First creation The first 'council in the north' was established in 1484 by King
Richard III of England. The council was administered from Sheriff Hutton. Richard placed the council in the hands of
John de la Pole, 1st Earl of Lincoln, who was charged with control primarily of Yorkshire. A sudden decline in numbers of cases from the far northern counties appearing in the court of
king's bench at this time may indicate that in the middle and late 1480s litigants from
Northumberland,
Cumberland and
Westmorland diverted certain legal affairs to this new council. After Richard's death the council was re-established by Henry VII in 1489, nominally led by the king's young son
Arthur Tudor. After Arthur's early death it existed as a sporadically constituted body to deal with pressing issues. During this time he clashed with
Henry Percy, 4th Earl of Northumberland, one of the most powerful noblemen in the north of England. Northumberland had wanted several of the positions on the council to go to his supporters but was unable to secure these positions, he had also frequently clashed with two of the Archbishop's household officers Sir John Hotham and Sir Robert Constable. The Archbishop's and the Earl's retinues notably clashed on the road out of
Fulford near York in 1504 and the Archbishop's career declined after this point, although he maintained leadership of the council. Following the death of Savage most of the administration of the north was handled by the king's mother
Margaret Beaufort via a council based in the Midlands. It was established to administer royal justice in the northern parts of England – Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire, Staffordshire, Yorkshire, Lancashire, Durham, Cumberland, Westmorland, and Northumberland. Resistance to the Reformation was the spur to the recreation of the council. Resentment arose in the north following the
English Reformation, the
Church of England's split from
Rome and the
dissolution of the Monasteries. In the north, most people's faith remained staunchly
Roman Catholic and many were unhappy with changes. A rebellion rose up in
York creating a 30,000 strong Catholic army, carrying crosses and banners depicting the
Holy Wounds. This movement became known as the
Pilgrimage of Grace. It was promised that the rebels would be pardoned and a parliament would be held in York to discuss their demands. The rebels, convinced that monasteries would be reopened, returned to their homes. However, after the failed
Rebellion by Sir Francis Bigod, Henry had an excuse to arrest rebel leaders and to execute 200 people involved. Suppression followed the Pilgrimage of Grace. The council was reorganised again in 1538 under
Robert Holgate as President. By 1640, the council was no longer perceived as a centralising royal power agent in the north, but rather as a potential locus of resistance.
Edward Hyde advocated the council's abolition. The
Long Parliament abolished the council in 1641 for reasons relating to the Reformation: the council was a chief supporter of
Catholic Recusants. ==Presidents==