Frances Howard, Countess Of Surrey
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Frances Howard, Countess of Surrey ( de Vere; c. 1517 – 30 June 1577) was the second daughter and third child of
John de Vere, 15th Earl of Oxford John de Vere, 15th Earl of Oxford, Lord Great Chamberlain Order of the Garter, KG Privy Council of England, PC (). was an English peerage, peer and courtier. Early life John de Vere, born around 1482, was the son of John de Vere and Alice Kilri ...
, and
Elizabeth Trussell Elizabeth de Vere (''née'' Trussell), Countess of Oxford (1496 – before July 1527) was an English people, English noblewoman. As a young child she became a Ward (law), royal ward. She married John de Vere, 15th Earl of Oxford, and by him wa ...
. She first married
Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey, KG (1516/1517–19 January 1547) was an English nobleman, politician and poet. He was one of the founders of English Renaissance poetry and was the last known person to have been executed at the insistence of King ...
(executed for treason in 1547), and second
Thomas Steyning Thomas Steyning (died c. 1582?), of Earl Soham, Suffolk, was an English politician. He was a Member (MP) of the Parliament of England for Castle Rising in 1559. Family He married Frances Howard, Countess of Surrey and had two children: a son He ...
. Her father held the second oldest
earldom Earl () is a rank of the nobility in the United Kingdom. In modern Britain, an earl is a member of the peerage, ranking below a marquess and above a viscount. A feminine form of ''earl'' never developed; instead, ''countess'' is used. The titl ...
in England, had solid landed interests and great influence at court, holding the hereditary title of
Lord Great Chamberlain of England The Lord Great Chamberlain of England is the sixth of the Great Officers of State, ranking beneath the Lord Privy Seal but above the Lord High Constable. The office of Lord Great Chamberlain is an ancient one: it was first created around 1126 ...
. In April 1532, her father married her to
Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey, KG (1516/1517–19 January 1547) was an English nobleman, politician and poet. He was one of the founders of English Renaissance poetry and was the last known person to have been executed at the insistence of King ...
, the eldest son of
Thomas Howard, 3rd Duke of Norfolk Thomas Howard, 3rd Duke of Norfolk, (10 March 1473 – 25 August 1554) was an English politician and nobleman of the Tudor era. He was an uncle of two of the wives of King Henry VIII, Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard, both of whom were beh ...
, and his wife Elizabeth Stafford, but due to both of them being only 14 years old, they did not live together until 1535. The
Howard Howard is a masculine given name derived from the English surname Howard. ''The Oxford Dictionary of English Christian Names'' notes that "the use of this surname as a christian name is quite recent and there seems to be no particular reason for ...
and de Vere families were repeatedly intertwined and had fought on different sides during the
Wars of the Roses The Wars of the Roses, known at the time and in following centuries as the Civil Wars, were a series of armed confrontations, machinations, battles and campaigns fought over control of the English throne from 1455 to 1487. The conflict was fo ...
, with the de Vere family supporting the Lancastrians and the Howards backing the
Yorkists The House of York was a cadet branch of the English royal House of Plantagenet. Three of its members became kings of England in the late 15th century. The House of York descended in the male line from Edmund of Langley, 1st Duke of York, t ...
.
John de Vere, 13th Earl of Oxford John de Vere, 13th Earl of Oxford (8 September 1442 – 10 March 1513), the second son of John de Vere, 12th Earl of Oxford, and Elizabeth Howard, a first cousin of John Howard, 1st Duke of Norfolk (2nd creation), was one of the principa ...
had killed the Earl of Surrey’s great-grandfather at the
Battle of Bosworth The Battle of Bosworth or Bosworth Field ( ) was the last significant battle of the Wars of the Roses, the civil war between the houses of Lancaster and York that extended across England in the latter half of the 15th century. Fought on 22 ...
. Her father was an advocate of the New Religion, he was the first
protestant Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...
earl of Oxford, and was popularly known as 'the good earl'. Whereas the Duke of Norfolk was the premier
catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...
nobleman of England. Once
Henry VIII Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is known for his Wives of Henry VIII, six marriages and his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. ...
fell in love with Henry's cousin,
Anne Boleyn Anne Boleyn (; 1501 or 1507 – 19 May 1536) was List of English royal consorts, Queen of England from 1533 to 1536, as the Wives of Henry VIII, second wife of King Henry VIII. The circumstances of her marriage and execution, by beheading ...
, both father and son were sucked into the world of the Tudor court. In 1532 Frances husband traveled with poet Sir Thomas Wyatt to France accompanying
Anne Boleyn Anne Boleyn (; 1501 or 1507 – 19 May 1536) was List of English royal consorts, Queen of England from 1533 to 1536, as the Wives of Henry VIII, second wife of King Henry VIII. The circumstances of her marriage and execution, by beheading ...
(his first cousin),
King Henry VIII Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is known for his six marriages and his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. His disagreement w ...
, and the Duke of Richmond, staying there for more than a year as a member of the entourage of King
Francis I of France Francis I (; ; 12 September 1494 – 31 March 1547) was King of France from 1515 until his death in 1547. He was the son of Charles, Count of Angoulême, and Louise of Savoy. He succeeded his first cousin once removed and father-in-law Louis&nbs ...
. He took up a military career which culminated in his appointment in 1545 as commander at Boulogne, with the title of Lieutenant-General of the King on Sea and Land. Frances came to court, as a peeress in her own right, and in 1536, Frances was one of the chief mourners in the funeral of
Catherine of Aragon Catherine of Aragon (also spelt as Katherine, historical Spanish: , now: ; 16 December 1485 â€“ 7 January 1536) was List of English royal consorts, Queen of England as the Wives of Henry VIII, first wife of King Henry VIII from their marr ...
, with María de Salinas, Baroness Willoughby de Eresby, Elizabeth Browne, Countess of Worcester and
Frances Grey, Duchess of Suffolk Frances Grey, Duchess of Suffolk (née Lady Frances Brandon; 16 July 1517 – 20 November 1559), was an English noblewoman. She was the second child and eldest daughter of King Henry VIII's younger sister, Princess Mary, and Charles Brandon, 1s ...
. Frances and Henry had two sons and three daughters: *
Jane Howard, Countess of Westmorland Jane Neville (''née'' Howard), Countess of Westmorland (1533/37 – buried 30 June 1593), was an English noblewoman who had a role in the Northern Rebellion in 1569 against Elizabeth I of England. Family Jane was born between 1533 and 153 ...
(1533/1537 – buried 30 June 1593), who married
Charles Neville, 6th Earl of Westmorland Charles Neville, 6th Earl of Westmorland (18 August 154216 November 1601) was an English nobleman, politician and Roman Catholic rebel leader, who led the Rising of the North against Elizabeth I in 1569. After the failure of the Rising, he fled ...
. *
Thomas Howard, 4th Duke of Norfolk Thomas Howard, 4th Duke of Norfolk, (10 March 1536 or 1538 2 June 1572), was an English nobleman and politician. He was a second cousin of Queen Elizabeth I and held many high offices during the earlier part of her reign. Norfolk was the s ...
(10 March 1536 – 2 June 1572), married (1) Mary FitzAlan (2) Margaret Audley (3) Elizabeth Leyburne. *
Henry Howard, 1st Earl of Northampton Henry Howard, 1st Earl of Northampton (25 February 154015 June 1614) was an English aristocrat and courtier. He was suspected throughout his life of being Roman Catholic, and went through periods of royal disfavour, in which his reputation ...
(25 February 1540 – 15 June 1614), who died unmarried. *Katherine Howard, Baroness Berkeley (d. 7 April 1596) who married
Henry Berkeley, 7th Baron Berkeley Henry Berkeley, 7th Baron Berkeley, KB (26 November 1534 – 26 November 1613) was an English peer and politician. He was Lord Lieutenant and Vice-Admiral of Gloucestershire. He was the grandfather of George Berkeley, 8th Baron Berkeley. F ...
. *Margaret Howard, Baroness Scrope of Bolton (b.1547) who married
Henry Scrope, 9th Baron Scrope of Bolton Henry Scrope, 9th Baron Scrope of Bolton, KG (c. 1534 – 13 June 1592) was the son and heir of John Scrope, 8th Baron Scrope of Bolton and Catherine Clifford, daughter of Henry Clifford, 1st Earl of Cumberland. Life Henry Scrope, a loyal ...
. Frances de Vere guaranteed her children were given a fine humanist education as they were tutored at the family’s castle in
Kenninghall Kenninghall is a village and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk. Kenninghall is located north-west of Diss and south-west of Norwich. History Kenninghall's name is of Anglo-Saxon origin and derives from the Old English for the ...
by the Dutch humanist
Hadrianus Junius Hadrianus Junius (1511–1575), also known as Adriaen de Jonghe, was a Dutch physician, classical scholar, translator, lexicographer, antiquarian, historiographer, emblematist, school rector, and Latin poet. He is not to be confused with several ...
. Henry Howard and his father Thomas Howard suffered with the fall from grace and execution in 1542 of their relative
Catherine Howard Catherine Howard ( – 13 February 1542) was Queen of England from July 1540 until November 1541 as the fifth wife of King Henry VIII. She was the daughter of Lord Edmund Howard and Joyce Culpeper, a first cousin to Anne Boleyn (the second ...
, the king's fifth wife. Late in 1546, while Frances was expecting her fifth child (Margaret), her husband fell from favour, when he was charged with placing the arms of
Edward the Confessor Edward the Confessor ( 1003 â€“ 5 January 1066) was King of England from 1042 until his death in 1066. He was the last reigning monarch of the House of Wessex. Edward was the son of Æthelred the Unready and Emma of Normandy. He succeede ...
in the first quarter of his shield, an heraldic impropriety which was absurdly deemed to constitute a claim to the throne. His request for trial by combat was refused, and he was tried in Guildhall on 13 January 1547. He was accused of treason and, despite the lack of any real evidence, beheaded on Tower Hill on 19 January, a victim of court politics. He was the last man to be executed under King
Henry VIII Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is known for his Wives of Henry VIII, six marriages and his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. ...
's reign, aged just 28. The 3rd Duke was saved by the death of Henry VIII; but he remained imprisoned in the Tower of London with most of his property and titles forfeit to the Crown. Frances gave birth to her daughter Margaret after her husband’s execution. Her children were taken from her and placed in the care of Sir John Williams in the case of her eldest son, and in the care of Lord Wentworth in the case of the four younger ones. One year later, Jane, Thomas, Henry, Katherine and Margaret were allowed to live reunited under their aunt Mary FitzRoy, Henry's sister. Mary FitzRoy appointed protestant
John Foxe John Foxe (1516/1517 – 18 April 1587) was an English clergyman, theologian, and historian, notable for his martyrology '' Foxe's Book of Martyrs'', telling of Christian martyrs throughout Western history, but particularly the sufferings of En ...
, the famous martyrologist, and scholar Hadrianus Junius to educate the children. As soon as the 3rd Duke was released, he dismissed Foxe and reassigned the education of his heir to John White, bishop of Lincoln (1554–56). Frances remarried 1553, to
Thomas Steyning Thomas Steyning (died c. 1582?), of Earl Soham, Suffolk, was an English politician. He was a Member (MP) of the Parliament of England for Castle Rising in 1559. Family He married Frances Howard, Countess of Surrey and had two children: a son He ...
, by whom she had two children, Henry and Mary. Mary Steyning married
Charles Seckford Charles Seckford (1551–1592), of Great Bealings, Suffolk, was an English politician. He was a Member (MP) of the Parliament of England for Aldeburgh Aldeburgh ( ) is a coastal town and civil parish in the East Suffolk District, East Suffolk ...
. She lived in Suffolk until her death in 1577 and watched the fate of her five children from her first marriage more from a distance. Frances' eldest son, Thomas Howard, succeeded his late grandfather of the same name at the age of eighteen in 1554. As a second cousin of Queen Elizabeth and one of England's richest landowners, he was one of Elizabeth's closest confidants. But like his father and grandfather, he also disappointed his sovereign, in his case Queen Elizabeth, by joining forces with Mary Stuart, formerly Queen of Scots and Queen of France and the pretender of the catholic feudal nobility at home and abroad to the English throne. He is even said to have been betrothed to Mary Stuart. And although Queen Elizabeth forgave him for his betrayal in 1570, he entered into an alliance with her enemies again shortly thereafter (Ridolfi plot). When he was again discovered plotting against the English queen, there was no more pardon. Frances therefore had to witness the execution of her son in 1572. Her daughter Jane's husband, Charles Neville, the Earl of Westmorland, had also conspired against Queen Elizabeth in 1570 and had to leave England in a hurry because he could expect to be executed if he was caught. Jane did not follow her husband to the
Spanish Netherlands The Spanish Netherlands (; ; ; ) (historically in Spanish: , the name "Flanders" was used as a '' pars pro toto'') was the Habsburg Netherlands ruled by the Spanish branch of the Habsburgs from 1556 to 1714. They were a collection of States of t ...
, but remained in England. Frances' and Henry's second son Henry, the Earl of Northampton, also corresponded with the Scottish queen. However, he got off with a prison sentence. By 1600, he was again among the leading advisors to the next English king,
James I James I may refer to: People *James I of Aragon (1208–1276) * James I of Sicily or James II of Aragon (1267–1327) * James I, Count of La Marche (1319–1362), Count of Ponthieu * James I, Count of Urgell (1321–1347) *James I of Cyprus (1334†...
. Frances de Vere died 1577 at
Earl Soham Earl Soham is a small settlement in Suffolk, England. It is on the A1120 road and is west of the town of Framlingham. Earl Soham once belonged to the Earls of Norfolk, the Bigod family (sometimes spelt "Bigot" in old texts), who also owned nea ...
, in the neighbouring village to Framlingham, Suffolk. In 1614 her son Henry had a monument erected in St Michael the Archangel's Church, Framlingham for his father, in which he placed not only his remains but also those of his grandfather and mother. Frances rests beside her husband with the blue boar of the de Veres at her feet.


References


Further reading


DeVere Family
Tudorplace.com.ar. Accessed 16 February 2008
stanford.edu Profile
stanford.edu. Accessed 23 May 2008 * Brenan, Gerald, and Edward Phillips Statham
googlebooks ''The House of Howard.'' London: Hutchinson & co, 1907
Retrieved 16 February 2008. {{DEFAULTSORT:Surrey, Frances de Vere, Countess of 1510s births 1577 deaths English countesses Daughters of English earls 16th-century English women 16th-century English nobility
Frances Frances is an English given name or last name of Latin origin. In Latin the meaning of the name Frances is 'from France' or 'the French.' The male version of the name in English is Francis (given name), Francis. The original Franciscus, meaning "F ...
Frances Frances is an English given name or last name of Latin origin. In Latin the meaning of the name Frances is 'from France' or 'the French.' The male version of the name in English is Francis (given name), Francis. The original Franciscus, meaning "F ...
Wives of knights