Anne Brandon, Baroness Grey of Powis
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Lady Anne Brandon, Baroness Grey of Powys (c. 1507 – January 1558) was an English noblewoman, and the eldest daughter of Charles Brandon, 1st Duke of Suffolk
by his second wife, Anne Browne. Anne's mother had died in 1511. In 1514, Anne's father secured a place for her at the court of Archduchess Margaret of Savoy. While Anne was abroad, her father married Mary Tudor, the widowed Queen consort
of Louis XII of France
and the youngest sister of Henry VIII
.
Anne married firstly Edward Grey, 3rd Baron Grey of Powys in 1525. Following the dissolution of the marriage, she created a scandal by living openly with her lover Randal Haworth, whom she later married. In 1540, her husband petitioned King Henry VIII's Privy Council
, to punish Anne for adultery
, accusing her and Haworth of having conspired to murder him. Nothing came of the allegations.
, who would later, in 1514, be created Duke of Suffolk
. Her mother was Anne Browne, her father's second wife. Before 1507, her father deserted Anne Browne, to whom he was betrothed and who was pregnant with Anne, in order to marry her maternal aunt Margaret Neville, a wealthy widow. When that marriage was declared null and void, he returned to Anne and married her as his second wife. The marriage also produced a younger daughter, Lady Mary Brandon
. Years later, in 1528, Pope Clement VII
issued a Papal Bull
which confirmed that Brandon's divorce from Margaret Neville, who was still alive, was valid, thus establishing the legitimacy of Anne and her sister Mary.
In 1514, Brandon arranged for Anne to be sent to the court of Archduchess Margaret of Savoy, Governor of the Netherlands. She was aged about seven years. While Anne was in the Netherlands
, in 1515 her father married his third wife, Mary Tudor, the widowed Queen consort of King Louis XII of France
, who was Henry VIII's youngest sister.
Anne returned to England at her stepmother's insistence, although her father had intended her to stay at the court of Archduchess Margaret, saying to the latter "the Queen [Mary Tudor] has so urged and prayed me to have her that I cannot contradict her." Two gentlemen escorted Anne from the Netherlands to Westhorpe Hall
, where she and her younger sister, Mary, made their home with their father, stepmother and three half-siblings, Henry Brandon, 1st Earl of Lincoln
, Lady Frances Brandon, and Lady Eleanor Brandon.
In June 1533, after the death of Mary Tudor, Anne and her sister Mary pushed themselves to the head of the funeral cortege just before the coffin was lowered into the crypt
of the Abbey
of St Edmundsbury, much to the consternation of their half-siblings. Anne's father married his young ward Katherine Willoughby later that year.
Sometime between 1545 and 1551, Anne conspired with a corrupt judge in the Court of Chancery
to obtain lands with forged documents, which defrauded Henry Grey, Marquess of Dorset
, the husband of her half-sister, Frances, who quickly succeeded the Brandons' father as Duke of Suffolk of a new creation. When the affair came to light in 1552, the judge was arrested, but Anne Brandon went unpunished. By that time, her first husband had died, and she had married Randal Haworth.
Both her marriages were childless, and Anne died in January 1558, aged about 51 years. She was buried on 13 January in Westminster Abbey
or in the adjacent St Margaret's Church
.
Charles Brandon, 1st Duke of Suffolk
Charles Brandon, 1st Duke of Suffolk, 1st Viscount Lisle, KG was the son of Sir William Brandon and Elizabeth Bruyn. Through his third wife Mary Tudor he was brother-in-law to Henry VIII. His father was the standard-bearer of Henry Tudor, Earl of Richmond and was slain by Richard III in person at...
by his second wife, Anne Browne. Anne's mother had died in 1511. In 1514, Anne's father secured a place for her at the court of Archduchess Margaret of Savoy. While Anne was abroad, her father married Mary Tudor, the widowed Queen consort
Queen consort
A queen consort is the wife of a reigning king. A queen consort usually shares her husband's rank and holds the feminine equivalent of the king's monarchical titles. Historically, queens consort do not share the king regnant's political and military powers. Most queens in history were queens consort...
of Louis XII of France
Louis XII of France
Louis proved to be a popular king. At the end of his reign the crown deficit was no greater than it had been when he succeeded Charles VIII in 1498, despite several expensive military campaigns in Italy. His fiscal reforms of 1504 and 1508 tightened and improved procedures for the collection of taxes...
and the youngest sister of Henry VIII
Henry VIII of England
Henry VIII was King of England from 21 April 1509 until his death. He was Lord, and later King, of Ireland, as well as continuing the nominal claim by the English monarchs to the Kingdom of France...
.
Anne married firstly Edward Grey, 3rd Baron Grey of Powys in 1525. Following the dissolution of the marriage, she created a scandal by living openly with her lover Randal Haworth, whom she later married. In 1540, her husband petitioned King Henry VIII's Privy Council
Privy council
A privy council is a body that advises the head of state of a nation, typically, but not always, in the context of a monarchic government. The word "privy" means "private" or "secret"; thus, a privy council was originally a committee of the monarch's closest advisors to give confidential advice on...
, to punish Anne for adultery
Adultery
Adultery is sexual infidelity to one's spouse, and is a form of extramarital sex. It originally referred only to sex between a woman who was married and a person other than her spouse. Even in cases of separation from one's spouse, an extramarital affair is still considered adultery.Adultery is...
, accusing her and Haworth of having conspired to murder him. Nothing came of the allegations.
Family and early years
Lady Anne was born in about 1507, the eldest daughter of Charles BrandonCharles Brandon, 1st Duke of Suffolk
Charles Brandon, 1st Duke of Suffolk, 1st Viscount Lisle, KG was the son of Sir William Brandon and Elizabeth Bruyn. Through his third wife Mary Tudor he was brother-in-law to Henry VIII. His father was the standard-bearer of Henry Tudor, Earl of Richmond and was slain by Richard III in person at...
, who would later, in 1514, be created Duke of Suffolk
Duke of Suffolk
Duke of Suffolk is a title that has been created three times in British history, all three times in the Peerage of England.The third creation of the dukedom of Suffolk was for Henry Grey, 3rd Marquess of Dorset, in 1551. The duke also held the title Baron Ferrers of Groby...
. Her mother was Anne Browne, her father's second wife. Before 1507, her father deserted Anne Browne, to whom he was betrothed and who was pregnant with Anne, in order to marry her maternal aunt Margaret Neville, a wealthy widow. When that marriage was declared null and void, he returned to Anne and married her as his second wife. The marriage also produced a younger daughter, Lady Mary Brandon
Mary Brandon, Baroness Monteagle
Lady Mary Brandon, Baroness Monteagle , was an English noblewoman, and the daughter of Charles Brandon, 1st Duke of Suffolk, by his second wife, Anne Browne...
. Years later, in 1528, Pope Clement VII
Pope Clement VII
Clement VII , born Giulio di Giuliano de' Medici, was a cardinal from 1513 to 1523 and was Pope from 1523 to 1534.-Early life:...
issued a Papal Bull
Papal bull
A Papal bull is a particular type of letters patent or charter issued by a Pope of the Catholic Church. It is named after the bulla that was appended to the end in order to authenticate it....
which confirmed that Brandon's divorce from Margaret Neville, who was still alive, was valid, thus establishing the legitimacy of Anne and her sister Mary.
In 1514, Brandon arranged for Anne to be sent to the court of Archduchess Margaret of Savoy, Governor of the Netherlands. She was aged about seven years. While Anne was in the Netherlands
Habsburg Netherlands
The Habsburg Netherlands was a geo-political entity covering the whole of the Low Countries from 1482 to 1556/1581 and solely the Southern Netherlands from 1581 to 1794...
, in 1515 her father married his third wife, Mary Tudor, the widowed Queen consort of King Louis XII of France
Louis XII of France
Louis proved to be a popular king. At the end of his reign the crown deficit was no greater than it had been when he succeeded Charles VIII in 1498, despite several expensive military campaigns in Italy. His fiscal reforms of 1504 and 1508 tightened and improved procedures for the collection of taxes...
, who was Henry VIII's youngest sister.
Anne returned to England at her stepmother's insistence, although her father had intended her to stay at the court of Archduchess Margaret, saying to the latter "the Queen [Mary Tudor] has so urged and prayed me to have her that I cannot contradict her." Two gentlemen escorted Anne from the Netherlands to Westhorpe Hall
Westhorpe Hall
Westhorpe Hall was a manor house in Westhorpe, Suffolk, England.It was the residence of Mary Tudor, Queen of France and her second husband, Charles Brandon, 1st Duke of Suffolk. There they raised their children, Frances , Eleanor and Henry Brandon, 1st Earl of Lincoln...
, where she and her younger sister, Mary, made their home with their father, stepmother and three half-siblings, Henry Brandon, 1st Earl of Lincoln
Henry Brandon, 1st Earl of Lincoln
Henry Brandon, 1st Earl of Lincoln was the youngest child and second son born to Charles Brandon, 1st Duke of Suffolk and Mary Tudor, Queen of France, who was a daughter of Henry VII of England. Thus Henry Brandon was nephew to Henry VIII of England...
, Lady Frances Brandon, and Lady Eleanor Brandon.
In June 1533, after the death of Mary Tudor, Anne and her sister Mary pushed themselves to the head of the funeral cortege just before the coffin was lowered into the crypt
Crypt
In architecture, a crypt is a stone chamber or vault beneath the floor of a burial vault possibly containing sarcophagi, coffins or relics....
of the Abbey
Abbey
An abbey is a Catholic monastery or convent, under the authority of an Abbot or an Abbess, who serves as the spiritual father or mother of the community.The term can also refer to an establishment which has long ceased to function as an abbey,...
of St Edmundsbury, much to the consternation of their half-siblings. Anne's father married his young ward Katherine Willoughby later that year.
Marriages
In 1525, Anne married her first husband, Edward Grey, 3rd Baron Grey of Powys (1503–1551). The marriage was not successful, and Anne was unhappy. In 1537, she left him for a lover, Randal Haworth, after Grey had already taken a mistress, Jane Orwell, by whom he had a total of four illegitimate children, and upon whom he would later entail the greater part of his estates comprising the barony of Powys. Her father, with the assistance of Thomas Cromwell, forced Grey to support her, and succeeded in obtaining for her an annuity of £100 . He also asked Cromwell to help discipline Anne so that she would "live after such an honest sort as shall be to her honor and mine". In 1540, Grey petitioned the Privy Council to punish Anne for adultery, and also accused Anne and Haworth of conspiring to murder him. No action was taken against Anne, and she remained with her lover; however, this scandalous arrangement caused her to be excluded from Charles Brandon's will, which contained generous bequests to her two half-sisters, Frances and Eleanor.Sometime between 1545 and 1551, Anne conspired with a corrupt judge in the Court of Chancery
Court of Chancery
The Court of Chancery was a court of equity in England and Wales that followed a set of loose rules to avoid the slow pace of change and possible harshness of the common law. The Chancery had jurisdiction over all matters of equity, including trusts, land law, the administration of the estates of...
to obtain lands with forged documents, which defrauded Henry Grey, Marquess of Dorset
Henry Grey, 1st Duke of Suffolk
Henry Grey, 1st Duke of Suffolk, 3rd Marquess of Dorset, KG was an English nobleman of the Tudor period and the father of Lady Jane Grey.-Henry VIII's reign:...
, the husband of her half-sister, Frances, who quickly succeeded the Brandons' father as Duke of Suffolk of a new creation. When the affair came to light in 1552, the judge was arrested, but Anne Brandon went unpunished. By that time, her first husband had died, and she had married Randal Haworth.
Both her marriages were childless, and Anne died in January 1558, aged about 51 years. She was buried on 13 January in Westminster Abbey
Westminster Abbey
The Collegiate Church of St Peter at Westminster, popularly known as Westminster Abbey, is a large, mainly Gothic church, in the City of Westminster, London, United Kingdom, located just to the west of the Palace of Westminster. It is the traditional place of coronation and burial site for English,...
or in the adjacent St Margaret's Church
St. Margaret's, Westminster
The Anglican church of St. Margaret, Westminster Abbey is situated in the grounds of Westminster Abbey on Parliament Square, and is the parish church of the House of Commons of the United Kingdom in London...
.