Elizabeth Amadas (née Bryce) (died 1532) was a lady at the
royal court of King
Henry VIII of England who was accused of
treason, and who claimed to have been the
target of the King's advances.
Life
Elizabeth Bryce was the daughter of James Bryce by his wife, Elizabeth Chester (d.1504), and the granddaughter of Sir Hugh Bryce (d. 22 November 1496),
Goldsmith, and
Lord Mayor of London in 1485. She married a London Goldsmith,
Robert Amadas
Robert Amadas (before 1490 – 7 April 1532) was a London Goldsmith whose clients included King Henry VIII and his courtiers. He was Master of the King's Jewel House, and one of the Deputy Masters of the Mint.
Family
Robert Amadas was the son o ...
, whose talents quickly made him the richest goldsmith in England. By Robert Amadas she had two daughters, Elizabeth and Thomasine. Elizabeth Amadas married Richard Scrope of
Castle Combe,
Wiltshire, and is said to have left as her sole heir a daughter, Frances Scrope (d.1566), who married Martin Bowes. Thomasine Amadas was the first wife of Sir Richard Stapleton (d. 11 January 1585), by whom she had a son, Brian Stapleton (d. 13 December 1606), who married Eleanor Neville, daughter of
Ralph Neville, 4th Earl of Westmorland
Ralph Neville, 4th Earl of Westmorland KG (21 February 1498 – 24 April 1549), was an English peer and soldier. He was the grandson of Ralph Neville, 3rd Earl of Westmorland, and the father of Henry Neville, 5th Earl of Westmorland.
Family
...
. After Eleanor Neville's death, Sir Brian Stapleton married Elizabeth Darcy, the daughter of George Darcy, 2nd Baron Darcy de Darcy.
Papers of the Stapleton Family, National Archives
Retrieved 18 May 2013.
Robert Amadas made his will in 1531, and had died by 14 April 1532.
In 1532 Elizabeth Amadas was arrested for treason. She had described Anne Boleyn as a harlot
Prostitution is the business or practice of engaging in sexual activity in exchange for payment. The definition of "sexual activity" varies, and is often defined as an activity requiring physical contact (e.g., sexual intercourse, non-penet ...
, and said that she should be burnt. She also said that the king, by setting aside Catherine of Aragon
Catherine of Aragon (also spelt as Katherine, ; 16 December 1485 – 7 January 1536) was Queen of England as the first wife of King Henry VIII from their marriage on 11 June 1509 until their annulment on 23 May 1533. She was previously ...
for a younger woman, was encouraging the men of England to do the same. Elizabeth's husband had recently left her. She described herself as a " witch and prophetess". She was released, but the couple got into debt and did not recover their position at court.
She also stated that Henry VIII had asked her many times to join her at the house of William Compton in Thames Street. She alleged that Compton and Dauncy had brought messages from the King to her. She did not state when this was, although Compton died in 1528 so it must have been before this. She also did not state if she gave in to the King's advances.
Notes
References
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Amadas, Elizabeth
1532 deaths
Mistresses of Henry VIII
Year of birth unknown
16th-century English women
Court of Henry VIII
Witchcraft in England