Harry Palmer

Sir Henry Palmer (1488 - 1558). Acting as Knight-Porter of Calais. His older brother Thomas Palmer plays a vital role in GOK.

Titles, Nicknames and Other Names

Harry Palmer

Role in Novels

Checkmate

CM 2.5 Mentioned by Francis Crawford.

Role in History

Sir Henry Palmer, ‘of Wingham’ in Kent, second son of Edward Palmer and elder brother of Thomas Palmer<ref>A Commentary of the Services and Charges of William Lord Grey of Wilton, K.G. by His Son Arthur Lord Grey of Wilton, K..G.; Published 1847. P. 23 [1]</ref>was a man of great repute. He commenced a soldier's career by serving as a ‘spear of Calais,’ but about 1535 he became acting bailiff of Guisnes; he was bailiff in 1539, and in the same place held the offices of master of the ordnance, treasurer, supervisor and warden of the forest.

He was a gentleman of the king's household in 1544. He distinguished himself greatly in the capture of Boulogne in 1544, and had his arm broken. He now came to Boulogne as member of the council, and as early as 1546 was master of the ordnance.

In August 1549 he retired from the Bullenberg, with leave of Lord Clinton, and levelled the walls. He was in consequence degraded, and Lord Clinton reprimanded. Palmer was not a coward, but saw that the small forts could not be held if more men were not supplied. His place as captain of ‘the Old Man’ seems to have been given to Sir John Norton. When Queen Mary came to the throne he must have been in great danger. He was arrested by Sir Thomas Moyle in July 1553, but was soon at large, as in December he was at Calais again.

He stayed on there during Mary's reign. In December 1559 he made an expedition from Guisnes with Lord Grey, and was badly wounded in the arm in an attack on a fortified church. In the French attack on Calais in 1558 he was reported to be killed, but he seems only to have been taken prisoner, and was subsequently ransomed. He returned to his seat at Wingham, which he had secured after the dissolution of the monasteries in 1553, and he died there before September 1559. <ref>Read more online [2]</ref>

A different version of his end is reported by Arthur Grey, William Grey’s son, in his account of the siege of Guînes in January 1557/58<ref>According to the Julian calendar this was indeed still 1557</ref>, which tells of Henry Palmer as one of William Grey’s officers: “Sir Henry Palmer was guyven to mounsieur Sipiers in whose hands hee dyed.” <ref>A Commentary of the Services and Charges of William Lord Grey of Wilton, K.G. by His Son Arthur Lord Grey of Wilton, K..G.; Published 1847. P. 37 [3]</ref> He was then presumably 70 years of age<ref> http://histfam.familysearch.org/getperson.php?personID=I60115&tree=EuropeRoyalNobleHous</ref>.

Quotes from Dunnett

CM 2.10 "Apples!" said Sir Harry involuntarily. Lord Grey glanced up sharply. The comte de Sevigny, on the point of speaking, paused for a moment. Then, turning his head, he met first the pale, closed face of Austin Grey, Marquis of Allendale, and then the bearded one, tinged with fever and accusing astonishment, of the man he had last seen as Knight-Porter of Calais. <snip> (Palmer) breathed hard for a moment, his hand clutching at his aching shoulder. 'Tommy told me about you. Something to do with a tarot game.' (Vintage p. 211; Kindle loc. 4991)

References