Elizabeth Chamber, better known as Elizabeth Stonor (died after 8 December 1602), was a

lady-in-waiting A lady-in-waiting or court lady is a female personal assistant at a court, attending on a royal woman or a high-ranking noblewoman. Historically, in Europe, a lady-in-waiting was often a noblewoman but of lower rank than the woman to whom sh ...

to each of

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 ...

's six wives, and was the '' Mother of the Maids'', with responsibility for the conduct of the young

maids of honour A maid of honour is a junior attendant of a queen in royal households. The position was and is junior to the lady-in-waiting. The equivalent title and office has historically been used in most European royal courts. Role Traditionally, a queen ...

. She was the daughter of

Geoffrey Chamber Geoffrey Chamber (''floruit'' c. 1490 – 1544x1550) (also Chambers) was a legal advocate, an associate and agent of Thomas Cromwell's, and was Surveyor and Receiver-General to the Court of Augmentations at the time of the Dissolution of the Monas ...

of Stanmore,

Middlesex Middlesex (; abbreviation: Middx) is a Historic counties of England, historic county in South East England, southeast England. Its area is almost entirely within the wider urbanised area of London and mostly within the Ceremonial counties of ...

and married successively, Sir

Walter Stonor Sir Walter Stonor (died 1551) was the son of Thomas Stoner of North Stoke, Oxfordshire and Sybilla, the daughter of Sir David Brecknock. He was a Knight of the Body and appointed Lieutenant of the Tower of London on 29 September 1546. He had at ...

, Reginald Conyers, Edward Griffin and

Oliver St John, 1st Baron St John of Bletso Oliver St John of Bletsoe, 1st Baron St John of Bletso (c. 1522 – 21 April 1582) was an English peer. Personal life He was the son of Sir John St John (Bedfordshire MP) (born 1498) of Bletsoe (Bedfordshire) and Spelsbury (Oxfordshire) a ...

. She is remembered as the wife of Sir Walter Stonor, and was one of the women chosen to serve

Anne Boleyn Anne Boleyn (; 1501 or 1507 – 19 May 1536) was Queen of England from 1533 to 1536, as the second wife of King Henry VIII. The circumstances of her marriage and of her execution by beheading for treason and other charges made her a key ...

, the king's second wife, during her imprisonment in 1536.

Anne Boleyn

In May 1536, five women were appointed to serve Anne Boleyn while she was imprisoned in the

Tower A tower is a tall Nonbuilding structure, structure, taller than it is wide, often by a significant factor. Towers are distinguished from guyed mast, masts by their lack of guy-wires and are therefore, along with tall buildings, self-supporting ...

and to report to Sir William Kingston, the Lieutenant of the Tower, and through him to the King's chief minister,

Thomas Cromwell Thomas Cromwell (; 1485 – 28 July 1540), briefly Earl of Essex, was an English lawyer and statesman who served as chief minister to King Henry VIII from 1534 to 1540, when he was beheaded on orders of the king, who later blamed false charge ...

, all that the Queen said. These women included Elizabeth Stonor; Anne Boleyn's aunt, Anne Shelton; Elizabeth Boleyn, the Queen's aunt by marriage;

Mary Kingston Mary Kingston (born 29 May 1970 in Inchydoney, County Cork), is an Irish children's television presenter and philanthropist. She presented ''The Disney Club'' on RTÉ Two. She also presented ''Scratch Saturday'' and '' The Works''. Early life ...

, the wife of Sir William Kingston, the Lieutenant of the Tower; and Margaret Coffin, the wife of Anne Boleyn's

Master of the Horse Master of the Horse is an official position in several European nations. It was more common when most countries in Europe were monarchies, and is of varying prominence today. (Ancient Rome) The original Master of the Horse ( la, Magister Equitu ...

. Sir William Kingston described the five as "honest and good women", but Anne Boleyn said that it was "a great unkindness in the King to set such about me as I have never loved".

Marriages

Oliver St John, 1st Baron St John of Bletso

Elizabeth was married four times: * Sir Walter Stonor (died 1551),

Lieutenant of the Tower of London The Lieutenant of the Tower of London serves directly under the Constable of the Tower. The office has been appointed at least since the 13th century. There were formerly many privileges, immunities and perquisites attached to the office. Like the ...

* Reginald Conyers (died 1560) * Edward Griffin of Dingley (died 1569), Attorney General * She married, before 28 August, 1572,

(died 21 April 1582)

Notes

References

* * * * *

External links

Elizabeth Chamber
Family tree {{DEFAULTSORT:Chamber, Elizabeth English ladies-in-waiting Saint John of Bletso 1600s deaths 16th-century English women Year of birth unknown Household of Anne Boleyn