Mary Scudamore
Encyclopedia
Mary Scudamore (c. 1550 – 1603) was a courtier
and the daughter of Sir John Shelton of Shelton Hall
, Norfolk and his wife, Margaret Parker. She was one of only six women who were appointed to the Privy chamber
of Elizabeth I
. When her close friend, Lady Dorothy Stafford
, was ill, it was Mary Scudamore who was the Queen's sleeping companion.
Her family reached the zenith of their influence during the reign of Henry VIII, when Mary's grandparents, Sir John Shelton
and Anne Boleyn
were entrusted with the custody of the future Mary I
and Elizabeth I
. This was partly as Anne was the aunt of Queen Anne Boleyn and Mary's aunt, the poetess Mary Shelton
, was the King's mistress. She married a gentleman usher, Sir John Scudamore
.
When she married Scudamore, of Holme Lacy
, Herefordshire
, it was done secretly, but was revealed in early 1574. Elizabeth I was apparently extremely angry that this had been done without her consent, and allegedly attacked Mary, breaking her finger.
Courtier
A courtier is a person who is often in attendance at the court of a king or other royal personage. Historically the court was the centre of government as well as the residence of the monarch, and social and political life were often completely mixed together...
and the daughter of Sir John Shelton of Shelton Hall
Shelton Hall (England)
Shelton Hall is a large estate in the village of Shelton and Hardwick, Norfolk, England. The estate has around of surrounding fields, the names of the fields include "Magic field" and "Echo field" and has a moat around the house and another smaller one in one of the fields...
, Norfolk and his wife, Margaret Parker. She was one of only six women who were appointed to the Privy chamber
Privy chamber
A Privy chamber was the private apartment of a royal residence in England. The gentlemen of the Privy chamber were servants to the Crown who would wait and attend on the King and Queen at court during their various activities, functions and entertainments....
of Elizabeth I
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...
. When her close friend, Lady Dorothy Stafford
Dorothy Stafford
Dorothy Stafford, Lady Stafford was an English noblewoman, and an influential person at the court of Queen Elizabeth I of England, to whom Dorothy served as Mistress of the Robes. Dorothy was the second wife of Sir William Stafford, widower of Mary Boleyn...
, was ill, it was Mary Scudamore who was the Queen's sleeping companion.
Her family reached the zenith of their influence during the reign of Henry VIII, when Mary's grandparents, Sir John Shelton
Sir John Shelton
Sir John Shelton of Carrow, courtier, was, through marriage, the uncle of King Henry VIII's second Queen, Anne Boleyn, and controller of the joint household of the King's daughters, Princess Mary and Princess Elizabeth.-Life:...
and Anne Boleyn
Anne Shelton (courtier)
Anne Shelton née Boleyn was the elder sister of Thomas Boleyn, 1st Earl of Wiltshire, and an aunt of his daughter, Queen Anne Boleyn, the second wife of King Henry VIII.-Life:...
were entrusted with the custody of the future Mary I
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...
and Elizabeth I
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...
. This was partly as Anne was the aunt of Queen Anne Boleyn and Mary's aunt, the poetess Mary Shelton
Mary Shelton
Margaret Shelton and Mary Shelton were two sisters in Tudor England, one of whom may have been a mistress of King Henry VIII....
, was the King's mistress. She married a gentleman usher, Sir John Scudamore
John Scudamore (courtier)
Sir John Scudamore, as the eldest son of William Scudamore, but due to his father's early death was a ward of Sir James Croft of Croft Castle, Herefordshire, whose daughter Eleanor he married in 1563....
.
When she married Scudamore, of Holme Lacy
Holme Lacy
-Etymology:Holme Lacy is not from Old Norse holmr "island" like other places of the name Holme, but from the fairly similar Old English hamm "land in a river-bend". The name was recorded as Hamme in the Domesday Book in 1086...
, Herefordshire
Herefordshire
Herefordshire is a historic and ceremonial county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes it is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three counties that comprise the "Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Gloucestershire" NUTS 2 region. It also forms a unitary district known as the...
, it was done secretly, but was revealed in early 1574. Elizabeth I was apparently extremely angry that this had been done without her consent, and allegedly attacked Mary, breaking her finger.
External links
- Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Simon Adams, ‘Scudamore , Mary, Lady Scudamore (c.1550–1603)' http://www.oxforddnb.com/index/101069882/
- Occasional Paper, no. 29. “Lady Mary Scudamore (c.1550-1603), courtier”