Around Christmas Time 1560, Katherine Grey, the younger sister of the ill-fated 'Thirteen Day Queen' Lady Jane Grey, and Edward Seymour, 1st Earl of Hertford, married in secret at the Earl's London home, Hertford House, Cannon Row.
Katherine, the second daughter of Henry Grey, the-then 3rd Marquess of Dorset, and his wife Frances Brandon, daughter of Princess Mary Tudor, Dowager Queen of France and younger sister of Henry VIII, was born at the family seat of Bradgate Hall, Leicestershire in August 1540. Whilst not as intelligent and well-read as her elder sister Jane, Katherine later gained a reputation for her beauty and kind-heartedness (Tallis, 2016). However, as with her sister, her royal bloodline "made her a desirable bride from a young age" (Borman, 2009, p.221).
On 25 May 1553, the same day that her older sister Jane Grey married Guildford Dudley, twelve year old Katherine also entered into a marriage contract with Henry Herbert, son of William Herbert, 1st Earl of Pembroke. This was one of a series of weddings and betrothals that summer, organised by John Dudley, 1st Earl of Northumberland, with the intent of forging and strengthening political alliances, given the young Edward VI's failing health, and the subsequent upcoming imminent regime change (Tallis, 2016). Katherine moved to Baynard's Castle, Pembroke's London residence, following the ceremony, and was resident there during the early events of July 1553, when the Privy Council declared her sister 'Quene Jane'. However, when it became clear that the tide was turning against Northumberland and the Grey family, Pembroke's allegiance also switched; Katherine was sent back to her parent's home at Sheen, whilst Pembroke sought an annulment of the marital contract for his son. The Privy Council, meanwhile, following their abandonment of Jane and her family at the Tower of London, gathered at Baynard's Castle, prior to declaring Mary Tudor Queen of England on 19 July 1553 (de Lisle, 2008; Tallis, 2016).
In December 1546, a dying Henry VIII wrote his will, in which he identified his preferred 'line of succession'; following his own children, Edward, Mary and Elizabeth, he next identified the daughters of his niece Frances Brandon - Jane, Katherine and Mary Grey. Unlike their elder sister and father, Katherine and Mary had survived the attempted coup of 1553, and had been restored to favour by Mary I, with them being treated as 'Princess of Blood' during her reign, and later being appointed as Ladies of the Bedchamber (Borman, 2009). By the time of the accession to the throne of their kinswoman Elizabeth in November 1558, according to this will, Katherine was next in the line of succession, with many viewing her as the rightful heir, in particular those with strong Protestant and Reformist beliefs, given the well-known religious beliefs of the Grey family. Subsequently, the topic of Katherine's marriage was of great interest, both at home and abroad, in particular if she was to have a son, which would therefore place a male within the line of succession (Tallis, 2016).
Whilst speculation and discussions were taking place regarding her potential standing in the line of succession, Katherine was rekindling a previous relationship in secret, with the brother of one of her closest friends, Lady Jane Seymour: Edward Seymour, 1st Earl of Hertford. The Earl was the son of his namesake Edward Seymour, 1st Duke of Somerset, Edward VI's former Lord Protector, who like Katherine's father, Henry Grey, 1st Duke of Somerset, had lost his head following a conviction for treason in 1552. This shared trauma may have been one of the factors that brought this young couple together, with reports of first mutual affection between them in 1558. Katherine stayed that summer at Haworth Manor, the home of Anne Stanhope, Duchess of Somerset, and mother of Edward and Jane; Katherine accompanied Jane, who herself was a Lady of the Queen's Bedchamber, who had fallen ill and had returned to her mother's home for rest and recovery (Borman, 2009). At this time, the relationship between Katherine and Edward appears to have been encouraged by those around them, including the then Queen Mary I, who showed favour to the young couple. However, the relationship had stalled following Mary's death in November 1558, and the subsequent accession of Elizabeth I, until the following summer, when both were back at court, Katherine initially being demoted from the Privy Chamber to the Presence Chamber (de Lisle, 2008; Byrne, 2023).
Prior to her death in November 1559, Hertford had gone to Katherine's mother (and his godmother) Frances Brandon, to ask for her consent to marry. Both Frances, and her second husband Adrian Stokes, were in agreement that Hertford would be a good match for Katherine; however, they advised him to seek out permission from Elizabeth and her privy counsellors prior to making arrangements for marriage (Byrne, 2023). As highlighted by Lovell (2005), under the 'Royal Marriage Act of 1536', it was a treasonous act for anyone of royal lineage to marry without the consent of the monarch. And as the granddaughter of Princess Mary Tudor, and one of the closest living blood relations of the Queen, this law applied to Katherine, as well as her younger sister Mary.
In 1560, Katherine and Mary were promoted to ladies of Elizabeth's Privy Chamber; these were said to be intentional acts by the queen to keep a closer eye on her kinswomen, who lacked the intelligence of their older sister (Lowell, 2005). Borman (2009, p.227) feels this promotion was a "false display of affection", in particular towards Katherine, in response to her rival Mary, Queen of Scots's unexpected promotion to Queen of France the previous summer, and her subsequent display of power.
With the support of Hertford's brother Henry and sister Jane, who had also been appointed as a maid of honour at Elizabeth's court, the couple were able to continue their courtship, through the passing of messages (via Jane and her manservant) and meeting in secret, both at court (including in Jane's rooms within the 'Maidens' Chamber'), and Hertford House (de Lisle, 2008; Byrne, 2023). de Lisle (2008) believes that this relationship was able to progress generally unnoticed by the queen at this time, due to her own distractions given her complex relationship with Robert Dudley, her Master of Horse, (including the sudden death of Dudley's wife Amy Robsart in September 1560), and the subsequent surrounding conflict with William Cecil, her Secretary of State.
There was a degree of conflict between the pair, in addition to reports of Hertford 'paying attention' towards another woman at court during their courtship; Borman (2009) describes Katherine as being 'blind' to her "good Ned's" faults and vice, although his 'flirting' led her to write a 'furious' letter (de Lisle, 2008).. However, towards the end of 1560, the couple were formally betrothed to be married, with a ceremony reportedly taking place in Jane's rooms at the Palace of Westminster, where the court had gathered for Christmas, with Jane acting as witness. Hertford gave Katherine a 'pointed diamond ring' as an act of promise to marry; she was wearing this ring on her arrival to the Tower of London, as confirmed by inventory taken on her arrival the following year, and would wear it for the remainder of her life (de Lisle, 2008; Byrne, 2023).
Whilst a date of 25 December has traditionally been given, when later interviewed, both Katherine and Hertford were evasive regarding specific dates, only stating that their marriage took place some time between 'Allhallow's tide' (ie 31 October) and 'Christmas' (which could include the Christmas period, including Epiphany/'Twelfth Night' ie 05 January) (Byrne, 2023). However, they both confirmed that the ceremony took place when the rest of the court had left Whitehall for a few days hunting, with Katherine and Jane staying behind, giving false reports of a swollen mouth and toothache (Borman, 2009). The women had snuck away, walking the short distance to nearby Hertford House, where they were met by the Earl, who then quickly left to fetch a priest. On their return, the ceremony was completed, with Jane as the only witness. The marriage was then consummated behind closed doors, following which the women returned to the palace (de Lisle, 2008). The couple, and Jane, then rejoined the court in their festivities, but continued to meet clandestinely throughout the Christmas festivities, which took place at both Whitehall and Greenwich (Borman, 2009).
As a young nobleman, Hertford was encouraged by Elizabeth I to take an extended trip around the Continent, to visit and expose himself to the other courts in Europe, to 'improve his education' (Byrne, 2023). He departed for Paris in late Spring 1561, leaving an already pregnant Katherine. Messages continued to be exchanged between the couple, with Katherine continuing to seek reassurance for the validity of the marriage, as well as her informing him of her pregnancy, and seeking acknowledgement of the paternity of her child. This was particularly important to her, as their only witness and sister-in-law Jane, had died earlier in March 1561, likely of tuberculosis (de Lisle, 2008).
Following Hertford's departure, Katherine was approached by many, including William Cecil, questioning her about any potential involvement with Hertford, to which she denied. She was also approached by William Herbert, Earl of Pembroke, who offered remarriage to his son, Henry Herbert - the same union which had been annuled back in 1553. Having had no contact from Hertford, and likely doubting his commitment to her and their child, Katherine started to exchange messages and tokens with Herbert, with signs of a progressing affection between the pair. However, by mid-July 1561, Herbert discovered Katherine's pregnancy; he wrote scathingly and derogatorily to her, accusing her of planning to 'entrap' him into a marriage "to cover your whoredom" (Byrne, 2023, p. 144).
At the beginning of August 1561, news of her pregnancy and marriage began to seep out, given her inability to hide her growing body. Katherine sought the advice and support from someone she had known since she was a child: Elizabeth 'Bess' Hardwick, Lady St Loe. Katherine had first known Bess from when she joined her mother's household primarily based at Bradgate Hall, Leicestershire, in 1545, as a 'waiting gentlewoman'; Frances and her daughters remained in contact with Bess following her leaving the family's service following her marriage to her second husband, Sir William Cavendish in 1547 (Tallis, 2016). In the summer of 1561, Bess had joined the queen's court as a 'Lady of the Privy Chamber', with her third husband William St Loe employed as Queen's Guard; Lovell (2005) highlights that Elizabeth noted a close 'privy' relationship between the old friends.
Katherine disclosed her marriage and pregnancy to Bess on 09 August; however, instead of providing sympathy and support, her old friend became distressed. She expressed her concerns about Katherine and Hertford's decision to marry without the consent of the queen, as well as expressing anxieties about now being involved. The following morning, Katherine observed and overheard people talking about her; rather than attributing these murmurings to her then obviously 8-month pregnant body, she assumed that Bess must have disclosed her secret to others (Lovell, 2005).
Katherine then made the decision to approach Robert Dudley, who was known to many to be 'Elizabeth's favourite', to intervene on her behalf. Waiting until later that night, Katherine entered Dudley's bedchamber unannounced, and finding him in bed, woke him up and knelt at the side of the bed, begging for his help. Whilst, like Bess, he wanted no part in Katherine's messy endeavour, he did eventually agree to speak to the queen (Lovell, 2005). However, when informed of the news, Elizabeth was furious; not only due to a clandestine relationship taking place in her court, without her knowledge and consent, but also due to the belief that this marriage was part of plot to remove her from the throne and replace her with Katherine or her heir. Cecil was in agreement, and a heavily-pregnant Katherine was arrested and sent to the Tower of London on 17 August, with Hertford ordered to return from Europe; he himself was arrested and imprisoned on his return in September 1561 (de Lisle, 2008).
Bess too was arrested, and initially imprisoned in the Tower, with Elizabeth initially accusing her of having knowledge of the marriage since 'Lady Jane's death'; despite protestations of her innocence, it was several months until Bess was released. She was not allowed back to court, and was ' banished' to her estates in Derbyshire, where she remained for several years, not coming back into favour until her fourth marriage to George Talbot, Earl of Shrewsbury (Borman, 2009).
Likely much to Elizabeth's dissatisfaction, Katherine safely delivered a baby on 24 September 1561 whilst prisoner at the Tower - a son, named Edward after his father and grandfather. Immediately following his birth, questions were raised about his legitimacy, given the validity of the marriage of his parents, due to a lack of witnesses (given the only witness, Lady Jane Seymour, was now dead). A ecclesiastical hearing, led by Matthew Parker, Archbishop of Canterbury, in February 1562, deemed that due to the lack of a licence being issued or the reading of banns, and in the absence of witnesses, the marriage of Katherine and Hertford was unlawful and invalid, and subsequently Edward was deemed illegitimate (Byrne, 2023). The couple were found guilty of 'fornication', and in addition to significant fines, were sentenced to ongoing imprisonment within the Tower. Whilst there was a degree of leniency, with the couple able to see each others, and subsequently conceive another son Thomas, the family remained in the Tower until Summer 1563, only being released at the request from family members, due to the rapid spread of plague throughout London (Lovell, 2005).
Hertford's motives in marrying Katherine have been repeatedly questioned by contemporaries and historians; many believed that there were ulterior motives with the Earl seeking political advantage given Katherine's line in the succession. However, Byrne (2023, p.137) identifies that he was "consequences of royal disfavour and therefore his liaison with Katherine would seem to have been motivated by the recklessness of love". Byrne (2003) also refers to the fact that following his death in 1621, despite two further marriages, his request was for Katherine's body to be moved and for the couple to be buried together; following his death in April 1621, an elaborate monument was erected at Salisbury Cathedral, with Katherine's effigy being elevated above Hertford's, reflecting her royal lineage.
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Bibliography:
Borman, T., (2009). Elizabeth's Women: The Hidden Story of the Virgin Queen. London: Vintage.
Byrne, C., (2023). Lady Katherine Grey: A Dynastic Tragedy. Cheltenham: The History Press.
de Lisle, L., (2008). The Sisters who would be Queen: The Tragedy of Mary, Katherine and Lady Jane Grey. London: Harper Press.
Lowell, M.S., (2005). Bess of Hardwick: First Lady of Chatsworth. London: Abacus.
Tallis, N., (2016). Crown of Blood: The Deadly Inheritance of Lady Jane Grey. London: Michael O'Mara Books Ltd.
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