Anne Parr, Countess of Pembroke

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Portrait by Hans Holbein, believed to show Anne Parr

Anne Herbert, Countess of Pembroke ( June 15, 1515 - February 20, 1552 ) was an English lady-in-waiting and younger sister of Catherine Parrs , the sixth wife of Henry VIII . Anne Parr is one of the few women who served all six wives of Henry VIII as lady-in-waiting.

Life

Early years

Anne was born on June 15, 1515 to Sir Thomas Parr and Maud Green. She was the youngest of three surviving children and had an older sister, Catherine, and an older brother, William Parr, 1st Marquess of Northampton. When she was two years old, her father died of sweat fever . Maud Green was a lady-in-waiting for Catherine of Aragon and also head of the royal school where Anne was taught with her sister Catherine and other noble daughters. They were probably taught by the humanist scholar Juan Luis Vives in French, Latin, theology and the classical works. Maud Green had already taught her children to read and write at home.

Life on the farm

In 1528, at the age of 13, Anne was accepted into the service of Catherine of Aragon as a lady-in-waiting. When Anne Boleyn was crowned queen in 1533, Anne retained her position at court. Following the Queen's example, Anne Parr became an avid supporter of Protestantism. After Anne Boleyn's execution, Anne Parr served Jane Seymour and took part in her funeral procession and Prince Edward's baptism on October 15, 1537. From 1540 Anne served Heinrich's fourth wife, Anna von Kleve , and her successor Catherine Howard . After she was beheaded, she was entrusted with the queen's jewels.

William Herbert, 1st Earl of Pembroke, Anne's husband

marriage

In February 1538 Anne married William Herbert, whom she presumably had met at court. Because of the king's affection for Anne's sister Catherine, the Herberts were in his favor. Anne and her husband received several royal estates, including Wilton Abbey in Wiltshire , Remesbury and Cardiff Castle . As a residence in London they used Baynard's Castle . In 1544 her husband was knighted, and in 1551 appointed Baron Herbert of Cardiff and Earl of Pembroke . From her marriage to William Herbert Anne had three children: Henry, who succeeded his father as Earl of Pembroke, Edward and Anne.

Sister of the queen

Anne Parr attended the wedding ceremony of her sister Catherine to Henry VIII on July 12, 1543 at Hampton Court Palace . Anne was her sister's first lady-in-waiting, with whom she had a close relationship. She belonged to a group of Protestants close to the queen. When Anne Askew , a Protestant preacher, was arrested for heresy in 1546 , the queen's opponents tried to extort a confession from Askew that the queen, her sister and other ladies-in-waiting were Protestants (and thus heretics). Bishop Stephan Gardiner and Lord Chancellor Thomas Wriothesley even managed to get the king to sign an arrest warrant for the queen. However, she was able to save herself by asserting that she had only discussed theological questions with the king in order to distract him from his pain. Henry VIII died on January 28, 1547, Catherine Parr married Thomas Seymour shortly afterwards and died of puerperal fever in the following year after having a daughter .

death

Anne died on February 20, 1552. At that time she was lady-in-waiting to Lady Marias , later Queen Maria I. She was born on February 28, 1552 in Old St. Paul's Cathedral next to her ancestor John of Gaunt, 1st Duke of Lancaster , to bury. Her husband William married Anne Talbot for the second time, but had no further descendants. After his death on March 17, 1570 he was buried next to Anne Parr in St. Paul's at his own request.

progeny

  • Henry Herbert, 2nd Earl of Pembroke (1538-1601). He married Catherine Gray on May 21, 1553 ; the marriage was annulled in 1554. His second wife was Catherine Talbot, daughter of George Talbot, 6th Earl of Shrewsbury . In his third marriage he married Mary Sidney, with whom he had offspring.
  • Sir Edward Herbert (1547–1595), ⚭ Mary Stanley, daughter of Sir Thomas Stanley, Under-Treasurer of the Royal Mint
  • Anne Herbert (1550–1592), ⚭ Francis, Lord Talbot, son of George Talbot, 6th Earl of Shrewsbury

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Anthony Martienssen: Queen Katherine Parr . 1974, ISBN 0-07-040610-3 , pp. 21 .
  2. ^ Anthony Martienssen: Queen Katherine Parr . 1974, ISBN 0-07-040610-3 , pp. 64-65 .
  3. ↑ Linda Porter: Katherine the Queen . Macmillan, 2010.
personal data
SURNAME Parr, Anne, Countess of Pembroke
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Herbert, Anne, Countess of Pembroke; Pembroke, Anne Parr, Countess of
BRIEF DESCRIPTION English lady-in-waiting and younger sister Catherine Parrs
DATE OF BIRTH June 15, 1515
DATE OF DEATH February 20, 1552