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 France,’ 1891, 3 vols. Some of the foregoing works reached second editions. Wingfield is also responsible for ‘Her English Dress,’ lectures issued by the International Health Exhibition, 1884. In the course of his travels he brought home many curios, the most important being a life-size figure of a mounted Japanese soldier in armour, said to be unique in Europe. Wingfield delighted in military service, and whenever war seemed imminent applied to be attached as war correspondent to the staff, a privilege more than once granted him. After joining the English army in the Soudan in 1884, he was long in hospital in Egypt. From this illness he never quite recovered. He took, for his health, a voyage to Australia, from which he returned, as it seemed, fortified. He died, however, at 14 Montague Place, London (whither he had moved from Mecklenburgh Square), on 12 Nov. 1891, and was buried in Kensal Green cemetery. He married, on 16 June 1868, Cecilia Emma, fourth daughter and fifth child of John Wilson Fitzpatrick, first baron Castletown.

In everything but his friendships Wingfield was capricious and unstable, turning from one pursuit to another, and wearying of everything, except writing, so soon as he had mastered its difficulties. His work under the conditions is creditable, and though it was never held to show his best, probably did so. His life was a sustained romance. In appearance he was slim and delicate-looking, and possessed a clear complexion and a thin and feminine but musical voice.

[Personal knowledge and communicated information; Times, 14 Nov. 1891; Athenæum, 21 Nov. 1891; Graves's Dict. of Artists, 1895; Scott and Howard's Blanchard.] 

WINGFIELD, RICHARD (1469?–1525), soldier and diplomatist, born about 1469, is variously given as the tenth, eleventh, twelfth, and thirteenth son of Sir John Wingfield of Letheringham, Suffolk, by Elizabeth, daughter of Sir John FitzLewis of West Horndon, Essex [see ]. Sir Robert Wingfield [q. v.] was his elder brother. Cooper states that he was educated at the university of Cambridge, though at what college does not appear. A passage in a letter of 10 July 1516 suggests that he afterwards proceeded to the university of Ferrara. After the university he probably studied law at Gray's Inn, in the windows of which hall his arms were in Dugdale's time twice blazoned (Orig. Jurid. pp. 300, 307). According to Polydore Vergil he was one of the commanders against the Cornish rebels in 1497. He was an esquire of the body at the meeting of Henry VII with the Archduke Philip in 1500. On 10 March 1505 he arrived at Rome on a pilgrimage, accompanied by an illegitimate brother, Richard Urry (Collect. Top. v. 66). Before 14 Nov. 1511 he was a knight, being on that date appointed marshal of Calais, i.e. apparently of the castle there. His first appointment as a diplomatist was on 20 Dec. 1512 as junior commissioner, with Sir Edward Poynings, John Yonge, master of the rolls, and Sir Thomas Boleyn, to arrange a holy league between the pope, England, Arragon and Castille, Maximilian, Prince Charles, and Margaret of Savoy. Wingfield with Poynings was despatched to the Netherlands [see ]. From February to April 1513 he resided at Malines, keeping Wolsey informed from time to time of the state of the military preparations. The treaty providing for a joint invasion of France was signed by the four commissioners at Malines on 5 April 1513.

Wingfield then returned to his post at Calais, and was appointed knight-marshal there. On 16 May he was at Brussels, to which place he was probably despatched to further the suit of Charles Brandon, duke of Suffolk [q. v.], for the hand of Margaret of Savoy (cf. Cotton. MS. Titus, B. 1; Chron. of Calais, pp. 68–76). From Brussels he hastened back to report his mission to Henry.

He was again at Brussels on 4 June, when he left for Antwerp to arrange for the passage of German mercenaries to Calais. These arrived on 18 June, probably under his command (Chron. of Calais, p. 12). His services were recognised by his promotion to be joint-deputy, or, as it had formerly been styled, captain of Calais, with Sir Gilbert Talbot on 6 Aug. 1513 (ib. p. xxxviii; cf. art. ). The pay of the deputyship was 204l. per annum, and the deputy exercised general military jurisdiction except over the castle. On 19 Feb. 1514 he was one of the commissioners appointed ‘to levy men for the king's army in the dominions of the emperor and the Prince of Castille.’ But he was soon entrusted with a more delicate mission, being sent in June to Margaret of Savoy with the ostensible object of concluding arrangements for the marriage of the king's sister Mary with Prince Charles (afterwards Charles V). Overtures for the hand of the English princess had, however, already been made by Louis XII. By 27 June the rumour had reached the Netherlands. On 11 Sept. Henry sent his excuses, but Margaret's vexation made Wingfield's situation intolerable, and he sent urgent requests for recall. His desire was not granted until on 14 Jan. 1515