In Hull’s Charterhouse hospital there stood two statues, one of
William de la Pole, 1st Duke of Suffolk, and one of Alice his wife. Each held a jug in one hand and a plate in
the other. Everyday two of the
hospital’s residents were brought before these likenesses to receive food and
drink paid for using money left by William and Alice. Looking into the two stony faces, the residents
got a powerful reminder of their own duty to pray for their deceased
benefactors to help their souls into heaven.
And after William’s turbulent life, his soul in particular was probably in need of help.
In 1415 when William was just nineteen he, his father and
brother had sailed to France, taking with them 40 men at arms and 120 mounted
archers. There they joined the ranks of king
Henry V’s army. First task for this
gallant force was to lay siege to the port of Harfleur. During this William himself was invalided
home and his father Michael, 2nd Earl of Suffolk, died of
dysentery. Only his elder brother
Michael journeyed with their king to meet the French near Agincourt castle. The
resulting battle saw a happy band of English brothers vanquish a French force
three times its size. 7000 French died
and only 500 English, but one of these was Michael.
Despite the fact that his family seemed extremely unlucky in
such matters, once recuperated William set off again for war, full of youthful
bravado and proudly holding the title 4th Earl of Suffolk. His battles included the siege of Orleans,
during which he was captured by the forces of Joan of Arc and imprisoned till a
ransom was paid. Once back in England, tales
of such adventures and an advantageous marriage increased his reputation with
the young king Henry VI. William was
also astute enough to assist Henry with his pet projects, helping him establish
Eton school and King’s College, Cambridge.
By 1448 he was the most influential man at the royal court and had been promoted
to a duke.
Riding high, William should have heeded the warning offered
by his grandfather, who had been impeached whilst serving Richard II. Instead, either through incompetence or ill
fortune, William too fell from grace. The
war with France was going badly and Parliament accused him of mismanaging
funds, pointing out that the royal debt had increased from £14,800 in 1433 to
£372,000 in 1450. William was sentenced to exile for five years but on his way
abroad his boat was captured and he was murdered a traitor. Alice later arranged for the Charterhouse
statues to help give her husband some rest in the afterlife following such a violent end on earth.
Photo: Hull’s Charterhouse today
