Background
He was styled Lord Bolebec 1526 to 1540 before he succeeded to his father"s title.
He was styled Lord Bolebec 1526 to 1540 before he succeeded to his father"s title.
While never of consequence in the Tudor court, the 16th Earl"s support for Queen Mary was instrumental in her accession to the throne in 1553, though he was given no preferment by her. During her reign he was active as the principal magnate in Essex. Dorothy Neville (died c 6 January 1548), His two marriages produced three children.
Margery died on 2 December 1568.
After his death, he was buried in Castle Hedingham, Essex on 31 August 1562. The Earl was known as a sportsman, and like several noblemen of his day, he retained a company of actors.
The troupe, known as Oxford"s Men, was retained by the Earl from 1547 until his death in 1562. His circle included the scholar and diplomat Sir Thomas Smith and his brothers-in-law, the poets Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey and Edmund Sheffield, 1st Baron Sheffield, and the translator Arthur Golding.