Henry Isley

Sir Henry Isley was an English nobleman involved in Wyatt's Rebellion.

The Isley family were established landowners of Kent county.[1] Henry Isley owned Sundridge manor estate in Brasted, his brother Thomas Isley (Jr.) in Vinters Park near Maidstone.[2] He was appointed sheriff of Kent for 1542 and 1550.

Between 1547 and 1550 protestants[3] George Harper, Thomas Culpepper, Thomas Wyatt the younger and Henry Isley, all strongly associated with King Edward VI's regency council, had followed each other as sheriffs of Kent.[1] Immediately after the accession of Queen Mary I Isley was arrested, but managed to make peace with the new regime, accepting the changes in the established religion and was released.[4]

On 22 January 1554 Henry Isley attended a meeting of thirty key conspirators at Wyatt's Allington Castle. On 25 January Wyatt took control of Maidstone in an open revolt; brothers Thomas and Henry Isley operated their own detachments separately from Wyatt's main forces. On 27 January 1554, when Wyatt occupied Rochester, Henry Isley and his men stayed at Sevenoaks.[5] On the next day, however, Henry Isley and his five hundred men marched out of Sevenoaks to join Wyatt at Rochester.[6] Loyalist sheriff Robert Southwell intercepted Henry Isley at Wrotham and defeated the rebels, taking around sixty men prisoners. Isley himself fled to Hampshire.[6] The Crown offered pardon to all rebels, excluding Isley, Wyatt, Harper and Rudstone, and offered a £100 bounty for the capture of each ringleader.[7]

By the end of February all the rebels were apprehended and imprisoned in the Tower of London.[8] The trials began on 10 February and were largely over by 22 February. The case against the leaders was examined by the Westminster Commission.[8] Henry Isley was sentenced to death and executed. The overwhelming majority of noble rebels were fined and set free, and some released without fine.[9]