John Carey (courtier)
Encyclopedia
Sir John Carey, of Plashey (ca. 1491-1552) was a courtier to King Henry VIII
. He served the king as a Groom of the Privy Chamber, and, being a descendant of Edmund Beaufort, Duke of Somerset
, John Carey was a third cousin to Henry VIII.
Carey was the eldest son of Sir Thomas Carey of Chilton Foliat in Wiltshire
and his wife Margaret Spencer
. By July of 1522 he was serving in the royal navy as the captain of the King’s ship, The Katherine Galley which was in the Channel between Cinque Ports and Jersey during Henry VIII’s first war with Francis I.
By 1526 John, probably through the influence of his younger brother William Carey was at Henry VIII's court as a Groom of the Privy Chamber.
Several historians credit John Carey with convincing Anne Boleyn
(his sister-in-law as John's brother William was married to Anne's sister Mary) to support his sister Eleanor as a candidate for abess of Wilton Abbey
where she was a nun in the spring of 1528. Eleanor did not get the appointment, however, due to questionable conduct on her part. Later that year John Carey fell ill with the sweating sickness. Although he recovered, his brother William who had also fallen ill was not so fortunate and died in June of 1528.
John Carey married Joyce Denny, the daughter of Sir Edmund Denny of Chestnut and his wife Mary Coke probably in late 1538. Joyce was also the widow of William Walsingham, by whom she had had seven children. Together John and Joyce Carey had two sons, Sir Edward Carey of Aldenham (a member of Parliament in the late 16th century) and Wymond Carey.
On July 21, 1538 John Carey was granted the priory of Thremhall in Essex where he often lived. By September of 1542 he had returned to sea as a vice-admiral commanding the transports of the East Coast in support of the Duke of Norfolk’s expedition against Scotland.
John Carey was knighted by Edward VI in 1547, probably through the influence of his brother-in-law, Sir Anthony Denny. Carey died on the ninth of September, 1552 in Hunsdon, Hertfordshire and was buried in Hunsdon church.
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...
. He served the king as a Groom of the Privy Chamber, and, being a descendant of Edmund Beaufort, 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...
, John Carey was a third cousin to Henry VIII.
Carey was the eldest son of Sir Thomas Carey of Chilton Foliat in Wiltshire
Wiltshire
Wiltshire is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset, Somerset, Hampshire, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire. It contains the unitary authority of Swindon and covers...
and his wife Margaret Spencer
Margaret Spencer
Margaret Spencer was the daughter of Sir Robert Spencer, of Spencercombe, in the English County of Devon, by his wife Lady Eleanor Beaufort, the daughter of Edmund Beaufort, 1st Duke of Somerset and Lady Eleanor Beauchamp.In 1490, she was married to Sir Thomas Carey, of Chilton Foliat, in...
. By July of 1522 he was serving in the royal navy as the captain of the King’s ship, The Katherine Galley which was in the Channel between Cinque Ports and Jersey during Henry VIII’s first war with Francis I.
By 1526 John, probably through the influence of his younger brother William Carey was at Henry VIII's court as a Groom of the Privy Chamber.
Several historians credit John Carey with convincing Anne Boleyn
Anne Boleyn
Anne Boleyn ;c.1501/1507 – 19 May 1536) was Queen of England from 1533 to 1536 as the second wife of Henry VIII of England and Marquess of Pembroke in her own right. Henry's marriage to Anne, and her subsequent execution, made her a key figure in the political and religious upheaval that was the...
(his sister-in-law as John's brother William was married to Anne's sister Mary) to support his sister Eleanor as a candidate for abess of Wilton Abbey
Wilton Abbey
Wilton Abbey was a Benedictine convent in Wiltshire, England, three miles from Salisbury on the site now occupied by Wilton House. A first foundation was made as a college of secular priests by Wulfstan, Ealdorman of Wiltshire, about 773, but after his death was changed into a convent for twelve...
where she was a nun in the spring of 1528. Eleanor did not get the appointment, however, due to questionable conduct on her part. Later that year John Carey fell ill with the sweating sickness. Although he recovered, his brother William who had also fallen ill was not so fortunate and died in June of 1528.
John Carey married Joyce Denny, the daughter of Sir Edmund Denny of Chestnut and his wife Mary Coke probably in late 1538. Joyce was also the widow of William Walsingham, by whom she had had seven children. Together John and Joyce Carey had two sons, Sir Edward Carey of Aldenham (a member of Parliament in the late 16th century) and Wymond Carey.
On July 21, 1538 John Carey was granted the priory of Thremhall in Essex where he often lived. By September of 1542 he had returned to sea as a vice-admiral commanding the transports of the East Coast in support of the Duke of Norfolk’s expedition against Scotland.
John Carey was knighted by Edward VI in 1547, probably through the influence of his brother-in-law, Sir Anthony Denny. Carey died on the ninth of September, 1552 in Hunsdon, Hertfordshire and was buried in Hunsdon church.