Lady Margaret Boleyn (c. 1454 – 1539) was an Irish noblewoman, the daughter and co-heiress of
Thomas Butler, 7th Earl of Ormond
Thomas Butler, 7th Earl of Ormond PC (1426 – 3 August 1515) was the youngest son of James Butler, 4th Earl of Ormond. He was attainted, but restored by Henry VII's first Parliament in November 1485, and the statutes made at Westminster, by ...
. She married Sir
William Boleyn
Sir William Boleyn, KB (1451 – 10 October 1505) of Blickling Hall in Norfolk and Hever Castle in Kent, was a wealthy and powerful landowner who served as Sheriff of Kent in 1489 and as Sheriff of Norfolk and Suffolk in 1500. He was the father ...
and through her eldest son Sir
Thomas Boleyn, was the paternal grandmother of
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 ...
, second wife of King
Henry VIII of England
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 great-grandmother of Anne and Henry's daughter,
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 ...
.
Life
She was born at
Kilkenny Castle
Kilkenny Castle ( ga, Caisleán Chill Chainnigh, IPA: kaʃlʲaːnˠˈçiːl̪ʲˈxan̪ʲiː is a castle in Kilkenny, Ireland built in 1195 to control a fording-point of the River Nore and the junction of several routeways. It was a symbol of N ...
in
County Kilkenny
County Kilkenny ( gle, Contae Chill Chainnigh) is a county in Ireland. It is in the province of Leinster and is part of the South-East Region. It is named after the city of Kilkenny. Kilkenny County Council is the local authority for the cou ...
, Ireland, the daughter and co-heiress of Thomas Butler, 7th Earl of Ormond and
Anne Hankford
Anne Hankford (c. 1431 – 13 November 1485) was the first wife of Thomas Butler, 7th Earl of Ormond (c. 1426- 3 August 1515). She was the great-grandmother of Anne Boleyn.
She was a daughter and co-heiress of Sir Richard Hankford (c. 1397 – 143 ...
. Her paternal grandparents were
James Butler, 4th Earl of Ormond
James Butler, 4th Earl of Ormond (23 May 1393 – 23 August 1452) was the son of James Butler, 3rd Earl of Ormond. He was called 'The White Earl', and was esteemed for his learning. He was the patron of the Irish literary work, 'The Book of the ...
and
Joan de Beauchamp. Her maternal grandparents were Sir
Richard Hankford
Sir Richard Hankford (c. 1397–1431) was holder by right of his wife (''jure uxoris'') of the feudal barony of Bampton and part of the feudal barony of Barnstaple in Devon, England.
Biography
He was the son of Richard Hankford (died 1419), MP fo ...
(c. 1397 – 1431) and Anne de Montagu.
She had two sisters: Anne who married Sir James de St Leger, by whom she had issue, and Elizabeth. Anne and Margaret claimed to be co-heiresses of their father and the
Earldom of Ormond, but their cousin,
Piers Butler
Piers Butler, 8th Earl of Ormond, 1st Earl of Ossory (1539) also known as Red Piers (Irish ''Piers Ruadh''), was from the Polestown–– branch of the Butler family of Ireland. In the succession crisis at the death of Thomas Butler, 7th Earl ...
, who had physical control of the Irish estates and the backing of the Irish Council, claimed to be the heir through the direct male line. In 1520, the King granted her a pardon for the alienation of
Fritwell Manor
Fritwell Manor is a house in Fritwell, Oxfordshire, England. It is a Grade II* listed building.
History
In 1520, the manor at Fritwell was owned by Margaret Boleyn, grandmother of Anne Boleyn, the second wife of Henry VIII of England. The presen ...
, Oxfordshire. The issue wasn't resolved until 1528, by which time Margaret's position was good, with the influence of her granddaughter, then betrothed 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 Margaret's son,
Thomas Boleyn's, status as King's adviser.
In 1465 Margaret married Sir
William Boleyn
Sir William Boleyn, KB (1451 – 10 October 1505) of Blickling Hall in Norfolk and Hever Castle in Kent, was a wealthy and powerful landowner who served as Sheriff of Kent in 1489 and as Sheriff of Norfolk and Suffolk in 1500. He was the father ...
, with whom she had ten children. Her son, the ambitious courtier Sir Thomas Boleyn, became the first
Earl of Wiltshire
The title Earl of Wiltshire is one of the oldest in the Peerage of England, going back to the 12th century. It is currently held by the Marquess of Winchester, and is used as a courtesy title for the eldest son of the marquess.
The earldom was fi ...
and by his marriage to
Elizabeth Howard, the Duke of Norfolk's daughter, was the father of
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 ...
,
Queen Consort of England. Thus, Margaret was great-grandmother to 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 ...
.
From around 1519 onward, she was declared by inquisition to have suffered periods of insanity making her incapable of managing her own estates.
She was the last of the Boleyns to live in
Hever Castle
Hever Castle ( ) is located in the village of Hever, Kent, near Edenbridge, south-east of London, England. It began as a country house, built in the 13th century. From 1462 to 1539, it was the seat of the Boleyn (originally 'Bullen') family.
...
as it was given to
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 ...
in 1540, after Margaret's death. Her lands were claimed by her only surviving grandchild,
Mary Boleyn
Mary Boleyn, also known as Lady Mary, (c. 1499 – 19 July 1543) was the sister of English queen consort Anne Boleyn, whose family enjoyed considerable influence during the reign of King Henry VIII.
Mary was one of the mistresses of Henry VII ...
, and her husband,
William Stafford.
[p. 57, ''The Boleyns'', David Loades]
Issue
Fictional portrayals
Margaret Butler as Grandmother Boleyn appears in the 2002
Philippa Gregory
Philippa Gregory (born 9 January 1954) is an English historical novelist who has been publishing since 1987. The best known of her works is ''The Other Boleyn Girl'' (2001), which in 2002 won the Romantic Novel of the Year Award from the Roman ...
novel ''
The Other Boleyn Girl
''The Other Boleyn Girl'' (2001) is a historical novel written by British author Philippa Gregory, loosely based on the life of 16th-century aristocrat Mary Boleyn (the sister of Anne Boleyn) of whom little is known. Inspired by Mary's life s ...
''. She is portrayed as a critical and insubordinate woman who is shrewd and uncaring toward her grandchildren and great-grandchildren. She does seem to inquire about life in the English court. Margaret lived in the Boleyn estate in
Hever Castle
Hever Castle ( ) is located in the village of Hever, Kent, near Edenbridge, south-east of London, England. It began as a country house, built in the 13th century. From 1462 to 1539, it was the seat of the Boleyn (originally 'Bullen') family.
...
, and plays a supporting role in the novel.
See also
*
Butler dynasty
Butler ( ga, de Buitléir) is the name of a noble family whose members were, for several centuries, prominent in the administration of the Lordship of Ireland and the Kingdom of Ireland. They rose to their highest prominence as Dukes of Ormonde. ...
References
External links
Butler Family Accessed 18 December 2007.
Accessed 18 December 2007.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Butler, Lady Margaret
1454 births
1539 deaths
Margaret
Margaret is a female first name, derived via French () and Latin () from grc, μαργαρίτης () meaning "pearl". The Greek is borrowed from Persian.
Margaret has been an English name since the 11th century, and remained popular througho ...
Margaret
Margaret is a female first name, derived via French () and Latin () from grc, μαργαρίτης () meaning "pearl". The Greek is borrowed from Persian.
Margaret has been an English name since the 11th century, and remained popular througho ...
Daughters of Irish earls
Wives of knights
Women of the Tudor period
16th-century Irish people
15th-century Irish people
15th-century Irish women
16th-century Irish women