Queen Elizabeth's two Blanches

Blanche Parry (1508-90) was the daughter of Harry Myles, Sheriff of Herefordshire, and his wife Alice Milborne (b.1475). The family were a Welsh speaking household, as Harry Myles was a Welshman, and Blanche is sometime recorded by her Welsh name; Blanche ap Harry.

Tomb of Blanche Parry (left) kneeling to Queen Elizabeth I

The children of Harry and Alice were;
+ Blanche
+ Symond - never married but had four illegitimate children; Myles, John, Elizabeth and Jane (who                         married Griffith Jones).
+ Myles m. Elinor Scudamore
               + Joan m. Watkyn Vaughan
                            + Rowland Vaughan (1559-1629)
               + Elizabeth m. Rowland Vaughan
+ Elizabeth m. Thomas Vaughan
+ Olive m. William Cecil (d.1598)
+ Sybell
+ John

Blanche Parry aided her relatives with positions at court; her great-nephew Rowland Vaughan (b.1559) spent time at the royal court in the 1590's. Blanche's sister Olive married a member of the Cecil family, a connection acknowledged by William Cecil, Lord Burghley, as he often referred to Blanche Parry as 'cousin'.

Alice Milborne was the eighth of thirteen daughters, and heiresses, to Simon Milborne (1435-1522) and his wife Jane Baskerville (b.1451) of Herefordshire. On both her paternal and maternal lines of descent, Alice Milborne was able to trace her family back to knights who had come over with William the Conqueror from Normandy.
Simon and Jane's children included;
+ Alice m. Harry Myles m2. Thomas Baskerville
+ Blanche m1. James Whitney m2. Sir William Herbert
                  + Robert                    + Charles
                  + James                     + Thomas m. Anne Lucy
                  + Watkin
                  + Elizabeth m. Mr Morgan
+ Anne (b.1465) m. William Rudhall
+ Catherine (b.1466) m. Thomas Barton
                                   + Griffin Barton
+ Joyce (b.1467) m. Thomas Hyett
                             + James Hyett
+ Sybil (1468-1537) m1. Richard Hackluyt m2. John Breynton
+ Margaret (1480-1522) m. John Bishop
                                         + Anthony Bishop
+ Juliana (b.1485)
+ Eleanor (1493-1530) m. John Moore
+ Agnes (b.1480) m. Thomas Walwyn
+ Joan (b.1484)
+ Jane (1498-1535) m. Richard Cornwall
+ Elizabeth (1470-1514) m1. Thomas Mornington m2. John Whittington
+ Henry (1482-1520)

As Simon's only son Henry had predeceased him two years earlier, his fortune was inherited equally between his thirteen daughters, and if they had died, their portion would pass to their oldest living child; as seen in the case of his daughters Catherine, Joyce and Margaret.

It was Simon's daughter Blanche Milborne, Lady Troy who brought her niece, and goddaughter, Blanche Parry to the royal court. Blanche Milborne was a close friend of Queen Anne Boleyn through Elizabeth Somerset, Countess of Worcester. In 1533 she recommended a Welshwoman, Mrs Pendred, as wet nurse for Queen Anne to employ for Princess Elizabeth, a decision which was later overruled by King Henry VIII. Therefore, it follows that Blanche would be involved in the Tudor princess' life. Due to her position as Mistress of the Household for all three children of King Henry VIII, her niece Blanche Parry knew Princess Elizabeth from the time she was a baby, and would continue to serve her loyally throughout her life until her own death in 1590. Blanche Herbert finished her term as Lady Mistress of the royal children's household in 1545, and from a letter written by Roger Tyrwhitt it can be surmised that Blanche Herbert had trained her niece Blanche Parry to be her successor, however the position was instead given to Kat Ashley. Despite her retirement, Blanche Herbert was paid a pension by Princess Elizabeth as late as 1552; she received 70 shillings twice a year, which was half the amount of her wage when she was employed.
Blanche Milborne's daughter Elizabeth Whitney married a Mr Morgan, and the couple were the parents of Anne Morgan. Anne Morgan married the queen's cousin Henry Carey; a prestigious marriage.

Elizabeth's Josseline connections

Upon the birth of Princess Elizabeth in 1533, her mother Queen Anne Boleyn sent letters out to privy councilors, noblemen and family members announcing the birth of an heir to the English crown. Famously, these were the letters which had the suffix of 'ss' added to 'prince' due to the fact that Elizabeth was not the hoped for son which King Henry VIII longed for.  


By the Quene.

Right trustie and welbiloved, we grete you well. And where as it hath pleased the goodnes of Almightie God, of his infynite marcie and grace, to sende unto us, at this tyme, good spede, in the delyveraunce and bringing furthe of a Princes, to the great joye, rejoyce, and inward comforte of my Lorde, us, and all his good and loving subjectes of this his realme; for the whiche his inestymable benevolence, soo shewed unto us, we have noo litle cause to give high thankes, laude, and praising unto oure said Maker, like as we doo mooste lowly, humbly, and with all the inwarde desire of our harte. And inasmuche as we undoubtidly truste, that this oure good spede is to your great pleasure, comforte, and consolation, We, therefore, by thies our letters, advertise you thereof, desiring and hartely praying you to give, with us, unto Almightie God, high thankes, glorie, laude, and praising; and to praye for the good helth, prosperitie, and contynuall preservation of the said Princes accordingly. Yeven under our Signet, at my Lordis Manour of Grenewiche, the 7 day of September, in the 25th yere of my said Lordis reigne.

To oure right trustie and welbiloved,

the Lorde Cobham.

George Brooke, Lord Cobham was a blood relation of Anne Boleyn and her daughter Princess Elizabeth; George Brooke was the grandson of Anne's great-aunt, another Anne Boleyn.

George Brooke, Lord Cobham

This letter was sent to George Brooke, Lord Cobham on the 7th September 1533. A letter with the same content was sent to Thomas Josseline, Esquire on the 25th September 1533. The later date suggests that Thomas Josseline was not among the more important nobles or officials who were to be informed of the princess' birth right away, however he was significant enough to warrant a letter. Unknown to Queen Anne when she wrote this letter, the Josseline family was to become an important part of Elizabeth's life. Family connections were of the highest importance, and alliances were created through dynastic marriages with prominent families. It was her Boleyn family that would provide a stable family base for Elizabeth throughout her life.

Geoffrey Boleyn m. Anne Hoo;
1)William Boleyn m. Margaret Butler
    + Anne Boleyn m. John Shelton 
                                + Mary/Madge Shelton (mistress to King Henry VIII in 1535)
                                + John Shelton m. Margaret Parker (sister to Jane Boleyn nee Parker)
                                                                  + Alice Shelton m. 1549 Sir Richard Josseline (b.1529)                                                                                                 + Richard Josseline
                                    
    + Thomas Boleyn m. Elizabeth Howard
                                    + Anne Boleyn m. King Henry VIII
                                                                    + Princess Elizabeth
2)Anne Boleyn m. Henry Heydon
                                 + Dorothy Heydon m. Thomas Brooke
                                                                        + George Brooke m. Anne Braye
                                                                        + Elizabeth Brooke m. Thomas Wyatt (poet)

During Princess Elizabeth's early life, Queen Anne ensured that she was surrounded by Boleyn family members to provide protection and loyalty to her daughter. 
In 1533, the aunts of the queen, Anne Shelton (nee Boleyn) born 1475, and Alice Clere (nee Boleyn) were put in charge of Princess Elizabeth's household. The king's daughter Mary was also sent to live in this household, and Anne Shelton would taunt Mary with her bastard status and being replaced as Princess and heir to the throne by Elizabeth. Queen Anne would write to Anne Shelton criticizing Mary and ordering her to beat Mary. Anne Shelton and her husband John, who was controller of the princess' household, became very close to Elizabeth. During Queen Mary's reign, Elizabeth was in fear of her life and for her own protection she fled to the Norfolk home of Anne and John Shelton. 

Shelton Manor, Norfolk

Shelton Church

In 1549 Anne Boleyn's cousin Alice Shelton married Sir Richard Josseline. Despite the Protestantism of many members of his family, Richard was a Catholic, and perhaps as a result of this, he was not in public life unlike his relatives. On the 16-17th September 1578, Queen Elizabeth stayed at Hyde Hall as part of her progress, Alice and Richard had both passed away by this time, it was inhabited by Richard's second wife. 
The Josseline family were fierce supporters of the Protestant faith which Elizabeth reinstated in England. John Josseline became secretary to Archbishop Matthew Parker, previously chaplain to Anne Boleyn, and helped him to write his De Antiquitato Britannica (published 1572).
Correspondance from Matthew Parker circa 1575;

To Sir Thomas Josseline's brother, an antiquary in his house, 


who wrote this history, Dc Antiquitato Britannica) ecclesicc, a

prebend worth 30/. per annum, and procured for him 300/. 

He expended upon repairing of his palace at Canterbury, his chief lodging, 


being burnt in Archbishop Cranmer's time,


 and upon his other houses, chancels, &c., to about 2G00/.

The Josseline's were cousins to the Protestant Wentworth family. Peter Wentworth, a Puritan, was a Member of Parliament in the House of Commons where he was highly critical of Queen Elizabeth. This peaked in 1576 when he gave a speech at the opening of Parliament concerning the right of freedom of speech, concerning the question of the queen's marriage and succession. He was stopped by other MP's before the end of his speech and was sent to the Tower. 

John Josseline (d.1524) m1. Cecilia FitzHerbert  

                  m2. Phillipa Bradbury

              + Anne Josseline m. John Bagshott

              + Jane Josseline m. Nicholas Wentworth (d.1557)

                                         + Peter Wentworth m1. Letitia Lane  m2. Elizabeth Walsingham

                                         + Paul Wentworth m. Helen Agmondesham

                                         + Henry Wentworth

                                         + Francis Wentworth

                                         + Clara Wentworth m. Edward Boys

                                         + Joan Wentworth m. Geoffrey Gates

              + Thomas Josseline (b.1500) m. Dorothy Gates (1512-82)

                                                             + Thomas Josseline

                                                             + John Josseline m. Elizabeth Dore

                                                             + Henry Josseline m. Ann Torrell

                                                             + Edward Josseline m. Mary Lamb

                                                             + Jane Josseline m. Richard Kelton

                                                             + Richard Josseline m1. Alice Shelton 

                                                                                           m2. Anne Lucas (1541-1604)

Anthony Denny

Dorothy Gates had a brother Sir John Gates, who married Mary Denny. Dorothy was very close to her brother, his wife and her family; she often wrote letters to her brother asking him for favours at court. Historian Barbara J Harris asserts that Dorothy "managed her brother's affairs in Essex, while he acted as her advocate at court" as she was "more assertive and shrewder about business than her spouse". Harris suggests that Dorothy had a keen interest in acquiring land and wardships, which brought with them a lot of money.
Sir John's wife Mary Denny was the sister of Anthony Denny, who married Joan Champernowne - a cousin of Kat Ashley, Elizabeth's beloved governess. It was this couple, Anthony and Joan Denny, with whom Elizabeth stayed in 1548 at Cheshunt, from May until October, during Katherine Parr's pregnancy, delivery and death. Anthony Denny was good friends with Matthew Parker, Archbishop of Canterbury, and Roger Asham, Elizabeth's tutor, as well as with Nicholas Wentworth.

Deathbed confession about Anne Boleyn

During the trial of Anne Boleyn in 1536, evidence of Anne's misconduct with other men included a deathbed confession of a previous Lady in waiting to Anne Boleyn; Bridget Wiltshire. 
Bridget died in 1534 and in her final days made a confession to one of her female attendants about the behaviour and nature of Queen Anne. 

John Spelman, one of the judge's at Anne Boleyn's trial noted in his Commonplace book:

"Note that this matter was disclosed by a woman called the Lady Wingfield who was a servant of the said queen and shared the same tendencies. And suddenly the said Wingfield became ill and a little time before her death she showed the matter to one of her"

The contents of this confession are unknown and therefore we can only speculate as to what was confessed, however it can be assumed that what she said concerned Anne having lovers before her marriage to the king or at least behaving in a way that could be considered inappropriate for a woman who was to marry a king. Why were her words not brought to light until two years after her death? Perhaps this was because during Queen Anne's reign it would have been nearly a criminal act to speak against the queen as the king had been known to have punished those who did. Therefore, this apparent confession of the queen having a scandalous past went forgotten for two years until 1536 when King Henry was trying to rid himself of yet another wife, and his men were actively seeking out any information or rumours which could be used against the queen.
One theory to what the confession concerned was Anne Boleyn's relationship with Thomas Wyatt before her marriage to the king. Bridget's third husband was close friends with the Duke of Suffolk, who was a blatant non supporter of Anne Boleyn, and when arrested Wyatt blamed Suffolk for this. 
However, the leading theory is that Bridget and Anne had had an argument, possibly instigated by Bridget speaking to Anne about the fact that she was pregnant with the king's child before being married to him despite herself insisting on her ladies being of high morals, and this argument meant that Bridget left court for a short time. It is the surviving letter that is said to have been an apology from Anne to Bridget and asking her to return to court. This was in fact a minor argument among the women, and it only later got taken out of proportion by Cromwell and his spies to be exaggerated and used against Queen Anne in her trial.

Bridget Wiltshire was born around 1485 as the daughter and heir of Sir John Wiltshire (1434-1526), the comptroller of Calais during the reign of King Henry VII, and his wife Margaret. The Wiltshire family lived at Stone Castle in Kent, which neighbours the Boleyn home of Hever Castle, therefore it is possible that the two families knew each other.

Stone Castle

Bridget married in 1513 to Sir Richard Wingfield (1469-1525), Lord Deputy of Calais and ambassador to Spain, as well as to King Francis of France during the 1520 Field of Cloth of Gold. Sir Richard's first wife had been Catherine Woodville (1458-97), sister to Queen Elizabeth Woodville. Even after Sir Richard's death, Bridget maintained her name of 'Lady Wingfield' for the remainder of her life.
The couple had ten children;
+ Cecily Wingfield (d.1525)
+ Elizabeth Wingfield (d.1522)
+ Charles Wingfield (1513-40)
+ Thomas Maria Wingfield (1516-57)
+ James Wingfield (1519-87)
+ Lawrence Wingfield
+ Jane Wingfield (b.1525)
+ Mary Wingfield
+ Margaret Wingfield
+ Catherine Wingfield

Sir Richard was a well-respected courtier and diplomat, he exchanged written correspondence with the philosopher Erasmus;

"Greeting, honoured sir. Though almost overwhelmed by my literary labours, I have not forgotten your instructions about a physician. I dared not recommend the first comer, and I had already almost found the person we wanted; but in the mean time the man to whom I had entrusted this business is carried off by the prince, or rather, before the prince himself leaves, by my lord the chancellor of Burgundy.

The bearer of this is my servant, whom I am sending over to England on particular business. It will be like your noble self, if you will give him what help he may need towards a safe and convenient crossing. You have done so much for me, you will be willing to add this further service.

Farewell, you and your charming wife and your delightful children. I hope your father-in-law, the comptroller, is in the best of health.

Erasmus of Rotterdam, Louvain, 5 March 1518"

In 1526, after Bridget's first husband had died in Toledo in Spain where he was commissioned, she had married Sir Nicholas Hervey (1490-1532) who was a Gentleman of the Privy Chamber and an ambassador to Charles V in Ghent - he spent the time from June 1530 until March 1531 in Ghent on commission. 
The couple had five children;
+ Henry Hervey (b.1526)
+ George Hervey (1527-99)
+ George Hervey (1532-1605)
+ Mabel Hervey
+ dau. Hervey

Bridget later married for a third time in 1532 to Sir Robert Tyrwhitt (d.1572), the couple had no children. The time between the death of her second husband and her marrying Tyrwhitt was not long as both events occurred within a year; it is a theory that Anne had scolded Bridget for marrying so soon after the death of her previous husband as it was appropriate to leave a certain amount of time before seeking another husband, and this telling off angered Bridget.

Bridget had spent many years at the royal court; she attended the Field of Cloth of Gold in 1520 in the household of Queen Catharine. It can be surmised that she remained in Queen Catharine's household until it was broken up by King Henry, however she was the invited back to court to serve Anne Boleyn in 1530 during the time when her own household was growing when she was still Lady Anne Rochford. A letter still exists that Anne wrote to Bridget at this time. Bridget remained at court and saw Anne go from Lady Rochford to Queen of England, during which time it is suggested she served in the queen's household as the Mother of Maids, perhaps due to her being older in age than many of the queen's ladies and her longer tenure at court. In 1532 when King Henry and Anne Boleyn went to Calais, they visited Bridget's house on the way to Dover. Bridget is last seen in court records in January 1534 when she received a New Years gift from the king, and it is assumed that she left court soon after this. Bridget died in childbirth, as did the child as there is no record of a living child from her third marriage. Her last husband Tyrwhitt outlived Bridget by many years.