, of Alrey, co. Flint.  On the death without issue of Cicely, only child of Hon Mrs Frances Ellis, on 22 Jul 1715 the right to that title passed to her only surviving cousin, Cecil Twistleton.

 Last updated: 4 Jan 2009

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