Sir Francis Bryan, the Vicar of Hell
Posted By Claire on February 2, 2012
On this day in history, 2nd February 1550, Sir Francis Bryan died suddenly at Clonmel in Ireland. He had settled in Ireland after marrying Joan Butler, dowager countess of Ormond, and had travelled to Tipperary as Lord Justice “to check the incursions of the O’Carrolls”.
In “The Tudors”, Sir Francis Bryan is a one-eyed rake who likes to have his wicked way with the ladies, but was the real Sir Francis Bryan really like that? Here are some facts about him:-
- He did indeed have one eye – He lost an eye jousting in 1526 and historian Susan Brigden writes of how he joked about it “for he wrote of the one-eyed Robert Aske ‘I know him not, nor he me … yet we have but two eyes’ (LP Henry VIII, 11.1103)”.
- His birthdate is not known but is thought to be around 1490.
- He was the first surviving son of Sir Thomas Bryan and Lady Margaret Bryan (née Bourchier) who was lady-in-waiting to Queen Catherine of Aragon and governess to Princess Mary, Princess Elizabeth and Prince Edward.
- Brigden believes that Bryan may have spent some of his youth in the household of Sir Thomas Parr of Kendal, Westmorland, in Northamptonshire because he later referred to him as his patron. Parr was the father of Queen Catherine Parr.
- His sister, Elizabeth, married Sir Nicholas Carew.
- He was Anne Boleyn’s cousin – His mother was Elizabeth Boleyn’s half-sister.
- In April 1513 he was Captain of the Margaret Bonaventure.
- In 1516 he became the King’s cupbearer.
- He was known for his skills at jousting and hunting and became the King’s master of the toils in 1518, a position he held for the rest of Henry VIII’s reign.
- He was also known for his rich clothing.
- in 1518 he became a gentleman of the privy chamber – He lost this position in Wolsey’s purge but then regained it in 1528.
- Bryan was knighted in 1522 for his courage during the capture of Morlaix in Brittany, serving under the Earl of Surrey.
- His first wife, who he was married to by 1522, was Philippa, daughter and heir of Humphrey Spice and widow of John Fortescue of Ponsbourne in Hertfordshire. The marriage was childless.
- Bryan had a reputation for gambling and was a court favourite.
- By 1526 he held the position of chielf cupbearer and master of the henchmen.
- During the King’s Great Matter, Bryan was Henry VIII’s “trusted emissary to those with most power to bring about the king’s remarriage: Clement VII and François”.
- Brigden writes of Bryan, “Bryan became known for his unusual willingness to tell the king the truth, but also for his employment of dubious means to gain diplomatic ends”, and writes of how he slept with a courtesan at the papal court to gain intelligence.
- Bryan was the one who informed the King of his excommunication in August 1533.
- In the 1530s he served as sheriff, JP and MP.
- In May 1536, when the Boleyns fell from power, he was summoned to London for questioning but was not arrested. He had previously distanced himself from the Boleyns and allied himself with the Seymours.
- Bryan was sent to tell Jane Seymour the news of Anne Boleyn’s execution and benefited from Anne’s fall, becoming Chief Gentleman of the King’s Privy Chamber.
- Thomas Cromwell referred to Bryan as “the vicar of Hell” in a letter to Gardiner and Wallop on the 14th May 1536. According to Catholic recusant Nicholas Sander, the King also referred to him by this nickname. Sander writes “This man was once asked by the king to tell him what sort of a sin it was to ruin the mother and then the child. Bryan replied that it was a sin like that of eating a hen first and its chicken afterwards. The king burst forth into loud laughter, and said to Bryan, “Well, you certainly are my vicar of hell.” The man had been long ago called the vicar of hell on account of his notorious impiety, henceforth he was called also the king’s vicar of hell.”
- Bryan’s motto was Je tens grace (‘I look for salvation’) and he was a staunch Catholic. Brigden writes “He owned a copy of the Matthew Bible of 1537, and was intrigued by the humanist enterprise of scriptural translation and exegesis. Although he could not translate scripture himself, he was the patron of scholars of Greek who could, and his own household was a kind of academy.”
- In 1537 he was sent to Paris to secretly arrange the kidnap or assassination of Cardinal Pole but it was suspected that he actually tipped Pole off.
- He acted as ambassador to Francis I in 1538 in Nice while Thomas Wyatt acted as ambassador to Charles V but was recalled due to his reckless gambling, drunkenness and all round bad behaviour. He never acted as ambassador to the French king ever again.
- Bryan sat on the jury which found his brother-in-law, Carew, guilty of treason in 1539.
- He was appointed vice-admiral in January 1543 but this was revoked in the February after he went against the instructions of John Dudley, Viscount Lisle and lord admiral.
- In October 1543 he acted as ambassador to Charles V.
- In October 1546 he was given the freedom of the City of London.
- He was made knight-banneret in 1547 for his role in the expedition against the Scots as commander of the horse.
- After his wife’s death in 1542 “he followed Wyatt’s satirical advice to marry a wealthy widow” and in 1548 married Joan Butler, dowager countess of Ormond, and daughter of James fitz Maurice Fitzgerald, tenth earl of Desmond.
- Brigden describes how “through his marriage Bryan wielded Ormond authority in south Leinster, controlling the estates of Thomas Butler, tenth earl of Ormond (1531–1614), in his minority and a private army of gallowglasses in co. Kilkenny” and “Through the office of lord marshal, to which he was appointed in January 1549, he commanded royal forces in Ireland”. Bryan had become a powerful and wealthy man.
- He died in Ireland on the 2nd February 1550, his last words allegedly being “‘I pray you, let me be buried amongst the good fellows of Waterford (which were good drinkers)’”.
- Like his good friend Thomas Wyatt, Bryan was a poet.
- Thomas Wyatt wrote of Bryan:
“To thee, therefore, that trots still up and down
And never rests, but running day and night
From realm to realm, from city, street, and town,
Why dost thou wear thy body to the bones?” - There are no portraits of Sir Francis Bryan.
Notes and Sources
- Susan Brigden, ‘Bryan, Sir Francis (d. 1550)’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004
- Nicholas Sander, Rise and Growth of the Anglican Schism
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Hey Claire ….. his role he played in he tutor was interesting… I personally thought he was hot LOL!!!! But my question to you is I’m not sure u wrote it. I was going to ask about his eye but u answered it already LOL! Did he wear a earring in his ear? I know women did but for a man to. We see the typical pirate with the earings hoops in their ears. Was it normal cause i don’t see painting with men wearing earring. If he did that cool. I’m sure if he lived now he have tattoos n body piercing LOL! I never knew he was Anne’s cousin!!! Amazing how much her family was still in court and in favor of the king. If you think of it. If she did what she wad charged with you think Henry wouldn’t want anything to do with her family at all but throughout his rein her family served hid court. I believe that its proof she was innocent of the charges that was brought against her. Funny how family would turn n on you so quick. Thank you ~Jessica Rose~
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Glenda Reply:
February 2nd, 2012 at 2:29 pm
I’m so happy that this was the post for today. I am “re-watching” The Tudors and just finished the first episode in which Sir Francis is featured. It’s funny how they never really explained much about him in the series. He just kind of “appears” as if we’re supposed to know all about him. He is so interesting and I’m anxious to learn more about him. Interesting to know he was related to the Boleyn’s as I am always looking for some kind of proof that Henry was sorry for what he did to Anne.
Love this website – thanks so much!!1
-Glenda
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Jessica Fletcher is right about the Boleyn’s staying in court in some fashion in court, and if not by actual surname, but then her family nonetheless. I agree that if may serve as proof that Anne was innocent.
As for him being “being hot.” LOL!, it does say that there are no portraits of Sir Francis Bryan. Would be interesting to see one, though.
Claire, you write on the best things. I finally had to send Eric Ive’s “Anne Boleyn” back to the library as I could not renew it anymore, but I did get a late Christmas gift for B&N and bought it outright yesterday! I am beginning to hate due dates, and as you said, it sits right by you. That was enough for me to actually get a copy. The used book stores around here don’t carry him. I also ordered Betram Fields, “Royal Blood: Richard III and the Mystery of the Princes.” I have looked for the article you put out, and I believe it was Elizabeth of York that named another book by another author whose last name begins with “A.” I tried the Elizabeth of York site again and was directed to another of you great pieces but left this one out.
Be all that as it may, and I don’t want to get into trouble with anyone else who comments; I do agree with Jessica Fletcher (I like her name, too), on these things. Thank you, WilesWales
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Hi, Claire – thanks very much for posting this information. I am a direct descendant of Sir Francis Bryan’s and I guess I am happy to know more about him despite his rather wicked ways. I do appreciate your posting of this on the anniversary of his death. Best regards, Julie
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Thank you WileSWales you made my day
I think that it’s true… I do love my name n will always keep my last name, me n my brother are trying to trace our family history but we can’t get past 1850′s if I lived in england we have better resources. I thought it be cool if I was related to dr. Dean Fletcher who was apart of Mary Queen of Scott’s execution . I’m going to check out Sir Francis if he has a painting on this site . Again thank you for your kind comment.
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I have always wondered why he was called, the vicar of hell. That response to Henry’s question is interesting, as is the question itself. It reminds me of when he was asked if he slept with ‘the mother and the sister’ and he said, never the mother–but maybe he thought about it! Who knows–Thanks–he is such an interesting character.
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Well he certainly lived an adventurous life, on the edge too at times its seems. His greatest achievement seems to be that he kept on the right side of Henry and not only survived his reign but come out of it pretty unscathed,charmed? lucky? or just downright wily and clever? Bet he was great fun to know,and I bet he doesn’t want to rest in peace either, too much of a party animal
Am I right in saying that he had a son Francis jr who was only a year old when his father died, and inherited a vast estate, also did he have a daughter too name Elizabeth? what happened to her (if she existed).
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Greetings, I am a direct descendant of Sir Francis Bryan as well and was pleased to see this post.
It may be of interest to many that Sir Francis’s descendants (Rebecca and Martha Bryan) married Daniel Boone and his brother Edward “Ned” Boone.
Also, the Bryans were exiled by Oliver Cromwell to the Colonies (Virginia) in the 1600′s when his descendants claimed a right to the Irish Throne (via their mother’s Irish nobility). They purportedly brought the first thoroughbreds to the New World that would later establish the Kentucky horse racing culture.
Sir Francis was a poet and a cipher and was purported to be a bit of a rake but he was also a translator of serious literature and a bit of a scholar in addition to being a gentleman. He is a very colorful character indeed.
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Claire Reply:
February 9th, 2012 at 10:49 am
Wow, that’s so interesting, Sir David, thank you for sharing that. Bryan was indeed a poet, he was one of the circle with Surrey, Wyatt, Mary Howard and George Boleyn. Yes, an interesting character.
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Thank you so much for your posting about Sir Francis Bryan. I too am a descendant of his through his son who emigrated to Virginia. I have a question for you regarding his sympathies toward Catherine of Aragon. I had read in another Anne Boleyn file that he secretly supported Catherine’s right to the throne but perhaps did not have the fortitude to stand up to Henry VIII a la Sir Thomas More? Could you expound upon this if possible? I too am glad that he is not as vile a character as the one portrayed on TV.
Thanks so much!
Leah
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You can definitely see your skills in the work you write. The arena hopes for even more passionate writers like you who are not afraid to mention how they believe. At all times follow your heart.
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