Sir Richard Page (died 1548) was an English courtier. He was a gentleman of the

Privy Chamber A privy chamber was the private apartment of a royal residence in England. The Gentlemen of the Privy Chamber were noble-born servants to the Crown who would wait and attend on the King in private, as well as during various court activities, f ...

at the court of

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 Vice-Chamberlain in the household of Henry VIII's illegitimate son, Henry FitzRoy. Page was imprisoned 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 sep ...

in 1536 during the downfall 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 ...

. He married

Elizabeth Bourchier Elizabeth Cromwell (née Bourchier; 1598–1665) was the wife of Oliver Cromwell, Lord Protector of the Commonwealth of England, Scotland and Ireland; and the mother of Richard Cromwell, the second Lord Protector. Family and marriage Eliz ...

, the mother-in-law of the

Protector Somerset Edward Seymour, 1st Duke of Somerset (150022 January 1552) (also 1st Earl of Hertford, 1st Viscount Beauchamp), also known as Edward Semel, was the eldest surviving brother of Queen Jane Seymour (d. 1537), the third wife of King Henry V ...

Family

Richard Page's parentage is unknown. It is thought that he likely came from Surrey or Middlesex.

Career

Page began his climb to prominence in the service

Cardinal Thomas Wolsey Thomas Wolsey ( – 29 November 1530) was an English statesman and Catholic bishop. When Henry VIII became King of England in 1509, Wolsey became the king's almoner. Wolsey's affairs prospered and by 1514 he had become the controlling figure ...

, becoming Wolsey's chamberlain. By 1516 he had been knighted, and was a Gentleman of Henry VIII's

. In 1522 he was appointed a Justice of the Peace for Surrey, and in 1524 for

Middlesex Middlesex (; abbreviation: Middx) is a historic county in southeast England. Its area is almost entirely within the wider urbanised area of London and mostly within the ceremonial county of Greater London, with small sections in neighbour ...

. In 1525 Page was in

Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other English counties, functions have ...

, where he was a member of the

Council of the North The Council of the North was an administrative body first set up in 1484 by King Richard III of England, to improve access to conciliar justice in Northern England. This built upon steps by King Edward IV of England in delegating authority in the ...

and vice-chamberlain, at £20 wages, in the household of Henry FitzRoy, illegitimate son of King Henry VIII. While in Henry Fitzroy's service, Page devised armorial bearings for the boy. Page was a close associate of

. He was appointed to the Privy Chamber in 1527, after publicly taking Anne's side against Cardinal Wolsey, then the King's chief minister. He afterwards served as Captain of the King's Bodyguards, whilst enjoying the favours of the court, as a letter from

Thomas Cromwell Thomas Cromwell (; 1485 – 28 July 1540), briefly Earl of Essex, was an English lawyer and statesman who served as chief minister to King Henry VIII from 1534 to 1540, when he was beheaded on orders of the king, who later blamed false char ...

to Wolsey describes:

Mr. Page received your letter directed to my Lady Ann Boleyn and will deliver the same. She gave him kind words, but will not promise to speak to the King for you.

From 1527 to 1533 Page was Recorder of York. During his tenure as Recorder he was knighted on 3 November 1529 at the Palace of Whitehall, and received a gift of crest and arms quarterly on 1 February 1530 from

Thomas Benolt Thomas Benolt (died 8 May 1534) was a long-serving officer of arms at the College of Arms in London. As part of his service, he was also a diplomat. He appears to have been born at Rouen, though his family had stronger links with Calais. Beno ...

. On 8 May 1536, Page was arrested for treason and adultery with the Queen. Seven men were arrested and taken to the

, including Page. The others were Thomas Wyatt, Henry Norris, William Brereton,

Francis Weston Sir Francis Weston KB (1511 – 17 May 1536) was a gentleman of the Privy Chamber at the court of King Henry VIII of England. He became a friend of the king but was later accused of high treason and adultery with Anne Boleyn, the king's second ...

Mark Smeaton Mark Smeaton ( – 17 May 1536) was a musician at the court of Henry VIII of England, in the household of Queen Anne Boleyn. Smeaton, together with the Queen's brother George Boleyn, 2nd Viscount Rochford, Henry Norris, Francis Weston and Wil ...

and

George Boleyn, Viscount Rochford George Boleyn, Viscount Rochford (c. 1504 – 17 May 1536) was an English courtier and nobleman who played a prominent role in the politics of the early 1530s. He was the brother of Anne Boleyn, from 1533 the second wife of King Hen ...

. All except Page and Wyatt were found guilty and executed. In a letter to Lord Lisle on 12 May 1536

John Hussey, 1st Baron Hussey of Sleaford 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 * Second ...

describes the event:

Mr. Payge and Mr. W t are in the tower, but it is thought without danger of life, though Mr. Payge is banished the King's court for ever.

Both Page and Wyatt were released from the Tower in June 1536 on the advice of Cromwell. Though Page had been banished from court in disgrace, the King summoned him back, and he was made

High Sheriff of Surrey The list of known High Sheriffs of Surrey extends back to 1066. At various times the High Sheriff of Surrey was also High Sheriff of Sussex (1229–1231, 1232–1240, 1242–1567, 1571–1635). 1066–1228 (High Sheriffs of Surrey only) 1229– ...

in 1537. During the same year the King bestowed on Page the office of

Chamberlain Chamberlain may refer to: Profession *Chamberlain (office), the officer in charge of managing the household of a sovereign or other noble figure People *Chamberlain (surname) **Houston Stewart Chamberlain (1855–1927), German-British philosop ...

to his son, Prince Edward.

Marriage and issue

In 1512 Page married

, daughter of

Fulk Bourchier, 10th Baron FitzWarin Fulk Bourchier, 10th Baron FitzWarin (25 October 1445 – 18 September 1479) was the son and heir of William Bourchier, 9th Baron FitzWarin (1407–1470) and the father of John Bourchier, 1st Earl of Bath. He was feudal baron of Bampton in Devon. ...

and Elizabeth Dynham, by whom he had a daughter, Elizabeth Page (1516–1573), who married Sir William Skipwith (d. 17 October 1586) of Ormesby, only son and heir of Sir William Skipwith (d. 7 July 1547) by his first wife, Elizabeth Tyrwhit (died c.1515). Before her marriage to Richard Page, Elizabeth Bourchier (d. 8 August 1557) had been the wife firstly of Henry Beaumont; secondly of a husband surnamed Verney, by whom she had a daughter, Katherine Verney; and thirdly of Sir Edward Stanhope (d. 6 June 1511), by whom she had a daughter,

Anne Stanhope Anne Elizabeth Stanhope, Countess of Chesterfield (''née'' Weld-Forester; 7 September 1802 – 27 July 1885) was known as a political confidante. Life Stanhope was born in 1802, the eldest daughter of Cecil Weld-Forester, 1st Baron Forester, M. ...

, who married

Edward Seymour, 1st Duke of Somerset Edward Seymour, 1st Duke of Somerset (150022 January 1552) (also 1st Earl of Hertford, 1st Viscount Beauchamp), also known as Edward Semel, was the eldest surviving brother of Queen Jane Seymour (d. 1537), the third wife of King Henry VI ...

, uncle of

King Edward VI Edward VI (12 October 1537 – 6 July 1553) was King of England and Ireland from 28 January 1547 until his death in 1553. He was crowned on 20 February 1547 at the age of nine. Edward was the son of Henry VIII and Jane Seymour and the first E ...

. Elizabeth Bourchier died 8 August 1557, and was buried at Clerkenwell, as noted in Machyn's diary.Burial of Lady Page, ''A London Provisioner's Chronicle, 1550–1563'', by Henry Machyn: Manuscript, Transcription, and Modernization
Retrieved 4 April 2013. After Page's death she married for the fifth and final time to Nicholas Pigot.

Notes

References

* * * * * * * *

External links

Will of Sir Richard Page of Flamsted, Hertfordshire, proved 14 April 1551
Retrieved 4 April 2013
'The Fortunate Sir Richard Page', ''History Refreshed'' by Susan Higginbotham, 5 May 2012
Retrieved 4 April 2013
Skipwith, Sir William (by 1510–1586), History of Parliament
Retrieved 4 April 2013 {{DEFAULTSORT:Page, Richard 1548 deaths Gentlemen of the Privy Chamber Prisoners in the Tower of London English knights High Sheriffs of Surrey Year of birth unknown Court of Henry VIII