Catherine Fillol
Encyclopedia
Catherine Fillol (or Catherine Filliol) was the daughter and co-heiress of Sir William Fillol, of Woodlands
, Horton
, Dorset
, and of Fillol's Hall
, Essex
(1453 - 9 July 1527).
She became before 1519 the first wife of Sir Edward Seymour
, who went on to become the first Duke of Somerset
of a new creation, Lord Protector
of England and the uncle of King Edward VI
, after his sister Jane
married King Henry VIII
. There is no contemporary evidence to support the 17th century allegation that she was having an affair with either her father-in-law, Sir John Seymour, or with anyone else. There is also no evidence to suggest that her husband had their marriage annulled. However, the lack of record evidence is not surprising considering the political consequences of the persistently rumored affair. At about this same time, Henry VIII was courting Jane Seymour, Sir John's daughter, and Edward's sister. If this scandal had surfaced it would have negated the royal wedding which occurred in 1536. . By 1535, Sir Edward Seymour married his second wife Anne Stanhope, indicating that Catherine Fillol had probably died no later than 1534.
Catherine Fillol had two sons, John Seymour (buried 19 December 1552), who died unmarried and without issue, and Edward Seymour
. It is unclear when she died, with some sources giving the date as 1535 or before, when she was only around twenty-eight years old. Other sources suggest that she may have died in 1552, the same year that her former husband was executed for treason.
Edward Seymour had ten more children by his second wife, including his eventual heir Edward Seymour, 1st Earl of Hertford
. When he was later created Duke of Somerset, his children by his first marriage were still considered legitimate, but the patent of nobility provides that the dukedom is to descend first to his heirs by Anne, and only in the event of the failure of that line to his heirs by Catherine. With the death of Algernon, the seventh earl of Somerset in 1750, the Seymour Baronets
of Berry Pomeroy Castle
, inherited the title of Duke of Somerset. Consequently, the present Duke
of Somerset is descended from Catherine Filliol.
Woodlands, Dorset
Woodlands is a village and civil parish in south east Dorset, England, five miles north of Wimborne Minster. In 2001, the village had a population of 544.The parish is home to Knowlton Church and Earthworks.-External links:*...
, Horton
Horton, Dorset
Horton is a village in East Dorset, England, situated on the boundary between the chalk downland of Cranborne Chase and the heathland of the New Forest, ten miles north of Poole...
, Dorset
Dorset
Dorset , is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The county town is Dorchester which is situated in the south. The Hampshire towns of Bournemouth and Christchurch joined the county with the reorganisation of local government in 1974...
, and of Fillol's Hall
Fillol's Hall
Fillol's Hall or Felix Hall, Kelvedon, Essex was an English manor house. It belonged to the Fillol family, which included Catherine Fillol, Duchess of Somerset, aunt of Edward VI and as wife of the Lord Protector of England, one of the most important women during his reign.Charles Western, 1st...
, Essex
Essex
Essex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England, and one of the home counties. It is located to the northeast of Greater London. It borders with Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent to the South and London to the south west...
(1453 - 9 July 1527).
She became before 1519 the first wife of Sir Edward Seymour
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 went on to become the first Duke of Somerset
Duke of Somerset
Duke of Somerset is a title in the peerage of England that has been created several times. Derived from Somerset, it is particularly associated with two families; the Beauforts who held the title from the creation of 1448 and the Seymours, from the creation of 1547 and in whose name the title is...
of a new creation, 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...
of England and the uncle of 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...
, after his sister Jane
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...
married King 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...
. There is no contemporary evidence to support the 17th century allegation that she was having an affair with either her father-in-law, Sir John Seymour, or with anyone else. There is also no evidence to suggest that her husband had their marriage annulled. However, the lack of record evidence is not surprising considering the political consequences of the persistently rumored affair. At about this same time, Henry VIII was courting Jane Seymour, Sir John's daughter, and Edward's sister. If this scandal had surfaced it would have negated the royal wedding which occurred in 1536. . By 1535, Sir Edward Seymour married his second wife Anne Stanhope, indicating that Catherine Fillol had probably died no later than 1534.
Catherine Fillol had two sons, John Seymour (buried 19 December 1552), who died unmarried and without issue, and Edward Seymour
Sir Edward Seymour, of Berry Pomeroy
Sir Edward Seymour, of Berry Pomeroy was High Sheriff of Devon for 1583. and was knighted by his father on the battlefield of Pinkie Cleugh....
. It is unclear when she died, with some sources giving the date as 1535 or before, when she was only around twenty-eight years old. Other sources suggest that she may have died in 1552, the same year that her former husband was executed for treason.
Edward Seymour had ten more children by his second wife, including his eventual heir Edward Seymour, 1st Earl of Hertford
Edward Seymour, 1st Earl of Hertford
Sir 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....
. When he was later created Duke of Somerset, his children by his first marriage were still considered legitimate, but the patent of nobility provides that the dukedom is to descend first to his heirs by Anne, and only in the event of the failure of that line to his heirs by Catherine. With the death of Algernon, the seventh earl of Somerset in 1750, the Seymour Baronets
Seymour Baronets
There have been three Baronetcies created for persons with the surname Seymour, two in the Baronetage of England and one in the Baronetage of the United Kingdom...
of Berry Pomeroy Castle
Berry Pomeroy Castle
Berry Pomeroy Castle, a Tudor mansion within the walls of an earlier castle, is near the village of Berry Pomeroy, in South Devon, England. It was built in the late 15th century by the Pomeroy family which had held the land since the 11th century. By 1547 the family was in financial difficulties...
, inherited the title of Duke of Somerset. Consequently, the present Duke
John Seymour, 19th Duke of Somerset
thumb|right|200px|Portrait by [[Allan Warren]]John Michael Edward Seymour, 19th Duke of Somerset, DL is the present holder of the Dukedom of Somerset and a major landowner in Wiltshire and Devon. He is the son of Percy Seymour, 18th Duke of Somerset and Jane Thomas, and was styled Lord Seymour...
of Somerset is descended from Catherine Filliol.