Elizabeth Tyrwhitt (died 1578), was an English gentlewoman, courtier, and writer.

Biography

Born in her father's house at Brede, she was one of five children of Sir

Goddard Oxenbridge Sir Goddard Oxenbridge, KB (died 1537) was an English landowner and administrator from Sussex. Origins Prominent in East Sussex for generations, the family's home in Brede, which he improved and extended, had been built in the 14th century. ...

(died 1531) and his second wife Anne (died 1531), widow of John Windsor and daughter of Sir Thomas Fiennes, of Claverham in Arlington (a son of Sir Richard Fiennes). Accepted into the court of King

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 ...

, by 1537 she was a gentlewoman of the privy chamber and shortly after was married to a fellow-courtier. She served in the households of Queen

Jane Seymour Jane Seymour (c. 150824 October 1537) was List of English consorts, Queen of England as the third wife of King Henry VIII of England from their Wives of Henry VIII, marriage on 30 May 1536 until her death the next year. She became queen followi ...

and Queen Catherine Howard, In August 1540 Tyrwhitt and others ladies of the court visited Portsmouth to see a newly built ship. They sent Henry VIII a joint letter which was signed by Mabel, Lady Southampton, Margaret Tallebois (or Tailboys), Margaret Howard (sister of Catherine Howard), Alice Browne, Anne Knyvett (daughter of Thomas Knyvett), Jane Denny,

Jane Meutas Jane Meutas (or Mewtas, or Mewtis, or Meautis, or Meautys) (c. 1517 – c. 1551) was an English lady of the Queen's privy chamber who became the wife of the courtier Peter Meutas (or Mewtas, etc.). Her name is sometimes given as Joan, and her ...

Anne Bassett Anne Basset (1520 – before 1558) was an English lady-in-waiting of the Tudor period, reputed to have been the mistress of King Henry VIII. Biography Anne was born in 1520, the fourth child of Sir John Basset and Honor Grenville (daughter of ...

, Elizabeth Tyrwhitt, and Elizabeth Harvey. Tyrwhitt became 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 ...

and a close friend to Queen

Catherine 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 ...

. The two were related by marriage and shared

Protestant Protestantism is a Christian denomination, branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Reformation, Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century agai ...

sympathies. However, suspected of links to the executed Anne Askew, with other members of Catherine's household in 1546 she was arrested by the King. After his death, she remained in service with Catherine and her fourth husband, Thomas Seymour, being at the bedside when Catherine died in 1549. In the scandal which followed over Seymour's relationship with the future Queen

Elizabeth I of England Elizabeth I (7 September 153324 March 1603) was List of English monarchs, Queen of England and List of Irish monarchs, Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death in 1603. Elizabeth was the last of the five House of Tudor monarchs and is ...

, she gave evidence over possibly inappropriate behaviour and was briefly placed in charge of the princess in place of the suspect Catherine Astley. Thereafter, she lived a private life, dying at her home in

Clerkenwell Clerkenwell () is an area of central London, England. Clerkenwell was an ancient parish from the mediaeval period onwards, and now forms the south-western part of the London Borough of Islington. The well after which it was named was redisco ...

. Her will was proved on 28 April 1578 and she was buried in the church of St Mary the Virgin at

Leighton Bromswold Leighton Bromswold (also known as Leighton) is a small village and civil parish in Cambridgeshire, England. Leighton lies approximately west of Huntingdon. Leighton is situated within Huntingdonshire which is a non-metropolitan district of Cambr ...

, where her effigy may be seen together with those of her husband and daughter.

Writings

She composed a work called ''Morning and Evening Praiers, with Divers Psalmes Himnes and Meditations'', published in 1574. A copy now in the British Library had belonged to Queen Elizabeth I and includes prayers written by Catherine Parr.

Family

Between March 1538 and August 1539 she married, as his second wife, the courtier Sir Robert Tyrwhitt (died 1572), of Leighton Bromswold. (Her niece Elizabeth Oxenbridge, daughter of her half-brother Thomas, had previously married her husband's nephew, Sir Robert Tyrwhitt). They had one daughter Catherine (died 1567), who married Sir Henry Darcy of

Brimham Hartwith cum Winsley is a civil parish in Harrogate district, North Yorkshire, England. Historically it was a township in the ancient parish of Kirkby Malzeard in the West Riding of Yorkshire, a detached part of that parish. It became a sepa ...

in Yorkshire.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tyrwhitt, Elizabeth 1510s births 1578 deaths 16th-century English writers 16th-century English women writers People from Brede, East Sussex English ladies-in-waiting Household of Jane Seymour Household of Catherine Parr