Gilbert Debenham

Sir Gilbert Debenham (junior) (1432–1500) was an English knight, politician and soldier who also served briefly as Lord Chancellor of Ireland. Although,like his father before him, hehad anotorious reputationfor lawlessness, heflourished in the reign of KingEdward IV,duein part to his loyaltyto Edward during thegreat political crisisof the years 1469–71. Under Henry VII he was attainted for treason and spent his last years in prison. He figures prominently in the Paston Letters.

Little Wenham, Church of St Lawrence

He was born at Little Wenham in Suffolk, son of Sir Gilbert Debenham senior (c.1404–1481) who was justice of the peace, High Sheriff of Norfolk and Suffolk for 1427, Member of Parliament and steward to the Mowbray Dukes of Norfolk. He was the fourth of four successive Gilbert Debenhams. He was the grandson of Gilbert Debenham, MP who died in 1417.

Historians in general have little good to say of either of the Debenhams,father or son. They have been called a "pair of thorough-going villains", with a reputation for "violent and thuggish behavior", although the son's reputation was perhaps somewhat better than that of hisfather, who was accused of corrupting the town governments of Ipswich and Colchester for his own profit. Edward IV's biographer notes that there were many similar characters in fifteenth-century England and that in return for their support the King was prepared to tolerate acertain degreeof lawless conduct on their part. Only when the youngerGilbertcrossed the line into actual treason did a later King,Henry VII,bring him down.

Like his father,the younger Gilbertwas in the service of John Mowbray, 4th Duke of Norfolk. Healso obtained a royal office,the Clerk of the Market, in 1461. He sat in the House of Commons as MP for Ipswich 1455–56 and was knighted about 1461.

From 1465onwards the Debenhams were in violent conflict with the Paston familyover possession of Caldecott Hall near Fritton in Suffolk. In September 1465 Gilbert junior tried to seize the manor but failed. He and John Paston junior both began raising private armiesto fight the matter out, but the Duke of Norfolk, whomthey both served, intervened and bound them to keep the peace.

In 1469 the Duke ofNorfolk himself turned against the Pastons, and laidclaim to Caister Castle (which the Pastonshad inherited from Sir John Fastolf), which he took after a long siegein which at least one man died.Debenham fought on Norfolk's side, although he does not seem to have played a leading part in the siege.His relations with the Pastons improved somewhat in the next decade, and in 1477 John Paston married Gilbert's niece Margery Brewes.

Caister Castle

During the brief Lancastrianrestoration known as theReadeption of Henry VI,Gilbert remained loyal to Edward IV. Hewent with him into exile, and in March 1471, as Edward attempted to re-invade England,Gilbert was entrusted with the task of reporting whether it would be safe to land in Norfolk, and advised rightly that it would not be. After Edward's triumph he was made one of the King's carvers and a justice of the peace.

In 1473-4, partly in response to pleas from the Parliament of Ireland,EdwardIV made one of his intermittent efforts to assert his authority over Ireland. Debenham was appointed Lord Chancellor and sent to Ireland torestore order,with a troop of four hundred men. Despite his strong personality andundoubted political skills, he was no more successful than most English statesmen of the time inthe admittedly onerous task of governing Ireland. He hadreturned to England by 1476,when he is heard of asbeing confinedin the Marshalsea prison,havingpresumablybeenimprisoned therefor debt. He was soon released from prison.Heplayed a prominent part in organizingEdward's funeral, andhis career continued to flourish under Richard III.

After the downfall of theHouse of York in 1485,the new King Henry VII at first was prepared to use Debenham's services: he was pardoned for his adherence to Richard IIIin 1488, and sent to Ireland again as constable of Carrickfergus Castle in 1491; he also received the office of Keeper of the Royal minesin Ireland.

In February 1495 Sir William Stanley (who had won the Battle of Bosworth for the Tudor dynasty) was executed forsupporting the claim to the throneof the pretender Perkin Warbeck, largely on the evidence of Sir Robert Clifford, who named Debenham as one of Stanley'sco-conspirators. Debenham was condemned to death for treason. His life was spared but he remained in prison until 1499, whenhis sister Elizabeth Brewes in return for payinga large fineobtained a pardon for her brother,and a promise that the attainder would be reversed. Gilbert died in 1500 but Elizabeth's son Robert later succeeded in having the attainder lifted.

About 1469 he married Katherine Plumpton, widow of William, 6th Baron Zouche; she died about 1472 without issue. His sister Elizabeth married Sir Thomas Brewes, High Sheriff of Suffolk. In addition totheir son Robert,who was his uncle Gilbert's heir, they had several daughters, of whom the best known is Margery, whose Valentines to her future husband John Paston appear to be the first survivingexamples of Valentinesinthe English language.