Stucley or Stukely, Thomas, 1525?-1578, English adventurer. He was rumored to be an illegitimate son of Henry VIII. He was in the service of Edward Seymour, duke of Somerset, and fled to France after Somerset's fall (1549). There he gained the favor of Henry II of France, who sent him (1552) on a mission to England. Stucley betrayed the projected French invasion of Calais but was imprisoned. Released in 1553, he joined the army of Emmanuel Philibert, duke of Savoy, in Flanders and took part in the battle of Saint-Quentin (1557). In 1563 Stucley organized a privateering expedition with Jean Ribaut under the cover of helping to colonize Florida and with surreptitious aid from Queen Elizabeth I. The resulting complaints of foreign nations caused Elizabeth to arrest him in 1565, but he was immediately pardoned. Stucley then went to serve in Ireland and in 1566 purchased the title of marshal of Ireland. Elizabeth, who distrusted him, refused to recognize this title, and in 1569 he was accused of treason. Stucley fled (1570) to Spain, where he was received at court, knighted, and recognized as duke of Ireland. He planned a Spanish invasion of Ireland but fell from favor at Madrid. His conduct at the battle of Lepanto (1571), where he commanded three ships, brought Stucley back into favor with the Spanish, and he continued plotting against England. In 1577 he received aid from Pope Gregory XIII for an invasion of Ireland. He set sail but at Lisbon was persuaded to join the Portuguese expedition of King Sebastian against Morocco and was killed at the battle of Ksar el Kebir. His adventures have been the subject of ballads and plays.

The Stucley Baronetcy, of Affeton Castle in the County of Devon, is a title in the Baronetage of the United Kingdom. It was created on 26 April 1859 for George Stucley, Conservative Member of Parliament for Barnstaple from 1855 to 1857. Born George Buck, he had assumed by Royal license the surname of Stucley in lieu of his patronymic in 1858 as lineal representative of the ancient Stucley family. This family, which possessed Affeton Castle in Devon for over 600 years, originally came from the village of Stukeley in Huntingdonshire, and were sheriffs of that county during the reign of King John. The family are descended from Thomas Stucley, who was allegedly the illegitimate son of Henry VIII. The fifth Baronet served as a Deputy Lieutenant and High Sheriff of Devon.

Stucley Baronets, of Affeton Castle (1859)

• Sir George Stucley Stucley, 1st Baronet (1812-1900)
• Sir William Lewis Stucley, 2nd Baronet (1836-1911)
• Sir Edward Arthur George Stucley, 3rd Baronet (1852-1927)
• Sir Hugh Nicholas Granville Stucley, 4th Baronet (1873-1956)
• Sir Dennis Frederic Bankes Stucley, 5th Baronet (1907-1983)
• Sir Hugh George Coplestone Bampfylde Stucley, 6th Baronet (b. 1945)

References

• Kidd, Charles, Williamson, David (editors). Debrett's Peerage and Baronetage (1990 edition). New York: St Martin's Press, 1990.
• Leigh Rayment's Peerage Page