Nicholas Carew (courtier)

Sir Nicholas Carew KG (c. 1496 – 3 March 1539), of Beddington in Surrey, was an English courtier and diplomat during the reign of King Henry VIII.

In the early years of King Henry's reign, he came to prominence at court through his skill at jousting, and was renowned for his fearlessness.

[4] His second mission to France took place in 1524 to have English presence at the peace talks between King Francis and Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor.

[9] However, Carew started to resent the way Anne used her position as the King's mistress, revealing his sympathy for Queen Catherine and the Princess Mary to the imperial ambassador, Eustace Chapuys.

[11] These manoeuvres culminated in 1536, when the reformist Thomas Cromwell made common cause with religious conservatives, such as Carew, to bring Queen Anne down.

[12] At this time, Henry chose Carew to fill a vacancy in the Order of the Garter, thus fulfilling a promise made to Francis I.

According to a letter by John Butler, the last words of Carew as he was led to execution, amounted to exhorting all to study the evangelical books, as he had fallen by hatred to the Gospel.

In her first year of reign, Queen Mary I granted the estate to Carew's son, to be held in chief by the service of one-fortieth part of a knight's fee.

[19] Sir Francis Bryan was part of the trial committee against Carew which left his own sister Elizabeth impoverished.

Arms of Carew: Or, three lions passant in pale sable [ 1 ]
Quartered arms of Sir Nicholas Carew, KG, as described in Ashmole's Register of the Most Noble Order of the Garter -- 1st Carew, 2nd Hoo, 3rd Welles quartering Engayne, 4th Waterton, 5th Mohun of Mohuns Ottery , and 6th Idron.
Monument to Sir Nicholas Carew in St Botolph-without-Aldgate , London