- Catherine, Lady Knollys
Catherine Carey, later Lady Knollys (c. 1524 –
15 January 1569 ), was ChiefLady of the Bedchamber toElizabeth I of England .Biography
Catherine Carey was born about 1524, the daughter of
Sir William Carey ofAldenham inHertfordshire , Gentleman of the Privy Chamber and Esquire of the Body to KingHenry VIII of England , and his wifeLady Mary Boleyn , who had once been mistress of King Henry VIII. She was Elizabeth I's first cousin. Some contemporaries also asserted that Catherine was an illegitimate child of the King and so was Elizabeth's half sister, but the relationship is disputed by some modern historians.At a young age, Catherine was a witness to the execution of her royal aunt,
Anne Boleyn , in 1536. [See Ives] She becameMaid of Honour to both QueensAnne of Cleves andCatherine Howard . In 1539, 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, Catherine became known as Lady Knollys. When not in London, the couple lived at Reading inBerkshire andRotherfield Greys inOxfordshire , although, as staunch Protestants, they fled toGermany during the reign of Queen Mary. Princess Elizabeth wrote to her cousin there and Catherine was appointed Chief Lady of the Bedchamber after she became Queen Elizabeth I.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 inWestminster Abbey . There is a smallcommemorative plaque in the abbey, although her chief monument is atRotherfield Greys inOxfordshire .Descendants
Sir Francis and Lady Knollys had a total of 15 children:
*
Lettice Knollys , Countess of Essex and of Leicester (c.1540 -25 December 1634 ). She married firstWalter Devereux, 1st Earl of Essex , secondlyRobert Dudley, 1st Earl of Leicester and thirdlySir Christopher Blount .
*Mary Knollys (c. 1541 - 1593). She married Edward Stalker.
*Henry Knollys (c. 1542 - 1583). He was aMember of Parliament representing firstShoreham, Kent (1563) and thenOxfordshire . Esquire of the Body to Elizabeth I. He was married to Margaret Cave (1549 - 1600), daughter of Sir Ambrose Cave and Margaret Willington.
*Elizabeth Knollys. She married Sir Thomas Leighton, son of John Leighton of Watlesburgh and Joyce Sutton, in 1578. Her husband served as Governor ofGuernsey .
*William Knollys, 1st Earl of Banbury (c.1544 -25 May 1632 ). He was married first to Dorothy Bray and secondly to Elizabeth Howard, daughter ofThomas Howard, 1st Earl of Suffolk and his second wife Catherine Knyvett.
*Edward Knollys (1546 - 1580). He was a Member of Parliament.
*Sir Robert Knollys (1547 - 1626). Member of Parliament representingReading, Berkshire (1572 - 1589),Brecknockshire (1589 - 1604),Abingdon, Oxfordshire (1604, 1624 - 1625) and finallyBerkshire (1626). He married Catherine Vaughan, daughter of Sir Rowland Vaughan of Porthamel.
*Richard Knollys (1548 -21 August 1596 ). Member of Parliament representing first Wallingford (1584) and thenNorthampton (1588). Married Joan Heigham, daughter of John Heigham of Gifford's Hall,Wickhambrook ,Suffolk .
*Sir Thomas Knollys (d. 1596). Better known for service in theEighty Years' War (1568 - 1648). Governor ofOstend in 1586. Married Odelia de Morana, daughter ofJohn de Morada, Marquess of Bergen .
*Sir Francis Knollys "the Young" (c. 1552 - 1643). Member of Parliament representing firstOxford (1572 - 1588) and thenBerkshire (1597, 1625). Married Lettice Barrett, daughter of John Barrett ofHanham . Father-in-law ofJohn Hampden .
*Anne Knollys (c. 1553 - last reported alive30 August 1608 ). MarriedThomas West, 2nd Baron De La Warr . Mother toThomas West, 3rd Baron De La Warr , after whom the state ofDelaware is named.
*Catherine Knollys (c.1560 -20 December 1620 ). Married firstGerald FitzGerald, Baron Offaly and secondly Sir Phillip Butler of Watton Woodhall, a possible descendant ofJames Butler, 3rd Earl of Ormonde . She was the mother ofLettice, Baroness Offaly .
*Cecily Knollys. No known descendants.
*Catherine and Francis also had one other daughter and a child of unknown sex, the latter of whom died very young.She should not be confused with her niece,
Katherine Carey who became Countess of Nottingham.In literature
The possibility that Catherine, and perhaps her brother Henry, were illegitimate children of King Henry VIII, appears in many novels, including Philippa Gregory's "
The Other Boleyn Girl ". Catherine 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-oldLaetitia Knollys , she is amongQueen Elizabeth I 's closest companions.Notes
References
*Ford, David Nash. " [http://www.berkshirehistory.com/bios/fknollys.html Royal Berkshire History: Sir Francis Knollys (1511-1596)] ".
*Ives, Eric. "The Life and Death of Anne Boleyn".
*Weir, Alison. "The Six Wives of Henry VIII".
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.