Catherine Carey
Encyclopedia
Katherine Carey, often spelt Catherine Carey, after her marriage Katherine Knollys and later Lady Knollys, pronounced "Noles" (c. 1524 – 15 January 1569), was chief Lady of the Bedchamber
to Queen Elizabeth I
, who was her first cousin.
Katherine's mother was Mary Boleyn
, a mistress of Henry VIII
before he courted and later married her sister Anne Boleyn
, Henry's second Queen consort
.
Katherine's husband was Sir Francis Knollys, with whom she had 14 children.
in Hertfordshire
, Gentleman of the Privy Chamber
and Esquire of the Body to Henry VIII, and his wife Mary Boleyn
, who had once been a mistress of the king. She was Elizabeth I's first cousin. Some contemporaries also asserted that Katherine was an illegitimate child of the King and so was Elizabeth's half sister. This was never acknowledged by the King
Katherine was said to be a witness to the execution of her aunt, Anne Boleyn, in 1536. But according to the biographer of Mary Boleyn, Alison Weir, it was a Victorian legend that claimed that a young Catherine stayed overnight to entertain and distract her aunt Anne in the Tower the morning before the execution.
Katherine went on to become Maid of Honour to both Queens Anne of Cleves
and Catherine Howard
. On 26 April 1540 she married Sir Francis Knollys
. Her husband was named a Knight of the Garter in 1593, although he had already been knighted in 1547. He was also Treasurer of the Royal Household
. From the time of her marriage, Katherine became known as Mistress Knollys, and from 1547 as Lady Knollys. When not in London, the couple lived at Reading
in Berkshire
and Rotherfield Greys
in Oxfordshire
, although, as staunch Protestants, they fled to Germany during the reign of Queen Mary I
.
Princess Elizabeth wrote to her cousin there and Katherine was appointed Chief Lady of the Bedchamber after she became Queen Elizabeth I. For the first ten years of the reign, Lady Katherine combined the most senior post among the ladies-in-waiting with motherhood to more than a dozen children. Unsurprisingly, Elizabeth never recognized Katherine as her half-sister, and it was certainly not a relationship that Katherine or Sir Francis ever openly claimed. At court, Katherine was acknowledged as the queen's favourite among her first cousins, and Elizabeth's lack of other female relatives to whom she felt close may be adequate to explain this favoured position.
She died on 15 January 1569 at Hampton Court Palace
, being outlived by her husband and children, and was buried the following April in St Edmund's Chapel in Westminster Abbey
. There is a small commemorative plaque
in the abbey, although her chief monument is at Rotherfield Greys
in Oxfordshire
.
Katherine's epitaph reads:
She should not be confused with her niece, Katherine Carey, who became Countess of Nottingham.
. Katherine Carey is also a character in Gregory's The Boleyn Inheritance
, where she is sent to the royal court during the time of Queens Anne of Cleves and Catherine Howard, and in The Virgin's Lover
, where, as the mother of the seventeen-year-old Laetitia Knollys, she is among Queen Elizabeth I's closest companions.
Lady of the Bedchamber
This is an incomplete list of those who have served as Lady of the Bedchamber in the British Royal Household...
to Queen Elizabeth I
Elizabeth I of England
Elizabeth I was queen regnant of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death. Sometimes called The Virgin Queen, Gloriana, or Good Queen Bess, Elizabeth was the fifth and last monarch of the Tudor dynasty...
, who was her first cousin.
Katherine's mother was Mary Boleyn
Mary Boleyn
Mary Boleyn , was the sister of English queen consort Anne Boleyn and a member of the Boleyn family, which enjoyed considerable influence during the reign of King Henry VIII of England...
, a mistress of Henry VIII
Henry VIII of England
Henry VIII was King of England from 21 April 1509 until his death. He was Lord, and later King, of Ireland, as well as continuing the nominal claim by the English monarchs to the Kingdom of France...
before he courted and later married her sister Anne Boleyn
Anne Boleyn
Anne Boleyn ;c.1501/1507 – 19 May 1536) was Queen of England from 1533 to 1536 as the second wife of Henry VIII of England and Marquess of Pembroke in her own right. Henry's marriage to Anne, and her subsequent execution, made her a key figure in the political and religious upheaval that was the...
, Henry's second Queen consort
Queen consort
A queen consort is the wife of a reigning king. A queen consort usually shares her husband's rank and holds the feminine equivalent of the king's monarchical titles. Historically, queens consort do not share the king regnant's political and military powers. Most queens in history were queens consort...
.
Katherine's husband was Sir Francis Knollys, with whom she had 14 children.
Biography
Katherine Carey was born in about 1524, the daughter of Sir William Carey of AldenhamAldenham
This article is about the village in Hertfordshire. For the London Transport Bus Overhaul Works, see Aldenham Works.Aldenham is a village and civil parish in Hertfordshire, approx. three miles north-east of Watford and two miles from Radlett. It was mentioned in the Domesday Book and is one of...
in Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England. The county town is Hertford.The county is one of the Home Counties and lies inland, bordered by Greater London , Buckinghamshire , Bedfordshire , Cambridgeshire and...
, Gentleman of the Privy Chamber
Privy chamber
A Privy chamber was the private apartment of a royal residence in England. The gentlemen of the Privy chamber were servants to the Crown who would wait and attend on the King and Queen at court during their various activities, functions and entertainments....
and Esquire of the Body to Henry VIII, and his wife Mary Boleyn
Mary Boleyn
Mary Boleyn , was the sister of English queen consort Anne Boleyn and a member of the Boleyn family, which enjoyed considerable influence during the reign of King Henry VIII of England...
, who had once been a mistress of the king. She was Elizabeth I's first cousin. Some contemporaries also asserted that Katherine was an illegitimate child of the King and so was Elizabeth's half sister. This was never acknowledged by the King
Katherine went on to become Maid of Honour to both Queens Anne of Cleves
Anne of Cleves
Anne of Cleves was a German noblewoman and the fourth wife of Henry VIII of England and as such she was Queen of England from 6 January 1540 to 9 July 1540. The marriage was never consummated, and she was not crowned queen consort...
and Catherine Howard
Catherine Howard
Catherine Howard , also spelled Katherine, Katheryn or Kathryn, was the fifth wife of Henry VIII of England, and sometimes known by his reference to her as his "rose without a thorn"....
. On 26 April 1540 she married Sir Francis Knollys
Francis Knollys (the elder)
Sir Francis Knollys , of Greys Court, in Oxfordshire, KG was an English courtier in the service and favour of Henry VIII, Edward VI and Elizabeth I of England, and was a Member of Parliament for a number of constituencies....
. Her husband was named a Knight of the Garter in 1593, although he had already been knighted in 1547. He was also Treasurer of the Royal Household
Treasurer of the Household
The position of Treasurer of the Household is theoretically held by a household official of the British monarch, under control of the Lord Steward's Department, but is, in fact, a political office held by one of the government's Deputy Chief Whips in the House of Commons...
. From the time of her marriage, Katherine became known as Mistress Knollys, and from 1547 as Lady Knollys. When not in London, the couple lived at Reading
Reading, Berkshire
Reading is a large town and unitary authority area in England. It is located in the Thames Valley at the confluence of the River Thames and River Kennet, and on both the Great Western Main Line railway and the M4 motorway, some west of London....
in Berkshire
Berkshire
Berkshire is a historic county in the South of England. It is also often referred to as the Royal County of Berkshire because of the presence of the royal residence of Windsor Castle in the county; this usage, which dates to the 19th century at least, was recognised by the Queen in 1957, and...
and Rotherfield Greys
Rotherfield Greys
Rotherfield Greys is a village and civil parish in the Chiltern Hills in South Oxfordshire. It is west of Henley-on-Thames and just over east of the village of Rotherfield Peppard....
in Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire is a county in the South East region of England, bordering on Warwickshire and Northamptonshire , Buckinghamshire , Berkshire , Wiltshire and Gloucestershire ....
, although, as staunch Protestants, they fled to Germany during the reign of Queen Mary I
Mary I of England
Mary I was queen regnant of England and Ireland from July 1553 until her death.She was the only surviving child born of the ill-fated marriage of Henry VIII and his first wife Catherine of Aragon. Her younger half-brother, Edward VI, succeeded Henry in 1547...
.
Princess Elizabeth wrote to her cousin there and Katherine was appointed Chief Lady of the Bedchamber after she became Queen Elizabeth I. For the first ten years of the reign, Lady Katherine combined the most senior post among the ladies-in-waiting with motherhood to more than a dozen children. Unsurprisingly, Elizabeth never recognized Katherine as her half-sister, and it was certainly not a relationship that Katherine or Sir Francis ever openly claimed. At court, Katherine was acknowledged as the queen's favourite among her first cousins, and Elizabeth's lack of other female relatives to whom she felt close may be adequate to explain this favoured position.
She died on 15 January 1569 at Hampton Court Palace
Hampton Court Palace
Hampton Court Palace is a royal palace in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, Greater London; it has not been inhabited by the British royal family since the 18th century. The palace is located south west of Charing Cross and upstream of Central London on the River Thames...
, being outlived by her husband and children, and was buried the following April in St Edmund's Chapel in Westminster Abbey
Westminster Abbey
The Collegiate Church of St Peter at Westminster, popularly known as Westminster Abbey, is a large, mainly Gothic church, in the City of Westminster, London, United Kingdom, located just to the west of the Palace of Westminster. It is the traditional place of coronation and burial site for English,...
. There is a small commemorative plaque
Commemorative plaque
A commemorative plaque, or simply plaque, is a plate of metal, ceramic, stone, wood, or other material, typically attached to a wall, stone, or other vertical surface, and bearing text in memory of an important figure or event...
in the abbey, although her chief monument is at Rotherfield Greys
Rotherfield Greys
Rotherfield Greys is a village and civil parish in the Chiltern Hills in South Oxfordshire. It is west of Henley-on-Thames and just over east of the village of Rotherfield Peppard....
in Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire is a county in the South East region of England, bordering on Warwickshire and Northamptonshire , Buckinghamshire , Berkshire , Wiltshire and Gloucestershire ....
.
Katherine's epitaph reads:
Issue
Sir Francis and Lady Knollys produced a surprising number of offspring who survived to maturity. Of the children listed, only the last, Dudley, is known to have died in infancy:- Lettice KnollysLettice KnollysLettice Knollys , Countess of Essex and Countess of Leicester , was an English noblewoman and mother to the courtiers Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex and Lady Penelope Rich; through her marriage to Elizabeth I's favourite, Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester, she incurred the Queen's undying...
, Countess of Essex and of Leicester (8 November 1543 - 25 December 1634). She married first Walter Devereux, 1st Earl of EssexWalter Devereux, 1st Earl of EssexWalter Devereux, 1st Earl of Essex, KG , an English nobleman and general. From 1573 until his death he fought in Ireland in connection with the Plantation of Ulster, where he ordered the massacre of Rathlin Island...
, secondly Robert Dudley, 1st Earl of LeicesterRobert Dudley, 1st Earl of LeicesterRobert Dudley, 1st Earl of Leicester, KG was an English nobleman and the favourite and close friend of Elizabeth I from her first year on the throne until his death...
and thirdly Sir Christopher BlountSir Christopher BlountSir Christopher Blount was an English soldier, secret agent, and rebel. He served as a leading household officer of Robert Dudley, 1st Earl of Leicester. A Catholic, Blount corresponded with Mary, Queen of Scots's Paris agent, Thomas Morgan, probably as a double agent...
.
- Mary Knollys (c. 1541 - 1593). She married Edward Stalker.
- Sir Henry KnollysHenry Knollys (MP)Henry Knollys was an English courtier, privateer and Member of Parliament.He was born the eldest son of Sir Francis Knollys, Treasurer of the Royal Household, and Catherine Carey, Lady of the Bedchamber to Queen Elizabeth I...
(c. 1542 - 1583). He was a Member of ParliamentMember of ParliamentA Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
representing first Shoreham, KentShoreham, KentShoreham is a village and civil parish in the valley of the River Darent six miles north of Sevenoaks in Kent: it is in the District of Sevenoaks. The parish includes the settlements of Badgers Mount and Well Hill....
(1563) and then OxfordshireOxfordshireOxfordshire is a county in the South East region of England, bordering on Warwickshire and Northamptonshire , Buckinghamshire , Berkshire , Wiltshire and Gloucestershire ....
. Esquire of the Body to Elizabeth I. He was married to Margaret Cave (1549–1600), daughter of Sir Ambrose Cave and Margaret Willington. Their daughter Lettice Knollys (1583–1655) married before 19 June 1602 William Paget, 4th Baron Paget. - Elizabeth KnollysElizabeth KnollysElizabeth Knollys, Lady Leighton , was an English courtier who served Queen Elizabeth I of England, first as a Maid of Honour and secondly, after 1566, as a Gentlewoman of the Privy Chamber. Knollys was the grand-niece of Queen consort Anne Boleyn, which made her a cousin once removed of the Queen....
(15 June 1549 - c.1605). She married Sir Thomas Leighton of FeckenhamFeckenhamFeckenham is a village and civil parish in the Borough of Redditch in Worcestershire, England. It lies some three miles south-west of the town of Redditch and is around twelve miles north-east of the ancient city of Worcester...
, WorcesterWorcesterThe City of Worcester, commonly known as Worcester, , is a city and county town of Worcestershire in the West Midlands of England. Worcester is situated some southwest of Birmingham and north of Gloucester, and has an approximate population of 94,000 people. The River Severn runs through the...
, son of John Leighton of Watlesburgh and Joyce Sutton, in 1578. Her husband served as Governor of JerseyJerseyJersey, officially the Bailiwick of Jersey is a British Crown Dependency off the coast of Normandy, France. As well as the island of Jersey itself, the bailiwick includes two groups of small islands that are no longer permanently inhabited, the Minquiers and Écréhous, and the Pierres de Lecq and...
and GuernseyGuernseyGuernsey, officially the Bailiwick of Guernsey is a British Crown dependency in the English Channel off the coast of Normandy.The Bailiwick, as a governing entity, embraces not only all 10 parishes on the Island of Guernsey, but also the islands of Herm, Jethou, Burhou, and Lihou and their islet...
. - William Knollys, 1st Earl of BanburyWilliam Knollys, 1st Earl of BanburySir William Knollys, 1st Earl of Banbury, KG, PC was an English nobleman at the court of Queen Elizabeth I and King James...
, (c. 1544 - 25 May 1632). He was married first to Dorothy BrayDorothy Bray, Baroness ChandosDorothy Bray, Baroness Chandos was an English noblewoman, who served as a Maid of Honour to three queens consort of King Henry VIII of England; Anne Of Cleves, Catherine Howard, and Catherine Parr...
, who was 20 years his senior; and secondly to Elizabeth Howard, daughter of Thomas Howard, 1st Earl of SuffolkThomas Howard, 1st Earl of SuffolkAdmiral Thomas Howard, 1st Earl of Suffolk, KG, PC was a son of Thomas Howard, 4th Duke of Norfolk by his second wife Margaret Audley, Duchess of Norfolk, the daughter and heiress of the 1st Baron Audley of Walden....
and his second wife Catherine Knyvett. - Edward Knollys (1546–1580). He was a Member of Parliament.
- Sir Robert Knollys (1547–1626). Member of Parliament representing Reading, BerkshireReading, BerkshireReading is a large town and unitary authority area in England. It is located in the Thames Valley at the confluence of the River Thames and River Kennet, and on both the Great Western Main Line railway and the M4 motorway, some west of London....
(1572–1589), BrecknockshireBrecknockshireBrecknockshire , also known as the County of Brecknock, Breconshire, or the County of Brecon is one of thirteen historic counties of Wales, and a former administrative county.-Geography:...
(1589–1604), Abingdon, OxfordshireAbingdon, OxfordshireAbingdon or archaically Abingdon-on-Thames is a market town and civil parish in Oxfordshire, England. It is the seat of the Vale of White Horse district. Previously the county town of Berkshire, Abingdon is one of several places that claim to be Britain's oldest continuously occupied town, with...
(1604, 1624–1625) and finally BerkshireBerkshireBerkshire is a historic county in the South of England. It is also often referred to as the Royal County of Berkshire because of the presence of the royal residence of Windsor Castle in the county; this usage, which dates to the 19th century at least, was recognised by the Queen in 1957, and...
(1626). He married Catherine Vaughan, daughter of Sir Rowland Vaughan, of Porthamel. - Richard Knollys (1548 - 21 August 1596). Member of Parliament representing first WallingfordWallingford (UK Parliament constituency)Wallingford was a constituency in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.It was a parliamentary borough created in 1295, centred on the market town Wallingford in Berkshire . It used to return two Members of Parliament to the House of Commons; this was cut to one in 1832, and...
(1584) and then NorthamptonNorthamptonNorthampton is a large market town and local government district in the East Midlands region of England. Situated about north-west of London and around south-east of Birmingham, Northampton lies on the River Nene and is the county town of Northamptonshire. The demonym of Northampton is...
(1588). Married Joan Heigham, daughter of John Heigham, of Gifford's Hall, WickhambrookWickhambrookWickhambrook is a village and civil parish in the St Edmundsbury district of Suffolk in eastern England.Located around ten miles south-west of Bury St Edmunds, halfway to Haverhill off the A143.The village was recorded in Domesday as "Wicham"....
, SuffolkSuffolkSuffolk is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in East Anglia, England. It has borders with Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south. The North Sea lies to the east...
. - Sir Thomas Knollys (d. 1596). Better known for service in the Eighty Years' War (1568–1648). Governor of OstendOstendOstend is a Belgian city and municipality located in the Flemish province of West Flanders. It comprises the boroughs of Mariakerke , Stene and Zandvoorde, and the city of Ostend proper – the largest on the Belgian coast....
in 1586. Married Odelia de Morana, daughter of John de Morada, Marquess of Bergen. - Sir Francis KnollysFrancis Knollys (admiral)Sir Francis Knollys was an English privateer and politician who sat in the House of Commons at various times between 1575 and 1648....
"the Younger" (c. 1552 - 1643). Member of Parliament representing first OxfordOxfordThe city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...
(1572–1588) and then BerkshireBerkshireBerkshire is a historic county in the South of England. It is also often referred to as the Royal County of Berkshire because of the presence of the royal residence of Windsor Castle in the county; this usage, which dates to the 19th century at least, was recognised by the Queen in 1957, and...
(1597, 1625). Married Lettice Barrett, daughter of John Barrett, of HanhamHanhamHanham is a village on the eastern outskirts of Bristol, England, situated on the A431 between Bristol, Bath and Keynsham. It is in the unitary authority of South Gloucestershire. It became a civil parish on April 1, 2003....
. Father-in-law of John HampdenJohn HampdenJohn Hampden was an English politician, the eldest son of William Hampden, of Hampden House, Great Hampden in Buckinghamshire, John Hampden (ca. 15951643) was an English politician, the eldest son of William Hampden, of Hampden House, Great Hampden in Buckinghamshire, John Hampden (ca. 15951643)...
. - Anne KnollysAnne KnollysAnne West, Lady De La Warr was a lady at the court of Queen Elizabeth I of England.-Biography:...
(19 July 1555 - 30 August 1608). Married Thomas West, 2nd Baron De La WarrThomas West, 2nd Baron De La WarrThomas West, 2nd and 11th Baron De La Warr of Wherwell Abbey in the English county of Hampshire was a member of Elizabeth I's Privy Council and High Sheriff of Hampshire. Thomas was the only son of William West, 1st Baron De La Warr and Lady Elizabeth Strange...
. Mother to Thomas West, 3rd Baron De La WarrThomas West, 3rd Baron De La WarrThomas West, 3rd and 12th Baron De La Warr was the Englishman after whom the bay, the river, and, consequently, an American Indian people and U.S. state, all later called "Delaware", were named....
, after whom the state of DelawareDelawareDelaware is a U.S. state located on the Atlantic Coast in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It is bordered to the south and west by Maryland, and to the north by Pennsylvania...
is named. - Catherine Knollys (21 October 1559 - 20 December 1620). Married first Gerald FitzGerald, Baron Offaly (son of Gerald FitzGerald, 11th Earl of KildareGerald FitzGerald, 11th Earl of KildareGerald FitzGerald, 11th Earl of Kildare , also known as the "Wizard Earl" , was an Irish peer....
and Mabel BrowneMabel BrowneMabel Browne, Countess of Kildare was the wife of Gerald FitzGerald, 11th Earl of Kildare, Baron of Offaly . She was born into the English Roman Catholic Browne family whose members held prominent positions at the courts of the Tudorsovereigns for three generations...
) and secondly Sir Phillip Butler, of Watton Woodhall. She was the mother of Lettice Digby, 1st Baroness OffalyLettice Digby, 1st Baroness OffalyLettice FitzGerald, 1st Baroness Offaly was an Irish noblewoman and a member of the powerful FitzGerald dynasty. Heiress-general to the Earls of Kildare on the death of her father, the title instead went to the next FitzGerald male heir when her grandfather, the 11th Earl of Kildare died in 1585...
. - Maude Knollys. No known descendants.
- Dudley Knollys (May 9, 1562 - June 1562)
She should not be confused with her niece, Katherine Carey, who became Countess of Nottingham.
In literature
The possibility that Katherine, and perhaps her brother Henry, were illegitimate children of King Henry VIII, appears in many works of fiction, including Philippa Gregory's The Other Boleyn GirlThe Other Boleyn Girl
The Other Boleyn Girl is a historical fiction novel written by British author Philippa Gregory, loosely based on the life of 16th-century aristocrat Mary Boleyn. Reviews were mixed; some said it was a brilliantly claustrophobic look at palace life in Tudor England, while others have consistently...
. Katherine Carey is also a character in Gregory's The Boleyn Inheritance
The Boleyn Inheritance
The Boleyn Inheritance is a novel by British author Philippa Gregory which was first published in 2006. It is a direct sequel to her previous novel The Other Boleyn Girl, and one of the additions to her six-part series on the Tudor royals...
, where she is sent to the royal court during the time of Queens Anne of Cleves and Catherine Howard, and in The Virgin's Lover
The Virgin's Lover
The Virgin's Lover is a historical novel written by British author Philippa Gregory. It belongs to her series of Tudor novels, including The Constant Princess, The Other Boleyn Girl, The Boleyn Inheritance, and The Queen's Fool....
, where, as the mother of the seventeen-year-old Laetitia Knollys, she is among Queen Elizabeth I's closest companions.