Lucretia the Tumbler, also known as Lucrece the Tumbler and Lucrecia the Tumbler ( fl. 1542), was a

court jester A jester, court jester, fool or joker was a member of the household of a nobleman or a monarch employed to entertain guests during the medieval and Renaissance eras. Jesters were also itinerant performers who entertained common folk at fairs and ...

in the court of

Mary I of England Mary I (18 February 1516 – 17 November 1558), also known as Mary Tudor, and as "Bloody Mary" by her Protestant opponents, was Queen of England and Ireland from July 1553 and Queen of Spain from January 1556 until her death in 1558. Sh ...

. Lucretia was employed as a

chamberer A chamberer was a female attendant of an English queen, queen consort, or princess. There were similar positions in aristocratic households. Chamberers at court At court, the position was similar to a male groom of the privy chamber. The names of t ...

to Princess Mary. She was a member of her household from at least 1542. She and

Jane Foole Jane Foole, also known as Jane The Foole, Jane, The Queen's Fool, "Jeannne le Fol" or "Jane Hir Fole" ( fl. 1543–1558), was an English court jester. She was the jester of queens Catherine Parr and Mary I, and possibly also of Anne Boleyn. To ...

sometimes received identical clothes and shoes. It has been suggested by author John Southworth that Lucretia was at some time Jane's caretaker or friend. It is known that Lucretia and Jane performed together. However, unlike Jane, Lucretia was a trained entertainer with skills. Today entertainers sometimes perform as Lucretia in

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history marking the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and covering the 15th and 16th centuries, characterized by an effort to revive and surpass ideas ...

-themed entertainments such as

Renaissance faire A Renaissance fair, Renaissance faire or Renaissance festival is an outdoor gathering open to the public and typically commercial in nature, which purportedly recreates a historical setting for the amusement of its guests. Some are permanent the ...

References

Jesters 16th-century English women English courtiers Chamberers at court Court of Mary I of England {{Middleages-stub