John Tiptoft, 1st earl of Worcester

John Tiptoft was a noted English Yorkist leader during the Wars of the Roses, known for his brutality and called the “butcher of England.”

Tiptoft was created Earl of Worcester 1449. From 1456 to 1457 he was deputy of Ireland. In 1457 and again in 1459 he was sent on embassies to the pope. He spent three years abroad. As a deeply religious man, despite his cruelty, he made a pilgrimage to Jerusalem; the rest of the time he spent in Italy, at Padua, Ferrara, and Florence, studying law, Latin, and Greek.

During the reign of Edward IV (r. 1461-1470, 1471-1483) he was made constable of England and in 1467 he was again appointed deputy of Ireland. During this time he became known for his cruelty by condemning men to death by impaling.

During the brief period of Henry VI’s 2nd reign (1470 to 1471) Tiptoft fled into hiding but was discovered and tried before John de Vere, 13th Earl of Oxford, son of the man whom he had condemned in 1462.

At the time of his execution, he would have been worth around £25,000, or over £7.8bn in 2010.