Anne Stanhope
Encyclopedia
Anne Seymour, Duchess of Somerset (née Stanhope) (c. 1510 – 16 April 1587) was the second wife of Edward Seymour, 1st Duke of Somerset
, who held the office of Lord Protector
during the first part of the reign of his nephew King Edward VI
, through whom Anne was briefly the most powerful woman in England. She claimed (without success or entitlement) precedence over the Dowager
Queen Catherine Parr
.
in about 1510, the daughter of Sir Edward Stanhope, of Sudbury (1462 – 6 June 1511) and Elizabeth Bourchier. She had two half-brothers from her father's first marriage to Avelina Clifford. They were Richard Stanhope, and Sir Michael Stanhope
.
Her paternal grandparents were Sir Thomas Stanhope and Mary Jerningham, and her maternal grandparents were Fulke Bourchier, 2nd Baron Fitzwaryn and Elizabeth Dynham. Through her mother, Anne was a descendant of Thomas of Woodstock, the youngest son of King Edward III of England
and Philippa of Hainault
.
Anne's snobbery and pride were considered to be intolerable, yet she was highly intelligent and determined. Antonio de Guaras, a Spanish merchant living in London, would later say of her, that she was "more presumptuous than Lucifer".
, becoming his second wife. Jane Seymour
, Sir Edward's sister, became the third wife of King Henry VIII of England
in 1536. Shortly after the king's marriage to Jane, Edward was elevated to Viscount
Beauchamp; less than a year and a half later, in October 1537, he was again elevated, from viscount to earl, becoming the first Earl of Hertford (first creation). In 1547, Edward was further elevated to a dukedom, and Anne was thus styled as the Duchess of Somerset
.
Edward's first marriage, about 1527, to Catherine Fillol
, was annulled; the reason is alleged to have been the discovery of a relationship between Catherine and Edward's father; however, this is disputed by the Dictionary of National Biography
. His second marriage was before 9 March 1534 to Anne Stanhope
.
Queen Jane Seymour
stood godmother
to Anne's first child, Edward, who was born in February 1537. The ceremony was held at Chester Place; besides the queen, Thomas Cromwell and Princess Mary also acted as godparents. This first Edward died at the age of two. A second son was born May 1539 and given the same name. This (second) Edward would be raised to the second creation of the title of Earl of Hertford by Elizabeth I, and subsequently marry a close claimant to the English throne, Lady Catherine Grey
, by whom he had two sons.
Anne was present at the wedding ceremony of Henry VIII
and Catherine Parr
on 12 July 1543. After Henry VIII's death, Edward Seymour acted as King in all but name. With this power, Anne considered herself the first lady of the realm, claiming precedence over Catherine, Henry VIII's widow, following the latter's marriage to Anne's brother-in-law, Thomas Seymour
.
Anne considered that the Dowager Queen forfeited her rights of precedence when she married the younger brother of Anne's husband. Anne refused to bear Catherine's train, and even physically tried to push her out of her place at the head of their entrances and exits at court. Anne was quoted as having said of Catherine, "If master admiral (Thomas Seymour) teach his wife no better manners, I am she that will". Catherine, in her turn, privately referred to Anne as "that Hell". Catherine Parr won the battle by invoking the Third Succession Act
which clearly stated that Catherine had precedence over all ladies in the realm; in point of fact, as regards precedence, Anne came after Queen Catherine, Lady Mary
, Lady Elizabeth
and Anne of Cleves
. The Duchess, who was described as a "violent woman", wielded considerable power for a short time, which later would reflect negatively on her husband's reputation.
As Lord Protector
Edward Seymour wielded almost royal authority. However, he lost his position of power following a show-down between the Privy Council
and himself in October 1549. He and his wife were imprisoned in the Tower of London
. The Duchess was released after a short time, Somerset himself in January 1550. According to the Imperial ambassador Jehan de Scheyfye, Anne Seymour had made daily visits to the house of the de facto
new ruler, John Dudley, Earl of Warwick
, who soon allowed Somerset to rejoin the Privy Council. The Duchess of Somerset and the Countess of Warwick then arranged a marriage between their respective eldest son and daughter, Anne Seymour
and John Dudley
. Somerset fell again into disgrace in October 1551, when he was arrested on charges of conspiring against Warwick, who had recently been created Duke of Northumberland. Somerset was convicted of felony
on 1 December 1551 and beheaded on 22 January 1552 on Tower Hill. The Duchess of Somerset had been arrested with her husband and continued in the Tower until 30 May 1553. After Mary I's
accession in July and the attainder
of the Duke of Northumberland she was allowed to choose from the Dudley family's confiscated household stuffs.
, Middlesex
, who had been Steward
to her late husband. Francis was the son of John Newdigate, of Harefield
, Middlesex, and wife. Little is known of their life together. Her second husband died on 26 January 1581.
, London
.http://www.tudorplace.com.ar/Bios/EdwardSeymour(1DSomerset).htm where her tomb with its painted effigy
can be viewed. Her memorial is in St. Peter and St. Paul's Church, Shelford
.
Edward Seymour, 1st Duke of Somerset
Edward Seymour, 1st Duke of Somerset, 1st Earl of Hertford, 1st Viscount Beauchamp of Hache, KG, Earl Marshal was Lord Protector of England in the period between the death of Henry VIII in 1547 and his own indictment in 1549....
, who held the office of Lord Protector
Lord Protector
Lord Protector is a title used in British constitutional law for certain heads of state at different periods of history. It is also a particular title for the British Heads of State in respect to the established church...
during the first part of the reign of his nephew King Edward VI
Edward VI of England
Edward VI was the King of England and Ireland from 28 January 1547 until his death. He was crowned on 20 February at the age of nine. The son of Henry VIII and Jane Seymour, Edward was the third monarch of the Tudor dynasty and England's first monarch who was raised as a Protestant...
, through whom Anne was briefly the most powerful woman in England. She claimed (without success or entitlement) precedence over the Dowager
Dowager
A dowager is a widow who holds a title or property, or dower, derived from her deceased husband. As an adjective, "Dowager" usually appears in association with monarchical and aristocratic titles....
Queen Catherine Parr
Catherine Parr
Catherine Parr ; 1512 – 5 September 1548) was Queen consort of England and Ireland and the last of the six wives of King Henry VIII of England. She married Henry VIII on 12 July 1543. She was the fourth commoner Henry had taken as his consort, and outlived him...
.
Family
Anne was born at Sudbury in SuffolkSuffolk
Suffolk is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in East Anglia, England. It has borders with Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south. The North Sea lies to the east...
in about 1510, the daughter of Sir Edward Stanhope, of Sudbury (1462 – 6 June 1511) and Elizabeth Bourchier. She had two half-brothers from her father's first marriage to Avelina Clifford. They were Richard Stanhope, and Sir Michael Stanhope
Sir Michael Stanhope
Sir Michael Stanhope was a Nottinghamshire landowner and suspected rebel against the English Crown. He was a descendant of the ancient Stanhope family of Rampton, Nottinghamshire....
.
Her paternal grandparents were Sir Thomas Stanhope and Mary Jerningham, and her maternal grandparents were Fulke Bourchier, 2nd Baron Fitzwaryn and Elizabeth Dynham. Through her mother, Anne was a descendant of Thomas of Woodstock, the youngest son of King Edward III of England
Edward III of England
Edward III was King of England from 1327 until his death and is noted for his military success. Restoring royal authority after the disastrous reign of his father, Edward II, Edward III went on to transform the Kingdom of England into one of the most formidable military powers in Europe...
and Philippa of Hainault
Philippa of Hainault
Philippa of Hainault, or, Philippe de Hainaut was the Queen consort of King Edward III of England. Edward, Duke of Guyenne, her future husband, promised in 1326 to marry her within the following two years...
.
Anne's snobbery and pride were considered to be intolerable, yet she was highly intelligent and determined. Antonio de Guaras, a Spanish merchant living in London, would later say of her, that she was "more presumptuous than Lucifer".
First Marriage
At some undetermined date between 9 March 1534 and 1535, Anne married Sir Edward Seymour, the eldest brother of Jane SeymourJane Seymour
Jane Seymour was Queen of England as the third wife of King Henry VIII. She succeeded Anne Boleyn as queen consort following the latter's execution for trumped up charges of high treason, incest and adultery in May 1536. She died of postnatal complications less than two weeks after the birth of...
, becoming his second wife. Jane Seymour
Jane Seymour
Jane Seymour was Queen of England as the third wife of King Henry VIII. She succeeded Anne Boleyn as queen consort following the latter's execution for trumped up charges of high treason, incest and adultery in May 1536. She died of postnatal complications less than two weeks after the birth of...
, Sir Edward's sister, became the third wife of King Henry VIII of England
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...
in 1536. Shortly after the king's marriage to Jane, Edward was elevated to Viscount
Viscount
A viscount or viscountess is a member of the European nobility whose comital title ranks usually, as in the British peerage, above a baron, below an earl or a count .-Etymology:...
Beauchamp; less than a year and a half later, in October 1537, he was again elevated, from viscount to earl, becoming the first Earl of Hertford (first creation). In 1547, Edward was further elevated to a dukedom, and Anne was thus styled as the Duchess of Somerset
Somerset
The ceremonial and non-metropolitan county of Somerset in South West England borders Bristol and Gloucestershire to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west. It is partly bounded to the north and west by the Bristol Channel and the estuary of the...
.
Edward's first marriage, about 1527, to Catherine Fillol
Catherine Fillol
Catherine Fillol was the daughter and co-heiress of Sir William Fillol, of Woodlands, Horton, Dorset, and of Fillol's Hall, Essex ....
, was annulled; the reason is alleged to have been the discovery of a relationship between Catherine and Edward's father; however, this is disputed by the Dictionary of National Biography
Dictionary of National Biography
The Dictionary of National Biography is a standard work of reference on notable figures from British history, published from 1885...
. His second marriage was before 9 March 1534 to Anne Stanhope
Anne Stanhope
Anne Seymour, Duchess of Somerset was the second wife of Edward Seymour, 1st Duke of Somerset, who held the office of Lord Protector during the first part of the reign of his nephew King Edward VI, through whom Anne was briefly the most powerful woman in England...
.
Issue
Anne had ten children from her marriage to Edward.- Edward Seymour, Viscount Beauchamp of Hache (12 October 1537–1539)
- Edward Seymour, 1st Earl of HertfordEdward Seymour, 1st Earl of HertfordSir Edward Seymour, 1st Baron Beauchamp of Hache and 1st Earl of Hertford, KG was the son of Edward Seymour, 1st Duke of Somerset, by his second wife Anne Stanhope....
(second creation of that title) (22 May 1539–1621), married firstly in November 1560, Lady Catherine GreyLady Catherine GreyLady Catherine Grey , Countess of Hertford, was the younger sister of Lady Jane Grey. A granddaughter of Henry VIII's sister Mary, she was a potential successor to her cousin, Queen Elizabeth I of England, but incurred Elizabeth's wrath by her secret marriage to Edward Seymour, 1st Earl of Hertford...
, by whom he had two sons; he married secondly in 1582, Frances Howard; and thirdly in 1601, Frances Prannell. - Lord Henry Seymour (1540–?) married Lady Joan Percy, daughter of Thomas Percy, 7th Earl of NorthumberlandThomas Percy, 7th Earl of NorthumberlandBlessed Thomas Percy, 7th Earl of Northumberland, 1st Baron Percy, KG , led the Rising of the North and was executed for treason. He was later beatified by the Catholic Church.-Early life:...
- Lady Margaret SeymourLady Margaret SeymourLady Margaret Seymour was an influential writer during the sixteenth century in England, along with her sisters, Anne Seymour, Countess of Warwick and Lady Jane Seymour. She was the daughter of Edward Seymour, 1st Duke of Somerset, who from 1547 was the Lord Protector of England after the death of...
(1540 - ?) noted Elizabethan author - Lady Jane SeymourLady Jane SeymourLady Jane Seymour was an influential writer during the sixteenth century in England, along with her sisters, Lady Margaret Seymour and Anne Seymour, Countess of Warwick. She was the daughter of Edward Seymour, 1st Duke of Somerset, who from 1547 was the Lord Protector of England after the death of...
(1541–1561) Maid of Honour to Queen Elizabeth I, noted Elizabethan author - Lady Anne SeymourAnne Dudley, Countess of WarwickAnne Dudley Countess of Warwick was a writer during the sixteenth century in England, along with her sisters Lady Margaret Seymour and Lady Jane Seymour....
(d. 1588), married firstly John Dudley, 2nd Earl of WarwickJohn Dudley, 2nd Earl of WarwickJohn Dudley, 2nd Earl of Warwick, KG, KB was an English nobleman and the heir of John Dudley, 1st Duke of Northumberland, leading minister and de facto ruler under Edward VI of England from 1550–1553. As his father's career progressed, John Dudley respectively assumed his father's former...
; she married secondly Sir Edward Unton, MPMember of ParliamentA Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
, by whom she had issue. - Lady Catherine Seymour
- Lord Thomas Seymour (1548–1574), unmarried and without issue
- Lady Mary Seymour (born 1552) married three times (Andrew Rogers, of Bryanstone, Dorset; Sir Henry Peyton, General Francis Cosbie)
- Lady Elizabeth Seymour (1552 – 3 June 1602), married Sir Richard Knightley, of NorthamptonshireNorthamptonshireNorthamptonshire is a landlocked county in the English East Midlands, with a population of 629,676 as at the 2001 census. It has boundaries with the ceremonial counties of Warwickshire to the west, Leicestershire and Rutland to the north, Cambridgeshire to the east, Bedfordshire to the south-east,...
Queen Jane Seymour
Jane Seymour
Jane Seymour was Queen of England as the third wife of King Henry VIII. She succeeded Anne Boleyn as queen consort following the latter's execution for trumped up charges of high treason, incest and adultery in May 1536. She died of postnatal complications less than two weeks after the birth of...
stood godmother
Godparent
A godparent, in many denominations of Christianity, is someone who sponsors a child's baptism. A male godparent is a godfather, and a female godparent is a godmother...
to Anne's first child, Edward, who was born in February 1537. The ceremony was held at Chester Place; besides the queen, Thomas Cromwell and Princess Mary also acted as godparents. This first Edward died at the age of two. A second son was born May 1539 and given the same name. This (second) Edward would be raised to the second creation of the title of Earl of Hertford by Elizabeth I, and subsequently marry a close claimant to the English throne, Lady Catherine Grey
Lady Catherine Grey
Lady Catherine Grey , Countess of Hertford, was the younger sister of Lady Jane Grey. A granddaughter of Henry VIII's sister Mary, she was a potential successor to her cousin, Queen Elizabeth I of England, but incurred Elizabeth's wrath by her secret marriage to Edward Seymour, 1st Earl of Hertford...
, by whom he had two sons.
Life in the royal court
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...
and Catherine Parr
Catherine Parr
Catherine Parr ; 1512 – 5 September 1548) was Queen consort of England and Ireland and the last of the six wives of King Henry VIII of England. She married Henry VIII on 12 July 1543. She was the fourth commoner Henry had taken as his consort, and outlived him...
on 12 July 1543. After Henry VIII's death, Edward Seymour acted as King in all but name. With this power, Anne considered herself the first lady of the realm, claiming precedence over Catherine, Henry VIII's widow, following the latter's marriage to Anne's brother-in-law, Thomas Seymour
Thomas Seymour, 1st Baron Seymour of Sudeley
Thomas Seymour, 1st Baron Seymour of Sudeley, KG was an English politician.Thomas spent his childhood in Wulfhall, outside Savernake Forest, in Wiltshire. Historian David Starkey describes Thomas thus: 'tall, well-built and with a dashing beard and auburn hair, he was irresistible to women'...
.
Anne considered that the Dowager Queen forfeited her rights of precedence when she married the younger brother of Anne's husband. Anne refused to bear Catherine's train, and even physically tried to push her out of her place at the head of their entrances and exits at court. Anne was quoted as having said of Catherine, "If master admiral (Thomas Seymour) teach his wife no better manners, I am she that will". Catherine, in her turn, privately referred to Anne as "that Hell". Catherine Parr won the battle by invoking the Third Succession Act
Third Succession Act
The Third Succession Act of Henry VIII's reign was passed by the Parliament of England in July 1543, and returned both Mary and Elizabeth to the line of the succession behind Prince Edward....
which clearly stated that Catherine had precedence over all ladies in the realm; in point of fact, as regards precedence, Anne came after Queen Catherine, Lady Mary
Mary I of England
Mary I was queen regnant of England and Ireland from July 1553 until her death.She was the only surviving child born of the ill-fated marriage of Henry VIII and his first wife Catherine of Aragon. Her younger half-brother, Edward VI, succeeded Henry in 1547...
, Lady Elizabeth
Elizabeth I of England
Elizabeth I was queen regnant of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death. Sometimes called The Virgin Queen, Gloriana, or Good Queen Bess, Elizabeth was the fifth and last monarch of the Tudor dynasty...
and Anne of Cleves
Anne of Cleves
Anne of Cleves was a German noblewoman and the fourth wife of Henry VIII of England and as such she was Queen of England from 6 January 1540 to 9 July 1540. The marriage was never consummated, and she was not crowned queen consort...
. The Duchess, who was described as a "violent woman", wielded considerable power for a short time, which later would reflect negatively on her husband's reputation.
As Lord Protector
Lord Protector
Lord Protector is a title used in British constitutional law for certain heads of state at different periods of history. It is also a particular title for the British Heads of State in respect to the established church...
Edward Seymour wielded almost royal authority. However, he lost his position of power following a show-down between the 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...
and himself in October 1549. He and his wife were imprisoned in the Tower of London
Tower of London
Her Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress, more commonly known as the Tower of London, is a historic castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London, England. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, separated from the eastern edge of the City of London by the open space...
. The Duchess was released after a short time, Somerset himself in January 1550. According to the Imperial ambassador Jehan de Scheyfye, Anne Seymour had made daily visits to the house of the de facto
De facto
De facto is a Latin expression that means "concerning fact." In law, it often means "in practice but not necessarily ordained by law" or "in practice or actuality, but not officially established." It is commonly used in contrast to de jure when referring to matters of law, governance, or...
new ruler, John Dudley, Earl of Warwick
John Dudley, 1st Duke of Northumberland
John Dudley, 1st Duke of Northumberland, KG was an English general, admiral, and politician, who led the government of the young King Edward VI from 1550 until 1553, and unsuccessfully tried to install Lady Jane Grey on the English throne after the King's death...
, who soon allowed Somerset to rejoin the Privy Council. The Duchess of Somerset and the Countess of Warwick then arranged a marriage between their respective eldest son and daughter, Anne Seymour
Anne Dudley, Countess of Warwick
Anne Dudley Countess of Warwick was a writer during the sixteenth century in England, along with her sisters Lady Margaret Seymour and Lady Jane Seymour....
and John Dudley
John Dudley, 2nd Earl of Warwick
John Dudley, 2nd Earl of Warwick, KG, KB was an English nobleman and the heir of John Dudley, 1st Duke of Northumberland, leading minister and de facto ruler under Edward VI of England from 1550–1553. As his father's career progressed, John Dudley respectively assumed his father's former...
. Somerset fell again into disgrace in October 1551, when he was arrested on charges of conspiring against Warwick, who had recently been created Duke of Northumberland. Somerset was convicted of felony
Felony
A felony is a serious crime in the common law countries. The term originates from English common law where felonies were originally crimes which involved the confiscation of a convicted person's land and goods; other crimes were called misdemeanors...
on 1 December 1551 and beheaded on 22 January 1552 on Tower Hill. The Duchess of Somerset had been arrested with her husband and continued in the Tower until 30 May 1553. After Mary I's
Mary I of England
Mary I was queen regnant of England and Ireland from July 1553 until her death.She was the only surviving child born of the ill-fated marriage of Henry VIII and his first wife Catherine of Aragon. Her younger half-brother, Edward VI, succeeded Henry in 1547...
accession in July and the attainder
Attainder
In English criminal law, attainder or attinctura is the metaphorical 'stain' or 'corruption of blood' which arises from being condemned for a serious capital crime . It entails losing not only one's property and hereditary titles, but typically also the right to pass them on to one's heirs...
of the Duke of Northumberland she was allowed to choose from the Dudley family's confiscated household stuffs.
Second Marriage
Anne Seymour married, as her second husband, a lesser noble Francis Newdigate, of HanworthHanworth
Hanworth lies to the south east of Feltham in the London Borough of Hounslow. The name is thought to come from the Anglo Saxon words “haen” and “worth”, meaning “small homestead”....
, Middlesex
Middlesex
Middlesex is one of the historic counties of England and the second smallest by area. The low-lying county contained the wealthy and politically independent City of London on its southern boundary and was dominated by it from a very early time...
, who had been Steward
Steward (office)
A steward is an official who is appointed by the legal ruling monarch to represent him or her in a country, and may have a mandate to govern it in his or her name; in the latter case, it roughly corresponds with the position of governor or deputy...
to her late husband. Francis was the son of John Newdigate, of Harefield
Harefield
Harefield is a village in the London Borough of Hillingdon in northwest London, England. It is situated on top of a hill, northwest of Charing Cross, near the Greater London boundary with Buckinghamshire to the west and Hertfordshire to the north...
, Middlesex, and wife. Little is known of their life together. Her second husband died on 26 January 1581.
Death
She lived out the rest of her life at Shelford. She died on 16 April 1587 and was buried in Westminster AbbeyWestminster 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,...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
.http://www.tudorplace.com.ar/Bios/EdwardSeymour(1DSomerset).htm where her tomb with its painted effigy
Effigy
An effigy is a representation of a person, especially in the form of sculpture or some other three-dimensional form.The term is usually associated with full-length figures of a deceased person depicted in stone or wood on church monuments. These most often lie supine with hands together in prayer,...
can be viewed. Her memorial is in St. Peter and St. Paul's Church, Shelford
St. Peter and St. Paul's Church, Shelford
St. Peter and St. Paul's Church, Shelford is a parish church in the Church of England in Shelford, Nottinghamshire.The church is Grade II* listed by the Department for Culture, Media & Sport as it is a particularly significant building of more than local interest.-History:The church is medieval but...
.
Ancestry
In fiction
- Her character is played by Emma HamiltonEmma Hamilton (actress)Emma Hamilton is an Australian-born British actress, and appears as a regular in the third and fourth season of Showtime's drama The Tudors, portraying the sharp-tongued character Anne Stanhope...
in the historical fiction series The TudorsThe TudorsThe Tudors is a Canadian produced historical fiction television series filmed in Ireland, created by Michael Hirst and produced for the American premium cable television channel Showtime...
.