Person:Nicholas Carew (8)

Biography

Sir Nicholas Carew, Baron Carew, of Carew Castle, Pembrokeshire & of Mohuns Ottery in Luppit, Devon was the son and heir of Sir Thomas Carew (c.1427–c.1461), by his wife, Joanne, daughter and co-heiress of Thomas Carminow, of Boconnoc, Cornwall. He was probably “born about 1444” – being “of age in 1465.” ^[1]

He was Sheriff of Devonshire in 1469-70. ^[1]

In his Danmonii Orientales Illustres: Or, The Worthies of Devon. A work, wherein the lives and fortunes of the most famous divines, statesmen swordsmen physicians, writers, and other eminent persons, Natives of that most noble Province, from before the Norman Conquest, down to the Present Age, are memorialized .... (published in 1810),^[4] John Prince wrote:

« This Sir Nicholas Carew was a very eminent person, and great at court, where he died on the 16th of Novemb. in the 11th year of K. Edw. 4. He and his lady lie interred in the abby church of Westminster, among the Kings and Queens of England. To whose memory an antient plain tomb of gray marble is there still seen erected, with an inscription in brass round the ledg, and some coats of arms on the pedestal, whereby may be gathered, saith my author, that Nicholas Baron Carew, and his wife the Lady Margaret, who was the daughter of Sir John Dinham, Kt. were here entombed. He died on the 6th day of December, (so the epitaph) in the year 1470, and she on the 13th day of the same month, and year following. The epitaph here follows:

"Orate pro animabus Nicolai Baronis. Quondam de Carew, & Dominæ

Margaritæ uxoris ejus filiæ Johannis Domini Dinham, Militis: Qui quidem

Nicolaus obiit sexto die mensis Decembris, anno Dom. 1470. Et prædicta

Domina Margareta obiit 13 die mensis Decembris, anno 1471." / .... »

Here we can see that Mr. John Prince has determined that this Sir Nicholas Carew actually died on the 16th of November in 1470 — despite the epitaph on his tomb having stated he died on the 6th of December of that year. Westminster Abbey's website,^[3] quite naturally perhaps, prefers to stick to what was written in the epitaph there - now no longer visible. As does the following from a richly illustrated 2020 publication titled: Westminster Abbey – The Chapel of St. Nicholas' (where the tomb is situated), written by Tony Willoughby: ^[5]

« At the foot of that memorial ["the Fane monument"] is a grey marble altar tomb for Sir Nicholas Carew (c.1424–1470) and his wife Margaret Dynham. They died within a week of each other in December 1470. The inscription on the tomb has now disappeared but a biographer in the 18th century recorded it as reading (in translation from the Latin): "Pray for the souls of Nicholas, sometime Baron Carew, and of the Lady Margaret his wife, daughter of John Dinham, Knight; which Nicholas died on the 6th day of the month of December in the year of our Lord 1470 and the aforesaid Lady Margaret died on the 13th day of the month of December in the year 1470."

« The Carew family inherited their estate at Mohun's Ottery in Devon from the de Mohun family, the families having intermarried in at least two generations in the 13th and 14th centuries. .... »

These two transcriptions of the epitaph—the first in its supposed original Latin and the second in a modern English translation—show a further disagreement. This being the year of death of Sir Nicholas Carew's wife, "the Lady Margaret." The former, from John Prince, has her death on "the 13th day of the same month (December), and the year following (1471). While the latter, from Tony Willoughby (and Westminster Abbey), has both of them die "within a week of each other in December 1470."

However there is an earlier publication to that of John Prince, which is the source he gives and whose author has to be whom he credits, when he wrote "saith my author." This being Henry Keepe (1652–1688), "of the Inner-Temple, Gent." the English antiquarian who wrote: Monumenta Westmonasteriensia, or, An Historical Account of the Original, Increase, and present State of St. Peter's, &c., dated 1681 and published in 1682. ^[4] The only problem is—and this may actually have given rise to the confusion between the two years—this publication says 1471 on one page (p.78) and 1470 on another (p.252). Although Mr. Prince does not appear to have noticed this – as he clearly cites the year '1471' for both pages. But to quote from both of them here, we may see the difference. But be left none the wiser as to which was correct:–

« Nicholas Baron Carew and Margaret his Wife. vid. Ep.71. | §. 69. Under this Monument, close to the Wall, is an atient plain raifed Tomb of grey Marble, with an Inscription in Brass round the ledge still remaining, and some Coats of Arms on the Pedestal, whereby may be gathered, that Nicholas Baron Carew, and his Wife the Lady Margaret, who was the Daughter of Sir John Dinham Knight, were here intombed; he dying on the sixth day of December in the year 1470. and she on the thirteenth day of the same month and year following. » (from p. 78)

« 74. Epitaph. viz. / A.D. 1470, Nich.Baro Carew & uxor. vid. §. 69. | Orate pro animabus Nicolai Baronis quondam de Carew, & Dominæ Margaretæ uxoris ejus filiæ Johannis Domini Dinham militis, qui quidem Nicolaus obiit sexto die mensis Decembris, Anno Dom. 1470. & prædicta Domina Margareta obiit 13. die mensis Decembris Anno 1470. » (from p. 252)

...to be continued....

1. ↑ ^{1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 1.14 1.15} Richardson, Douglas. Magna Carta Ancestry: A Study in Colonial and Medieval Families Vol. 1. Kimball G. Everingham, editor 2nd. edition, 2011. p. 403.

   « 12. NICHOLAS CAREW, Esq., Baron Carew, of Carew Castle, Pembrokeshire, Ottery Mohun (in Luppit), Devon, Sheriff of Devonshire, 1469–70, son and heir, born about 1444 (of age in 1465). He married after 26 Oct. 1461 (grant of his marriage) MARGARET (or MARGERY) DINHAM, eldest daughter of John Dinham, Knt., of Hartland, Kingskerwell, and Nutwell, Devon by Joan, daughter of Richard Arches, Knt., [see DINHAM 8 for her ancestry]. They had two sons, Edmund, Knt. [Baron Carew], and John, Knt., and one daughter, Jane (wife of Robert Cary). NICHOLAS CAREW, Esq., died shortly before 21 Nov. 1470. His widow, Margaret, died 13 Dec. 1471. Both were buried in Westminster Abbey. »
   Several reference sources given.
   Accessed 03 Aug. 2021 at: books.google.ca/

2. ↑ ^2.0 2.1 Vivian, Lieut-Colonel J. L. and Drake, Henry H. M.A., Ph.D., The Visitation of the County of Cornwall, in the Year 1620.' London: 1874. p. 31.'.

   As in The Publications of The Harleian Society. vol. LX. For the year MDCCCLXXIV (1874).
   « Nich.^(a) Baron Carew / æt 22. 25. H. VI. ob. / 11 E. IV.
   ==Margt. eldest sist. & coh. to John / Lo. Dinham. Lord Treasurer of England. »
   . . .
   ^(a) This Nich. Lord Carew, and his wife Margt., were buried in Westminster Abbey, among the kings and queens of England. Vide Hals. Cornw. »
   Accessed 03 Aug. 2021 at: archive.org/

3. ↑ ^{3.0 3.1 3.2} Burial of Nicholas Carew, in Westminster Abbey website > westminster-abbey.org/ .
4. ↑ ^{4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 4.7 4.8 4.9} Prince, John: Danmonii Orientales Illustres: Or, The Worthies of Devon. A work, wherein the lives and fortunes of the most famous divines, statesmen swordsmen physicians, writers, and other eminent persons, Natives of that most noble Province, from before the Norman Conquest, down to the Present Age, are memorialized .... London: Printed for Rees and Curtis, Plymouth; Edward Upham, Exeter; and Longman, Hurst, Rees, and Orme London. 1810. p. 161. .

   « This Sir Nicholas Carew was a very eminent person, and great at court, where he died on the 16th of Novemb. in the 11th year of K. Edw. 4. He and his lady lie interred in the abby church of Westminster, among the Kings and Queens of England. To whose memory an antient plain tomb of gray marble is there still seen erected, with an inscription in brass round the ledg, and some coats of arms on the pedestal, whereby may be gathered, saith my author,¹ that Nicholas Baron Carew, and his wife² the Lady Margaret, who was the daughter of Sir John Dinham, Kt. were here entombed. He died on the 6th day of December, (so the epitaph) in the year 1470, and she on the 13th day of the same month, and year following. The epitaph here follows:²
   "Orate pro animabus Nicolai Baronis. Quondam de Carew, & Dominæ Margaritæ uxoris ejus filiæ Johannis Domini Dinham, Militis: Qui quidem Nicolaus obiit sexto die mensis Decembris, anno Dom. 1470. Et prædicta Domina Margareta obiit 13 die mensis Decembris, anno 1471."
   ¹ Keep's Mon. Westm. p. 78. / ² Ib. p. 252.
   Accessed 03 Aug. 2021 at: books.google.ca/

5. ↑ ^{5.0 5.1 5.2} Keepe, Henry (1652-1688): Monumenta Westmonasteriensia: or, an 'Historical Account of the Original, Increase, and present State of St. Peter's, or The Abby Church of Westminster. With all the Epitaphs, Inscriptions, Coats of Arms, and Atchievements of Honour belonging to the Tombs and Grave-stones: together With the Monuments themselves faithfully described and set forth.' By H.K. of the Inner-Temple, Gent. MDCLXXXI. London, Printed for C.Wilkinson and T.Dring, at the Black-Boy, and at the Harrow in Fleetstreet. 1682.

   Accessed 12 August, 2021 at (p.78): books.google.ca/ & (p.252): books.google.ca/

6. ↑ Willoughby, Tony: Westminster Abbey – The Chapel of St. Nicholas. Paragon Publishing, 2020. pp. 10-11.

   « At the foot of that memorial ["the Fane monument"] is a grey marble altar tomb for Sir Nicholas Carew (c.1424–1470) and his wife Margaret Dynham. They died within a week of each other in December 1470. The inscription on the tomb has now disappeared but a biographer in the 18th century recorded it as reading (in translation from the Latin): "Pray for the souls of Nicholas, sometime Baron Carew, and of the Lady Margaret his wife, daughter of John Dinham, Knight; which Nicholas died on the 6th day of the month of December in the year of our Lord 1470 and the aforesaid Lady Margaret died on the 13th day of the month of December in the year 1470"
   The Carew family inherited their estate at Mohun's Ottery in Devon from the de Mohun family, the families having intermarried in at least two generations in the 13th and 14th centuries. .... »
   Accessed 12 August, 2021 at: books.google.ca/

7. ↑ ^{7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4} Sir Nicholas Carew, Baron Carew in 'The Hennessee Family Genealogy Pages'.

   Previously at a page on a website called: celtic-casimir.com/