There were two turquoise parures assembled by Queen Mary; one was worn by Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon and the other was given to the late Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester.[1]
The Gloucester Parure
Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester
The Queen Mary turquoise parure
was given to the young Princess Mary of Teck (Queen Mary) by her
parents the Duke and Duchess of Teck when she became engaged to the
future George V in 1893. The parure, later given to the Duchess of Gloucester, consisted of three 1850 turquoise brooches, a tiara, a necklace, and earrings.[1]
Over the years another drop necklace was added and the Teck earrings
worn as detachable pendant drops on the oval cluster earrings.[1]
The three brooches had been a gift to Mary's mother, Princess Mary Adelaide of Cambridge, upon her confirmation in December 1850.[1]
Princess Mary of Cambridge wore the two brooches as part of a headdress
and the corsage brooch pined to her bodice when she attended her first
debutante at Buckingham Palace.[1]
The collection known as the “Gloucester Jewels” is mainly the collection of jewels given to Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester upon her marriage to Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester, son of King George V and Queen Mary, in August 1935.[1]
During the beginning of the 20th century turquoise was a very
fashionable stone and Queen Mary was aware of the Duchess's fondness of
them. The turquoise parure from Queen Mary consists of the tiara, a long
chained necklace of twenty-six turquoise and diamond oval clusters,
matching cluster earrings and ring, two bow brooches, a bow-shaped
corsage brooch with a tassel, a bangle bracelet, and two four row
turquoise bead bracelets.[1]
Birgitte, Duchess of Gloucester
The tiara of turquoise and diamonds was arranged in rococo scrolls
and a sunburst. The centre of the tiara contains the largest turquoise
in the piece surrounds by a “burst” of diamonds and turquoise pear
shaped stones, quite similar to the famous Persian tiaras of Empress
Farah of Iran. Apparently Queen Mary found the composition too high, and
it was lowered by E. Wolff & Co. in August 1912.
On 29 October 2004, after the death of Princess Alice, the collection was passed to the current Duchess of Gloucester, wife of Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester. Her Grace has worn every parure known to have been given to her late mother-in-law Princess Alice.
The Princess Margaret Parure
Princess Margaret wearing her turquoise parure
As a baby, Princess Margaret was given a string of turquoise and pearl beads.[1] In August 1951, upon her 21st birthday, Princess Margaret was given the antique parure of Persian turquoises set in diamonds.[1]
The parure had been given to her mother upon her marriage in 1923 to the Duke of York, later George VI.[1]
This parure consisted of a long necklace with a number of graduated
pendant drops, matching pendant earrings, hair ornaments, a large square
brooch, and a high oval tiara.[1] A bow brooch and ring were added to the set.[1]
Lady Frances Neville, (née Manners) Lady Bergavenny (c.1530 - circa September 1576) was an English
noblewoman and author. Little is known of either Lady or Lord
Bergavenny, except that the latter was accused of behaving in a riotous
and unclean manner by some Puritain commentators. Lady Bergavenny's work appeared in The Monument of Matrones in 1582 and was a series of "Praiers". Her devotions were sixty-seven prose prayers, one metrical prayer against vice, a long acrostic prayer on her daughter's name, and an acrostic prayer containing her own name.
Family
Frances, Lady Bergavenny was the third daughter of Thomas Manners, 1st Earl of Rutland
and his second wife, Eleanor Paston. Her father was a soldier and the
eldest son of Sir George Manners of Belvoir, Leicestershire, and his
wife, Anne St. Leger. By Anne St. Leger, Frances was thus a great-granddaughter of Anne of York, the elder sister of Edward IV and Richard III.
Before 1554, Frances had married Henry Nevill, 6th Baron Bergavenny. Nevill or Neville, was born between 1527 and 1535. He was the son of George Neville, 3rd Lord Bergavenny
and Lady Mary Stafford. Neville succeeded to the title of 4th Lord
Bergavenny after his father's death in 1535. He held office of Chief
Larderer at the coronation of Queen Mary
in 1553. When Lady Bergavenny died in 1576, Neville remarried to
Elizabeth Darrell, daughter of Stephen Darrell and Philippe Weldon,
before 1586; they had no issue. He died 10 February 1586/87 without male
issue. He was buried on 21 March 1586/87 at Birling, Kent, England.
She died circa September 1576 and was buried at Birling, Kent, England.
Children
Lord and Lady Bergavenny had one daughter Hon. Mary Neville, Baroness
Le Despenser (25 March 1554 -- 28 June 1626). Mary gained the title of
suo jure 3rd/7th Baroness le Despenser. She had claimed the succession to the Barony of Bergavenny, but this was settled on her cousin, Edward Neville, who became the 7th Baron Bergavenny.
The first, second, and fourth creations of Baron le Despenser had been under attainder from 1400 upon the death of Mary's ancestor, Thomas le Despencer, 2nd Baron le Despencer, [1st Earl of Gloucester] (1373–1400) and became abeyant as well in 1449 after the death of the infant Lady Anne Beauchamp, the 15th Countess of Warwick. The representation of the three Baronies of le Despencer fell into abeyance between Anne's cousin George Nevill, 4th Baron Bergavenny and aunt, Anne de Beauchamp, 16th Countess of Warwick. On the attainder and execution of Lady Margaret Plantagenet [Margaret Pole], Countess of Salisbury on 28 May 1541 any claim to the three Baronies by the descendants of the 16th Countess of Warwick, lapsed and the sole representation lay with the Barons Bergavenny.
The attainder of Thomas, 2nd Baron le Despenser, was reversed in 1461 but
the abeyancies continued until 25 May 1604, when the abeyancy of the
1295 Barony of le Despencer was terminated in favour of Mary Neville. She
married Sir Thomas Fane, son of George Fane, on 12 December 1574. They were parents to Sir Francis Fane, who gained the title of 1st Earl of Westmorland. The title of Earl of Westmorland was forfeit after the death of Mary's cousin, Charles Neville, 6th Earl of Westmorland. The title was revived in 1624 in favour of Fane because Mary was a descendant of Sir Edward Neville, 1st Baron Bergavenny, a younger son of the 1st Earl of the 1329 creation [Ralph Neville, husband of Lady Joan Beaufort and son-in-law to Prince John of Gaunt, 1st Duke of Lancaster].
Lady Despenser died on 28 June 1626 at age 72.
Works
Her Praiers in prose and verse were later published in 1582 by Thomas Bentley in the Second Lamp of his anthology of Protestant women writer's prayers, The Monument of Matrones. In a deathbed dedication of her work to her
daughter, she calls it a "jewell of health for the soule, and a perfect
path to paradise." Her collection includes sixty-seven pages of prose
prayers for private use and public worship linked to various occasions
and times of day; a five-page acrostic prayer based on her daughter Mary
Fane’s name, and a concluding prayer based on her own name.
References
Beilin, Elaine V. "Frances Neville, Lady Bergavenny" in Matthew, H.C.G. and Brian Harrison, eds. The Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. vol. 45, 490-491. London: OUP, 2004.
McCoy, Richard, Kathleen Lynch, Carol Brobeck, Martha Fay, Roque
Rueda, "Redefining the Sacred--Monument of Matrones," Redefining the
Sacred in Early Modern England: An NEH Summer Institute. -Folger
Shakespeare Library, 1998. Web. 30 Nov. 2011. http://www.folger.edu/html/folger_institute/sacred/image13.html
Bentley, Thomas. Monument of Matrones. London, imprinted by Henrie Denham, [1582]. http://luna.folger.edu/luna/servlet/s/6z39cc
The Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. The Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. vol. 45, 490-491. London: OUP, 2011
Sudeley Castle Exhibit by Belinda Durrant: Where is Mary?
Belinda Durrant has three new works on display at Sudeley Castle as
part of their exhibition celebrating the quincentenary of the birth of
Katherine Parr. She was gracious enough to share them with us and to
even write what inspired her to make these works.
"It
[the exhibit] was made as a direct response to visiting the castle. I
am no history scholar...just couldn't understand why there was so
little info about the poor little child at the Castle and decided I was
going to find out myself....and promptly discovered that there was
nothing much more to find, which just made it all worse, somehow.
Katherine
Parr was the 6th wife of Henry VIII. After his death in 1547 she
married Thomas Seymour and moved to his country residence, Sudeley
Castle in 1548 where she gave birth to a daughter, Mary on August 30th
of that year. She died from puerperal (childbed) fever just seven days
later and is buried in St Mary’s Church within the castle grounds. The
site of baby clothing often provokes unexplained sentimental reactions,
particularly from women. Freud tells us that this is fetish. Such
clothing reminds us of the child itself and is embraced as a substitute
for the ‘lost’ child. Freud means ‘lost’ in terms of the fleeting
period of babyhood, but in this case, Lady Mary Seymour was apparently
quite literally ‘lost’.
We are told that Mary became an orphan at just a few months old when
her father was executed for treason and that she was sent to live with
Katherine Willoughby, the Duchess of Suffolk. I have been able to find
out very little else. It seems all record of her disappears after August
29 1550, the eve of her second birthday.
The
three works I have displayed in the Castle exhibition centre, ‘Where
is Mary? Bonnet, Mittens, Bib’ were made as a direct response to a
visit I made to the castle in July 2011. The work is not about
embroidery and stitch.
It
is about the ACTS of embroidering and stitching; the almost
ritualistic time, care and love which goes into the making of those very
special first clothes which celebrate the arrival of a new child.
Bonnet which reads "Where is Mary" by Belinda Durrant, picture by Sudeley Castle.
National Gallery, London, exhibit on DeLaRoche featuring his execution portrait of Lady Jane Grey
On this day in 1554: The execution of de facto Queen Regnant Jane Grey. Jane's cousin, King Edward VI, had changed the succession before he died to over-ride his deceased father's succession act which put his half-sister by Katherine of Aragon, Lady Mary, before the Protestant Lady Elizabeth. Instead of just cutting Mary out, he bi-passed BOTH Mary AND Elizabeth for the line Henry had designated as his successors if Mary and Elizabeth both died childless.. that of his younger sister, Princess Mary, Queen of France and Charles Brandon. Technically, the next in line was Princess Mary's eldest daughter, Lady Frances Brandon, Duchess of Suffolk, but Edward also bi-passed her for her daughter, Lady Jane Grey. The sudden burden was placed upon her daughter who never wanted to become queen, but none the less became the queen of nine days. Lady Mary's claim to the throne as a daughter of Henry VIII was more legit in the eyes of the English people and even Lady Elizabeth supported her half-sister in this decision and the two road into London together to take back the throne in the name of Mary who became Queen Mary I. Initially, Lady Jane's life was spared; but Sir Thomas Wyatt's rebellion in January and February 1554 against Queen Mary's plans of a Spanish match led to her execution at the age of 16 or 17, and that of her husband, Lord Dudley, brother of Elizabeth's favorite, Robert.
The execution of Lady Jane Grey, de facto Queen of England by Paul DelaRoche
Lady Jane Grey had an excellent humanist education and a reputation as one of the most learned young women of her day. She had stayed with the Queen Dowager, Katherine Parr, where she was tutored by John Aylmer, a close friend of Katherine's chaplain, John Parkhurst and her almoner, Miles Coverdale. Given the queen's leaning toward learning and her affection for Jane, it is probably that Katherine had some effect on the direction of Jane's education during the two years that she spent with the Dowager Queen.
A committed Protestant, she was posthumously regarded as not only a political victim but also a martyr.
You just can't have one. If you've watched multiple Tudor era films, shows, etc. there are so many scenes that are unforgettable, truthful or not. Can I have more than one? Well I sure do.
The Sword and the Rose (1953)
A movie about Princess Mary Tudor, Queen of France; a funny movie by Walt Disney. Not very accurate, yet it is still a good laugh!
My favorite for the longest time was from Anne of a Thousand Days -- the "Tower Scene" with Anne.
Elizabeth (1998)
Mary speaks with her half-sister, Elizabeth. "Your Majesty forgets that he was also my father."
"It is your death warrant, all I need do is sign it." -- "Mary, if you sign that you will be murdering your own sister!"
Dudley and Elizabeth dance a "Volta" and she says: "I am no man's Elizabeth. If you think to rule her, you are mistaken. I will have one mistress here and NO master."
Dudley: Because I love you. And though you will not see me, I am the only one who would care for you.
Elizabeth: You love me so much you would have me be your whore?
Dudley: For God's sake, I do this for us. I ask you to save some part of us!
Elizabeth: Lord Robert, you may make whores of my Ladies but you shall not make one of me.
The last thing Elizabeth says to Dudley in the movie before she storms out. That ALWAYS makes me cry. The music and the speech.. wow! "He will be kept alive, to always reminds me of how close I came to danger."
BBC: The Virgin Queen (2005)
Confrontation of Mary and Elizabeth.
Queen Mary I: "Is it not enough that my mother was left to die alone in exile while YOUR mother STOLE her place in our father's favor?" [resentment much?]
La Volta with Robert Dudley. [left]
The queen finds that Dudley has married Lettice Knollys; the queen confronts and insults Lettice.
The Tudors (series)
Katherine defends herself to Henry and walks out of the court.
Mary and Anne: "I recognize no queen but my mother."
Henry visits Princess Elizabeth and stops to bow to the Lady Mary.
Mary takes care of the crying Princess Elizabeth
Memories of Queen Katherine of Aragon
The miscarriage scene in The Tudors where Anne comes back with "You have no one to blame but yourself for this...."
"One more chance.."
Anne Boleyn's last confession to Cramner
Henry and Mary are reconciled, for now.
Lady Mary Tudor is welcomed back to court thanks to Jane.
"Please God, in your mercy, don't take her away from me.. My son needs his mother and I need my queen."; Henry's speech at the deathbed of Jane Seymour
"And what about me?"
The Earl of Surrey: "The Happy Life"
"Which of these, your grace, do you not have?"
Brandon: "All of them."
Surrey: "Then you are like me and all the Romans and all the barbarians and the generations before us and all those yet to come; for who does not wish, your grace, with all their heart for the quiet mind? Tell me a soul who has ever found it."
Katherine Parr's reign as queen.
Katherine Parr talks to Kat Ashley about Anne Boleyn.
"I believe that I can trust you, I think that your family are reformers?" -- Catherine Parr. "Yes, madame." -- Kat Ashley. "Lady Elizabeth's mother, Anne Boleyn, was also a Lutheran and a reformer. I suppose it is my duty therefore to bring the daughter up in her mother's faith. Would you have any objection to that Mistress Ashley?" -- Katherine Parr. "None, your Majesty, I would be proud to help the Princess thus honour the memory of her mother, who's life and thus faith too many have easily disparaged." -- Kat Ashley. "Good, then I will appoint as her tutor Roger Ascham, he is also one of us... oh, Mistress Ashley, this conversation never happened." -- Katherine Parr.
"Although Your Majesty's absence has not been long, yet the want of your presence means that I cannot take pleasure in anything until I hear from Your Majesty. Time hangs heavily. I have a great desire to know how Your Majesty has done since you left, for your prosperity and health I prefer and desire more than my own. And although I know Your Majesty's absence is never without great need, still love and affection compel me to desire your presence. Thus love makes me set aside my own convenience and pleasure for you at whose hands I have received so much love and goodness that words cannot express it. We hear word of ill weather and delays besetting you and though we thank God for your good health we anxiously await the joyous news of the success of your great venture and for your safe and triumphant return for which all England offers daily prayers. I fear am I but a poor substitute for Your Majesty in the matter of the guidance of your kingdom. I long for your return. I commit you to God's care and governance. By Your Majesty's humble obedient wife, and servant, Katherine, the Queen." - Episode 7.
Henry spares Queen Katherine Parr.
I am but a woman, with all the imperfections natural to the weakness of my sex. And therefore in all matters of doubt and difficulty I must refer myself to your Majesty's better judgement as my Lord and Head." Henry forgives Catherine and proclaims that they are "perfect friend's again". He then promises that he will never doubt her again. His servant then asks if he should re-send the warrant tomorrow; Henry asks "why?"
Henry Dreams of Death...and the end of a King
Henry says goodbye to his family.
There are many more that I would love to place on this page, but many of them are not caught on YouTube. These are the few that top my list for now.
Review of the Chapter on Queen Katherine Parr within The Broadview Anthology of Sixteenth-Century Poetry and Prose by Sandra Bell, Marie Loughlin, and Patricia Brace
First off, the fact that this book was published in 2011 gives them no excuse for the authors to get major facts incorrect in the chapter on Queen Katherine Parr; to top it off they use Susan James as a source! After all the recent biographies and research done on her there is absolutely no excuse for it. Katherine did not marry at age 13 to the Lord Borough of Gainsborough. She married in 1529 the grandson of the 2nd Lord Borough of Gainsborough who had not even been called to Parliament as such since he was declared insane. The two shared the same name and the younger Edward would have inherited the barony after his father Thomas's death, but he died in 1533 before his father. Proof of who she really married is stated in her mother's will.
What is interesting about the chapter is that the authors state that "Parr" became a lady-in-waiting to Katherine of Aragon after the death of her first husband and that she was on her way to marry her second husband when the King married Anne Boleyn in 1533. FACT: In 1533, Katherine had just been widowed and was in no hurry to re-marry. She was never lady-in-waiting to any of Henry's other wives. Her mother and her sister were the only ones to attend upon one of the wives; her sister served all six. Maud Parr, her mother, attended Queen Katherine of Aragon until her own death in 1531.
Moving on, Lord Latimer was not the "head" of the Uprising of the North. In fact, he himself was captured by the rebels while Katherine and her step-children were held hostage. The fact that Katherine changed her views after she married King Henry is simply untrue. There is no set date as to when Parr may have converted to Protestant views, but it is thought that it might have happened after the rise of Anne Boleyn or during the time that she was held hostage. As for the undertaking of translating Erasmus, Katherine Parr encouraged the Lady Mary Tudor to translate it and when she became too sick to complete it, it was finished by Mallet. Mary and Katherine got along and were good friends through out her reign. It is known to be the happiest time of Mary's life.
I love how the author quotes using Susan James's as a source for her biographical information when it completely contradicts what she actually wrote in her book. Apparently these authors did not read the book carefully enough.
The wedding of Henry and Katherine, Dowager Baroness Latimer as recorded
Notarial instrument witnessing that, on 12 July 1543, 35 Hen. VIII., in an upper oratory called "the Quynes Pryevey closet" within the honor of Hampton Court, Westm. dioc., in presence of the noble and gentle persons named at the foot of this instrument and of me, Ric. Watkins, the King's prothonotary, the King and lady Katharine Latymer alias Parr being met there for the purpose of solemnising matrimony between them, Stephen bp. of Winchester proclaimed in English (speech given in Latin) that they were met to join in marriage the said King and Lady Katharine, and if anyone knew any impediment thereto he should declare it. The licence for the marriage without publication of banns, sealed by Thos. abp. of Canterbury and dated 10 July 1543, being then brought in, and none opposing but all applauding the marriage, the said bp. of Winchester put the questions (recited) to which the King, hilari vultu, replied "Yea" and the lady Katharine also replied that it was her wish; and then the King taking her right hand, repeated after the Bishop the words, "I, Henry, take thee, Katharine, to my wedded wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better for worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health, till death us depart, and thereto I plight thee my troth." Then, releasing and again clasping hands, the lady Katharine likewise said "I, Katharine, take thee Henry to my wedded husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better for worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health, to be bonayr and buxome in bed and at board, till death us depart, and thereto I plight unto thee my troth." The putting on of the wedding ring and proffer of gold and silver (described) followed; and the Bishop, after prayer, pronounced a benediction. The King then commanded the prothonotary to make a public instrument of the premises. Present : John lord Russell, K.G., keeper of the Privy Seal, Sir Ant. Browne, K.G., captain of the King's pensioners, and Thos. Henage, Edw. Seymer, Hen. Knyvet, Ric. Long, Thos. Darcy, Edw. Beynton, and Thos. Speke, knights, and Ant. Denny and Wm. Herbert, esquires, also the ladies Mary and Elizabeth the King's children, Margaret Douglas his niece, Katharine duchess of Suffolk, Anne countess of Hertford, and Joan lady Dudley, and Anne Herbert.
Notarial attestation by Ric. Watkins, Ll. B., King's prothonotary. Large parchment.
Source:
James Gairdner and R. H. Brodie (editors). "Henry VIII: July 1543, 11-15." Letters and Papers, Foreign and Domestic, Henry VIII, Volume 18 Part 1: January-July 1543 (1901): 480-489. British History Online. Web. 10 January 2012. <http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=76754&strquery=queen+catherine>
