John la Zouche, 7th Baron Zouche, 8th Baron St Maur

Under the victorious Tudor dynasty he suffered attainder and forfeiture of his property, but he was eventually restored to royal favour, due partly to a marriage connection to the new King's mother.

[2] After the death of Alice St Maur, the 5th Baron married Elizabeth St. John, whose half-sister was Margaret Beaufort, mother of the future Henry VII,[3] a connection which later proved to be of great value to his[clarification needed] grandson.

[4] Zouche in turn sought to expand his influence in Cornwall, and also in Devonshire, where his wife's family, the Dynhams, were major landholders and had gained considerable political power under Edward IV.

He owed a good deal of thanks for this to the prominent courtier Sir Reginald Bray, for whose support he had to pay a heavy price, selling him several manors at an undervalue.

A more surprising ally was Margaret Beaufort, the King's mother, who throughout her life showed a warm affection for all of her extended family, and especially the St. Johns of Lydiard Tregoze;[7] so that even Lord Zouche, who was merely the grandson of her sister's husband by a previous marriage, benefited from her generosity.

[3] By 1500 Zouche was in fairly good standing at Court: he was part of the entourage which accompanied the King to meet Archduke Philip of Austria at Calais, and the following year he was one of the nobles who greeted Catherine of Aragon on her arrival at Amesbury.