Alice, Lady More (née Harpur; 1474–1546 or 1551) - also known as Dame Alice Moore - was the second wife of

Sir Thomas More Sir Thomas More (7 February 1478 – 6 July 1535), venerated in the Catholic Church as Saint Thomas More, was an English lawyer, judge, social philosopher, author, statesman, and noted Renaissance humanist. He also served Henry VIII as Lord ...

, who served as

Lord Chancellor The lord chancellor, formally the lord high chancellor of Great Britain, is the highest-ranking traditional minister among the Great Officers of State in Scotland and England in the United Kingdom, nominally outranking the prime minister. The ...

of England. She is a prominent figure in

Tudor history The Tudor period occurred between 1485 and 1603 in History of England, England and Wales and includes the Elizabethan period during the reign of Elizabeth I until 1603. The Tudor period coincides with the dynasty of the House of Tudor in Englan ...

and literature. She was the daughter of Elizabeth (

née A birth name is the name of a person given upon birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name, or the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a birth certificate or birth re ...

Adern) and Sir Richard Harpur. Elizabeth was the daughter of Sir Peter Adern and his wife Catherine. Her first husband was John Middleton, a merchant, with whom she had a son and two daughters, only one of whom, her daughter also named Alice (1501-1563), survived infancy. John Middleton died in 1509, leaving her a young widow. After her marriage to Thomas More in 1511, he raised her daughter Alice as his own. They did not have children together. Historians have concluded that Sir Thomas More married Alice so he could have a step-mother for his four children after his first wife, Jane, died in 1511. One of her step-daughters was

Margaret More Margaret More or Moore may refer to: *Margaret Roper (1505–1544), née More, English writer and translator, daughter of Sir Thomas More *Margaret Clement (1508–1570), née Giggs, English noblewoman, adopted daughter of Sir Thomas More *Kate Bar ...

. Alice was also considered wealthy, as her first husband left her all of his estate, and her family owned property. Historians also believe that Thomas More had known Alice and her family long before they were married, which is why the couple married without hesitation within weeks of Jane's death. Alice was seven years older than Sir Thomas. The family lived in London and later at the estate built in Chelsea. She was known for her love of animals, especially her dogs, and her pet monkey. She was married to Sir Thomas from 1511 until he was executed in 1535 after he was convicted of

treason Treason is the crime of attacking a state authority to which one owes allegiance. This typically includes acts such as participating in a war against one's native country, attempting to overthrow its government, spying on its military, its diplo ...

for refusing to take the

Oath of Supremacy The Oath of Supremacy required any person taking public or church office in England to swear allegiance to the monarch as Supreme Governor of the Church of England. Failure to do so was to be treated as treasonable. The Oath of Supremacy was ori ...

. Before his execution, while he was locked in the

Tower of London The Tower of London, officially His Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress of the Tower of London, is a historic castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, which is separa ...

, she was in charge of taking care of his affairs. The last years of her life were poor, due to the family's property being confiscated.

The Crown The Crown is the state in all its aspects within the jurisprudence of the Commonwealth realms and their subdivisions (such as the Crown Dependencies, overseas territories, provinces, or states). Legally ill-defined, the term has different ...

voided the trust her husband had belatedly established for her,

Henry VIII of England Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is best known for his six marriages, and for his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. His disa ...

instead allowed her a smaller annuity of £20 in 1537, to live on after his death. Her death date is most often referred to as April 1551, but some sources state 1546. Her daughter Alice bore several children, giving her many blood descendants. Her husband was canonized by

Pope Pius XI Pope Pius XI ( it, Pio XI), born Ambrogio Damiano Achille Ratti (; 31 May 1857 – 10 February 1939), was head of the Catholic Church from 6 February 1922 to his death in February 1939. He was the first sovereign of Vatican City fro ...

in 1935 as a

martyr A martyr (, ''mártys'', "witness", or , ''marturia'', stem , ''martyr-'') is someone who suffers persecution and death for advocating, renouncing, or refusing to renounce or advocate, a religious belief or other cause as demanded by an externa ...

of the

schism A schism ( , , or, less commonly, ) is a division between people, usually belonging to an organization, movement, or religious denomination. The word is most frequently applied to a split in what had previously been a single religious body, suc ...

that separated the Church of England from Rome.

In popular culture

Alice is a major role in the stage play '' A Man for All Seasons'' by Robert Bolt. The play has been performed on Broadway on two occasions. She was first played by Carol Goodner and then by Maryann Plunkett.A Man for All Seasons at Internet Broadway Database
accessed 5/30/2015 The play was turned into a

film A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmosphere ...

in 1966, in which Alice was portrayed by Dame Wendy Hiller. Hiller was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance. The film also won the

Academy Award for Best Picture The Academy Award for Best Picture is one of the Academy Awards presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) since the awards debuted in 1929. This award goes to the producers of the film and is the only category ...

of the Year. The play was later filmed for television in 1988, starring

Vanessa Redgrave Dame Vanessa Redgrave (born 30 January 1937) is an English actress and activist. Throughout her career spanning over seven decades, Redgrave has garnered numerous accolades, including an Academy Award, a British Academy Television Award, two ...

as Alice. Redgrave was nominated for a

Golden Globe The Golden Globe Awards are accolades bestowed by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association beginning in January 1944, recognizing excellence in both American and international film and television. Beginning in 2022, there are 105 members of t ...

award for her performance. In the

Showtime Showtime or Show Time may refer to: Film * ''Showtime'' (film), a 2002 American action/comedy film * ''Showtime'' (video), a 1995 live concert video by Blur Television Networks and channels * Showtime Networks, a division of Paramount Global w ...

series ''The Tudors'', More was portrayed by Catherine Byrne from 2007-2008. She also appears in the 2015 BBC series '' Wolf Hall'' and is played by Monica Dolan.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:More, Alice 15th-century English people 15th-century English women 16th-century English women 1474 births Wives of knights English Roman Catholics 16th-century deaths 16th-century English landowners 16th-century women landowners Year of death uncertain