![2010-08-02 Salisbury Cathedral interior 15](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/69/2010-08-02_Salisbury_Cathedral_interior_15.jpg)
Elin Ulfsdotter Snakenborg, Marchioness of Northampton, also known as Helena, and Helena the Red for her red hair, (1548/1549 – 10 April 1635) was a Swedish-born noblewoman, Maid of Honour of 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 ...
, and
Marchioness of Northampton by her marriage to
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 and lineage
She was born in Sweden, as ''Elin Ulfsdotter of Fyllingarum'' in the province of
Ostrogothia, in either 1548 or 1549, as a younger daughter of Ulf Henriksson, lord of Fyllingarum (d. c. 1565), of the
Bååt
Bååt was an important Swedish noble family, originally from Småland in south-eastern Sweden.
The family is especially known for its long association with Viipuri/ Vyborg Castle in Finland (at present in Russia), the bulwark of the then Swedis ...
family, and his wife, Agneta Knutsdotter, of the Lillie af Ökna family, heiress of Norrnes. Her father was a supporter of
Gustav I
Gustav I, born Gustav Eriksson of the Vasa noble family and later known as Gustav Vasa (12 May 1496 – 29 September 1560), was King of Sweden from 1523 until his death in 1560, previously self-recognised Protector of the Realm ('' Riksföre ...
, king of Sweden. By all accounts, Helena was a beautiful woman, with large brown eyes, red hair, and a pink and white complexion. She was described as having a strong will and independent mind.
Helena had two brothers and three sisters who survived childhood and had children of their own. Helena was baptized and given the name of her paternal grandmother, Elin Ulfsdotter Roos af Ervalla, of the Norwegian house of
Sudreim
Sudreim claim is an entitlement to the Throne of the Kingdome Norway held among members of the powerful and influential House of Sudreim and House of Rosensverd in Norway since the late Middle Ages.
Background
When in the early 14th century it ...
, and her paternal grandfather's grandmother, Elin Snakenborg.
Contrary to claims presented in some genealogies, Helena's ancestry has not been proven to include medieval
Viking
Vikings ; non, víkingr is the modern name given to seafaring people originally from Scandinavia (present-day Denmark, Norway and Sweden),
who from the late 8th to the late 11th centuries raided, pirated, traded and se ...
Earls of Orkney
Earl of Orkney, historically Jarl of Orkney, is a title of nobility encompassing the archipelagoes of Orkney and Shetland, which comprise the Northern Isles of Scotland. Originally founded by Norse invaders, the status of the rulers of the Nort ...
(she was related to, but not descended from,
Erengisle Suneson, who held the title). And also contrary to claims in some genealogies, she seems not to have descended from the sister of
St Bridget of Sweden. She was, however, a descendant of the statesman
Birger Jarl
Birger Jarl, also known as ''Birger Magnusson'' (21 October 1266), was a Swedish statesman, ''jarl'', and a member of the House of Bjelbo, who played a pivotal role in the consolidation of Sweden. Birger also led the Second Swedish Crusade, whi ...
and thus possibly a descendant of the Danish kings
Sweyn I Forkbeard
Sweyn Forkbeard ( non, Sveinn Haraldsson tjúguskegg ; da, Svend Tveskæg; 17 April 963 – 3 February 1014) was King of Denmark from 986 to 1014, also at times King of the English and King of Norway. He was the father of King Harald II of De ...
,
Harald Bluetooth
Harald "Bluetooth" Gormsson ( non, Haraldr Blátǫnn Gormsson; da, Harald Blåtand Gormsen, died c. 985/86) was a king of Denmark and Norway.
He was the son of King Gorm the Old and of Thyra Dannebod. Harald ruled as king of Denmark from c. 95 ...
and
Gorm the Old
Gorm the Old ( da, Gorm den Gamle; non, Gormr gamli; la, Gormus Senex), also called Gorm the Languid ( da, Gorm Løge, Gorm den Dvaske), was ruler of Denmark, reigning from to his death or a few years later.Lund, N. (2020), p. 147 as well as European royals, including
Charlemagne
Charlemagne ( , ) or Charles the Great ( la, Carolus Magnus; german: Karl der Große; 2 April 747 – 28 January 814), a member of the Carolingian dynasty, was King of the Franks from 768, King of the Lombards from 774, and the first Holy ...
and
Alfred the Great
Alfred the Great (alt. Ælfred 848/849 – 26 October 899) was King of the West Saxons from 871 to 886, and King of the Anglo-Saxons from 886 until his death in 899. He was the youngest son of King Æthelwulf and his first wife Osburh, who bot ...
.
Journey to England
Helena was one of six young Swedish noble ladies who were Maids of Honour in the retinue of
Princess Cecilia of Sweden
Cecilia of Sweden (Swedish: ''Cecilia Gustavsdotter Vasa'') (16 November 1540 in Stockholm – 27 January 1627 in Brussels), was Princess of Sweden as the daughter of King Gustav I and his second wife, Margaret Leijonhufvud, and Margravine of ...
, Margravine of
Baden
Baden (; ) is a historical territory in South Germany, in earlier times on both sides of the Upper Rhine but since the Napoleonic Wars only East of the Rhine.
History
The margraves of Baden originated from the House of Zähringen. Baden is ...
, second-eldest daughter of King Gustav I. Cecilia and her retinue departed Sweden in Autumn 1564 on a voyage to England, at the invitation of Queen Elizabeth I. It was rumoured that Cecilia was journeying to England to press the suit of her half-brother King
Eric XIV of Sweden
Eric XIV ( sv, Erik XIV; 13 December 153326 February 1577) was King of Sweden from 1560 until he was deposed in 1569. Eric XIV was the eldest son of Gustav I (1496–1560) and Catherine of Saxe-Lauenburg (1513–1535). He was also ruler of Es ...
to marry Queen Elizabeth.
As
Denmark-Norway was hostile towards Sweden, they were forced to take a roundabout, land route. They travelled through Finland, Livonia, Poland and Germany, which was a lengthy journey, until they reached
Calais
Calais ( , , traditionally , ) is a port city in the Pas-de-Calais department, of which it is a subprefecture. Although Calais is by far the largest city in Pas-de-Calais, the department's prefecture is its third-largest city of Arras. Th ...
. The party is also reported to have been hampered by bad weather, and the last leg by seasickness. The journey lasted almost a year until they reached their destination - they arrived on 8 September 1565 at
Dover
Dover () is a town and major ferry port in Kent, South East England. It faces France across the Strait of Dover, the narrowest part of the English Channel at from Cap Gris Nez in France. It lies south-east of Canterbury and east of Maidstone ...
. Cecilia of Baden was at the time in her ninth month of pregnancy.
The welcoming party at Dover was led by Sir
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 ...
(1513–1571), the only surviving son of
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, ...
of
Kendal
Kendal, once Kirkby in Kendal or Kirkby Kendal, is a market town and civil parish in the South Lakeland district of Cumbria, England, south-east of Windermere and north of Lancaster. Historically in Westmorland, it lies within the dale of th ...
, and brother of the late Queen consort
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 ...
.
Marchioness of Northampton
In London, they settled at
Bedford House. On their arrival many prominent members of the English nobility received the party, including Queen Elizabeth. Helena Snakenborg caught the interest of the elderly (then 52 years old)
Marquess of Northampton
A marquess (; french: marquis ), es, marqués, pt, marquês. is a nobleman of high hereditary rank in various European peerages and in those of some of their former colonies. The German language equivalent is Markgraf (margrave). A woman w ...
, who soon started to court her.
Margravine Cecilia left England in April 1566 in order to escape her creditors. Helena then became one of the maids of honour to Queen Elizabeth I, and remained in the country for the rest of her life.
She was promoted to
gentlewoman
A gentlewoman (from the Latin ''gentilis'', belonging to a ''gens'', and English 'woman') in the original and strict sense is a woman of good family, analogous to the Latin ''generosus'' and ''generosa''. The closely related English word "gentry" ...
of the royal privy chamber. She was subsequently granted many privileges, such as her own lodgings at
Hampton Court Palace
Hampton Court Palace is a Grade I listed royal palace in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, southwest and upstream of central London on the River Thames. The building of the palace began in 1514 for Cardinal Thomas Wolsey, the chie ...
, servants, and a horse.
Lord Northampton hoped to marry Helena but there was a difficulty because his first, though divorced, wife
Anne Bourchier, 7th Baroness Bourchier
Anne Bourchier (1517 – 28 January 1571) was the ''suo jure'' 7th Baroness Bourchier, ''suo jure'' Lady Lovayne, and Baroness Parr of Kendal. She was the first wife of William Parr, 1st Marquess of Northampton, Earl of Essex, and the sister-i ...
, was still living. They had divorced in 1552, and he had since remarried, his second wife having died in 1565; however, the
Church of England
The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britain ...
did not acknowledge subsequent marriages of divorced persons until the death of the previous spouse. Anne died in 1571, and Northampton married Helena almost immediately, with the queen's approval.
The wedding took place in May 1571 in Elizabeth's presence in the queen's closet at
Whitehall Palace
The Palace of Whitehall (also spelt White Hall) at Westminster was the main residence of the English monarchs from 1530 until 1698, when most of its structures, except notably Inigo Jones's Banqueting House of 1622, were destroyed by fire. Hen ...
, and the couple divided their time between their houses in
Guildford
Guildford ()
is a town in west Surrey, around southwest of central London. As of the 2011 census, the town has a population of about 77,000 and is the seat of the wider Borough of Guildford, which had around inhabitants in . The name "Guildf ...
,
Surrey
Surrey () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South East England, bordering Greater London to the south west. Surrey has a large rural area, and several significant urban areas which form part of the Greater London Built-up Area. ...
, and at
Stanstead Hall,
Essex
Essex () is a county in the East of England. One of the home counties, it borders Suffolk and Cambridgeshire to the north, the North Sea to the east, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent across the estuary of the River Thames to the south, and G ...
. They had no children. The marquess died suddenly on 28 October 1571. The Dowager Marchioness Helena had received a substantial
dower
Dower is a provision accorded traditionally by a husband or his family, to a wife for her support should she become widowed. It was settled on the bride (being gifted into trust) by agreement at the time of the wedding, or as provided by law.
...
and in 1574 she was granted the manor of
Hemingford Grey
Hemingford Grey is a village and civil parish in Cambridgeshire, England. Hemingford Grey lies approximately east of Huntingdon. Hemingford Grey is situated within Huntingdonshire which is a non-metropolitan district of Cambridgeshire as well a ...
by the Queen.
Second marriage
Helena's second husband was
Thomas Gorges
Sir Thomas Gorges (1536 – 30 March 1610) of Longford Castle in Wiltshire, was a courtier and Groom of the Chamber to Queen Elizabeth I. Via his great-grandmother Lady Anne Howard, a daughter of John Howard, 1st Duke of Norfolk, he was a s ...
, of
Longford, Wiltshire, a second cousin of the late
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 ...
, and descended from the first Howard
Duke of Norfolk
Duke of Norfolk is a title in the peerage of England. The seat of the Duke of Norfolk is Arundel Castle in Sussex, although the title refers to the county of Norfolk. The current duke is Edward Fitzalan-Howard, 18th Duke of Norfolk. The dukes ...
. The queen was originally in favour of Thomas' courtship of Helena but changed her mind and refused to consent to a marriage: Helena was a marchioness, and by marriage the Queen's kinswoman, Gorges yet only a gentleman. Helena married Thomas Gorges secretly in about 1576. When Elizabeth learned of their clandestine act,
Helena was exiled from the court, and Thomas was incarcerated 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 ...
for a brief period. However, Helena was later reinstated, possibly with the help of her influential friend, Lord Chamberlain
Thomas Radcliffe, 3rd
Earl of Sussex
Earl of Sussex is a title that has been created several times in the Peerages of England, Great Britain, and the United Kingdom. The early Earls of Arundel (up to 1243) were often also called Earls of Sussex.
The fifth creation came in the Peera ...
.
Helena and Thomas had eight (surviving) children. The couple's first child was born in June 1578 and named Elizabeth (1578–1659) after the queen, who stood as godmother; Elizabeth would marry twice, first Sir Hugh Smyth and second
Ferdinando Gorges
Sir Ferdinando Gorges ( – 24 May 1647) was a naval and military commander and governor of the important port of Plymouth in England. He was involved in Essex's Rebellion against the Queen, but escaped punishment by testifying against the mai ...
.
Helena's first son, Francis Gorges (c.1579–1599), was allegedly named after their close friend, Sir
Francis Drake
Sir Francis Drake ( – 28 January 1596) was an English explorer, sea captain, privateer, slave trader, naval officer, and politician. Drake is best known for his circumnavigation of the world in a single expedition, from 1577 to 1580 (t ...
. They had two more daughters, Frances Gorges (1580–1649) and Bridget Gorges (1584-c1634), and four more sons, all of whom were later knighted: Edward Gorges, first
Baron Gorges of Dundalk
Baron Gorges of Dundalk was a title in the Peerage of Ireland. It was created on 13 July 1620 for Sir Edward Gorges, 1st Baronet. He had already been created a baronet, of Langford in the County of Wiltshire, in the Baronetage of England on 25 Nov ...
(b 1582/3, d in or before 1652), Theobald Gorges (1583–1647), Robert Gorges (1588–1648), and Thomas Gorges (b 1589, d after 1624).
The couple had their town house at
Whitefriars. Helena persuaded Thomas Gorges to rebuild his property at Longford. The mansion had been damaged by fire when he acquired it and a replacement was completed at great expense by 1591, under the final supervision of
John Thorpe
John Thorpe or Thorp (c.1565–1655?; fl.1570–1618) was an English architect.
Life
Little is known of his life, and his work is dubiously inferred, rather than accurately known, from a folio of drawings in the Sir John Soane's Museum, to whic ...
.
Longford Castle
Longford Castle stands on the banks of the River Avon south of Salisbury, Wiltshire, England. It is the seat of the Earl of Radnor, and an example of the Elizabethan prodigy house.
History
In 1573 Thomas Gorges acquired the manor (at the t ...
was the model for the 'Castle of Amphialeus' in Sir
Philip Sidney
Philip, also Phillip, is a male given name, derived from the Greek language, Greek (''Philippos'', lit. "horse-loving" or "fond of horses"), from a compound of (''philos'', "dear", "loved", "loving") and (''hippos'', "horse"). Prominent Philip ...
's
Arcadia
Arcadia may refer to:
Places Australia
* Arcadia, New South Wales, a suburb of Sydney
* Arcadia, Queensland
* Arcadia, Victoria
Greece
* Arcadia (region), a region in the central Peloponnese
* Arcadia (regional unit), a modern administrative un ...
. Thomas Gorges of Longford was knighted in 1586.
Queen Elizabeth granted Helena manors in
Huntingdonshire
Huntingdonshire (; abbreviated Hunts) is a non-metropolitan district of Cambridgeshire and a historic county of England. The district council is based in Huntingdon. Other towns include St Ives, Godmanchester, St Neots and Ramsey. The popul ...
and Wiltshire. The marchioness was still highly regarded by Queen Elizabeth and often acted as her deputy at the baptism of the children of distinguished noblemen, particularly towards the end of the reign, when the queen's health was deteriorating.
In 1582, Thomas was sent as English envoy to Sweden and met Helena's family members. Helena also had continuous correspondence with relatives in Sweden, as well as the
Duke Charles of Sudermannia, later king Charles IX, her childhood friend.
In 1584, the queen granted the estate at
Sheen
Sheen may refer to:
Places
* Sheen or West Sheen, an alternative name for Richmond, London, England
** East Sheen
** North Sheen
** Sheen Priory
* Sheen, Staffordshire, a village and civil parish in the Staffordshire Moorlands, England
* Sheenb ...
to Helena and Thomas for their life. It was a former monastery directly north from the queen's chief residence, the
Richmond Palace
Richmond Palace was a royal residence on the River Thames in England which stood in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. Situated in what was then rural Surrey, it lay upstream and on the opposite bank from the Palace of Westminster, which w ...
near the City of London. This meant that Thomas and Helena were able to live with their children while also serving at the Royal Court.
Later life
![Helena Snakenborg, Marchioness of Northampton, 1603](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/72/Helena_Snakenborg%2C_Marchioness_of_Northampton%2C_1603.jpg)
Queen Elizabeth died in March 1603. Marchioness Helena was the chief mourner in the royal funeral procession as senior peeress because
Arbella Stuart
Lady Arbella Stuart (also Arabella, or Stewart; 1575 – 25 September 1615) was an English noblewoman who was considered a possible successor to Queen Elizabeth I of England. During the reign of King James VI and I (her first cousin), she marrie ...
refused to undertake the role and King James had not yet arrived in London. In the funeral procession, she walked close behind the Queen's coffin, supported by the
Lord High Treasurer
The post of Lord High Treasurer or Lord Treasurer was an English government position and has been a British government position since the Acts of Union of 1707. A holder of the post would be the third-highest-ranked Great Officer of State in ...
and the
Lord High Admiral of England
Lord is an appellation for a person or deity who has authority, control, or power over others, acting as a master, chief, or ruler. The appellation can also denote certain persons who hold a title of the peerage in the United Kingdom, or are ...
. This is mentioned as the apogee of her career. In July 1603, Helena and Thomas took part in the
coronation of the new monarch,
James I James I may refer to:
People
*James I of Aragon (1208–1276)
*James I of Sicily or James II of Aragon (1267–1327)
*James I, Count of La Marche (1319–1362), Count of Ponthieu
*James I, Count of Urgell (1321–1347)
*James I of Cyprus (1334–13 ...
and his wife
Anne of Denmark
Anne of Denmark (; 12 December 1574 – 2 March 1619) was the wife of King James VI and I; as such, she was Queen of Scotland
The monarchy of the United Kingdom, commonly referred to as the British monarchy, is the constitutional fo ...
. Shortly afterward, they moved to Longford from plague-ridden London. In April 1604 she had a
fashion doll
Fashion dolls are dolls primarily designed to be dressed to reflect fashion trends. They are manufactured both as toys for children to play with and as collectibles for adults. The dolls are usually modeled after teen girls or adult women, though ...
dressed in the latest styles in London to send to her sister Karin Bonde in Sweden.
Janet Arnold
Janet Arnold (6 October 1932 – 2 November 1998) was a British clothing historian, costume designer, teacher, conservator, and author. She is best known for her series of works called ''Patterns of Fashion'', which included accurate scale sewin ...
, ''Queen Elizabeth's Wardrobe Unlock'd'' (Maney, 1988), pg. 157.
The accession of James I meant that Helena was demoted from the new queen's privy chamber. However both occasionally served at the new Court and in other royal tasks. Helena brokered the king's relations with Sweden; for example the Swedish attempt to have
Princess Elizabeth, the king's eldest daughter, as bride for the Swedish heir,
Gustav Adolf, son of Charles IX (which project was prevented by Anne of Denmark, her mother). Sir Thomas Gorges died on 30 March 1610 at the age of seventy-four, after which Marchioness Helena increasingly retreated from public life.
She reportedly remained a devoted member of the
Church of England
The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britain ...
. Most of the time she resided at her house of Sheen, near the Court, but in the end retreated to
Redlynch in Somerset, the manor of her son Sir Robert Gorges. Letters show that Helena had close contact with her children and grandchildren. Marchioness Helena's last preserved letter, dated 8 September 1634, to her grandson, is signed with a clearly wavering hand.
Helena died at the age of 86 on 10 April 1635 at Redlynch, and was buried on 14 May in
Salisbury Cathedral
Salisbury Cathedral, formally the Cathedral Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary, is an Anglican cathedral in Salisbury, England. The cathedral is the mother church of the Diocese of Salisbury and is the seat of the Bishop of Salisbury.
The buildi ...
. It has been claimed that Helena had no fewer than ninety-eight direct descendants at the time of her death.
References
* ''Svenskt Biografiskt Lexikon''
* ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography''
* Sjöström (2007): "Scandinavian medieval descendants of Charlemagne: A detailed genealogy of the issue of Agnes Haakonsdottir, of the so-called Fairhair dynasty", ''Foundations - Journal of the Foundation for Medieval Genealogy'' 2: 4 (2007, July), ISSN 1479-5078, pp 253–276
Further reading
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Northampton, Helena Snakenborg, Marchioness of
1540s births
1635 deaths
English marchionesses
Wives of knights
Swedish nobility
Swedish emigrants to the Kingdom of England
British maids of honour
16th-century Swedish women
16th-century English women
17th-century English women
17th-century English people
16th-century English nobility
16th-century Swedish people
17th-century Swedish people
Burials at Salisbury Cathedral
Date of birth unknown
Helena
Court of Elizabeth I