Francis Talbot, 5th Earl of Shrewsbury

Who was Francis Talbot, 5th Earl of Shrewsbury?

Francis Talbot, 5th Earl of Shrewsbury, 5th Earl of Waterford, 11th Baron Talbot, KG was the son of George Talbot, 4th Earl of Shrewsbury and Anne Hastings.

His maternal grandparents were William Hastings, 1st Baron Hastings and Katherine Neville. Katherine was a daughter of Richard Neville, 5th Earl of Salisbury and Alice Neville, 5th Countess of Salisbury.

Though a Roman Catholic, he retained the royal favor during the reign of Henry VIII, and received some lands from the dissolution of the monasteries, including those belonging to Worksop Priory. While he took little part in national politics, he was a powerful figure in the North of the kingdom. He took part in the invasion of Scotland which culminated in the Battle of Pinkie Cleugh, and was made President of the Council of the North in 1549. Under Edward VI he conformed to the reformed religion but it was no secret that his sympathies were with the Catholic faith. Although not normally active in national politics he was a member of the King's Council; some of his fellow Councillors are said to have feared that he might raise the West in favour of Mary. While he did not oppose the proclamation of Lady Jane Grey as Queen, he almost certainly worked to persuade the Council to recognise Mary I and was one of the first to openly voice support for her. Mary duly rewarded him with a place on her Council.