John Harington () was an English official working for

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 ...

Life

Harington lived at

Stepney Stepney is a district in the East End of London in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. The district is no longer officially defined, and is usually used to refer to a relatively small area. However, for much of its history the place name appl ...

, and is often confused with Sir John Harington of Exton in Rutland, who filled the post of treasurer to the king's camps and buildings. John Harington of Stepney held various offices, but was not 'treasurer' (and the title of this entry is misleading & a case of mistaken identity in the National Dictionary of Biography.

John Bradford John Bradford (1510–1555) was an English Reformer, prebendary of St. Paul's, and martyr. He was imprisoned in the Tower of London for alleged crimes against Queen Mary I. He was burned at the stake on 1 July 1555. Life Bradford was born ...

was a servant of the above mentioned Sir John Harington of Exton in Rutland and not John Harington of Stepney. Harington married

Ethelreda Malte Ethel(d)reda Malte (sometimes referred to as Audrey; ) was an English courtier of the Tudor period who was reputed to be an illegitimate daughter of King Henry VIII. She was the wife of poet and writer John Harington, prior to Isabella Markham. ...

(Audrey), an illegitimate daughter of John Malte by Joan Dingley, who was the king's tailor.''The History of Parliament: the House of Commons 1509–1558,'' ed. S. T. Bindoff, 1982
''History of Parliament: HARINGTON (HERYNTON), John II (by 1517–82), of Stepney, Mdx.; Kelston, Som. and Cheshunt, Herts.''
/ref> Contemporary reports also suggest that Etheldreda was an unrecognised illegitimate daughter of Henry VIII.Hart 2009, p. 77. In 1546, John Malte had purchased the manor of

Kelston Kelston is a small village and civil parish in Somerset, north west of Bath, and east of Bristol, on the A431 road. It is situated just north of the River Avon, close to the Kelston and Saltford locks. The parish has a population of 248. ...

in Somerset on behalf of himself and Etheldreda (Audrey) alias Digneley, "bastard daughter of the said John Digneley alias Dobson", and in September 1546, he made Etheldreda (Audrey), "my bastard daughter begotten upon the body of Joan Digneley", his chief legatee and recipient of all his property in Berkshire, Hertfordshire and Somerset. Etheldreda later died around 1556, leaving behind her husband and daughter Hester. Harington entered the service of Princess Elizabeth. He was a cultivated man and a poet, who in his visits to Elizabeth at Hatfield turned his talents to the praises of her six gentlewomen, but soon singled out among them Isabella Markham, daughter of Sir John Markham of Cotham. He married her early in 1559. Five years before their marriage, he was imprisoned in the Tower at the same time as the Princess Elizabeth; his first wife and Isabella, both being her Ladies-in-Waiting, had accompanied the princess. In 1561, their son

John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Secon ...

was born, and Elizabeth, who had now ascended the throne, repaid their loyalty by acting as his godmother. He later became known as a writer at her court, where he was often in trouble. Queen Elizabeth I also granted him the Stoughton Grange Estate in Leicestershire.

Notes

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Harington, John 16th-century English people 1510s births 1582 deaths Year of birth uncertain John 1517 People from Stepney Prisoners in the Tower of London