A HISTORY OF STAFFORDSHIRE 



to Stafford, having by that time collected a considerable force. In the 

 mean time Richard had entrusted the defence of Lancashire, Cheshire, 

 and North Wales to Lord Stanley and his brother Sir William, and had 

 taken up his head quarters at Nottingham. From Stafford Henry marched 

 to Lichfield, and lay without the walls in his camp all night, entering 

 the town next morning, when he was received ' with all honour like a 

 prince.' 



A day or two before, Lord Stanley with 5,000 men had been in the 

 town, but evacuated it, being afraid to commit himself by any definite action, 

 for he had been summoned both by Henry and Richard, and was as yet 

 undecided. Henry left Lichfield and marched towards Tamworth, meeting 

 on the way Sir Walter Hungerford, Sir Thomas Bourchier and others who 

 joined him. 206 ' Divers other noble personages which inwardly hated King 

 Richard worse than a toad or serpent,' also came to him now. 



Hall 207 gives a quaint account of Henry's wandering away from his 

 own army near Tamworth, perplexed as to the future conduct of Stanley, 

 and passing the night in a small village, three miles from the head quarters 

 of his force, much fearing least he should be captured by King Richard's 

 scouts. However he was unmolested, and next morning after giving an 

 excuse to his men for his absence, and riding through the streets of the town 

 so that all could see him, he went to Atherstone, where he had an interview 

 with the Stanleys, then either returned to Tamworth, or slept where he 

 was, and next day was joined by his army and marched on to Bosworth. 

 Shakespeare makes him return to Tamworth, where on ' the plain near 

 Tamworth ' 208 he makes his address to his troops. 



Among those who died fighting for Richard at Bosworth was Walter 

 Devereux, who had married Anne the heiress of William Lord Ferrers of 

 Chartley, and had been advanced to the dignity of a baron under the title of 

 Lord Ferrers. 209 Henry VII had the good fortune to enjoy a reign which, 

 compared with those immediately preceding it, was peaceful and quiet, and 

 he had leisure to enjoy the sport of hunting, of which he was fond. Need- 

 wood Forest was one of his hunting grounds, and he often brought his court 

 to Tutbury for that purpose when on his way to Lathom House in Lanca- 

 shire to see his mother the Countess of Derby. 210 



In 1512 Staffordshire was summoned to provide a contingent for war 

 with France, Henry VIII having joined the Holy League ; and the Earl of 

 Shrewsbury was directed to muster ' as many of our subjects able men for 

 the war under the degree of a baron to do unto us service as be our own tenants, 

 and other our subjects within our counties of Derby, Salop, and Stafford,' 

 and those retained for the war were to have delivered to them tokens or 

 badges to wear, but the expedition was a failure. 811 



The chief connexion of the county of Stafford with the political history 

 of England during the reign of Henry VIII is furnished by the life of 

 Edward, third Duke of Buckingham. In England, by the time of Edward I 

 most of the feudal nobility of the Norman period had disappeared. In Stafford- 

 shire, as we have seen, Fitz Anculf was soon only a memory, and the great 



106 Hall, Chrm. (ed. 1 809), 413. * Ibid. Ric. Ill, Act v, sc. 2. 



> Dugdale, Baronage (ed. 1675), ">> 1 77- " Mosley, Hist, of Tutbury, 132. 



111 Rymer, Foedera (orig. ed.), xiii, 337. 



246 



