Nicholas Harrington

Sir Nicholas Harrington of Hornby, Lancashire (c. 1345/6 – 1404), was an English Member of Parliament who was born in Farleton, Lancashire. He was the third and youngest son of Sir John Harrington of Hornby and Katherine Banastre (died 1359) whose family was involved in the Banastre Rebellion.

Early life His father died in 1358, and his elder brothers, Robert and Thomas, both followed their father, in rapid succession; dying, supposedly, 'in parts beyond the sea' in two separate events (February and then August 1361 respectively.

His second marriage brought him an augmentation of his estates, as Joan was a widow, and controlled her dead husband's estates in Huyton and Knowsley. There was no issue from his second marriage. Harrington appears to have died sometime before February 1404, after which he leaves no official trace.

His estates passed to his eldest son, Sir William, and Nicholas and James entered the household of Henry IV as squires. Sir William became a Knight of the Garter displaying the arms Sable a fret argent, while Sir James combined the tinctures of his paternal arms (sable and argent) with the arms of Henry IV to create differenced arms, blazoned: Sable three leopards argent.

Via his daughter Isabel, he is the great-great-great-grandfather of Queen Katherine Parr and great-great-grandfather to Bishop of Durham Cuthbert Tunstall. Via his daughter Elizabeth he is the great-grandfather of Thomas Stanley, 1st Earl of Derby (husband of Lady Margaret Beaufort and step-father to Henry VII of England).