Hales family lose Chart Manor

Humphrey Hales (d.1571) married Joan Atwater and was the father of James (died at sea in 1589), Humphrey, Margaret, Mary, Elizabeth, Abigail, Samuel, John, Robert and Susan. These ten children were named in Hunphrey's Will, as well as an eleventh child that his wife was pregnant with at the time of his death;

"Item, I will that my executrix shall pay to the child my wife now goeth withal two 

hundred pounds if it shall fortune to be a daughter, and shall live to accomplish the said 

age of 24 years"

Abigail married in 1572 to Anthony Sampson.
Mary married Sir Isaac Sidly.
Margaret married Mr Barnard.
Humphrey married Elizabeth.
James Hales married Alice Kempe (d.1592) and had a son; Cheyney Hales (d.1594). After James' death, Alice married Sir Richard Lee (d.1608).
Monument in Canterbury Cathedral to Alice, her two husbands and her son Cheyney;

Hales family monument, Canterbury Cathedral

Detail of Alice, wife of James Hales

Richard Lee claimed the lease of Chart Manor, through his late wife's first husband James. The manor had belonged to James Hales and according to his Will, it was to be returned to his surviving Hales relatives, and therefore it should be taken from Richard Lee and be returned to the Hales family.

"Item, I will that the profits of my lease of Chart, being first redeemed from young Mr 

Boyes to whom I have pawned the same, shall both pay my brother, Humphrey Hales, 

twenty-six pounds thirteen shillings and fourpence by the year and my brother John Hales 

twenty pound by the year, and to my mother three pounds a year for Naylers farm sold by 

me, and also that upon ye yearly profits of the same so much of my father’s will as yet is 

not accomplished shall be fulfilled; 

Item, after those annuities expired which depend both upon their own lives and the life of 

my mother, then I will the same lease of Chart to my son Cheyney at his age of one and 

twenty years, and that the profits thereof until the same his age of one and twenty years 

shall be taken by my executrix to the uses before limited"

Margaret, Mary, Elizabeth and Abigail Hales sent a petition to Queen Elizabeth after the death of Alice in order to have the matter resolved.
A second petition on this matter was brought in 1592 by Joan Clarke - the widow of Humphrey Hales who had remarried - and was opposed by Thomas Kempe, the step-brother of the late Alice.
The case was referred to the Dean of Canterbury, as it was this town in which the Hales family and Richard Lee lived. It appears that Richard Lee won the case, however shortly after he chose not to renew his lease of the building as he could not afford the new higher rent.

The Tudor's chief mourners

The College of Arms decided who would be the chief mourner at a royal funeral, as they had to be next in status, but not higher, to the deceased as well as being of the same gender. Also, the chief mourner had to hold a banquet after the funeral, and often also pay for this. Black cloth had to provided for all members of the funeral procession, this material alone would be costly. Therefore it was common that members of the family often declined the role of chief mourner.
The chief mourners for many of the Tudor family members;

1492: Queen Elizabeth Woodville, St George's Chapel in Windsor Castle - Anne Plantagenet, her daughter.
1502: Prince Arthur Tudor, Worcester Cathedral - Thomas Howard the Earl of Surrey.
1503: Queen Elizabeth of York, Westminster Abbey - Katherine Plantagenet the Countess of Devon.
1500: Prince Edmund Tudor, Chapel of St Edward the Confessor in Westminster Abbey - Edward Stafford the Duke of Buckingham.
1509: King Henry VII, Westminster Abbey - Edward Stafford the Duke of Buckingham.
1527: Katherine Plantagenet, Countess of Devon, Tiverton Castle - Lady Elizabeth Carew.
1533: Princess Mary Rose Tudor, Queen of France, Benedictine Abbey at Bury St Edmund's - Frances Brandon.

Funeral of Princess Mary Rose Tudor, Queen Dowager of France

1536: Catharine of Aragon, Peterborough Cathedral - Eleanor Brandon.
1536: Anne Boleyn, Chapel of St Peter ad Vincula in the Tower of London - Margaret Wyatt Lee.
1537: Queen Jane Seymour, St George's Chapel in Windsor Castle - Princess Mary Tudor.
1547: King Henry VIII, St George's Chapel in Windsor Castle - Henry Grey the Marquis of Dorset.
1548: Dowager Queen Katherine Parr, St Mary's Chapel at Sudeley Castle - Lady Jane Grey.
1553: King Edward VI, Westminster Abbey - William Paulet the Marquis of Winchester.
1554: Lady Jane Grey, Chapel of St Peter ad Vincula in the Tower of London - Mrs Ellen.
1557: Anne of Cleves, Westminster Abbey - Elizabeth Seymour, sister to Queen Jane Seymour.
1557: Mary Howard, widow of Henry FitzRoy, St Michael's Church in Framlingham - Frances Howard the Countess of Surrey.
1558: Queen Mary I, Westminster Abbey - Margaret Douglas.
1559: Frances Brandon, Westminster Abbey - Katherine Grey.
1578: Mary Grey, Westminster Abbey - Susan Bertie the Countess of Kent.
1587: Mary, Queen of Scots, Peterborough Cathedral - Bridget Hussey.
1603: Queen Elizabeth I, Westminster Abbey - Helena Snakenborg the Marchioness of Northampton (Arbella Stuart was removed from this role).

Funeral procession of Queen Elizabeth I

Tudor sibling marriage

In 1528, King Henry VIII was in the midst of a crisis. His desire for a legitimate male heir led to him asking the Pope for a divorce from his current wife Catherine of Aragon, in order to marry Anne Boleyn. Cardinal Campeggio was sent as Papal Legate to England in order to examine the case and see what resolution could be made.

Cardinal Campeggio

Cardinal Campeggio arrived in England on the 8th October 1528. He had been instructed by the Pope to secure an outcome which would not include a divorce; he had tried to persuade the King to reconcile with his wife, and when this failed he urged Queen Catherine to enter a convent. A few weeks later, he wrote to Giovanni Baptista Sanga who was a papal advisor that;

"They have thought of marrying the Princess, by dispensation from his Holiness, to the King's natural son, if it can be done. At first I myself had thought of this as a means of establishing the succession, but I do not believe that this design would suffice to satisfy the King's desires."

This suggests a marriage between Princess Mary, then aged 12, and her illegitimate half-brother Henry FitzRoy, then aged 9. This marriage, despite being incestuous, would allow King Henry to pass the throne on to his son as well as his daughter; thereby maintaining the Tudor bloodline.
It is unknown who thought up this proposal, however the Pope agreed to provide the required dispensation for this marriage to go ahead. This permission however what dependent upon the condition that King Henry stops requesting a divorce from his wife. It was this condition which led to King Henry losing interest in the plan.

Henry FitzRoy

Henry FitzRoy was at this time Henry's only acknowledged son, illegitimate as he was. He had been greatly favoured by his father the king his whole life, often being placed before the Princess Mary. With his lack of a legitimate male heir, Henry had often considered passing a law declaring Henry FitzRoy as his heir. In 1536 this was almost certain after King Henry's separation from Anne Boleyn and the declaration that both his daughters Mary and Elizabeth were illegitimate - the same legal status as Henry FitzRoy. By 1536 FitzRoy was married to Mary Howard, had experience leading an army as well as handling royal duties such as Parliament meetings. However, he died suddenly that year before any action was formalised.

Catherine Grey, Queen of England and Spain?

Lady Catherine Grey

When Queen Elizabeth I came to the throne in 1558 she was put under immense pressure to marry and provide England with an heir to the throne.
Elizabeth was the last of Henry VIII's children, and the Tudor dynasty had an alarming lack of heirs. Elizabeth's closest relations of the royal blood were the children of Henry VIII's two sisters; Margaret and Mary. In his Will, Henry VIII had declared that should his three children die without heirs of their own, the crown was to pass to the heirs of his younger sister Mary - who was close to her brother as she had remained in England whilst Margaret had moved to Scotland when she married. Through this line, Lady Catherine Grey was the heir apparent to Queen Elizabeth. Lady Catherine was the younger sister to Lady Jane Grey, the nine days queen, and was a favourite of Queen Mary I and as such believed that Elizabeth was illegitimate.

Despite their lack of an amicable relationship, Catherine Grey was considered by many to be the rightful heir to the throne. The alternative was Mary, Queen of Scots, however this was not favourable to many English subjects due to her foreign birth and Catholic faith. Queen Elizabeth, however, for her whole life refused to ever name an heir. She was unwavering in her silence on the matter.

Her position and potential now made Catherine Grey a political pawn to be played.

King Philip II of Spain, who had been married to Queen Mary and who also had a mind to then marry Queen Elizabeth, schemed to use this situation to his advantage. A scheme came about in which Catherine Grey was to be abducted from Court and shipped to Spain, where she would then be married to a Spanish nobleman. In the eyes of Catholic Europe Elizabeth was illegitimate and therefore had no right to the throne. Philip II would then use Catherine in order to invade England and seize power. Therefore, once Catherine was Queen, Spain would have influence and control in England. It was even thought by some that Lady Catherine should be Queen in place of Elizabeth due to her illegitimacy.
It was common knowledge that Lady Catherine was unhappy at Elizabeth's court; the Spanish ambassador Count Feria even reported that a kidnap may be unnecessary as Lady Catherine may even be persuaded to leave England willingly. Whilst under Queen Mary, Catherine and her younger sister Mary Grey had retained posts in the Privy Chamber, under Elizabeth they were merely 'Ladies of the Presence'. In mid-1559 the Duke of Savoy's envoy reported that Lady Catherine had said 'very arrogant and unseemly words in the hearing of the Queen and others standing by', her exact words were not recorded.

It seems that Queen Elizabeth became aware of the Spanish plot towards Lady Catherine and she changed her treatment of her; Elizabeth suddenly began treating Catherine nicely, calling her 'daughter', restoring her to the Privy Chamber and even mentioned formally adopting her. There were discussions around this time that Catherine was to be married to a Scottish nobleman to improve Anglo-Scots relations.

However, Catherine Grey was not a woman to be used by others. Catherine had long since fallen in love with Edward Seymour and had a mind to marry him. They wanted to marry as early as March 1559. They eventually married in secret, with Edward's sister Jane as the only witness and the only person who knew and encouraged the pair. Shortly after Edward was sent abroad with Thomas Cecil for his education.
In July 1561 the whole scandal was discovered, as Catherine could no longer disguise her pregnancy and sought out Robert Dudley's help. During this time Jane Seymour had died, Catherine had lost the marriage certificate and the priest had disappeared and therefore the fact that a marriage had taken place could not be proved. Edward was recalled to England and the couple were imprisoned separately, with the Queen having the marriage declared null and void, a state in which they remained until Catherine's death in 1568. On her deathbed Catherine sent Edward a ring inscribed with the words 'while I lived, yours'. Catherine and Edward had two sons both born in the Tower; Edward born in 1561 and Thomas born in 1562. Edward was pardoned in 1570, but never stopped searching for the priest who performed the marriage ceremony. In 1606 he achieved his goal, the priest was found and the marriage was declared legal, along with the legitimacy of their sons.

Edward Seymour

Had Catherine not married Edward Seymour, her life may have been very different, perhaps as the next Queen of Spain?

It appears that this rebellious trait was a family one; Lady Catherine's grandmother Princess Mary Rose Tudor had married her second husband Charles Brandon without her brother the king's permission. Catherine's mother Frances took as her second husband her Master of the Horse Adrian Stokes. Catherine's younger sister Mary also eloped with the widower Sergeant Porter Thomas Keyes. Catherine's eldest son Edward married Honora Rogers, a girl far below him in status and therefore his father did all he could to end the marriage. Edward then threatened to commit suicide rather than return to his father's house. Edward and Honora's son William Seymour later secretly married Arbella Stuart.

Henry VIII: Do as I say not as I do.

King Francis of France

Letter written in 1533 from King Henry VIII of England to his ambassador in France - Thomas Boleyn - to pass on to King Francis of France. The letter mainly concerned the announcement of King Henry's marriage to Anne Boleyn, however other issues were discussed.

"requiring Henry's opinion touching the marriage projected by the pope between (Henry, son of King Francis) duke of Orleans, and (Catherine de Medici) niece of pope Clement (VII), to which the said lord Rochford shall state to Francis what he had already said...that considering the low extraction of the said niece of the pope, and the royal blood of the duke of Orleans, he thinks the marriage very unequal, and he is opposed to it, unless some great advantage arise from it...Should Francis think that there can be a counterbalance with respect to the marriage of the duke and the pope's niece, and his holiness should urge the same, then Francis shall be requested to inform the pope that his accepting Henry's excuse without delay is the only means of bringing the said marriage into consideration"

The timing of this letter is curious as it was in this year that King Henry married Anne Boleyn, who was a member of a noble family but was nonetheless a non-royal of "low extraction". Considering that at the same time King Henry was in a very similar situation and taking action which was entirely contrary to what he was advising the French King.
However, King Henry's dislike of this proposed marriage can be understood in terms of religion as at this time England was in opposition to the Church in Rome, and with a marriage connection between the Pope and the ruling house in France, Henry could have been under threat of a Catholic League on the continent.

Painting depicting the marriage of Henry and Catherine, 1550

King Francis indeed ignored the advice of the English king concerning the inequality of the two houses and on the 28th October 1533 Francis' son and heir Henry was married to Catherine de Medici.

The people of Henry Tudor's England

King Henry VII of England

In the fifteenth century, opinion abroad of the island of England was fairly low in that it was unimportant, and perhaps even a barbarian country. It was a small nation of only around three million people, which was tiny in comparison to its neighbours of France and Spain. However, accounts exist from visitors abroad of their opinion of England, and it was often the case that they were pleasantly surprised. These accounts are very useful as they can give us an insight into the society and customs with which Tudor citizens lived.

In 1498 a Venetian wrote a letter which contained his account of the people of England.
He found English people to be;

"extremely polite in their language; which, although it is as well as the Flemish derived from the German, has lost its natural harshness, and is pleasing enough as they pronounce it"

"I have understood from persons acquainted with these countries that the Scotch are much handsomer; and that the English are great lovers of themselves, and of everything belonging to them; they think that there are no other men than themselves, and no other world but England; and whenever they see a handsome foreigner, they say that 'he looks like an Englishman': and that 'it is a great pity that he should not be an Englishman"

Erasmus

Another example of contemporary opinion of Englishmen comes a year later from a visiting scholar.
In 1499 the great philosopher Erasmus visited England, and in a letter to his friend John Fisher he described a custom of Englishmen that;

"Wherever you come, you are received with a kiss by all; when you take your leave, you are dismissed with kisses: you return, kisses are repeated, They come to visit you, kisses again: they leave you, you kiss them all round. Should they meet you anywhere kisses in abundance: in fine, wherever you move, there is nothing but kisses"

This custom of kissing was a French one that had come to England during the era of the Plantagenet kings (1154-1399) and had continued after the ruling dynasty had changed. 

Tudor time translator

John Russell (1485-1555) spoke French, Spanish, Italian and German. He had spent several years abroad studying and learning languages, and returned to England in 1506 upon the death of his father and grandfather.
By contemporaries he was described as;

"had a moving beauty that waited on his whole body, a comportment unaffected, and such a comeliness in his mien, as exacted a liking, if not a love, from all that saw him; the whole set off with a person of a middle stature, neither tall to a formidableness, nor short to a contempt, straight and proportioned, vigorous and active, with pure blood and spirits flowing in his youthful veins"

John Russell, Earl of Bedford, 1555

On the 11th January 1506, King Philip of Castile and his wife Joanna - the elder sister of Catherine of Aragon - were aboard a ship headed for Spain from Flanders which, due to a storm, had to make an unexpected stop at Weymouth. Upon their arrival the royal couple were greeted and entertained by the local Dorset gentry, in particular by the household of Sir Thomas Trenchard at Wolveton Hall; a family which John Russell had familial links with.

Wolveton Hall

It is unlikely that Philip or Joanna spoke any English, nor had among their party any that did as they had not expected to land in England, therefore a translator was needed.
John Russell came forward due to his skill with languages and stepped into the role as translator for King Philip, and then traveled with the Spanish king to London and arrived on the 31st January. Juana traveled to London at a slower pace and arrived a week after her husband on the 10th February, where she was reunited for only a few hours with her younger sister Catalina, whom she had not seen for ten years, and would never see again after this visit. It seemed that the two kings worked to keep the sisters apart, and King Philip publicly snubbed his young sister-in-law during the court celebrations when he refused to dance with her. Philip was trying to maintain control over Juana's inherited lands and used her fragile mental health as his reason for his, therefore to maintain this excuse it was necessary for him to keep her from her family members who might convince her to take an active role in ruling her territories. However, for Henry and Philip the visit was successful as they made several political, economical and dynastic agreements.  Philip and Juana did not leave England until April that year, with Philip staying at the royal court and his wife Juana waiting in Dorset.
The following year Catherine wrote to her sister Juana and mentioned this visit;

"I have to express the very great pleasure it gave me to see you in this kingdom, and the distress which filled my heart, a few hours afterwards, on account of your sudden and hasty departure"

The Spanish couple praised his skills so highly that in 1507 Russell became a Gentleman of the Privy Chamber under King Henry VII, and then under Henry VIII. Russell's political continued to gain momentum throughout his life, and peaked when he was made Lord High Admiral in 1540, which he resigned two years later, and became Lord Privy Seal. It was this fortuitous accident which left the Spanish monarchs washed up on a Dorset coast that led to a successful political career for John Russell who served, and held high offices, under all consecutive Tudor monarchs of England from Henry VII to Queen Mary I.

John Russell by Hans Holbein