Lady Margaret Bryan
Encyclopedia
Margaret, Lady Bryan was Lady Governess to Henry VIII's
children: Princess Mary
, Princess Elizabeth
and Prince Edward
. The position of Lady Governess in her day resembled less that of the popular modern idea of a governess
, more that of a nanny
.
She was born Margaret Bourchier in about 1468 in Beningbrough
, Yorkshire
, England
. Her mother was Elizabeth Tilney
and her father was Sir Humphrey Bourchier, who was killed at the Battle of Barnet
on 14 April 1471 during the series of dynastic civil wars known as the Wars of the Roses
. Humphrey Bourchier was heir to the title Baron Berners
but having predeceased his father
, Margaret's brother John
instead succeeded to the title as second Baron Berners. Humphrey Bourchier and Elizabeth Tilney had one further daughter who survived to adulthood. Margaret's younger sister was Anne Bourchier
(1470–1530) who married Thomas Fiennes, 8th Lord Dacre
in 1492. Their son, also Thomas, was the 9th Lord Dacre
who was executed for murder in 1541.
She married Sir Thomas Bryan
sometime before 1490. As Lady Bryan, she was a Lady-in-Waiting
to Catherine of Aragon
and was present at Catherine's wedding to Henry VIII
in 1509. Known as Lady Bryan initially because of her husband's knighthood, she claimed to have been made Baroness Bryan suo jure
on 18 February 1516, upon the birth of Princess Mary, when she was appointed as Mary's Lady Governess.
Sir Thomas Bryan died sometime before 1517, and Margaret Bryan married her final husband, David Souche (or Zoche) in or before 1519. In July 1519, there is a record in the archives of Henry VIII's court that notes the payment of an annuity of 50 pounds to "MARGARET BRYAN, widow of Sir Thomas Bryan, and now wife of David Soche." The annuity paid "for services to the King and queen Katharine" included "one tun of Gascon wine yearly, out of the wine received for the King's use." David Souche may have died in 1526 or in 1536.
, Henry VIII's chief minister, in which she complains of the economic difficulties of the household of "lady Elizabeth" since the change in her status (from legitimate to illegitimate) following the annulment of the King's marriage to her mother Anne Boleyn
, and Anne's execution in May.
She also reports that: "My lady has great pain with her teeth, which come very slowly." (Elizabeth was to have serious difficulties with her teeth on and off for much of her life.)
Margaret Bryan passed over responsibility for Elizabeth to Catherine Champernowne in October of 1537 following the birth of Prince Edward, who became her new charge. A second letter to Cromwell, dated 11 March 1539, describes the Prince.
A late mention of Margaret Bryan in the archives is a note referring to the payment of a 20 pound annuity to "Lady Margaret Bryane, the King's servant" in 1545.
She died in Leyton
, now a suburb of London
but at the time a village in Essex
.
, who was herself the granddaughter of King Edward III
. Closer in time, after the death of Sir Humphrey Bourchier, Margaret's mother, Elizabeth, married Thomas Howard, 2nd Duke of Norfolk
, becoming Duchess of Norfolk. Elizabeth had a number of children in her second marriage, including Lady Elizabeth Howard
, mother of Anne Boleyn
; Henry VIII
's second queen, and Lord Edmund Howard
, the father of Katherine Howard; the fifth queen of King Henry VIII
. This connection made Margaret an aunt to both Anne Boleyn and Katherine Howard as well as a member of the wider circle of kin and dependents around the Howard family
.
, Elizabeth Bryan
, who became the wife of Sir Nicholas Carew, and Sir Francis Bryan, who became Lord Chief Justice of Ireland.
novel for young readers, Elizabeth I, Red Rose of the House of Tudor. In the book she is nicknamed "Muggie" by the four-year-old Princess Elizabeth. She also appears in The Lady Elizabeth by Alison Weir.
In the TV series The Tudors
, the role of "Lady Margaret Bryan" is played by Jane Brennan.
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...
children: Princess 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...
, Princess 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 Prince Edward
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...
. The position of Lady Governess in her day resembled less that of the popular modern idea of a governess
Governess
A governess is a girl or woman employed to teach and train children in a private household. In contrast to a nanny or a babysitter, she concentrates on teaching children, not on meeting their physical needs...
, more that of a nanny
Nursemaid
A nursemaid or nursery maid, is mostly a historical term of employment for a female servant in an elite household. In the 21st century, the position is largely defunct, owing to the relatively small number of households who maintain large staffs with the traditional hierarchy.The nursery maid...
.
She was born Margaret Bourchier in about 1468 in Beningbrough
Beningbrough
Beningbrough is a village and civil parish in the Hambleton district of North Yorkshire, England. The parish includes Beningbrough Park and Beningbrough Hall. According to the 2001 census it had a population of 55. The River Ouse forms the border of the parish with the Harrogate district and the...
, Yorkshire
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. Her mother was Elizabeth Tilney
Elizabeth Tilney
Elizabeth Tilney, Countess of Surrey was an English heiress and lady-in-waiting to two queens. She became the first wife of Thomas Howard, Earl of Surrey....
and her father was Sir Humphrey Bourchier, who was killed at the Battle of Barnet
Battle of Barnet
The Battle of Barnet was a decisive engagement in the Wars of the Roses, a dynastic conflict of 15th-century England. The military action, along with the subsequent Battle of Tewkesbury, secured the throne for Edward IV...
on 14 April 1471 during the series of dynastic civil wars known as the Wars of the Roses
Wars of the Roses
The Wars of the Roses were a series of dynastic civil wars for the throne of England fought between supporters of two rival branches of the royal House of Plantagenet: the houses of Lancaster and York...
. Humphrey Bourchier was heir to the title Baron Berners
Baron Berners
Baron Berners is a title in the Peerage of England.-From creation to first abeyance :The title was created in 1455 for Sir John Bourchier, youngest son of William Bourchier, 1st Count of Eu, and younger brother of Henry Bourchier, 1st Earl of Essex and William Bourcher, Baron FitzWarine...
but having predeceased his father
John Bourchier, 1st Baron Berners
John Bourchier, 1st Baron Berners, KG was an English peer.Bourchier was the fourth son of William Bourchier, 1st Count of Eu, and his wife Anne of Woodstock, Countess of Buckingham, daughter of Thomas of Woodstock, 1st Duke of Gloucester. Henry Bourchier, 1st Earl of Essex, and William Bourchier,...
, Margaret's brother John
John Bourchier, 2nd Baron Berners
John Bourchier, 2nd Baron Berners was a statesman and translator, born at Sherfield, Hertfordshire, England, to Sir Humphrey Bourchier and Elizabeth Tilney, and educated at Oxford University. He held various Offices of State, including that of Chancellor of the Exchequer to King Henry VIII, and...
instead succeeded to the title as second Baron Berners. Humphrey Bourchier and Elizabeth Tilney had one further daughter who survived to adulthood. Margaret's younger sister was Anne Bourchier
Anne Bourchier, Baroness Dacre
Anne Bourchier, Baroness Dacre was an English noblewoman, the wife of Sir Thomas Fiennes, 8th Baron Dacre. Her stepfather was Thomas Howard, Earl of Surrey, which made Queen consort Anne Boleyn, the second wife of King Henry VIII of England, her half-niece...
(1470–1530) who married Thomas Fiennes, 8th Lord Dacre
Baron Dacre
Baron Dacre is a title that has been created three times in the Peerage of England, every time by writ. The first creation came in 1321 when Ralph Dacre was summoned to Parliament as Lord Dacre. He married Margaret, 2nd Baroness Multon of Gilsland, heiress of a large estate in Cumbria centred on...
in 1492. Their son, also Thomas, was the 9th Lord Dacre
Thomas Fiennes, 9th Baron Dacre
Thomas Fiennes, 9th Baron Dacre was an English aristocrat notable for his conviction and execution for murder.Dacre was the son of Sir Thomas Fiennes and Jane Sutton daughter of Edward Sutton, 2nd Baron Dudley...
who was executed for murder in 1541.
Marriages
Margaret Bourchier was married three times. Her first husband, with whom there may only have been a marriage agreement (a ‘pre-contract’), was Sir John Sandes (or Sandys). The marriage agreement was signed when Margaret was 10 or 11 years old on 11 November 1478. Pre-contracts were not unusual among the Tudor period aristocracy and gentry, and it need not have resulted in a consummated marriage.She married Sir Thomas Bryan
Thomas Bryan (courtier)
Sir Thomas Bryan was an English courtier during the reign of Henry VIII.-Family:His wife, Margaret Bryan was governess to the King's four acknowledged children, Mary, Elizabeth, Edward and his illegitimate son, Henry Fitzroy, 1st Duke of Richmond and Somerset. She impressed the King so much, he...
sometime before 1490. As Lady Bryan, she was a Lady-in-Waiting
Lady-in-waiting
A lady-in-waiting is a female personal assistant at a royal court, attending on a queen, a princess, or a high-ranking noblewoman. Historically, in Europe a lady-in-waiting was often a noblewoman from a family highly thought of in good society, but was of lower rank than the woman on whom she...
to Catherine of Aragon
Catherine of Aragon
Catherine of Aragon , also known as Katherine or Katharine, was Queen consort of England as the first wife of King Henry VIII of England and Princess of Wales as the wife to Arthur, Prince of Wales...
and was present at Catherine's wedding to 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...
in 1509. Known as Lady Bryan initially because of her husband's knighthood, she claimed to have been made Baroness Bryan suo jure
Suo jure
Suo jure is a Latin phrase meaning "in her [or his] own right".It is commonly encountered in the context of titles of nobility, especially in cases where a wife may hold a title in her own right rather than through her marriage....
on 18 February 1516, upon the birth of Princess Mary, when she was appointed as Mary's Lady Governess.
Sir Thomas Bryan died sometime before 1517, and Margaret Bryan married her final husband, David Souche (or Zoche) in or before 1519. In July 1519, there is a record in the archives of Henry VIII's court that notes the payment of an annuity of 50 pounds to "MARGARET BRYAN, widow of Sir Thomas Bryan, and now wife of David Soche." The annuity paid "for services to the King and queen Katharine" included "one tun of Gascon wine yearly, out of the wine received for the King's use." David Souche may have died in 1526 or in 1536.
Lady Governess
Margaret Bryan became the Lady Governess for Princess Mary in February 1516. More well known primary evidence exists to connect her with Princess Elizabeth and Prince Edward. From August 1536, there is a widely quoted letter from her to Thomas CromwellThomas Cromwell, 1st Earl of Essex
Thomas Cromwell, 1st Earl of Essex, , was an English statesman who served as chief minister of King Henry VIII of England from 1532 to 1540....
, Henry VIII's chief minister, in which she complains of the economic difficulties of the household of "lady Elizabeth" since the change in her status (from legitimate to illegitimate) following the annulment of the King's marriage to her mother 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...
, and Anne's execution in May.
Now, as my lady Elizabeth is put from that degree she was in, and what degree she is at now I know not but by hearsay, I know not how to order her or myself, or her women or grooms. I beg you to be good lord to her and hers, and that she may have raiment, for she has neither gown nor kirtle nor petticoat, nor linen for smocks, nor kerchiefs, sleeves, rails, bodystychets, handkerchiefs, mufflers, nor "begens."
(The more obscure items in this list are identified by the Oxford English DictionaryOxford English DictionaryThe Oxford English Dictionary , published by the Oxford University Press, is the self-styled premier dictionary of the English language. Two fully bound print editions of the OED have been published under its current name, in 1928 and 1989. The first edition was published in twelve volumes , and...
(2nd edn) as: rails = nightdresses; bodystychets = corsets; begens = nightcaps.)
She also reports that: "My lady has great pain with her teeth, which come very slowly." (Elizabeth was to have serious difficulties with her teeth on and off for much of her life.)
Margaret Bryan passed over responsibility for Elizabeth to Catherine Champernowne in October of 1537 following the birth of Prince Edward, who became her new charge. A second letter to Cromwell, dated 11 March 1539, describes the Prince.
My lord Prince is in good health and merry. Would to God the King and your Lordship had seen him last night. The minstrels played, and his Grace danced and played so wantonly that he could not stand still ...
A late mention of Margaret Bryan in the archives is a note referring to the payment of a 20 pound annuity to "Lady Margaret Bryane, the King's servant" in 1545.
She died in Leyton
Leyton
Leyton is an area of north-east London and part of the London Borough of Waltham Forest, located north east of Charing Cross. It borders Walthamstow and Leytonstone; Stratford in Newham; and Homerton and Lower Clapton in the London Borough of Hackney....
, now a suburb of 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...
but at the time a village in 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...
.
Family Connections
Margaret Bryan could boast royal Plantagenet bloodlines for herself through her paternal great-grandmother, Anne of Woodstock, Countess of BuckinghamAnne of Gloucester
Anne of Gloucester, Countess of Stafford was the eldest daughter of Thomas of Woodstock, Duke of Gloucester and Eleanor de Bohun.-Family:...
, who was herself the granddaughter of King Edward III
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...
. Closer in time, after the death of Sir Humphrey Bourchier, Margaret's mother, Elizabeth, married Thomas Howard, 2nd Duke of Norfolk
Thomas Howard, 2nd Duke of Norfolk
Thomas Howard, 2nd Duke of Norfolk, KG, Earl Marshal , styled Earl of Surrey from 1483 to 1514, was the only son of John Howard, 1st Duke of Norfolk by his first wife, Katherine Moleyns...
, becoming Duchess of Norfolk. Elizabeth had a number of children in her second marriage, including Lady Elizabeth Howard
Elizabeth Boleyn, Countess of Wiltshire
Elizabeth Boleyn, Countess of Wiltshire , born Lady Elizabeth Howard, was the eldest of the two daughters of Thomas Howard, 2nd Duke of Norfolk and his first wife Elizabeth Tilney. Through her marriage, she held the titles of Countess of Wiltshire, Countess of Ormond and Viscountess Rochford...
, mother of 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...
; 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...
's second queen, and Lord Edmund Howard
Lord Edmund Howard
Lord Edmund Howard was the third son of Thomas Howard, 2nd Duke of Norfolk and first wife Elizabeth Tilney. His sister, Elizabeth, was the mother of Henry VIII's second Queen, Anne Boleyn, and he was the father of the King's fifth Queen, Katherine Howard.-Biography:Howard was born about 1478...
, the father of Katherine Howard; the fifth queen of 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...
. This connection made Margaret an aunt to both Anne Boleyn and Katherine Howard as well as a member of the wider circle of kin and dependents around the Howard family
Duke of Norfolk
The Duke of Norfolk is the premier duke in the peerage of England, and also, as Earl of Arundel, the premier earl. The Duke of Norfolk is, moreover, the Earl Marshal and hereditary Marshal of England. The seat of the Duke of Norfolk is Arundel Castle in Sussex, although the title refers to the...
.
Ancestry
Legacy
The only children Lady Bryan had were in her marriage with Sir Thomas Bryan. Three of their surviving children were: Margaret Bryan, who married Sir Henry GuildfordHenry Guildford
Sir Henry Guildford was an English courtier of the reign of Henry VIII, master of the horse and comptroller of the royal household.-Life:...
, Elizabeth Bryan
Elizabeth Carew
Elizabeth, Lady Carew , born around 1500, was an English courtier and reputed mistress of King Henry VIII.-Relatives:Elizabeth was the daughter of Sir Thomas Bryan and his wife, Margaret, daughter of Sir Humphrey Bourchier...
, who became the wife of Sir Nicholas Carew, and Sir Francis Bryan, who became Lord Chief Justice of Ireland.
In fiction
Lady Bryan makes an appearance in Kathryn Lasky'sKathryn Lasky
Kathryn Lasky is an American author whose work includes several Dear America books, The Royal Diaries books, Sugaring Time, The Night Journey, and the Guardians of Ga'Hoole series.-Biography:...
novel for young readers, Elizabeth I, Red Rose of the House of Tudor. In the book she is nicknamed "Muggie" by the four-year-old Princess Elizabeth. She also appears in The Lady Elizabeth by Alison Weir.
In the TV series The Tudors
The Tudors
The 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...
, the role of "Lady Margaret Bryan" is played by Jane Brennan.
Further reading
- The Spear and the Spindle: Ancestors of Sir Francis Bryan (D.1550) by Terry A. Fuller
- Susan Brigden, ‘Bryan, Sir Francis (d. 1550)’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, (Oxford University Press, Sept 2004; online edn, Jan 2008) http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/3788, accessed 28 Aug 2008