Research Notes:

"William VI inherited his estates on the death of his father, and was made a Knight of the Bath later the same year (1487), at the coronation of Elizabeth of York. He was made a Knight Banneret by Thomas Howard, Earl of Surrey and Duke of Norfolk during the Scottish campaign of 1497. 7 He served as a Knight of the Shire and Sheriff, in 1495, on commissions of array, and as a collector of subsidies, and served with frequency on the West Riding peace commission. Yet, William VI appeared to have rampaged over the West Riding. There are a number of surviving court cases ... which detail the violent and bloody actions of William VI and his 100-strong retinue throughout the West Riding. He became embroiled in a feud with John St. Pol of Campsall which ended with St. Pol's dismemberment, and in one instance is recorded as having nearly drowned a young boy after William VI stole his horse. Despite these, there appears to have been few repercussions for Gascoigne as he was a senior Justice of the Peace. Even the Sheriff of York was apparently too fearful to intervene.

Gascoigne openly challenged Henry VII's regime, most notably when attempting to claim the Earldom of Westmorland. Letters between Lord Dacre and the crown discuss the oppression with which William VI and his retinue dominated West Riding politics and called upon Cardinal Wolsey, an associate of the family, to intervene. The effect Wolsey's intervention had is unknown, but it does appear that Gascoigne remained aloof from politics for the remainder of his life.

The exploits of William Gascoigne VI may allow some insight into the mind-set of the Gawthorpe Gascoignes at this stage, as it demonstrates the considerable privilege to which the had become accustomed. In 1525 he was assessed as part of the 1523 subsidy and was charged £16 13s. 4d. on an income of £333 6s. 8d. (500 marks). Furthermore, an extent of Gascoigne's possessions during this period showed the value of his estates: Gawthorpe (£70), Burton Leonard (£26 8s. 4d.), Thorp Arch (£11), Wheldale and Sutton (£19), Thorpe-in-Balne (£40) and Shipley (£17), among others. Including expenditure, the Gawthorpe inheritance was worth £247 13s. 4d. per annum; a considerable income. Following a post mortem inquisition in 1551, it was found that alongside these estates he owned 500 messuages, 300 cottages, 4000 acres of land, 2000 acres of meadow, 7000 acres of pasture, 500 acres of wood, 7000 acres of fields, moors and marshes, and £20 of free rent. With such wealth and influence, it is unsurprising that the Gascoigne family felt untouchable, as even the crown had difficulty keeping the family's head in check.

This level of arrogance proved to be the family's undoing. William VI became embroiled in a fight for Gawthorpe's neighbouring estate, Harewood. Although the family had made previous attempts to secure parts of the estate, particularly through marriages to the descendants of the Aldeburgh heiresses, all such attempts had been unsuccessful. However, on 18 December 1515, William Gascoigne VI wrote to his uncle, Robert Plumpton, to notify him of his successful bid in court: the Lordship of Harewood, with all its profits and incomes were under the control of Gascoigne until Jane, the daughter of recently-deceased knight Henry Redman (d. c. 1515) had a son come of age. This most likely represented only a moiety of the lordship, while the other half was in the possession of Sir Robert Ryther, to whom William IV's daughter, Elizabeth, was married, it allowed Gascoigne to gain a significant degree of control over the neighbouring lordship. With this success came trouble, and the purpose of his correspondence with Plumpton was to request his assistance in holding the new estate. Whilst there seems to have been no violence the judicial response by other parties was significant. Robert Redman (d. 1547), brother of Henry Redman, filed court proceedings against the ruling. William VI, in retaliation to this, married his son Marmaduke to the heiress Jane Redman. This meant that Marmaduke became the focus of the aggressive litigation. Maintaining the Gascoigne hold on Harewood required the input and attention of the whole family, the result of which, following a two-decade dispute, was the loss of Harewood and debts totalling £1,400. He died in 1551. His will requested a tomb for himself like those of his ancestors, yet no evidence of such a tomb survives." ⁵