Author : Conor Byrne, BA (Hons), MA. Publisher: The History Press.
I received this latest biography by Conor Byrne from the publishers on Friday, 22nd July. It sits well in the hand and the size of the text makes it easy to read. Congratulations History Press on a beautifully produced book.
The image on the cover is a reproduction of a portrait miniature of Katharine Grey with her firstborn son, Edward, painted by Levina Teerlinc probably in about 1562/3. The above image is the panel version of the Teerlinc original miniature. As Conor points out, this is a representation of Mother and Child similar to those images of the Virgin and Child portrayed as queen of heaven in so many Catholic books of hours and altarpieces, which is ironic considering Katherine Grey’s Protestant upbringing. On the other hand, by the time of Elizabeth I the portrait miniature was a popular and relatively inexpensive love token or even diplomatic gift. Considering Katherine was the next in line to the throne should Queen Elizabeth die without legitimate issue, this portrait takes on considerable political significance as it can be read in either capacity.
Katherine Grey is one of those historical characters who has often been portrayed as a wilful teenager best known for (possibly) having married Edward Seymour, Earl of Hertford without Elizabeth I’s permission; being incarcerated in The Tower of London and for having two sons by her purported husband, the second being conceived when both parties were imprisoned in The Tower. If anyone thinks this is going to be a romantic re-consideration of their relationship, then they will be disappointed. The book falls into two halves, and while the first deals with the background and upbringing of Katherine, her sisters and the Grey family’s place at the Tudor court, the second deals with Katherine’s time at court during the reign of Mary I and the discussion regarding her place at the forefront of the line of succession should Queen Elizabeth die childless, and the ramifications of her clandestine marriage.
Through his research of the surviving documents held at the British Library and the National Archives, Conor Byrne presents us with a forensic insight into the childhood and adult life of Katherine, as well as that of her sisters. Previous studies of the Grey sisters, and their place in the direct line of succession to the English throne, have also been read and considered.
Conor is at pains to tell us that the recorded details of the childhoods of Jane’s two younger siblings, Katherine and Mary, are difficult to come by, so the harshness of the girls’ upbringing is a matter of supposition based on a description in Roger Ascham’s book, The Schoolmaster.
All three girls were educated to a high level. It was not until 1553 that the issue of the thirteen year old Katherine’s marriage was raised. Then Katharine, Dowager Duchess of Suffolk, now remarried with the surname of Willoughby, wrote to Sir William Cecil in strong terms that an arranged marriage could ‘…bring our children into so miserable a state as not to choose by their own liking.’ Katherine was just a year younger than the dowager duchess herself when she was married to the forty something years old Charles Brandon, Duke of Suffolk. If there was ever evidence that marriage was not a love match then the 1553 letter to Cecil has to be it. Perhaps in his PhD research Conor will find further evidence to support Queen Anne Boleyn’s sharp, but unwise, criticism of the final marriage of Henry VIII’s boyhood friend and close companion when Brandon married for the last time, just weeks after the death of his wife, Mary Tudor, the king’s sister, in September 1533.
Henry Grey, Marquess of Dorset and his wife Frances, eldest daughter of Mary Tudor Dowager Queen of France & Duchess of Suffolk and her second husband the aforesaid Charles Brandon, Duke of Suffolk, emerge as ambitious, religiously committed parents. Henry Grey may have been a steadfast Protestant, but a 16th century contemporary described him as ‘lacking in circumspection’. From the descriptions in original documents he emerges as a weak and easily manipulated individual. His marriage to Frances was an arranged one and previously she has been described as a harsh mother. Roger Ascham’s book includes Jane Grey’s description of how her parents treated her severely if whatever she was doing did not meet their expectations. A later record states that because at first Jane refused to marry Guildford Dudley, son of John Dudley, Duke of Northumberland, in 1553, her father beat her into submission. To balance these descriptions, which were written after the death of both the parents and Jane, Conor cites another 16thcentury source that states the Greys had dynastic ambitions for daughter Jane to marry the boy king Edward VI. Such a marriage would have consolidated the two royal lines as described in the 3rd Act of Succession of 1543/44, and reiterated in Henry VIII’s will. How Grey was persuaded from this idea demonstrates how he could be easily manipulated, what little consideration he gave to the political ambitions of others and how these might affect his family.
Henry Grey became a follower of the Duke of Northumberland and Northumberland’s haste to marry his son Guildford to Jane as the teenage king’s health failed, demonstrates his ambition for a Dudley to be seated at the pinnacle of power. Jane’s courage in attempting to protect her father is commendable, but in hindsight merely highlights his ‘lack of circumspection’. Her letter from The Tower printed by John Knox opens with the words “Father, although it hath pleased God to hasten my death by you, by whom my life should rather have been lengthened …” may have been propaganda. Conor points out this letter has been debated by noted historian, the late Eric Ives. Ives observed that the letter first appeared in Knox’s 1570 second edition of his Acts and Monuments. If it is authentic, then it appears to be a daughter’s condemnation of Henry Grey’s misguided loyalties and inability to protect his family. Jane was only seventeen years old when she went to the scaffold.
Jane’s advice to Katherine, also written from The Tower, is quoted in full and Conor demonstrates how it has been considered over the centuries as spiritual advice to her younger sister. He also looks at how early 20th century historians placed the epistle ‘… within the Edwardian evangelical establishment of a shared vocabulary between Jane and reformers …’. More recently the letter has been seen as ‘not a spontaneous bequest’ to Jane’s younger sister as third in line to the throne, but her admonition to her young sister to remain faithful to God and to ‘not love the world’. Despite his best endeavours, Conor has been unable to find any record of how Katherine responded to this letter. His research does cover how and why it is thought we have Jane’s last correspondence with her father, younger sibling and others. This shows that their mother, Frances, or perhaps step-grandmother, Katharine Willoughby, continued to be dedicated Protestants. If that is the case, then perhaps later research will prove Jane’s letter to Henry Grey was among this correspondence, which was how John Knox got sight of it.
Just as the Dowager Duchess of Suffolk emerges as a protective step-grandmother regarding the consideration of any arranged marriage of the thirteen year old Katharine Grey, Anne Somerset is redeemed from the traditional portrayal of being a difficult woman. Both women remarried after the death of their first husbands to men considerably below their social status. It is generally assumed both second marriages were love matches, and the picture painted here certainly backs up that idea.
It is ironic that Katharine Grey fell in love with Edward Seymour, son of Anne and her first husband, the attainted Edward Seymour, Duke of Somerset, brought down by John Dudley, Duke of Northumberland who was also responsible for the fall of Henry Grey
When it comes to the discussion of Katharine’s relationship with Edward Seymour and their subsequent fall from grace in 1561 this is where the book could have ended up as being yet another reworking of the idea of two star crossed lovers being harshly dealt with by an unmarried queen. Instead their story is looked at through the lens of contemporary sixteenth century politics as well as moral and religious perspectives, which is where the surviving original documents provide a plethora of evidence.
Conor invites the reader to make their own mind up as to whether Katherine was taken advantage of by the earl of Hertford, or not. What becomes apparent is the young Katharine may not have taken care of her paperwork, which would have helped prove her clandestine marriage to Hertford was legitimate. There is an unwritten implication this documentation may have been mislaid by others and that the witnesses to the ceremony suffered ‘diplomatic’ amnesia when faced with questions about the name of the priest, who witnessed the marriage, where the ceremony took place if at all, and the date. In my opinion the birth of Katharine’s first son, Edward, on 21st September 1561 suggests this marriage could have taken place in either very late December 1560 or early January of 1561 (modern dating), just when the court would have been celebrating the twelve days of Christmas.
The narrative is well footnoted and there is an extensive bibliography listing surviving archival records, printed primary sources and the many secondary sources consulted, demonstrating the breadth of research undertaken. For me this book was a very enjoyable read, but fluffy it is not. If you are expecting a Disney type romance, this book is not for you.
I have watched Conor’s interest in the roles of aristocratic 16th century women from the time he was an undergraduate grow into a passion. Since then he has been awarded his Master of Arts degree in early modern studies from the University of York, and is now a PhD candidate at the University of Southampton. He has recently presented his second academic paper, this time at an international conference in Stockholm on the Elizabethan succession in relation to Katherine Grey and at the beginning of August will be presenting, via Zoom, another to the English Catholic Society.
I wish Conor the very best of luck in his PhD research and future career as an historian and look forward to reading more of his work in the future.
MVT
25th July 2023.
Melanie V Taylor 