Much of his time as Vice-Admiral (1513–1525) and Admiral was spent keeping the English Channel free from pirates, and he gained praise from Cardinal Wolsey for his initiative in actions against the French.The Earl of Surrey planned to attack Havre de Grace in June and Morlaix on 1 July, which largely failed due to practical difficulties.Nonetheless, later missions failed: King Henry's obsession with his divorce from his wife, Queen Catherine of Aragon, gave his ambassadors little scope for any other initiative.8. c. 63); he also played a significant part in defusing religious unrest in Calais in the later 1530s He served as a member of parliament for Surrey from 1529 until his elevation to the peerage as Earl of Southampton in 1537.The Earl of Southampton was appointed Lieutenant and Captain-General in the North in 1542, to command an expedition to Scotland, but he was a sick man who had to be conveyed to Newcastle upon Tyne in a litter.