Katherine Edgecombe (died 1553) was an English aristocrat and courtier. Cotehele Courtyard - Delicate Hues - panoramio

She was born Katherine St. John, a daughter of John St. John of Bletsoe and Sybil, a daughter or cousin of Rhys ap Morgan. She was the sister of John St. John who died in 1558. She first married

Gruffydd ap Rhys ap Thomas Sir Gruffydd ap Rhys KG (c. 1478–1521) (also known as Griffith Ryce in some antiquarian English sources) was a Welsh nobleman. He was the son of Sir Rhys ap Thomas, the ''de facto'' ruler of most of south-west Wales who aided Henry Tudor in ...

. She was appointed to wait on

Catherine of Aragon Catherine of Aragon (also spelt as Katherine, ; 16 December 1485 – 7 January 1536) was Queen of England as the first wife of King Henry VIII from their marriage on 11 June 1509 until their annulment on 23 May 1533. She was previously ...

in October 1501. They served Catherine of Aragon and

Prince Arthur Prince Arthur may refer to: * Arthur I, Duke of Brittany (1187-1203), nephew and possible heir of Richard I of England * Arthur, Prince of Wales (1486–1502), eldest son Henry VII of England * Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn (1850� ...

Ludlow Castle Ludlow Castle is a ruined medieval fortification in the town of the same name in the English county of Shropshire, standing on a promontory overlooking the River Teme. The castle was probably founded by Walter de Lacy after the Norman conque ...

. Gruffydd ap Rhys died in 1521 and was buried near Prince Arthur at

Worcester Cathedral Worcester Cathedral is an Anglican cathedral in Worcester, in Worcestershire Worcestershire ( , ; written abbreviation: Worcs) is a county in the West Midlands of England. The area that is now Worcestershire was absorbed into the unified ...

. Their son,

Rhys ap Gruffydd Rhys ap Gruffydd, commonly known as The Lord Rhys, in Welsh ''Yr Arglwydd Rhys'' (c. 1132 – 28 April 1197) was the ruler of the Welsh kingdom of Deheubarth in south Wales from 1155 to 1197 and native Prince of Wales. It was believed that he ...

was executed for treason at 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 ...

in 1531. Katherine married secondly Piers or

Peter Edgcumbe Peter (or Piers) Edgcumbe (1536 – 4 January 1608) of Mount Edgcumbe and of Cotehele in the parish of Calstock, both in Cornwall, was an English Member of Parliament. Origins Piers was a traditional first name in his family. He was the eldest s ...

(died August 1539) of

Cotehele Cotehele ( kw, Kosheyl) is a medieval house with Tudor additions, situated in the parish of Calstock in the east of Cornwall, England, and now belonging to the National Trust. It is a rambling granite and slate-stone manor house on the banks ...

Cornwall Cornwall (; kw, Kernow ) is a historic county and ceremonial county in South West England. It is recognised as one of the Celtic nations, and is the homeland of the Cornish people. Cornwall is bordered to the north and west by the Atlantic ...

in 1532. A carved panel from a bed tester still at Cotehele, depicting the Expulsion of Adam and Eve, is sometimes said to have been hers. The chronicle writer

John Stow John Stow (''also'' Stowe; 1524/25 – 5 April 1605) was an English historian and antiquarian. He wrote a series of chronicles of English history, published from 1565 onwards under such titles as ''The Summarie of Englyshe Chronicles'', ''The C ...

included a story about her at the court of

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 ...

. In June 1540, Elinor Rutland, Lady Jane Rochford, and "Lady Katherine Egecombe" were talking with

Anne of Cleves Anne of Cleves (german: Anna von Kleve; 1515 – 16 July 1557) was Queen of England from 6 January to 12 July 1540 as the fourth wife of King Henry VIII. Not much is known about Anne before 1527, when she became betrothed to Francis, Duke of ...

Westminster Westminster is an area of Central London, part of the wider City of Westminster. The area, which extends from the River Thames to Oxford Street, has many visitor attractions and historic landmarks, including the Palace of Westminster, Bu ...

. They asked her if she was pregnant, and she said no. Katherine Edgcumbe asked if she was sure, since she slept with Henry every night. The three women made and signed a formal deposition or statement about this conversation, which was relevant to the issue of whether the royal marriage had been

consummated In many traditions and statutes of civil or religious law, the consummation of a marriage, often called simply ''consummation'', is the first (or first officially credited) act of sexual intercourse between two people, following their marriage t ...

. In July 1543

wanted English servants to join the household of the infant

Mary, Queen of Scots Mary, Queen of Scots (8 December 1542 – 8 February 1587), also known as Mary Stuart or Mary I of Scotland, was Queen of Scotland from 14 December 1542 until her forced abdication in 1567. The only surviving legitimate child of James V of Scot ...

, who he hoped would marry his son Prince Edward. The diplomat

Ralph Sadler Sir Ralph Sadler or Sadleir Privy Council of England, PC, Knight banneret (1507 – 30 March 1587) was an English statesman, who served Henry VIII of England, Henry VIII as Privy Council of England, Privy Councillor, Secretary of State (England) ...

recommended his friend the "Lady Edongcomb", now a widow. Sadler wrote that his own wife, Ellen Mitchell, who was pregnant, was not suitable because she was unused to life at court, and an older woman and experienced courtier like Lady Edgcumbe would be better:

And, in my poor opinion, it were the more necessary, that she, whom your majesty would have to be resident about the young queen's person here, were a grave and discreet woman, of good years and experience; and the better if she were a widow, as I think the lady Edongcomb were a meet woman for such purpose, and many others, whereof I doubt not your majesty hath choice enough

Katherine Edgcumbe did not go to Scotland, as the marriage plans negotiated by Henry VIII as the

Treaty of Greenwich The Treaty of Greenwich (also known as the Treaties of Greenwich) contained two agreements both signed on 1 July 1543 in Greenwich between representatives of England and Scotland. The accord, overall, entailed a plan developed by Henry VIII of En ...

came to nothing, and instead he launched the war now known as the

Rough Wooing The Rough Wooing (December 1543 – March 1551), also known as the Eight Years' War, was part of the Anglo-Scottish Wars of the 16th century. Following its break with the Roman Catholic Church, England attacked Scotland, partly to break the ...

. In October 1543, Henry gave her a pension or annuity. Katherine Edgcumbe made her will at Cotehele on 4 December 1553. She left household goods, some of which had belonged to Griffith ap Rhys, to her daughter Mary Luttrell at

Dunster Castle Dunster Castle is a former motte and bailey castle, now a country house, in the village of Dunster, Somerset, England. The castle lies on the top of a steep hill called the Tor, and has been fortified since the late Anglo-Saxon period. After ...

. These goods were given to her by her husband Peter Edgcumbe's will. She left the rest of her goods and her Cornish tin mines to the care of her executors. Mary Luttrell was the wife of the soldier John Luttrell.Nicholas Harris Nicolas, ''Testamenta Vetusta: Illustrations from Wills'', vol. 1 (London, 1826), pp. 649, 739.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Edgecumbe, Katherine 1553 deaths 16th-century English women Household of Catherine of Aragon Household of Anne of Cleves Cotehele