Eleanor or Alianor Verney was an English courtier who travelled to Scotland with

Margaret Tudor Margaret Tudor (28 November 1489 – 18 October 1541) was Queen of Scotland from 1503 until 1513 by marriage to King James IV. She then served as regent of Scotland during her son's minority, and successfully fought to extend her regency. Ma ...

in 1503. She was a daughter of Geoffrey Pole and Edith St John. Her brother Richard Pole married Margaret Plantagenet daughter of George, Duke of Clarence in 1487, a wedding perhaps intended to heal the divisions of the

War of the Roses The Wars of the Roses (1455–1487), known at the time and for more than a century after as the Civil Wars, were a series of civil wars fought over control of the English throne in the mid-to-late fifteenth century. These wars were fought bet ...

She married Ralph Verney, chamberlain to

Elizabeth of York Elizabeth of York (11 February 1466 – 11 February 1503) was Queen of England from her marriage to King Henry VII on 18 January 1486 until her death in 1503. Elizabeth married Henry after his victory at the Battle of Bosworth Field, which mark ...

. Henry VII granted them the manor of

Swerford Swerford is a village and Civil parishes in England, civil parish on the River Swere in the Cotswold Hills in Oxfordshire, England. It is about northeast of Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire, Chipping Norton. Swerford has two main neighbourhoods: Ch ...

in Oxfordshire. Cecily Neville, Duchess of York, made Ralph Verney keeper of the parks of

Berkhamsted Berkhamsted ( ) is a historic market town in Hertfordshire, England, in the Bulbourne valley, north-west of London. The town is a civil parish with a town council within the borough of Dacorum which is based in the neighbouring large new town ...

and Kings Langley in 1487. They had a son, John Verney, born in 1488. She became chief lady in waiting to

, and attended her coronation at

Westminster Abbey Westminster Abbey, formally titled the Collegiate Church of Saint Peter at Westminster, is an historic, mainly Gothic church in the City of Westminster, London, England, just to the west of the Palace of Westminster. It is one of the Unite ...

on 25 November 1487. Ralph Verney was given a black velvet doublet and gown in December 1498. An account of the privy purse of Elizabeth of York shows that Lady Verney accompanied the queen and made payments for her. In July 1502 Lady Verney paid the ferry man at

Datchet Datchet is a village and civil parish in the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead in Berkshire, England, located on the north bank of the River Thames. Historically part of Buckinghamshire, and the Stoke Hundred, the village was eventuall ...

for carrying the queen across the

Thames The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the second-longest in the United Kingdom, after the R ...

. In August, at the command of Elizabeth of York, she made an offering of 20 pence at the shrine of Saint Frideswide at Oxford. On 28 August Elizabeth of York crossed the

Severn , name_etymology = , image = SevernFromCastleCB.JPG , image_size = 288 , image_caption = The river seen from Shrewsbury Castle , map = RiverSevernMap.jpg , map_size = 288 , map_c ...

Chepstow Chepstow ( cy, Cas-gwent) is a town and community in Monmouthshire, Wales, adjoining the border with Gloucestershire, England. It is located on the tidal River Wye, about above its confluence with the River Severn, and adjoining the wester ...

on her way to Thornbury and

Berkeley Castle Berkeley Castle ( ; historically sometimes spelled as ''Berkley Castle'' or ''Barkley Castle'') is a castle in the town of Berkeley, Gloucestershire, United Kingdom. The castle's origins date back to the 11th century, and it has been desi ...

, accompanied by Lady Verney, who transferred 40 shillings to the queen's purse at "Walleston" perhaps

Woolaston Woolaston is a village and civil parish in the Forest of Dean district of Gloucestershire in South West England. It lies on the north side of the Severn Estuary approximately 5 miles (8 kilometres) from the Welsh border at Chepstow and is surr ...

near Chepstow. A modern transcription of the queen's account has been compiled by the Tudor Chamber Books Project. Lady Verney paid the painters Robert Fyll and John Reynolds for making heraldic beasts for the garden at

Windsor Castle Windsor Castle is a royal residence at Windsor in the English county of Berkshire. It is strongly associated with the English and succeeding British royal family, and embodies almost a millennium of architectural history. The original c ...

. A copy of

Wynkyn de Worde Wynkyn de Worde (died 1534) was a printer and publisher in London known for his work with William Caxton, and is recognised as the first to popularise the products of the printing press in England. Name Wynkyn de Worde was a German immigr ...

's ''Vitas Patrum'' now in Lambeth Palace library was inscribed by Eleanor Verney and the nun Martha Fabyan. Elizabeth of York died in 1503 and several members of her household became servants of her daughter, Margaret Tudor, who had been married by proxy to James IV of Scotland. Eleanor and Ralph Verney travelled to Scotland and Ralph Verney became Margaret Tudor's chamberlain. Margaret Tudor's marriage contract allowed her 24 English attendants, and James IV subsequently undertook to pay them "competent fees". It has been suggested that Elen or Ellen More, an African servant at the Scottish court, was baptised and renamed after Eleanor Verney. In January 1505, as a New Year's Day gift, James IV gave Eleanor Verney fabric for a kirtle and probably, a gown. She was also paid a fee or salary with other "Inglis Ladyeis" of Margaret's household, including

Elizabeth Berlay Elizabeth Barlay or Barlow (died 1518) was an English lady in waiting to Margaret Tudor the wife of James IV of Scotland. Background Details of her English family are obscure. She may have been a daughter of John Barlow and Christian Berlay, or t ...

and

Eleanor Johns Eleanor Johns or Jones was a Welsh-born courtier of Elizabeth of York and her daughter Margaret Tudor. She may have been a daughter of Richard Johnes, a groom of the chamber to Henry VII and Constable and Keeper of the parks of Llantrisant and B ...

. Lady Verney's two maiden attendants were given 11

gold coins A gold coin is a coin that is made mostly or entirely of gold. Most gold coins minted since 1800 are 90–92% gold (22 karat), while most of today's gold bullion coins are pure gold, such as the Britannia, Canadian Maple Leaf, and American Bu ...

strung as beads on necklaces as a New Year's Day gift in 1506. Eleanor and Ralph Verney were in Haddington and

Coldingham Coldingham ( sco, Cowjum) is a village and parish in Scottish Borders, on Scotland's southeast coastline, north of Eyemouth. Parish The parish lies in the east of the Lammermuir district. It is the second-largest civil parish by area in Berwi ...

in August 1507. Eleanor and Ralph Verney returned to England by 1509 and attended the funeral of Henry VII. They both joined the household of Mary Tudor, soon to be Queen of France. In 1516 she was awarded an annual wage of £20. She was granted a tun of wine annually by Henry VIII in February 1517. Ralph Verney died on 6 July 1528 and was buried at Kings Langley in Hertfordshire. There is a monument with their effigies and heraldry in All Saints' Church, Kings Langley. Eleanor Verney outlived her husband and was given an annuity by Henry VIII in April 1532.J. S. Brewer, ''Letters and Papers'', 5 (London, 1864), p. 456.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Verney, Eleanor Court of James IV of Scotland Court of Henry VII of England Household of Margaret Tudor 15th-century English women 15th-century English people 16th-century English women English ladies-in-waiting

Eleanor Eleanor () is a feminine given name, originally from an Old French adaptation of the Old Provençal name ''Aliénor''. It is the name of a number of women of royalty and nobility in western Europe during the High Middle Ages. The name was introd ...