by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2020

Lillie Langtry was the mistress of the future King Edward VII (while he was Prince of Wales) from 1877-1880. A married socialite at the time, she later embarked on a career in the theatre, with the encouragement and support of the Prince. She also took several other lovers, including Prince Louis of Battenberg, the Prince of Wales’s future nephew-by-marriage, who possibly fathered her only child.

Lillie Langtry; Credit – Wikipedia

Lillie Langtry was born Emilie Charlotte “Lillie” Le Breton on October 13, 1853, at the Old Rectory at St. Saviour Church on the Island of Jersey, part of the United Kingdom. She was the only daughter of the Very Reverend William Corbet Le Breton and his wife Emilie Martin Davis. Her father was the Rector at St. Saviour and also served as Dean of Jersey. Lillie had six brothers:

• Francis Corbet Le Breton (1843) – unmarried
• William Inglis Le Breton (1846) – married Elizabeth Price, had issue
• Trevor Alexander Le Breton (1847) – unmarried
• Maurice Vavasour Le Breton (1849) – unmarried
• Clement Martin Le Breton (1851) – married Alice Jones, had issue
• Reginald Le Breton (1855) – unmarried

On March 9, 1874, Lillie married Edward Langtry, a wealthy Irish landowner who had recently been widowed. They had known each other just six weeks but shared a love of sailing and bonded very quickly. Later in life, Lillie would jokingly say that “to become mistress of the yacht, I married the owner.” The couple moved to London, where Lillie soon became part of the London society scene. The couple remained married until 1897 but had been estranged for many years. Having become an American citizen in 1897, Lillie successfully filed for divorce from Langtry, who died several months later.

Upon her arrival in London, Lillie soon found herself amidst London’s high society. Her beauty caught the eye of the artist Frank Miles, who soon asked Lillie to sit for a portrait.   The portrait was purchased by Prince Leopold, Duke of Albany the younger brother of The Prince of Wales, the future King Edward VII. Lillie also sat for portraits by several other artists, leading to her quick entrance into the highest ranks of society.

The Prince of Wales, later King Edward VII. source: Wikipedia

In May 1877, Lillie attended a dinner party that was also attended by The Prince of Wales, who had arranged to be seated next to her.  Soon, the two began a relationship that would last until June 1880. However, she also had several other relationships during this time. One lover was The Earl of Shrewsbury, who she began seeing in July 1879. This relationship led to some media speculation that her husband was planning to divorce her and name the Prince of Wales as one of the co-respondents. The Prince quickly sued the journalist who was later sentenced to prison for his allegations. Other lovers during this time were Prince Louis of Battenberg (who would later marry the Prince of Wales’s niece, Princess Victoria of Hesse and by Rhine), and Arthur Jones, the brother of Lilly’s sister-in-law. One of these affairs led to Lilly becoming pregnant in mid-1880. Lilly told Prince Louis that he was the father, and he was quickly dispatched to a warship with the Royal Navy. However, Lilly left for Paris – along with Arthur Jones – thanks to funding from The Prince of Wales. She gave birth to a daughter – Jeanne Marie – on March 8, 1881. It is most likely that Jones was the child’s father, but it was never confirmed. Prince Louis’s son Earl Mountbatten stated numerous times that he believed his father was the biological father.

Lillie’s pregnancy ended her affair with The Prince of Wales, but the two would remain in occasional contact and the Prince often used his influence to help her in her future career. In 1881, back in London, Lillie found herself in financial distress. A close friend, writer Oscar Wilde, suggested she try the theatre. She began with a local amateur theatre and soon made her debut at the Haymarket Theatre in London. Lillie quickly became a success, starting her own theatre company which toured throughout Europe and the United States over the next 26 years. She retired from the stage in 1917.

During her time in the United States, Lillie had a long-term affair with an American, Frederick Gebhard, who introduced Lillie to horse racing. Together the two bought a stable of horses which they trained and raced throughout the United States. She later became involved with George Alexander Baird, a very wealthy gentleman in the horse-racing world. After his death several years later, Lillie purchased several of his horses and some of his properties. By 1919, finding that horse racing was more of a financial drain than an income, Lillie sold all her horses and interests and moved to Monaco.

Lillie in 1915; Credit – Wikipedia

Two years after divorcing her first husband, Lillie married a second time. On July 27, 1899, at St. Saviour’s Church in Jersey, Lillie married Hugo Gerald de Bathe with just her daughter and the officials present. Eighteen years her junior, de Bathe had seven older siblings, but as he was the firstborn after his parents’ marriage, he was the heir to his father’s Baronetcy. He succeeded his father as 5th Baronet and inherited a large portfolio of properties in Sussex, Devon and Ireland. These in Sussex included Woodend, a 17-bedroom property on 71 acres, Hollandsfield, a 10-bedroom property on 52 acres, and Balsom’s Farm which consisted of 206 acres. The couple used Woodend as their primary residence. All of the properties were later sold, in 1919.

Lillie remained in close contact with The Prince of Wales and was a guest at his Coronation, sitting alongside Sarah Bernhardt and Lady Randolph Churchill. She was also a guest at his funeral in 1910.

In her later years, Lady de Bathe, as she was known after 1907, lived primarily in Monaco while her husband lived in nearby Vence, Alpes Maritimes. De Bathe later served as an ambulance driver with the French Red Cross during World War I. Instead of her husband, Lillie’s main companion was her dear friend Mathilde Marie Peat who inherited a large part of Langtry’s estate including a bequest of £10,000, her home in Monaco. Villa le Lys, and her car.

Emilie Charlotte “Lillie” Langtry, Lady de Bathe, died of pneumonia in Monaco in the early morning of February 12, 1929. She was 75 years old. Per her wishes, she was buried along with her parents at St. Saviour’s Church in Jersey.

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2020

Barbara Palmer, 1st Duchess of Cleveland; Credit – Wikipedia

Barbara Palmer, 1st Duchess of Cleveland was born as Barbara Villiers in Westminster, London, England on November 27, 1640. She was the only child of William Villiers, 2nd Viscount Grandison and Mary Bayning. William Villiers was the son of Sir Edward Villiers, a half-brother of George Villiers, 1st Duke of Buckingham who was a court favorite during the reigns of King James I and King Charles I. William also had other relatives who had been courtiers at the English court. Barbara’s mother was the daughter of Paul Bayning, 1st Viscount Bayning. In 1643, Barbara’s father died in the First English Civil War, leaving his 18-year-old widow and his three-year-old daughter in financial difficulty. Barbara’s mother soon married Charles Villiers, 2nd Earl of Anglesey, her late husband’s cousin. The marriage resulted in no children and Barbara’s stepfather died from smallpox in 1660.

Roger Palmer, 1st Earl of Castlemaine; Credit – Wikipedia

Barbara was considered one of the most beautiful of the young Royalist women but her lack of a dowry did not help her marriage prospects. On April 14, 1659, Barbara married the Roman Catholic Roger Palmer (1634 – 1705), later 1st Earl of Castlemaine, against his family’s wishes. At the end of 1659, Roger and his new wife left with other supporters of the exiled Charles, Prince of Wales (the future King Charles II) joining him in the Netherlands. In 1660, Barbara became Charles’ mistress. After years of exile during the Commonwealth, on May 1, 1660, Parliament formally invited Charles, as King Charles II, to be the English monarch in what has become known as the Restoration. On May 23, 1660, Charles landed in Dover, England, and on his 30th birthday, May 29, 1660, King Charles II entered London in a procession.

King Charles II in Garter Robes; Credit – Wikipedia

On February 25, 1661, Barbara gave birth to her first child, a daughter named Anne. She was probably the daughter of Charles II, although some people believed she resembled Philip Stanhope, 2nd Earl of Chesterfield.  Charles II, the Earl of Chesterfield, and Roger Palmer all claimed to be the father of Anne. As a reward for Barbara’s services, Charles II created Roger Palmer Earl of Castlemaine in 1661. In 1662, Barbara gave birth to a son named Charles, most likely fathered by King Charles II. Roger Palmer insisted on treating the boy as his son and had him baptized as a Roman Catholic but six days later Charles II had him re-christened in the Church of England. Little Charles’ birth marked the separation of Barbara and Roger Palmer. Barbara had other children but Palmer claimed none of them. Through their children, Barbara Palmer and King Charles II are the ancestors of Diana, Princess of Wales and Sarah, Duchess of York, and their children Prince William, Prince Harry, Princess Beatrice, and Princess Eugenie. They are also the ancestors of the Mitford sisters, philosopher Bertrand Russell, British Prime Minister Sir Anthony Eden, and Serena Armstrong-Jones, Countess of Snowdon.

Barbara Palmer with her son Charles FitzRoy as Madonna and Child; Credit – Wikipedia

Children of Barbara Palmer:

• Lady Anne FitzRoy (1661–1722), married Thomas Lennard, 1st Earl of Sussex, had four children
• Charles FitzRoy, 2nd Duke of Cleveland, 1st Duke of Southampton (1662–1730), married (1) Mary Wood, no issue, (2) Anne Pulteney, had six children
• Henry FitzRoy, 1st Duke of Grafton (1663–1690), married Isabella Bennet, 2nd Countess of Arlington, had one son
• Lady Charlotte FitzRoy (1664–1717), married Edward Lee, 1st Earl of Lichfield, had eighteen children
• George FitzRoy, 1st Duke of Northumberland (1665–1716), married (1) Catherine Wheatley, no issue, (2) Mary Dutton, no issue
• Barbara FitzRoy (1672–1737), unmarried, became a nun taking the name Sister Benedicta; her mother claimed that she was Charles II’s daughter but she was probably the child of her mother’s second cousin and lover, John Churchill, later Duke of Marlborough

In 1662, King Charles II married Catherine of Braganza. Charles insisted on making Barbara Palmer Catherine’s Lady of the Bedchamber, and Barbara served in that position from 1663–1673. Catherine declared she would return to Portugal rather than openly accept the arrangement with Barbara. Charles then dismissed nearly all the members of Catherine’s Portuguese retinue, after which she stopped actively resisting, which pleased Charles, however, she participated very little in court life and activities. Despite fathering at least 16 illegitimate children with his mistresses, Charles had no children with Catherine.

In December 1663, Barbara converted from the Church of England to Roman Catholicism. Some historians believe it was an attempt to strengthen her position with King Charles II, and some believe it was a way of restoring her ties with her Catholic husband Roger Palmer. Upon hearing of Barbara’s conversion King Charles II said he was interested in ladies’ bodies, not their souls.

Barbara Palmer, circa 1666; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1670, Barbara was created Duchess of Cleveland in her own right. The dukedom was created with a special remainder allowing it to be inherited by her first son, Charles FitzRoy, and his heirs male, despite her son being illegitimate.

Throughout their relationship, King Charles II had taken other mistresses and Barbara also had other lovers. King Charles II was displeased that Barbara’s promiscuity and extravagant spending made her a target for satirists to use to ridicule him and his court. The 1673 Test Act banned Catholics from holding office and Barbara lost her position as Lady of the Bedchamber. King Charles II cast her aside and took Louise de Kérouaille as his newest favorite mistress. Barbara eventually reconciled with King Charles II and he enjoyed an evening in her company a week before he died in February 1685.

Barbara Palmer, Duchess of Cleveland in 1705; Credit – Wikipedia

After the death of her husband Roger Palmer in 1705, 64-year-old Barbara married Robert Fielding. Six months later, she discovered Fielding was a fortune hunter and a bigamist. She divorced Fielding and had him prosecuted for bigamy. Barbara then retired to Walpole House in Chiswick Mall, Chiswick, London, England, supported by her grandson Charles FitzRoy, 2nd Duke of Grafton. She died at Walpole House on October 9, 1709, aged 68, of dropsy (edema), and was buried at the Old Chiswick Cemetery at St. Nicholas Church in Chiswick, London, England.

Old Chiswick Cemetery; Credit – https://www.findagrave.com/

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Works Cited

• En.wikipedia.org. 2020. Barbara Palmer, 1St Duchess Of Cleveland. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barbara_Palmer,_1st_Duchess_of_Cleveland> [Accessed 12 September 2020].
• En.wikipedia.org. 2020. Roger Palmer, 1St Earl Of Castlemaine. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roger_Palmer,_1st_Earl_of_Castlemaine> [Accessed 12 September 2020].
• En.wikipedia.org. 2020. William Villiers, 2Nd Viscount Grandison. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Villiers,_2nd_Viscount_Grandison> [Accessed 12 September 2020].
• Flantzer, Susan, 2016. King Charles II Of England. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/king-charles-ii-of-england/> [Accessed 12 September 2020].
• Fr.wikipedia.org. 2020. Barbara Palmer. [online] Available at: <https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barbara_Palmer> [Accessed 12 September 2020].
• Fraser, Antonia, 1979. King Charles II. London: Phoenix.

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2020

Lucy Walter, as a Shepherdess by Peter Lely; Credit: Abbotsford, The Home of Sir Walter Scott

Lucy Walter was born around 1630 at Roch Castle near Haverfordwest, Wales to William Walter and Elizabeth Prothero, from landed gentry families. During the English Civil War, the Walter family supported the royalist forces and in 1644, Roch Castle was captured by the parliamentary forces and burned. The Walter family fled and Lucy found herself in London and soon set sail for The Hague, now in the Netherlands, then the capital of the States of Holland and West Friesland as well as the seat of power of States-General of the Dutch Republic, the government of the Republic of the United Provinces of the Netherlands. There Lucy Walter met Charles, Prince of Wales, the future King Charles II of England.

Charles, Prince of Wales, had traveled to The Hague, where his sister Mary, Princess Royal and her husband Willem II, Prince of Orange and Stadtholder of the United Provinces of the Netherlands lived. Charles hoped to persuade them to contribute financially to the royalist cause in the Second English Civil War which ultimately ended with the beheading of King Charles I of England. While in The Hague, the 18-year-old Charles began an affair with Lucy Walter.

Lucy and Charles’ son James, the future Duke of Monmouth; Credit – Royal Collection Trust

On April 9, 1649, Lucy gave birth in Rotterdam, to a son named James, originally called James Fitzroy, a surname often used by an illegitimate child of a king. Charles did acknowledge the child, but some thought that Colonel Robert Sidney, a younger son of the 2nd Earl of Leicester, was the father. A DNA test in 2012 concluded that James’ descendant Richard Montagu Douglas Scott, the 10th Duke of Buccleuch, shared patrilineal DNA with a descendant of the royal Stuarts, proving that Lucy Walters’ son, later James Scott, Duke of Monmouth, was the son of King Charles II of England. There was also a controversy over whether Charles had secretly married Lucy Walter. Their son claimed that his parents had married, but King Charles II said the only woman he had ever married was his queen, Catherine of Braganza. Charles and Catherine’s marriage was childless, but Charles had at least 15 illegitimate children with his mistresses, and James was the eldest of Charles’ children.

Charles, Prince of Wales, the future King Charles II, in exile; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1649, Lucy and Charles spent some time in Paris and Saint-Germain-en-Laye in France where Charles’ first cousin King Louis XIV reigned and had arranged a court in exile for his cousin. During Charles’ absences, Lucy had relationships with other men, including an Irish nobleman Theobald Taaffe, 2nd Viscount Taaffe who is likely the father of Lucy Walter’s second child Mary, born in Paris in 1651. Charles ended his affair with Lucy in 1651 but Lucy refused to accept this and even claimed that she was married to him.

For the next several years, Lucy was involved in one scandal after another, causing embarrassment to the English royal court in exile in France. In 1656, friends of Charles successfully persuaded Lucy to return to England with the promise of a pension of £400 a year. Her stay in England was brief. The intelligence department of Oliver Cromwell, The Lord Protector reported her as a suspected spy and ordered to be deported back to the United Provinces of the Netherlands.

Lucy resumed her extravagant lifestyle and her attempts to use her son James as a means of influencing Charles failed. In March 1658, after a failed attempt to kidnap James Fitzroy by supporters of Charles, Lucy was persuaded to give up her custody of her son. James was brought to Paris and placed in the care of his paternal grandmother Henrietta Maria of France, who had returned to her home country during the English Civil War. James lived in the household of William Crofts, 1st Baron Crofts who had followed Charles into exile after the execution of King Charles I of England. While living in the Crofts household, James took the surname Crofts. In September 1658, Lucy Walter died in Paris, France, probably of venereal disease, and was buried in Paris.

King Charles II; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1662, two years after his father King Charles II was restored to the English throne, James was brought to England. In 1663, 14-year-old James was created Duke of Monmouth, Earl of Doncaster, and Baron Scott of Tinsdale. On April 20, 1663, James married Anne Scott who was the 4th Countess of Buccleuch in her own right. On their wedding day, the couple was created Duke and Duchess of Buccleuch. Thereafter, James used Scott as his surname but was usually called Monmouth. The couple had seven children and Sarah, Duchess of York and Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester are among their descendants.

James Scott, 1st Duke of Monmouth, circa 1683; Credit – Wikipedia

Because King Charles II had no legitimate children, upon his in 1685, his younger brother succeeded him as King James II of England. However, James asserted his claim to the throne and planned an invasion of England and Scotland. He landed at Lyme Regis, Dorset, England on June 11, 1685, and proclaimed himself king on June 20, 1685. On July 6, 1685, the armies of uncle and nephew met at the Battle of Sedgemoor where the army of James was defeated. James had left the battlefield disguised as a peasant and was discovered hiding in a ditch three days later.

James had previously been attainted of treason by Parliament on June 16, 1685, and was to “suffer Paines of Death and Incurr all Forfeitures as a Traitor Convicted and Attainted of High Treason.” Apparently, he groveled at the feet of his uncle King James II, begging for his life. James was sent to the Tower of London and beheaded on Tower Hill on July 15, 1685. It took several blows of the ax to behead him. 36-year-old James Scott, 1st Duke of Monmouth was buried in the Chapel of St. Peter ad Vincula at the Tower of London.

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Works Cited

• En.wikipedia.org. 2020. Lucy Walter. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucy_Walter> [Accessed 12 September 2020].
• Flantzer, Susan, 2014. James Scott, 1St Duke Of Monmouth. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/april-9-1649-birth-of-james-scott-1st-duke-of-monmouth-illegitimate-son-of-king-charles-ii-of-england/> [Accessed 12 September 2020].
• Flantzer, Susan, 2016. King Charles II Of England. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/king-charles-ii-of-england/> [Accessed 12 September 2020].
• Fraser, Antonia, 1979. King Charles II. London: Phoenix.
• Nl.wikipedia.org. 2020. Lucy Walter. [online] Available at: <https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucy_Walter> [Accessed 12 September 2020].

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2020

Credit – Wikipedia

Mary Boleyn was the elder sister of Anne Boleyn, Queen of England, King Henry VIII’s ill-fated, second wife. The date and place of Mary’s birth are uncertain. She was born sometime between 1499-1500, either at Blickling Hall in Norfolk, England or Hever Castle in Kent, England. Anne’s father was Thomas Boleyn (later 1st Earl of Wiltshire, 1st Earl of Ormond, 1st Viscount Rochford), a diplomat for King Henry VII and King Henry VIII. He was descended from Eustace II, Count of Boulogne who fought for William the Conqueror during the Battle of Hastings. “Boulogne” eventually was anglicized to “Boleyn.” Mary’s mother was Lady Elizabeth Howard, the eldest daughter of Thomas Howard, 2nd Duke of Norfolk. Elizabeth’s eldest brother was Thomas Howard, 3rd Duke of Norfolk, a prominent Tudor politician, and one of her other brothers was Lord Edmund Howard, the father of Catherine Howard, King Henry VIII’s fifth wife. Through her mother, Mary was a descendant of King Edward I of England.

Mary had four siblings but only two survived childhood:

• Anne Boleyn, Queen of England (circa 1501-1507 – 1536), married King Henry VIII of England, had one surviving child, Queen Elizabeth I of England
• George Boleyn, Viscount Rochford (c. 1504 – 1536), married Jane Parker, no children; George was executed as one of his sister Anne’s supposed lovers and his wife Jane was executed with Henry VIII’s fifth wife Catherine Howard

Hever Castle where Mary grew up with her siblings; Credit – Wikipedia

Mary was most likely educated with her brother George and her sister Anne at Hever Castle in Kent. In 1514, when Mary Tudor, King Henry VIII’s 18-year-old younger sister, left for France to become the third wife of the 52-year-old King Louis XII of France, Mary Boleyn accompanied her as a maid-of-honor. Within a few weeks, most of Mary Tudor’s English ladies were ordered to return home. However, Mary Boleyn was allowed to stay most likely due to her father’s diplomatic influence.

King François I of France; Credit – Wikipedia

King Louis XII of France died on January 1, 1515, just three months after his wedding to Mary Tudor. As he had no son, he was succeeded by the next in line of succession, his son-in-law François d’Angoulême from the House of Valois-Angoulême as King François I of France. Shortly after King Louis XII’s death, Mary Tudor secretly married Charles Brandon, 1st Duke of Suffolk, the best friend of Mary Tudor’s brother King Henry VIII. When Mary Tudor and Brandon returned to England to face the wrath of her brother, Thomas Boleyn removed his daughter Mary from the service of Mary Tudor and placed her in the household of Claude of France, Duchess of Brittany, Queen of France, the wife of the new king, François I. During Mary’s time at the French court, there were rumors that she was having an affair with King François I. Some historians believe the rumors were exaggerated, however, there is documentation that François referred to Mary as “the English mare” and “a very great whore, the most infamous of all.”

Sir William Carey, Mary’s first husband; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1519, Mary was sent back to England where her father arranged for her to be a maid-of-honor to Catherine of Aragon, King Henry VIII’s first wife. On February 4, 1520, in the Chapel Royal at Greenwich Palace, Mary married Sir William Carey (circa 1500 – 1528), who served King Henry VIII as a Gentleman of the Privy Chamber. King Henry VIII attended the wedding ceremony and gave the couple a monetary gift.

King Henry VIII of England in 1520; Credit – Wikipedia

At some point, perhaps even before her marriage, Mary became Henry VIII’s mistress, supplanting Elizabeth Blount, but the starting date and length of the relationship are unknown. Wiliam Carey profited from his wife’s affair as he was granted manors and estates by King Henry VIII. Two children were born during the marriage of Mary and William. Because of Mary’s affair with King Henry VIII, it has been suggested that one or both of the children may have been Henry VIII’s biological children and although there is no proof, this claim has been the continued subject of debate. On June 22, 1528, at the age of 28, William Carey died of the sweating sickness. By the time of William’s death, Mary’s sister Anne had already caught the attention of King Henry VIII.

Mary’s daughter Catherine Carey, circa 1562; Credit – Wikipedia

Mary’s son, Henry Carey, 1st Baron Hunsdon, circa 1561-1563; Credit – Wikipedia

Children born during the marriage of Mary Boleyn and William Carey:

• Catherine Carey (1524 – 1569), married Sir Francis Knollys, had fifteen children including Lettice Knollys, the second wife of Robert Dudley, 1st Earl of Leicester, the favorite of Elizabeth I. Catherine was a maid-of-honor to Henry VIII’s fourth and fifth wives, Anne of Cleves and Catherine Howard, and was the Chief Lady of the Bedchamber to her first cousin Queen Elizabeth I.
• Henry Carey, 1st Baron Hunsdon (1526 – 1596), married Anne Morgan, had sixteen children. Henry was Lord Chamberlain of the Household of his first cousin Queen Elizabeth I and patron of the Lord Chamberlain’s Men, William Shakespeare’s company of actors.

Although Anne Boleyn refused to be Henry VIII’s mistress, she still wielded some power. William Carey had left Mary with considerable debts and so Anne decided to help out. Henry VIII granted Anne Boleyn the wardship of her nephew Henry Carey and Anne then arranged for him to be educated at a Cistercian monastery. Anne also interceded to secure her Mary an annual pension of £100.

In 1532, Mary was in the party of the 200 people who accompanied King Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn to France to meet with King François I of France so that the French king might show his public support and approval for the annulment of Henry’s first marriage to Catherine of Aragon. Also among the party was William Stafford, a soldier and the younger son of Sir Humphrey Stafford, an Essex landowner.

With her connections to King Henry VIII’s court and being the eldest daughter of Thomas Boleyn, who was by then 1st Earl Wiltshire, 1st Earl of Ormonde, and 1st Viscount Rochford, Mary had excellent prospects for a second marriage. However, in 1534, Mary and William Stafford secretly married. When Mary became pregnant, the marriage was discovered. Mary’s sister, now Queen Anne, was furious, the Boleyn family disowned Mary, and the couple was banished from court. It is thought that Mary gave birth to a son sometime in 1535 and that he died in 1545. There may also have been a daughter named Anne.

Because Mary’s financial situation was so poor after she and her husband had been banished from court, she begged Thomas Cromwell, then Henry VIII’s principal secretary, to speak to Henry VIII and her sister Anne on her behalf. After Henry VIII showed no interest in her situation, Mary asked Cromwell to speak with her family but they remained steadfast in their prior decision to disown Mary. It was Anne who finally relented and provided her sister with some financial support but she refused to reinstate Mary to her position at court. It is thought Mary and Anne never met again.

Mary’s sister Anne Boleyn, Queen of England; Credit – Wikipedia

The situation of Queen Anne herself quickly declined. When Anne gave birth in 1533 to her first child, a daughter Elizabeth, Henry VIII was greatly disappointed. By late 1535, Anne was pregnant again. However, during a tournament in January 1536, Henry fell from his horse and was unconscious for hours. The stress resulted in premature labor, and Anne miscarried a son. The loss of this son sealed Anne’s fate. Henry was determined to be rid of her, and her fall and execution were engineered by Thomas Cromwell, Henry’s chief minister. Many historians believe that the case charging Anne with adultery with her brother George Boleyn and four other men (Francis Weston, Henry Norris, William Brereton, and Mark Smeaton) was completely fabricated. Her trial, presided over by her uncle Thomas Howard, 3rd Duke of Norfolk, occurred at the Tower of London on May 15, 1536, and she was found guilty of adultery, incest, and high treason. On May 18, 1536, Anne’s brother and the four other men were executed and Anne was executed the following day.

Very little is known about Mary’s life between 1534, when she was banished from court, and the executions of her brother George and sister Anne in May 1536. There is no record of Mary visiting or writing to her parents. She did not visit her sister or brother while they were imprisoned in the Tower of London and there is no evidence that she wrote to them. Like her uncle, Thomas Howard, 3rd Duke of Norfolk, Mary must have thought it wise to avoid any connection with her disgraced relatives.

Rochford Hall, now the clubhouse of the Rochford Hundred Golf Club; Credit – Wikipedia

After the death of her parents (mother in 1538 and father in 1539), Mary inherited some of the family’s estates in Essex, England including Rochford Hall. She lived there for the rest of her life, in better financial circumstances, with her husband William Stafford, who survived her and married again. Mary died of unknown causes, on July 19, 1543, in her early forties and her burial place is unknown.

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Works Cited

• En.wikipedia.org. 2020. Mary Boleyn. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Boleyn> [Accessed 2 August 2020].
• En.wikipedia.org. 2020. William Stafford (Courtier). [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Stafford_(courtier)> [Accessed 2 August 2020].
• En.wikipedia.org. 2020. William Carey (Courtier). [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Carey_(courtier)> [Accessed 2 August 2020].
• Erickson, Carolly, 2004. Great Harry. London: Robson.
• Flantzer, Susan, 2016. Anne Boleyn, Queen Of England. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/anne-boleyn-queen-of-england/> [Accessed 2 August 2020].
• Flantzer, Susan, 2015. King Henry VIII Of England. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/king-henry-viii-of-england/> [Accessed 2 August 2020].
• No.wikipedia.org. 2020. Mary Boleyn. [online] Available at: <https://no.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Boleyn> [Accessed 2 August 2020].
• Weir, Alison, 2001. Henry VIII – The King And His Court. New York: Ballantine Books.
• Weir, Alison, 2012. The Six Wives Of Henry VIII. [United States]: Paw Prints.