Elizabeth FitzHugh (1455/65 – before 10 July 1507) was an English noblewoman. She is best known for being the grandmother of

Katherine Parr Catherine Parr (sometimes alternatively spelled Katherine, Katheryn, Kateryn, or Katharine; 1512 – 5 September 1548) was Queen of England and Ireland as the last of the six wives of King Henry VIII from their marriage on 12 July 1543 until ...

, sixth queen consort to

Henry VIII 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 ...

, and her siblings

Anne Herbert, Countess of Pembroke Anne Herbert, Countess of Pembroke, Baroness Herbert of Cardiff ( Parr; 15 June 1515 – 20 February 1552) was lady-in-waiting to each of Henry VIII of England's six wives. She was the younger sister of his sixth wife, Catherine Parr. Early ...

, and

William Parr, 1st Marquess of Northampton William Parr, 1st Marquess of Northampton, Earl of Essex, 1st Baron Parr, 1st Baron Hart (14 August 151328 October 1571), was the only brother of Queen Catherine Parr, the sixth and final wife of King Henry VIII. He was a "sincere, plain, di ...

Family

Elizabeth was possibly born at the family's ancestral home, Ravensworth Castle in

North Yorkshire North Yorkshire is the largest ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county (lieutenancy area) in England, covering an area of . Around 40% of the county is covered by National parks of the United Kingdom, national parks, including most of ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

. She was the daughter of

Henry FitzHugh, 5th Baron FitzHugh Baron FitzHugh, of Ravensworth in North Yorkshire, is an abeyant title in the Peerage of England. It was created in 1321 for Sir Henry FitzHugh. The title passed through the male line until the death in 1513 of George FitzHugh, 7th Baron FitzH ...

of Ravensworth. and his wife Lady Alice Neville, daughter of

Richard Neville, 5th Earl of Salisbury Richard Neville, 5th Earl of Salisbury (1400 – 31 December 1460) was an English nobleman and magnate based in northern England who became a key supporter of the House of York during the early years of the Wars of the Roses. He was the ...

and

Alice Montagu, 5th Countess of Salisbury Alice Montagu ( Montacute; 1407before 9 December 1462) was an English noblewoman and the suo jure 5th Countess of Salisbury, 6th Baroness Monthermer, and 7th and 4th Baroness Montagu, having succeeded to the titles in 1428. Her husband, Richa ...

''suo jure'', only daughter and heiress of

Thomas Montacute, 4th Earl of Salisbury Thomas Montagu, 4th Earl of Salisbury, KG (13 June 13883 November 1428) of Bisham in Berkshire, was an English nobleman and one of the most important English commanders during the Hundred Years' War. Origins He was the eldest son of John Monta ...

and Lady Eleanor Holland. Her paternal grandparents were William FitzHugh, 4th Baron FitzHugh and Margery Willoughby. Through her grandfather, the Earl of Salisbury, she was a niece of

Richard Neville, 16th Earl of Warwick Richard is a male given name. It originates, via Old French, from Old Frankish and is a compound of the words descending from Proto-Germanic ''*rīk-'' 'ruler, leader, king' and ''*hardu-'' 'strong, brave, hardy', and it therefore means 'strong ...

(known in history as "Warwick, the Kingmaker"), and grandniece of

Cecily Neville, Duchess of York Cecily Neville (3 May 1415 – 31 May 1495) was an English noblewoman, the wife of Richard, Duke of York (1411–1460), and the mother of two kings of England—Edward IV and Richard III. Cecily Neville was known as "the Rose of Raby", because ...

(the mother of King

Edward IV Edward IV (28 April 1442 – 9 April 1483) was King of England from 4 March 1461 to 3 October 1470, then again from 11 April 1471 until his death in 1483. He was a central figure in the Wars of the Roses, a series of civil wars in England ...

and King

Richard III Richard III (2 October 145222 August 1485) was King of England and Lord of Ireland from 26 June 1483 until his death in 1485. He was the last king of the House of York and the last of the Plantagenet dynasty. His defeat and death at the Battl ...

). Elizabeth had nine siblings, including Lady

Alice FitzHugh Alice FitzHugh (c. 1448 – 10 July 1516) was the eldest daughter and co-heiress of Henry FitzHugh, 5th Baron FitzHugh, and Lady Alice Neville. Alice was born at the ancestral castle of Ravensworth. She married Sir John Fiennes, the son of Sir ...

and Richard, 6th Baron FitzHugh (c. 1456 – 20 November 1487) who married Elizabeth Burgh, daughter of Sir Thomas Burgh, 1st Baron Burgh of Gainsborough and his wife, Margaret de Ros. Their son, George FitzHugh, inherited the barony but after his death in 1513, the barony fell in abeyance between Elizabeth and her older sister, Alice. This abeyance continues today between the two families. The current co-heirs to the barony are: *

Rachel Douglas-Home, 27th Baroness Dacre Rachel Leila Douglas-Home, 27th Baroness Dacre (née Brand, 24 October 1929 – 25 December 2012) was an English peer. Early life Lady Dacre was a daughter of Thomas Brand, 4th Viscount Hampden and 26th Baron Dacre, and his wife, Leila Emily Se ...

née Brand (b. 1929) * Hon. Tessa Ogilvie Thompson née Brand (b. 1934) * Francis Brand, 7th

Viscount Hampden Viscount Hampden is a title that has been created twice, once in the Peerage of Great Britain and once in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. The first creation came in the Peerage of Great Britain when the diplomat and politician Robert Hampde ...

(b. 1970) *

William Herbert, 18th Earl of Pembroke William Alexander Sidney Herbert, 18th Earl of Pembroke, 15th Earl of Montgomery (born 18 May 1978) is an English peer. He became earl in 2003 following the death of his father, the 17th Earl. Early life Pembroke is the only son of Henry Herber ...

(b. 1978)

Life

Elizabeth is said to have had an easy-going and pleasure-loving disposition. After her husband Sir William Parr died in 1483, Elizabeth, who was possibly around twenty-three at the time, was left with four small children. As a widow, Elizabeth's life revolved around the court. Elizabeth served as

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 ...

's queen consort, her cousin,

Anne Neville Anne Neville (11 June 1456 – 16 March 1485) was Queen of England as the wife of King Richard III. She was the younger of the two daughters and co-heiresses of Richard Neville, 16th Earl of Warwick (the "Kingmaker"). Before her marriage to Ric ...

. Elizabeth would be second in a four generation span of family that would serve England's queens which started in 1483 with her mother, the redoubtable Alice Neville, Lady FitzHugh. Her granddaughter, Anne Parr would continue the tradition by becoming lady-in-waiting to all six of

's wives. Even Anne's sister,

, who later became queen served in the household of the Princess Mary until she caught the eye of King Henry. After the overthrow of the

House of York The House of York was a cadet branch of the English royal House of Plantagenet. Three of its members became kings of England in the late 15th century. The House of York descended in the male line from Edmund of Langley, 1st Duke of York, ...

, Elizabeth made a second marriage with a protégé of

Margaret Beaufort Lady Margaret Beaufort (usually pronounced: or ; 31 May 1441/43 – 29 June 1509) was a major figure in the Wars of the Roses of the late fifteenth century, and mother of King Henry VII of England, the first Tudor monarch. A descendant of ...

, Sir Nicholas Vaux (later Baron Vaux), which is reputed to have saved the family fortunes.James, Susan. ''Catherine Parr: Henry VIII's Last Love''. (2009), pg 15, 81.

Marriages and Issue

She married first

William Parr, 1st Baron Parr of Kendal Sir William Parr, KG (1434–1483)Linda Porter. ''Katherine, the Queen'', MacMillan, 2010. . was an English courtier and soldier. He was the eldest son of Sir Thomas Parr (1405–1461) and his wife Alice, daughter of Sir Thomas Tunstall of T ...

, a man maybe 28 years her senior. William was a

Knight of the Garter The Most Noble Order of the Garter is an order of chivalry founded by Edward III of England in 1348. It is the most senior order of knighthood in the British honours system, outranked in precedence only by the Victoria Cross and the George ...

who was held high in favour with King

, who by marriage was a cousin to him. He fought with the Nevilles on the

Yorkist The House of York was a cadet branch of the English royal House of Plantagenet. Three of its members became kings of England in the late 15th century. The House of York descended in the male line from Edmund of Langley, 1st Duke of York, t ...

side at the

Battle of Edgecote Moor The Battle of Edgcote (also known as the Battle of Banbury or the Battle of Danes Moor) took place on 24 July 1469, during the Wars of the Roses. It was fought between a Royal army, commanded by the earls of Pembroke and Devon, and a rebel forc ...

. Elizabeth did not give birth to her first child until she was aged about sixteen. Elizabeth and William had the following children: * Anne Parr (d. 1513), who married Sir Thomas Cheney of Irthlingborough. Their daughter Elizabeth married

Thomas Vaux, 2nd Baron Vaux of Harrowden Thomas Vaux, 2nd Baron Vaux of Harrowden KB (25 April 1509 – October 1556), English poet, was the eldest son of Nicholas Vaux, 1st Baron Vaux and his second wife, Anne Green, daughter of Sir Thomas Green, Lord of Nortons Green, and Joan Fogg ...

, son of

Nicholas Vaux, 1st Baron Vaux of Harrowden Nicholas Vaux, 1st Baron Vaux of Harrowden (c. 1460 – 14 May 1523) was a soldier and courtier in England and an early member of the British House of Commons, House of Commons. He was the son of House of Lancaster, Lancastrian loyalists Sir Wil ...

by his second wife, Anne Green. This Anne was sister of

Maud Green Maud Green, Lady Parr (6 April 1492 – 1 December 1531) was an English courtier. She was the mother of Catherine Parr, the sixth wife of King Henry VIII of England. She was a close friend and lady-in-waiting to Catherine of Aragon. She was also ...

, who married Anne's brother Thomas Parr (below), meaning Anne Green was both aunt and mother-in-law to Elizabeth. Thomas Vaux was himself also first married to Anne Parr's half-sister (below). *

Sir Thomas Parr Sir Thomas Parr (c. 1483 – 11 November 1517) of Kendal in Westmorland (now Cumbria), England, was a courtier and is best known as the father of Queen Catherine Parr, the Wives of Henry VIII, sixth and final wife of King Henry VIII of England, ...

(c. 1483 – 1517), who was the eldest son, was knighted and was sheriff of Northamptonshire in 1509; he was master of the wards and comptroller to Henry VIII. He was rich, owing to his succeeding, in 1512, to half the estates of his cousin, Lord FitzHugh, and also to his marriage with

, daughter and coheiress of

Sir Thomas Green Sir Thomas Green (c.1461 – 9 November 1506) was a member of the English gentry who died in the Tower of London, where he had been imprisoned for treason. He is best known as the grandfather of Catherine Parr, last wife of King Henry VIII of En ...

of Boughton and Greens Norton in Northamptonshire. He died on 12 November 1518 and was buried in the church of the Blackfriars in London. His widow died on 1 September 1532 and was buried beside him. Of their children,

, queen consort of

, and, William Parr (afterwards Marquess of Northampton) are well known; while a daughter,

Anne Anne, alternatively spelled Ann, is a form of the Latin female given name Anna. This in turn is a representation of the Hebrew Hannah, which means 'favour' or 'grace'. Related names include Annie. Anne is sometimes used as a male name in the ...

, married William Herbert, 1st Earl of Pembroke of the tenth creation. *

William Parr, 1st Baron Parr of Horton William Parr, 1st Baron Parr of Horton (c. 1483 – 10 September 1547Douglas Richardson. ''Plantagenet Ancestry: A Study In Colonial And Medieval Families,'' 2nd Edition, 2011. pg 663.) was the son of Sir William Parr and his second wife, the Ho ...

(c. 1483 – 1547), the second son, was knighted on 25 October 1513, was sheriff of Northamptonshire in 1518 and 1522 and, after his niece

's promotion to queen consort, he became her chamberlain. On 23 December 1543 he was created Baron Parr of Horton, Northamptonshire. He died on 10 September 1547 and was buried at Horton (for his tomb, see Bridges, Northamptonshire, i. 370). By Mary, daughter of Sir William Salisbury, he left four daughters. * John Parr (d. 8 September 1508), married Constance, daughter of Sir Henry Vere of Addington, Surrey. They had no issue. After the death of Sir William Parr, Elizabeth married Sir Nicholas Vaux as his first wife.History of Parliament, a biographical dictionary of Members of the House of Commons Their issue includes: * Katherine Vaux (c. 1490 – c. 1571), married Sir

George Throckmorton Sir George Throckmorton (c. 1480 – 6 August 1552) of Coughton Court in Warwickshire, England, was a Member of Parliament during the reign of King Henry VIII. Origins Born before 1489 in Worcestershire, he was the eldest son and heir of Sir R ...

of Coughton and had issue. * Alice Vaux (d. 1543), married Sir Richard Sapcote c. 1501. They had at least one child, Anne. * Anne Vaux, married Sir Thomas Lestrange (1493–1545) and had issue.

Ancestry

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fitzhugh, Elizabeth 1508 deaths 15th-century English people 15th-century English women 16th-century English women Year of birth uncertain People from Ravensworth

Elizabeth Elizabeth or Elisabeth may refer to: People * Elizabeth (given name), a female given name (including people with that name) * Elizabeth (biblical figure), mother of John the Baptist Ships * HMS ''Elizabeth'', several ships * ''Elisabeth'' (sch ...

Wives of knights