From Cromwell’s Ally to Mary’s Pardon – Sir John Kingsmill

On this day in Tudor history, 11th August 1556, in the reign of Queen Mary I, Sir John Kingsmill died a natural death.

You may not have heard of him, but he worked with Thomas Cromwell, helped dissolve monasteries and chantries, and still managed to earn a pardon from Queen Mary I.

Kingsmill was:
- A lawyer and sheriff
- A commissioner for Edward VI’s Protestant reforms
- A beneficiary of monastic spoils
- And the father of seventeen children

He may not have stood centre stage in the Tudor court, but he was always there in the wings, helping shape policy. He was a polticial survivor. Oh, and his descendants? One was pardoned for manslaughter. Two were later recorded as insane...