Catherine Carey, after her marriage Catherine Knollys and later known as both Lady Knollys and Dame Catherine Knollys,[2] (c. 1524 – 15 January 1569), was chief Lady of the Bedchamber to Queen Elizabeth I, who was her first cousin.
Catherine was said to be a witness to the execution of her aunt, Anne Boleyn, in 1536;[5] however, claims that she had stayed overnight to entertain and distract her aunt Anne in the Tower of London before the latter's execution have been dismissed.[5]
Princess Elizabeth wrote to her cousin there, and Catherine was appointed Chief Lady of the Bedchamber after Elizabeth became queen. For the first ten years of the reign, Lady Catherine combined the most senior post among the ladies-in-waiting with motherhood to more than a dozen children.[3] Elizabeth never recognized Catherine as her half-sister, and it was certainly not a relationship that Catherine or Sir Francis ever openly claimed. At court, Catherine 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.[3]
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.
Catherine's epitaph reads:
The Right Honourable Lady Catherine Knollys, chief Lady of the Queen's Majesty's Bedchamber, and Wife to Sir Francis Knollys, Knight, Treasurer of Her Highnesses Houshold, departed this Life the Fifteenth of January, 1568, at Hampton-Court, and was honourably buried in the Floor of this Chapel.This Lady Knollys, and the Lord Hunsdon her Brother, were the Children of William Caree, Esq; and of the Lady Mary his Wife, one of the Daughters and Heirs to Thomas Bulleyne, Earl of Wiltshire and Ormonde; which Lady Mary was Sister to Anne Queen of England, Wife to K. Henry the Eighth, Father and Mother to Elizabeth Queen of England.[7]
Sir Francis and Lady Knollys produced a number of offspring who survived to maturity. Of the children listed, only the last, Dudley, is known to have died in infancy:[3]
Mary Knollys (c. 1541 – 1593). She married Edward Stalker.
Sir Henry Knollys (c. 1542 – 1582). He was a member of parliament representing first Shoreham, Kent (1563) and then Oxfordshire. 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.
Edward Knollys (1546–1580). He was a member of Parliament.
Sir Robert Knollys (1547–1626). Member of Parliament representing Reading, Berkshire (1572–1589), Brecknockshire (1589–1604), Abingdon, Oxfordshire (1604, 1624–1625) and finally Berkshire (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 then Northampton (1588). Married Joan Heigham, daughter of John Heigham, of Gifford's Hall, Wickhambrook, Suffolk.
Sir Thomas Knollys (died 1596). Known for service in the Eighty Years' War (1568–1648). Governor of Ostend in 1586. Married Odelia de Morana, daughter of John de Morada, Marquess of Bergen.
Sir Francis Knollys "the Younger" (c. 1552 – 1648). Member of Parliament representing first Oxford (1572–1588) and then Berkshire (1597, 1625). Married Lettice Barrett, daughter of John Barrett, of Hanham. Father-in-law of John Hampden.
The possibility that Catherine, and perhaps her brother Henry, were illegitimate children of Henry VIII, appears in many works of fiction, including Wendy J. Dunn's The Light in the Labyrinth and Philippa Gregory's The Other Boleyn Girl. 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 Lettice Knollys, she is among Elizabeth I's closest companions. In Henry VIII's Wives by Alison Prince, the book's narrator has a friend, Catherine "Kitty" Carey, whose father died of sweating sickness and whose mother is Mary Boleyn. In this book, Catherine was thought to be the king's daughter. Catherine is the featured subject in the novel Cor Rotto: A Novel of Catherine Carey by Adrienne Dillard. The Lady Carey by Anne R Bailey.
^Doran, J. (1835). "The history and antiquities of ... Reading in Berkshire". John Doran - 1835. Retrieved 30 October 2018. Queen Elizabeth, by her charter, gave 50 oaks out of the park, to the corporation of Reading, and granted the rest of the estate to Sir Francis and Dame Catherine Knollys.....
^Campbell, H. (28 February 2018). CampbellTree. Harold Campbell - Lulu. p. 202. ISBN9781387631230. Retrieved 30 October 2018. Lady Elizabeth Knollys ... was born on 15 June 1549 in Rotherfield Peppard Court, Oxfordshire, England
Guillim, John; Kent, Samuel (1726). The Banner Display'd: or, An Abridgment of Guillim: Being a Compleat System of Heraldry, in all its Parts ... Vol. I. By Samuel Kent. London: Printed for Thomas Cox.
Varlow, Sally (August 2007). "Sir Francis Knollys's Latin Dictionary: New evidence for Katherine Carey". Historical Research. 80 (209): 315–323. doi:10.1111/j.1468-2281.2007.00400.x.
catherine, carey, niece, catherine, howard, countess, nottingham, clerk, york, state, assembly, catherine, carey, after, marriage, catherine, knollys, later, known, both, lady, knollys, dame, catherine, knollys, 1524, january, 1569, chief, lady, bedchamber, qu. For her niece see Catherine Howard Countess of Nottingham For the Clerk of the New York State Assembly see Catherine A Carey Catherine Carey after her marriage Catherine Knollys and later known as both Lady Knollys and Dame Catherine Knollys 2 c 1524 15 January 1569 was chief Lady of the Bedchamber to Queen Elizabeth I who was her first cousin Catherine CareyLady KnollysPortrait often identified as Catherine by Steven van der Meulen 1562Bornc 1524EnglandDied15 January 1569 aged 46 47 Hampton Court PalaceBuriedSt Edmund s Chapel Westminster AbbeySpouse s Sir Francis KnollysIssueMary Stalker Sir Henry Knollys Lettice Knollys Countess of Essex William Knollys 1st Earl of Banbury Edward Knollys MP Sir Robert Knollys MP Richard Knollys MP Elizabeth Leighton Lady Leighton Sir Thomas Knollys Sir Francis Knollys MP Anne West Lady De La Warr Catherine Baroness Offaly Lady Butler Maud Knollys Dudley KnollysFatherWilliam CareyMotherMary BoleynArms of Carey Argent on a bend sable three roses of the field 1 Contents 1 Biography 2 Issue 3 In literature 4 Notes 5 References 6 External linksBiography editCatherine Carey was born in 1524 the daughter of William Carey of Aldenham 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 Catherine was thus Elizabeth I s maternal first cousin Some historians believe that Catherine was an illegitimate child of Henry VIII which would make her also Elizabeth I s paternal half sister through their shared father Henry VIII 3 4 Catherine was said to be a witness to the execution of her aunt Anne Boleyn in 1536 5 however claims that she had stayed overnight to entertain and distract her aunt Anne in the Tower of London before the latter s execution have been dismissed 5 Catherine went on to become Maid of Honour to both Anne of Cleves and Catherine Howard the fourth and fifth wives of Henry VIII On 26 April 1540 she married Sir Francis Knollys 6 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 Mistress Knollys and from 1547 as Lady Knollys When not in London the couple lived at Reading in Berkshire and Rotherfield Greys in Oxfordshire and because they were staunch Protestants they fled to Germany during the reign of Queen Mary I Princess Elizabeth wrote to her cousin there and Catherine was appointed Chief Lady of the Bedchamber after Elizabeth became queen For the first ten years of the reign Lady Catherine combined the most senior post among the ladies in waiting with motherhood to more than a dozen children 3 Elizabeth never recognized Catherine as her half sister and it was certainly not a relationship that Catherine or Sir Francis ever openly claimed At court Catherine 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 3 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 Catherine s epitaph reads The Right Honourable Lady Catherine Knollys chief Lady of the Queen s Majesty s Bedchamber and Wife to Sir Francis Knollys Knight Treasurer of Her Highnesses Houshold departed this Life the Fifteenth of January 1568 at Hampton Court and was honourably buried in the Floor of this Chapel This Lady Knollys and the Lord Hunsdon her Brother were the Children of William Caree Esq and of the Lady Mary his Wife one of the Daughters and Heirs to Thomas Bulleyne Earl of Wiltshire and Ormonde which Lady Mary was Sister to Anne Queen of England Wife to K Henry the Eighth Father and Mother to Elizabeth Queen of England 7 nbsp Catherine s mother Mary Boleyn was the sister of Anne Boleyn and a mistress of King Henry VIII of England Issue editSir Francis and Lady Knollys produced a number of offspring who survived to maturity Of the children listed only the last Dudley is known to have died in infancy 3 Mary Knollys c 1541 1593 She married Edward Stalker Sir Henry Knollys c 1542 1582 He was a member of parliament representing first Shoreham Kent 1563 and then Oxfordshire 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 Lettice Knollys Countess of Essex and of Leicester 8 November 1543 25 December 1634 She married first Walter Devereux 1st Earl of Essex secondly Robert Dudley 1st Earl of Leicester and thirdly Sir Christopher Blount nbsp Lettice Knollys Catherine s daughter William Knollys 1st Earl of Banbury c 1544 25 May 1632 He was married first to Dorothy Bray who was 20 years his senior and secondly to Elizabeth Howard daughter of Thomas 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 representing Reading Berkshire 1572 1589 Brecknockshire 1589 1604 Abingdon Oxfordshire 1604 1624 1625 and finally Berkshire 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 then Northampton 1588 Married Joan Heigham daughter of John Heigham of Gifford s Hall Wickhambrook Suffolk Elizabeth Knollys 15 June 1549 c 1605 Lady Elizabeth 8 married Sir Thomas Leighton of Feckenham Worcester son of John Leighton of Watlesburgh and Joyce Sutton in 1578 Her husband served as Governor of Jersey and Guernsey Maud Knollys 1548 Died young Sir Thomas Knollys died 1596 Known for service in the Eighty Years War 1568 1648 Governor of Ostend in 1586 Married Odelia de Morana daughter of John de Morada Marquess of Bergen Sir Francis Knollys the Younger c 1552 1648 Member of Parliament representing first Oxford 1572 1588 and then Berkshire 1597 1625 Married Lettice Barrett daughter of John Barrett of Hanham Father in law of John Hampden Anne Knollys 19 July 1555 30 August 1608 Married Thomas West 2nd Baron De La Warr Mother to Thomas West 3rd Baron De La Warr after whom the state of Delaware is named Catherine Knollys 21 October 1559 20 December 1620 Married first Gerald FitzGerald Baron Offaly son of Gerald FitzGerald 11th Earl of Kildare and Mabel Browne and secondly Sir Phillip Butler of Watton Woodhall She was the mother of Lettice Digby 1st Baroness Offaly Cecily Knollys c 1560 No known descendants Margaret Knollys No known descendants Dudley Knollys 9 May 1562 June 1562 9 In literature editThe possibility that Catherine and perhaps her brother Henry were illegitimate children of Henry VIII appears in many works of fiction including Wendy J Dunn s The Light in the Labyrinth and Philippa Gregory s The Other Boleyn Girl 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 Lettice Knollys she is among Elizabeth I s closest companions In Henry VIII s Wives by Alison Prince the book s narrator has a friend Catherine Kitty Carey whose father died of sweating sickness and whose mother is Mary Boleyn In this book Catherine was thought to be the king s daughter Catherine is the featured subject in the novel Cor Rotto A Novel of Catherine Carey by Adrienne Dillard The Lady Carey by Anne R Bailey Notes edit Vivian p 150 Doran J 1835 The history and antiquities of Reading in Berkshire John Doran 1835 Retrieved 30 October 2018 Queen Elizabeth by her charter gave 50 oaks out of the park to the corporation of Reading and granted the rest of the estate to Sir Francis and Dame Catherine Knollys a b c d Varlow 2007 p 322 Weir 2012 p 200 a b Weir 2012 p 286 Varlow 2007 pp 315 323 Guillim 1726 p 255 Campbell H 28 February 2018 CampbellTree Harold Campbell Lulu p 202 ISBN 9781387631230 Retrieved 30 October 2018 Lady Elizabeth Knollys was born on 15 June 1549 in Rotherfield Peppard Court Oxfordshire England Varlow 2007 p 317 References editGuillim John Kent Samuel 1726 The Banner Display d or An Abridgment of Guillim Being a Compleat System of Heraldry in all its Parts Vol I By Samuel Kent London Printed for Thomas Cox Ives Eric 2005 The Life and Death of Anne Boleyn The Most Happy Oxford Blackwell Publishing ISBN 9781405134637 Lee Sidney 1892 Knollys Francis In Lee Sidney ed Dictionary of National Biography Vol 31 London Smith Elder amp Co pp 275 279 Prince Alison 2011 Henry VIII s Wives London Scholastic ISBN 9781407117355 Varlow Sally August 2007 Sir Francis Knollys s Latin Dictionary New evidence for Katherine Carey Historical Research 80 209 315 323 doi 10 1111 j 1468 2281 2007 00400 x Weir Alison 2011 The Lady in the Tower The Fall of Anne Boleyn Queen of England Series London Vintage ISBN 9780712640176 Weir Alison 2011 The Six Wives of Henry VIII New York Random House ISBN 9781446449097 Weir Alison 2012 Mary Boleyn The Great and Infamous Whore London Vintage ISBN 9780099546481 External links editCatherine Carey at Find a Grave Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Catherine Carey amp oldid 1184575205, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
