Nicholas Arnold was born at
Churcham in
Gloucestershire, the eldest surviving son of John Arnold and his wife Isabel Hawkins. His father was lord of the manors of
Highnam and
Over in Gloucestershire. In 1526, he entered the service of
Thomas Cromwell, where he assisted Cromwell in the
Dissolution of the Monasteries. By 1526, he was a
gentleman pensioner of
Henry VIII, and in 1538 he became one of the King's Bodyguard.
Soldier and politician In 1546, he was sent to take charge of the English fort of Boulogneberg near
Boulogne in France. In May 1549 the fort was attacked by the French but they were completely defeated; Arnold himself was wounded in the attack. After a second attack the following August, Arnold realised defence was hopeless and, dismantling the fort, withdrew to Boulogne. He was knighted during the reign of
Edward VI and spent time travelling in Italy. He was the
Member of Parliament for
Gloucestershire in 1545–47, 1553 and 1555. He was later MP for
Gloucester in the Parliaments of 1559 and 1563 to 1567 and in 1571 MP for
Cricklade. From 1558 to 1580, he was also the
Custos Rotulorum of Gloucestershire, and, in 1558 and 1559, the
High Sheriff of Gloucestershire. He was appointed one of the
Council of the Marches of Wales in June 1574.
Lord justice of Ireland He was
Lord Justice, 1564–65. He had already seen service in
Ireland as member of a commission of inquiry into the conduct of the previous viceroy,
Thomas Radcliffe, 3rd Earl of Sussex, which dragged on for two years but ended inconclusively. Arnold was appointed lord justice on 24 May 1564. Arnold concentrated on the defence of the Pale. He did not prevent the feud between the Desmonds and the Ormonds that led to the
Battle of Affane early in 1565. As Lord Justice, he was regarded as a failure, being described as "quarrelsome, arbitrary and credulous", and within a year he was replaced by Sir
Henry Sidney. The most serious charge against him was that he had done nothing to curb the growing power of
Shane O'Neill, Prince of
Ulster, thus making inevitable the clash between O'Neill and the Crown which broke out after his departure. He unwisely quarrelled with the youthful, but increasingly powerful,
Adam Loftus, then
Archbishop of Armagh, and shortly to be
Archbishop of Dublin; and the favour he showed towards
Gerald FitzGerald, 11th Earl of Kildare aroused resentment among the other members of the
Anglo-Irish nobility. On his return, a vengeful Earl of Sussex brought articles of
impeachment against him, but these were ignored; in later years his interest in politics was mainly local. From 1572 he again served until his death as MP for Gloucestershire. He died in 1580, and was buried at Churcham. == Character and religion ==