By both parents, John was cousin to Queen Katherine Parr. However, his mother was the queen’s paternal aunt as her father and Katherine shared the same mother. Parr’s father was the result of his mother’s first marriage to Sir William Parr, Lord of Kendal, while Katherine was the result of their mother’s second marriage to the Lancastrian Sir Nicholas Vaux [later Baron Vaux of Harrowden]. By Katherine Parr’s mother, Maud Green, Katherine was a second cousin, once removed of Sir George Throckmorton as they shared Sir John Throckmorton (born circa 1380) and Eleanor de la Spiney (born circa 1385) as common ancestors.
Category Archives: The Tudors (1485-1603)
Queen Katherine Parr: The First Woman and Queen of England to be Published

First published in 1545, “Prayers or Meditations” by Queen Katherine Parr became so popular that 19 new editions were published by 1595 (reign of Elizabeth I). This edition was published in 1546 and bound by a cover made by the Nuns of Little Gedding. Located at Sudeley Castle, Winchcombe.
Queen Katherine Parr published two books in her lifetime. The first, ‘Prayers and Meditations’, was published while King Henry VIII was still alive [1545]. Some sources state 24 April 1544 as being the day that the book was available.
![Folger Shakespeare Library PDI Record: --- Call Number (PDI): STC 4824a Creator (PDI): Catharine Parr, Queen, consort of Henry VIII, King of England, 1512-1548. Title (PDI): [Prayers stirryng the mind unto heavenlye medytacions] Created or Published (PDI): [1550] Physical Description (PDI): title page Image Root File (PDI): 17990 Image Type (PDI): FSL collection Image Record ID (PDI): 18050 MARC Bib 001 (PDI): 165567 Marc Holdings 001 (PDI): 159718 Hamnet Record: --- Creator (Hamnet): Catharine Parr, Queen, consort of Henry VIII, King of England, 1512-1548. Uniform Title (Hamnet): Prayers stirryng the mind unto heavenlye medytacions Title (Hamnet): Praiers Title (Hamnet): Prayers or meditacions, wherein the minde is stirred, paciently to suffre all afflictions here, to set at nought the vayne prosperitee of this worlde, and alway to longe for the euerlastinge felicitee: collected out of holy workes by the most vertuous and gracious princesse Katherine Queene of England, Fraunce, and Ireland. Place of Creation or Publ. (Hamnet): [London : Creator or Publisher (Hamnet): W. Powell?, Date of Creation or Publ. (Hamnet): ca. 1550] Physical Description (Hamnet): [62] p. ; 8⁰. Folger Holdings Notes (Hamnet): HH48/23. Brown goatskin binding, signed by W. Pratt. Imperfect: leaves D2-3 and all after D5 lacking; D2-3 and D6-7 supplied in pen facsimile. Pencilled bibliographical note of Bernard Quaritch. Provenance: Stainforth bookplate; Francis J. Stainforth - Harmsworth copy Notes (Hamnet): An edition of: Prayers stirryng the mind unto heavenlye medytacions. Notes (Hamnet): D2r has an initial 'O' with a bird. Notes (Hamnet): Formerly STC 4821. Notes (Hamnet): Identified as STC 4821 on UMI microfilm, reel 678. Notes (Hamnet): Printer's name and publication date conjectured by STC. Notes (Hamnet): Running title reads: Praiers. Notes (Hamnet): Signatures: A-D⁸ (-D8). Notes (Hamnet): This edition has a prayer for King Edward towards the end. Citations (Hamnet): ESTC (RLIN) S114675 Citations (Hamnet): STC (2nd ed.), 4824a Subject (Hamnet): Prayers -- Early works to 1800. Associated Name (Hamnet): Harmsworth, R. Leicester Sir, (Robert Leicester), 1870-1937, former owner. Call Number (Hamnet): STC 4824a STC 4824a, title page not for reproduction without written permission. Folger Shakespeare Library 201 East Capitol Street, SE Washington, DC 20003](https://tudorqueen6.files.wordpress.com/2015/04/prayers-and-meditations.jpg?w=584)
Folger Shakespeare Library
PDI Record:
—
Call Number (PDI):
STC 4824a
Creator (PDI):
Catharine Parr, Queen, consort of Henry VIII, King of England, 1512-1548.
Title (PDI):
[Prayers stirryng the mind unto heavenlye medytacions]
Created or Published (PDI):
[1550]
Physical Description (PDI):
title page
Image Root File (PDI):
17990
Image Type (PDI):
FSL collection
Image Record ID (PDI):
18050
MARC Bib 001 (PDI):
165567
Marc Holdings 001 (PDI):
159718
Hamnet Record:
—
Creator (Hamnet):
Catharine Parr, Queen, consort of Henry VIII, King of England, 1512-1548.
Uniform Title (Hamnet):
Prayers stirryng the mind unto heavenlye medytacions
Title (Hamnet):
Praiers
Title (Hamnet):
Prayers or meditacions, wherein the minde is stirred, paciently to suffre all afflictions here, to set at nought the vayne prosperitee of this worlde, and alway to longe for the euerlastinge felicitee: collected out of holy workes by the most vertuous and gracious princesse Katherine Queene of England, Fraunce, and Ireland.
Place of Creation or Publ. (Hamnet):
[London :
Creator or Publisher (Hamnet):
W. Powell?,
Date of Creation or Publ. (Hamnet):
ca. 1550]
Physical Description (Hamnet):
[62] p. ; 8⁰.
Folger Holdings Notes (Hamnet):
HH48/23. Brown goatskin binding, signed by W. Pratt. Imperfect: leaves D2-3 and all after D5 lacking; D2-3 and D6-7 supplied in pen facsimile. Pencilled bibliographical note of Bernard Quaritch. Provenance: Stainforth bookplate; Francis J. Stainforth – Harmsworth copy
Notes (Hamnet):
An edition of: Prayers stirryng the mind unto heavenlye medytacions.
Notes (Hamnet):
D2r has an initial ‘O’ with a bird.
Notes (Hamnet):
Formerly STC 4821.
Notes (Hamnet):
Identified as STC 4821 on UMI microfilm, reel 678.
Notes (Hamnet):
Printer’s name and publication date conjectured by STC.
Notes (Hamnet):
Running title reads: Praiers.
Notes (Hamnet):
Signatures: A-D⁸ (-D8).
Notes (Hamnet):
This edition has a prayer for King Edward towards the end.
Citations (Hamnet):
ESTC (RLIN) S114675
Citations (Hamnet):
STC (2nd ed.), 4824a
Subject (Hamnet):
Prayers — Early works to 1800.
Associated Name (Hamnet):
Harmsworth, R. Leicester Sir, (Robert Leicester), 1870-1937, former owner.
Call Number (Hamnet):
STC 4824a
STC 4824a, title page not for reproduction without written permission.
Folger Shakespeare Library
201 East Capitol Street, SE
Washington, DC 20003
Published in 1547 [according to Sudeley Castle] after the death of King Henry VIII, “The Lamentation of a Sinner” was Catherine’s second book which was more extreme than her first publication. She was encouraged by her good friend the Duchess of Suffolk and her brother, the Marquess, to publish. The transcription of the title page here is… “The Lamentacion of a synner, made by the most vertuous Lady quene Caterine, bewailyng the ignoraunce of her blind life; let foorth & put in print at the inflance befire of the right gracious lady Caterine, Duchesse of Suffolke, and the ernest request of the right honourable Lord William Parre, Marquesse of Northampton.”
I was lucky enough to see a copy both a Sudeley Castle and at the Shakespeare Library in Washington, D.C.
2 DECEMBER 1571: THE BURIAL of Sir William Parr, 1st Marquess of Northampton

The Collegiate Church of St Mary in the town of Warwick, England. It is a Parish Church of the Church of England. (Wikipedia)
On 2 December 1571 Sir William Parr, 1st Marquess of Northampton was laid to rest in St. Mary’s Collegiate Church, Warwick, England.
The inscription on the stone tablet reads:
‘Died in Warwick 28 October 1571. [Unknown] with the ceremonial due [of a] Knight of the Garter to the Order of Queen Elizabeth who bore the expense of the funeral, 2 December 1571.‘

Lord Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester and favorite of Elizabeth I was also buried in St. Mary’s in September of 1588.
Coincidentally, William was buried in the same church as Elizabeth’s favorite, Robert Dudley, 1st Earl of Leicester. As he had requested, Leicester was buried in the Beauchamp Chapel—in the same chapel as Richard Beauchamp, his ancestor, and the “noble Impe”, his little son.
Collegiate Church of St Mary in Warwick, Beauchamp Chapel, tomb of Lord Robert and Lettice Dudley (born Knolly). (Wiki Commons)
His widow, Countess Lettice, was also buried there when she died in 1634, alongside the “best and dearest of husbands”, as the epitaph, which she commissioned says.

Wenceslaus Hollar, ‘Richard Beauchamp, Earl of Warwick (tomb)‘, University of Toronto Wenceslas Hollar Digital Collection. Wikimedia Commons.
The Beauchamp family vault is also in St. Mary’s. The tomb of the 13th Earl of Warwick features several of Northampton’s ancestors and cousins such as the Neville family. Northampton’s paternal great-grandmother, Lady Alice FitzHugh (born Neville), was sister to Richard Neville, 16th Earl of Warwick (“Warwick, the Kingmaker”) who is featured on the Beauchamp Monument. Also featured is the parents of Lady FitzHugh and Lord Warwick, The Earl and Countess of Salisbury, Richard and Lady Alice Montacute.

Tomb of Richard Beauchamp, 13th Earl of Warwick which is surrounded by mourners of his family and in-laws. (Moriarty Blog)
Lord Robert, Earl of Leicester descended from the 13th Earl via his paternal great-great-grandfather John Talbot, 1st Viscount of Lisle who was the son of Lady Margaret Beauchamp, Countess of Shrewsbury; eldest daughter of the 13th Earl of Warwick and his first wife, Elizabeth Berkeley.
© Meg McGath; author. All Rights Reserved.
Link
Historian Stephan Edwards has concluded in his latest research that Leanda de Lisle [author of “Tudor: The Family Story”] was correct in writing in ‘The Sisters Who Would be Queen’ that the famous description of Lady Jane Grey’s procession to the Tower, supposedly written by a witness called Spinola, is a twentieth century fraud. Lisle noted in an article for BBC History magazine (which is on her website under ‘articles’) that the costume Spinola describes resembles this Victorian image. Anyway, Dr Edwards has done further research into the fraud, and every interesting it all is. See here: http://www.somegreymatter.com/spinola.htm
Dr Edwards has, however, also published and translated for the first time two Italian letters that actually were written in 1553. This really is brilliant work! They give the first authentic description of Guildford Dudley’s appearance and also describe Jane! Thank you Dr Edwards and Leanda de Lisle for your incredibly generous sharing of your research online. http://www.somegreymatter.com/lettereintro.htm
7 July 1517: St. Thomas Day Banquet at Greenwich
The banquet was held on St Thomas’s day that is to say the summer feast the 7th of July. There were in all thirty three people seated at the banquet. The King had the centre place at the upper table; Queen Katherine was on his right and Cardinal Wolsey on hers; on the King’s left was the French Queen [Mary Tudor, Duchess of Suffolk] and the Emperor’s Ambassador was beside her. Then at the side tables with English peers and peeresses sat the Ambassadors of France, Aragon, and Venice. To attend on these thirty three persons no less than 250 names are given in a paper that was drawn up beforehand and these are almost all lords or knights. How they could avoid being in one another’s way is the difficulty. For instance Lords Abergavenny, Fitzwalter, Willoughby, and Ferrers to hold torches while the King washes. To bear towels and basons for the King the Earl of Surrey, Lords Richard Grey, Leonard Grey, and Clinton, Sir Maurice Berkeley, and eight other knights. The King’s server was Sir William Kingston and to attend on him Lord Edmund Howard [father of the future Queen Katherine] and fourteen knights the last named of whom is Sir Adrian Fortescue. To help the Vice-chamberlain in the ordering of the company, Sirs Thomas Parr [father of the future Queen Katherine] and John Peche. At the third mess, the French Queen’s servant; to attend on him, Sirs William Parr [brother to Sir Thomas and uncle to the future queen] and several others.

Seating Chart of the banquet at Greenwich on St. Thomas Day, 1517. Thanks to my friend Katherine for this.
At the head table:
- Card
- Queen Katherine
- King Henry
- French Queen Mary Tudor
- Emperor’s Ambassador
The table on the left:
- Duchess of Norfolk
- French Ambassador
- Countess of Surrey
- Bishop of Spain
- Lady Elizabeth Boleyn [mother of the future Queen Anne]
- Provost of Cassel
- Lady Howard [mother of the future Queen Katherine]
- Duke of Nofolk
- Lady Guildford, the elder
- Lord Marques
- Lady Willoughby
- Earl of Surrey
- Lady FitzWilliam
- Lady Marques
The table on the right:
- Mons. Dancye
- Lady Elizabeth Stafford
- Knight of the Toyson
- Countess of Oxenford
- Ambassador of Venice
- Lady Elizabeth Gray
- Duke of Suffolk [Charles Brandon]
- Lady Abergavenny
- Bishop of Durham [perhaps Cuthbert Tunstall]
- Lady Montjoy
- Earl of Kent
- Mistress Mary Fynes [Mary Fiennes]
Sources
- ‘Henry VIII: July 1517, 1-10’, Letters and Papers, Foreign and Domestic, Henry VIII, Volume 2: 1515-1518 (1864), pp. 1092-1102. URL: http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=90948&strquery=william+parr Date accessed: 07 July 2013
- John S. Brewer, Robert H. Brodie, James Gairdner. Letters and Papers, Foreign and Domestic, of the Reign of Henry VIII.:Preserved in the Public Record Office, the British Museum and Elsewhere: 1517 – 1518, Volume 2, Issue 2, H.M. Stationery Office, 1864.
- John Morris. The Venerable Sir Adrian Fortescue, knight of the bath, knight of St. John, martyr, Burns and Oates, 1887.
7 June 1520: The Field of the Cloth of Gold
The Field of the Cloth of Gold started on 7 June 1520. It took place between Guînes and Ardres, in France, near Calais, from 7 June to 24 June 1520. It was a meeting arranged to increase the bond of friendship between King Henry VIII of England and King Francis I of France following the Anglo-French treaty of 1514.

“The Field of the Cloth of Gold” British School, 16th century (artist) c.1545 (Royal Collection under Wiki Commons)
Among those present was the widowed Lady Maud Parr and 1 woman; Lady Joan Guildford the elder (Joan Vaux, sister of Katherine Parr’s uncle-in-law AND step-grandfather Sir Nicholas, Lord Vaux of Harrowden) and 2 gentlewomen; Lady Vaux (most likely Catherine’s maternal aunt, Anne Green (d.1523)) and 1 woman; and Lady Mary Parr (Mary Salisbury, wife of Katherine’s uncle, William, Lord Parr of Horton) and 1 woman. These women accompanied and attended the queen, Katherine of Aragon.
The Hampton Court Pedigrees: The Six Wives of Henry VIII
All of King Henry’s wives had one thing in common, they all descended from Edward I; some by his first wife Eleanor of Castile or by his second, Marguerite of France; and in some cases both! In Hampton Court Palace in King Henry VIII’s apartment there are six stained glassed windows showing his wives pedigrees from King Edward I. As some were descended multiple times or by both wives the more prominent ancestry was featured.
From Atonia Fraser’s The Wives of Henry VIII, pg 363:
The following genealogy should be seen as a reflection of the narrowness of aristocratic society in a world of small population, rather than as some unconscious desire [that King Henry VIII might have] to commit forms of incest as has been suggested. The wives of Henry VIII were not “closely” related or to King Henry himself. The exception would be of the first cousins Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard; Henry’s 2nd and 5th wife whom shared the same grandfather, Sir Thomas Howard, 2nd Duke of Norfolk by his 1st wife Elizabeth Tilney (herself the daughter of Elizabeth Cheney by her first husband Sir Philip Tilney. Elizabeth married secondly Sir John Say. Her daughter Anne would become grandmother to Queen consort Jane Seymour, thus making Queen Anne, Queen Jane, and Queen Catherine Howard second cousins).
In actuality, King Henry was closely related to two of his wives; Katherine of Aragon and his last wife, Katherine Parr. All three shared common ancestry and the ancestor Prince John of Gaunt, 1st Duke of Lancaster. Thus, Katherine of Aragon was a 3rd cousin, once removed and 4th cousin (by Lancaster’s first two wives). Katherine’s lineage made her more eligible to the throne of England than her father-in-law, Henry VII. The lineage from both Henry VIII and Katherine of Aragon gave their daughter, Princess Mary, the stronghold that she would have needed to be Queen Regnant from birth. Her claim to the throne was undeniable, yet Henry VIII threw away her chances–when he declared Mary illegitimate and moved on to wife no. 2, Anne Boleyn.
Parr, however, had multiple links via her father and mother. Queen Katherine Parr and Henry VIII’s closest relations: 3rd cousins via Lady Maud Parr (through Sir Richard Wydeville and Joan Bedlisgate; grandparents of Queen consort Elizabeth Woodville, wife of Edward IV); and by Lord Parr — 3rd cousins, once removed (through Ralph Neville, 1st Earl of Westmorland and Lady Joan Beaufort; parents to Lady Cecily, Duchess of York, mother to Edward IV and Richard III); 4th cousins by John of Gaunt, 1st Duke of Lancaster and Katherine Swynford (grandparents to John Beaufort, 1st Earl of Somerset); 4th cousins, once removed and 5th cousins through Sir Thomas Holland, 2nd Earl of Kent and Lady Alice FitzAlan (parents of Lady Margaret, Countess of Somerset and Lady Alianore, Countess of March).
The Hampton Court Pedigrees
linking them all back to King Edward I of England
Queen Katharine of Aragon
(1509-1533)
“Not for my Crown” (As Princess of Wales)
&
“Humble and Loyal” (As queen consort)
Katharine of Arragon 1st wife of King Henry ye Eighth, her pedigree from King Edward ye First and his 1st wife Eleanor of Castile
Katharine of Aragon was the daughter of
Queen Anne Bullen
(1533-1536)
“The Most Happy“
Anne Bullen the 2nd wife of King Henry ye Eighth, her pedigree from King Edward ye First and his second wife Margaret of France
Anne Bullen, daughter of
Queen Jane Seymour
(1536-1537)
“Bound to Serve and Obey“
Jane Seymour 3rd wife of King Henry ye Eighth, her pedigree from King Edward ye First and his 1st wife Eleanor of Castile
Jane Seymour was the daughter of
Queen Anne of Cleve
(1540)
“God Send Me Well to Keep“
Anne of Cleve, 4th wife of King Henry ye Eighth, her pedigree from King Edward ye First and his 1st wife Eleanor of Castile
Anne of Cleve was the daughter of
Queen Katharine Howard
(1540-1541)
“No Other Will But His“
Katharine Howard, 5th wife of King Henry ye Eighth, her pedigree from King Edward ye First and his 2nd wife Margaret of France
Katharine, daughter of
Lord Edmond Howard

Katherine Howard’s Royal emblem was a Tudor Rose; there was no feature but this Fleur-de-Lis window emblem in her Pedigree
Queen Katherine Parr
(1543-1547)
“To be Useful in All That I Do“
Katharine Parr, 6th wife of King Henry ye Eighth, her pedigree from King Edward ye First and his 1st wife Eleanor of Castile
Katharine daughter of
Helena the Red
Helena, wife to Sir William Parr, 1st Marquess of Northampton, etc. would have been the sister-in-law of Queen Katherine Parr. The couple had no children. Helena caught the eye of Northampton when she arrived as a lady to Princess Cecilia of Sweden. When the Princess left England, Helena decided to stay. She caught the eye of Northampton and the queen stepped in to help the couple by giving Helena quarters at Hampton Court Palace. The couple was married a few months before Northampton’s death; the queen attended. Helena, who was allowed to hold on to her title of “Marchioness of Northampton” would re-marry and have issue. She became one of the top ladies of Elizabeth I and was considered the highest lady at court under the queen’s cousin, Lady Margaret Douglas (grandmother of James I of England).
![]()
‘The Master of the Countess of Warwick’, ‘Portrait of a lady, aged 21, possibly Helena Snakenborg’, dated 1569.
For more info on the Marchioness see: 16 APRIL 1635: THE DEATH of the Marchioness of Northampton
I love red-heads.
Elin Ulfsdotter Snakenborg, Marchioness of Northampton (hell of a last name) was the Maid of Honour to Queen Elizabeth I of England. She was born in Sweden in 1548 and lived to be 86 years old. At the time of her death, she had 92 direct descendants. Wow.
One of the many titles she carried (and the one I find most interesting) was “Chief Mourner” in the funeral procession for Queen Elizabeth.
Family of Queen Katherine: Bess Throckmorton, Lady Raleigh

Abbie Cornish as Bess; lady to Elizabeth I in “Elizabeth: The Golden Age” (2007)
16 APRIL 1565: The BIRTH of Elizabeth “Bess” Throckmorton, Lady Raleigh (16 April 1565 – 1647) was a lady-in-waiting to Elizabeth I. Bess is said to have been intelligent, forthright, passionate and courageous. Elizabeth Throckmorton would have been a striking person in any age, including our own. She stands alongside Bess of Hardwick, a contemporary, and Lady Anne Clifford, a little later, as an example of the woman who overcomes all the considerable odds stacked against her.
“I envy you Bess. You’re free to have what I can’t have.”
Elizabeth: The Golden Age (2007)
Family History at Court
Elizabeth’s family had deep rooted connections at court that started centuries before her birth. Elizabeth was the youngest child and only daughter of Sir Nicholas Throckmorton and his wife Anne Carew. Nicholas was the son of Sir George of Coughton Court and Katherine Vaux. The Throckmortons had been at court since the early reign of King Henry IV. Elizabeth’s great-great-grandfather, Sir Thomas Throckmorton, was High Sheriff of Warwick and Leicester counties during Henry’s reign. Nicholas’s mother, Katherine, just happened to be the uterine sister of Sir Thomas Parr, father of the future Queen Katherine. A uterine sibling meant that Sir Thomas and Lady Throckmorton shared the same mother, Elizabeth FitzHugh. Elizabeth was a daughter of Henry, Lord FitzHugh and Lady Alice [born Neville]. As the daughter of a Neville, there is no need to explain the Neville connections to the crown. I will simply note that they were descended from the Beaufort children of Prince John of Gaunt, 1st Duke of Lancaster and his third wife, Katherine Swynford. Elizabeth FitzHugh was at court as Lady Parr until her husband died in 1483. Sir William Parr was a staunch supporter of the House of York and had been a close confidant of King Edward IV. However, once the Duke of Gloucester took the throne as Richard III, Parr declined any involvement in Richard’s coronation and reign. Lord Parr headed north where he died shortly after. His widow, Elizabeth, would marry again sometime before or shortly after Henry Tudor took the throne as King Henry VII. The new husband was a staunch Lancastrian. Nicholas Vaux’s mother had served Margaret of Anjou. Nicholas was a protege of Lady Margaret Beaufort, mother of the new King. And this, my friends, was how it was played at court. Alignment with the right people and monarch on the throne made life comfortable for everyone involved. Elizabeth, now Lady Vaux, had three daughters by her second husband, Nicholas [later Baron Vaux of Harrowden].
Family
Elizabeth Throckmorton’s father, Lord Nicholas, later a diplomat, served in the household of Henry Fitzroy, Duke of Richmond as a page. The position is thought to have been attained by his uncle, Sir William Parr [later Baron Parr of Horton], in 1532. Sir William had been appointed Chamberlain of the household of the illegitimate son of King Henry VIII. Nicholas’s cousin, also named William, was present in Richmond’s household as a companion. William learned and played alongside Richmond and another companion, the Earl of Surrey [Henry Howard]. Nicholas ventured with Fitzroy as he traveled to France to meet King Francis. He stayed on for about a year and became somewhat fluent in French. After Fitzroy’s death in 1536, Nicholas’s options were somewhat limited. His mother, Katherine, used her influence as an aunt to obtain him a position in the household of his cousin, Lord William Parr [created Earl of Essex in December 1543]. In July 1543, his cousin Katherine Parr, was married to King Henry VIII as his sixth queen. By 1544-47 or 8, Nicholas had been appointed to the Queen’s household as a sewer. Nicholas would go on to serve under the rest of the Tudor monarchs; Edward VI, Mary I, and Elizabeth I.

Nicholas Throckmorton and his wife, Anne Carew.
Elizabeth’s mother, Anne Carew, was the daughter of Sir Nicholas Carew and Elizabeth Bryan. Lady Bryan married Sir Thomas Bryan and was governess to all three of Henry VIII’s children at one point in time. Lady Bryan was the daughter of Elizabeth Tilney by her first marriage to Sir Humphrey Bourchier. By her mother’s second marriage to Thomas Howard, Earl of Surrey [later Duke of Norfolk], Lady Bryan was an aunt of Queen Anne Boleyn and Queen Katherine Howard. Anne Carew’s father, Nicholas, was a grandson of Eleanor Hoo. Eleanor was sister to Sir Thomas Boleyn’s [father of Queen Anne Boleyn] grandmother, Anne Hoo. Courtiers, by this time, had started to close the gap between the affinity to each other, meaning most of the court was related to each other. One way or another.
Life
Elizabeth was only six when her father died. In 1584, she went to court and became a lady-in-waiting to the Queen. She eventually became a gentlewoman of the Privy Chamber (she dressed and undressed Elizabeth).

Sir Walter Raleigh was in favour with Queen Elizabeth until he fell in love with the daughter of Sir Nicholas Throckmorton. Look AND Learn History Picture Library.
In 1590, she caught the eye of Sir Walter Raleigh, a rising royal favorite. In November 1591, the couple secretly wed after Elizabeth discovered she was pregnant. For months, Elizabeth kept her secret from the queen and withdrew to her brother’s house in London, where she gave birth to a son in March 1592. The queen came to discover what had happened and both Elizabeth and Raleigh were thrown in to The Tower of London.
In December 1592, after Elizabeth had lost her child, the two were released, but Raleigh was refused to be seen by the queen for a year and the queen never forgave Lady Raleigh. In 1601, an attempt to restore her at court failed. Lady Raleigh spent most of her time at Sherborne, their country home in Dorset. In 1593, Lady Raleigh gave birth to another son named Walter at Sherborne. Lady Raleigh did come and go between London, but much of the 1590s saw husband and wife separated from each other.
Sir Walter Raleigh lead an exhibition to the Orinoco basin to South America in 1595; while in 1596, Raleigh was made a leader of the Cadiz Raid.
After the ascension of James I in 1603, Raleigh’s enemies at court convinced King James that he was a threat and Raleigh was imprisoned again in the Tower.
In 1605, Lady Raleigh gave birth to another son named Carew either in or around the Tower. In 1609, the King confiscated Sherborne and Lady Raleigh was given a small pension to live off of.
Lady Raleigh lived with her husband until 1610. Despite her many appeals, her husband was executed on 29 October 1618. Lady Raleigh ended up keeping her husband’s head which she had embalmed. It is said that she carried the head with her until her own death. Whether that’s true, who knows!
Bess would go on to rebuild her life after the death of her husband. She was perused by creditors for the rest of her life but in time came to clear her family’s name. She earned back her fortunes and prospects and ended up a rich widow in time. Bess became good friend to John Donne and Ben Jonson [the play write], and mother of an MP.
MEDIA

Elizabeth “Bess” Throckmorton portrayals through out the years in film.
- The Virgin Queen (1955): Sir Walter Raleigh gains audience with Queen Elizabeth I seeking her support – and money for ships to sail – but soon finds himself caught between the Queen’s desire for him and his love for Beth Throgmorton (Joan Collins). Ben Nye was makeup artist.
- Elizabeth: The Golden Age (2007): This sequel to Elizabeth deals with Elizabeth’s handling of the Spanish Armada, and the problem of Mary Queen of Scots, while infatuated with sir Walter Raleigh. The Armada is dealt with in short order, Mary with much anguish but thanks to Bess Throckmorton (Abbie Cornish) Raleigh slips from her grasp. Jenny Shircore was hair & makeup designer.
- The Simpsons (2009): The plot of this one was basically The Simpsons’ take on “Elizabeth: The Golden Age” with Selma as Elizabeth I, Homer as Sir Walter Raleigh, and Marge as Bess Throckmorton. (Eakins)
- “My Just Desire : The Life of Bess Raleigh, Wife to Sir Walter” by Anne Beer.
- Rebecca Larson. Elizabeth “Bess” Throckmorton: The Queen’s Permission, The Tudor Dynasty, 15 August 2016. URL: http://www.tudorsdynasty.com/elizabeth-bess-throckmorton-raleigh/
Sources
- John A. Wagner, Susan Walters Schmid Ph. D. Encyclopedia of Tudor England, ABC-CLIO, Dec 31, 2011. pg 920-21.
- Geoffrey Moorhouse. Blessed Bess, The Guardian, Friday 20 February 2004.
- Laura Eakins. More Fun with Screen Captures, 6 June 2009.
- The History of Parliament: the House of Commons 1509-1558: THROCKMORTON, Nicholas (1515/16-71), of London and Paulerspury, Northants., ed. S.T. Bindoff, 1982
- The History of Parliament: the House of Commons 1509-1558: THROCKMORTON, Sir George (by 1489-1552), of Coughton, Warws., ed. S.T. Bindoff, 1982
Family of Queen Katherine: THE FUNERAL of William Herbert, 1st Earl of Pembroke
18 APRIL 1570: THE FUNERAL of Sir William Herbert, 1st Earl of Pembroke took place at Old St. Paul’s Cathedral in London. Pembroke had been the husband of Lady Anne (Parr), sister of the late Queen Katherine and the Marquess of Northampton.
Lord Pembroke died on 17 March 1570 at Hampton Court Palace. William was eldest son of Sir Richard Herbert of Ewyas, Herefordshire, by his wife Margaret, daughter of Sir Matthew Cradock of Swansea. Pembroke’s father, Sir Richard, was an illegitimate son of the original Herbert first creation of the Earldom, William Herbert, 1st Earl of Pembroke (d. 1469), by a mistress, Maud, daughter of Adam ap Howell Graunt. He married firstly to Anne Parr in 1538 and after her death, Lady Anne Talbot, daughter of the Earl of Shrewsbury. Parr gave Pembroke an heir (the 2nd Earl), an heir to spare (ancestor to the Earls of Powis), and a daughter (no issue). Talbot had no issue by Pembroke.
In his will, Pembroke listed two possible burial places; Old Saint Paul’s or Canterbury Cathedral. If he died near London, his wishes were to be buried in St. Paul’s Cathedral next to his first wife, Lady Anne (Parr). Pembroke obviously loved his wife for when he wrote his will, despite being married again, he wanted nothing more than to be buried “near the place where Anne my late wife doth lie buried” in St. Paul’s.
On Tuesday, 18 April 1570, Pembroke was buried with great state and ceremony in Old St. Paul’s Cathedral. His funeral was attended by all the principle members of the Government, as well as all the numerous officers of his household. A full list is provided in “Wiltshire Archaeological and Natural History Society,” 1879. The list states the various positions and who attended to them.
“An ordre of Proceedinge at the funerall of the late right Honorable William Erle of Penbrooke one tuisdaye the xviijth daye of April 1570,”
Some highlights of the list:
Chief Mourner: Sir Henry Herbert, 2nd Earl of Pembroke (eldest son of Lord Pembroke).
Mourners assistants with their hoods on:
- The Earl of Leicester
- Edward Herbert (second son of Lord Pembroke)
- Sir James Crofts
- Sir William Cecil
- Sir Walter Myldemaye
- Sir Nicholas Throckmorton (cousin to Pembroke’s wife, Lady Anne (Parr))
Six noblemen with their rolls:
- Lord Admiral (Edward Clinton, Lord Clinton (later Earl of Lincoln))
- Lord Chamberlain (Lord Howard of Effingham)
- Lord Talbot
- Lord Cobham
- Lord Grey of Wilton
- Lord Buckherst
One of the three knights with their hoods on their shoulders included Sir Francis Knollys.
“The proceedinge to the offringe as heerafter folowith: First the chief mourner, his trayne borne, and all the rest of the mourners to folowe and none to offerre but he and the officers of Arms before him.
Then the chief mourner to goe upp alone, and to offerre for himself, and ther to remayne untill all the hatchements be offred, whiche he shall receyve and delyuer to York Herauld, who shall set theim one the communion boord: then he to be brought downe agayne to his place.
Then the hatchements to be offred as folowith, and at all tymes…Herauld before them..
First my Lord Keper and The Erl of Leicester offred the Coat of Armes
Then Mr Edward Herbert and Sr James Crofte offred the sword
Then Sr William Cicill [Cecil] and Sr Walter Myldemay offred the Targe
Sr Nicholas Throckmorton [and] Mr Gerard attorney generall offred the heaulme and crest
Then the viij mourners to offerre for theime selfes as folowith ij and ij
First the Lorde Keper [and] The Erle of Leicester; Garter Kinge of Armes before them
Mr Comptroller, Mr Edward Herbert; Richemond Harauld before theim
Sr William Cicill [Cecil], Sr Walter Myldemay; Chester Harauld before theim
Sr Nicholas Throckmorton, Mr Gerard attorney generall; Richemond Harauld before theim
The the iiij assistantes York Harauld before theim
Then the noble men in blackes ioyntly togither Richemond Haruald before theim
Then the Steward Threasorer & comptroller; Chester Harauld before theim
Then the Knightes Master Coferer and Clerkes of the greene clothe and all other Esquyres and gentlemen to folowe theime ioyntly ij and ij Richemond Harauld before
Then the banner of his armes, Then the Standert; a Harauld before either of theim
Then all other gentlemen having no blackes that will offere
Then the offringe donn and a certayne collect reade all the chief mourners and noble men departed leauinge the officers and assistantes to see the body buryed . Which officers did putt the Defunctes staff into the graue and brake eche of theim ther owne staves and cast theim into the graue with him.”
Pembroke’s tomb (along with Lady Anne Parr) was located between the choir and the North aisle. The tomb was/is by John of Gaunt and Blanche of Lancaster, between the pillars of the 6th bay of the Choir. (Benham) It was a magnificent structure consisting of effigies of the earl and his lady (Anne Parr) lying on a sarcophagus, attended by kneeling children, and the whole covered by an elaborate canopy resting on stone shafts. (Clinch)

Tomb of William, Earl of Pembroke, in St Paul’s; the tomb on a tall base on which lie a man and wife, in ermine robes, heads to left; eleven columns support a double arch above and obelisk topped extensions at the sides; two cartouches at top, to the left with coat of arms and to the right with dedication by ‘Ioh Herbert’; illustration to William Dugdale’s ‘History of St Paul’s’ (London, 1658 and 1716) Trustees of the British Museum
See also
Sources
- “Wiltshire Archaeological and Natural History Society,” Devizes: Wiltshire Archaeological and Natural History Society, 1879. pg 128-31.
- George Clinch. “St. Paul’s Cathedral, London,” Methuen, London, 1906. pg 47.
- William Benham. “Old St. Paul’s Cathedral,” Seeley and Co., London, 1902.
- Wenceslaus Hollar. “Tomb of William Herbert, Earl of Pembroke,” British Museum Online, engraving, 1658.
Links
- Heritage Images. “Tomb of William Herbert, Earl of Pembroke” — color.