The Tudor Society
  • June 12 – Richard Rich, 1st Baron Rich

    A preparatory sketch of Richard Rich, 1st Baron Rich, by Hans Holbein the Younger

    On this day in Tudor history, 12th June 1567, Richard Rich, 1st Baron Rich, died at Rochford.

    Rich served Edward VI as Lord Chancellor and Mary I as a privy councillor, but he is mainly known for his involvement in the cases of Sir Thomas More and Protestant martyr Anne Askew.

    As solicitor general, in 1535, Rich was involved in prosecuting his former friend and colleague, Sir Thomas More. He interviewed More at the Tower and reported at his trial that More had denied the royal supremacy. This was enough to convict More.

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  • Richard Rich, 1st Baron Rich (1496/7-1567)

    A preparatory sketch of Richard Rich, 1st Baron Rich, by Hans Holbein the Younger

    Richard Rich, 1st Baron Rich, we’re led to believe, was born in 1496. The dating of his birth comes from the fact that in 1551 he was said to have been around 54 years of age. He was born in Basingstoke, Hampshire. His father was John Rich, and his mother was Agnes, and it is believed that he may have had ties to the Rich family that was prominent in the Mercers’ Company during the 15th century. The connection came from his father John, for he owned a house in Islington, Middlesex, which he left to his son on his death in 1509.

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