Catherine Carey

Catherine Carey, later Lady Knollys (c. 1524 – 15 January 1569), was Chief Lady of the Bedchamber to Elizabeth I of England.

Biography

Catherine's mother, Mary Boleyn, was the sister of Anne Boleyn and the onetime mistress to King Henry VIII.

Catherine Carey was born about 1524, the daughter of Sir William Carey of Aldenham in Hertfordshire, Gentleman of the Privy Chamber and Esquire of the Body to King Henry VIII of England, and his wife Lady 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. She became Maid of Honour to both Queens Anne of Cleves and Catherine 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 in Berkshire and Rotherfield Greys in Oxfordshire, although, as staunch Protestants, they fled to Germany 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 in Westminster Abbey. There is a small commemorative plaque in the abbey, although her chief monument is at Rotherfield Greys in Oxfordshire.

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 first Walter Devereux, 1st Earl of Essex, secondly Robert Dudley, 1st Earl of Leicester and thirdly Sir Christopher Blount.
• Mary Knollys (c. 1541 - 1593). She married Edward Stalker.
• Henry Knollys (c. 1542 - 1583). 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.
• Elizabeth Knollys. She married Sir Thomas Leighton, son of John Leighton of Watlesburgh and Joyce Sutton, in 1578. Her husband served as Governor of Guernsey.
• William Knollys, 1st Earl of Banbury (c. 1544 - 25 May 1632). He was married first to Dorothy Bray 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.
• Sir Thomas Knollys (d. 1596). Better 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 Young" (c. 1552 - 1643). 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 (c. 1553 - last reported alive 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 (c. 1560 - 20 December 1620). Married first Gerald FitzGerald, Baron Offaly and secondly Sir Phillip Butler of Watton Woodhall, a possible descendant of James Butler, 3rd Earl of Ormonde. She was the mother of Lettice, 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

Catherine is a character in both The Other Boleyn Girl and The Boleyn Inheritance by Philippa Gregory.

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. She is referred to as Catherine Carey throughout the book but, as she would have already married Francis Knollys by 1539, should have been called Catherine, Lady Knollys.

References

• Ford, David Nash. 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.