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Katharine Basset
Katharine Basset (c. 1522 – after 1558, occasionally misnamed "Elizabeth"[1]) was an English gentlewoman who served at the court of King Henry VIII, namely in the household of Queen Anne of Cleves, and was briefly jailed for speaking against him. Three of her letters to her mother Honor Grenville survive in the Lisle Papers.[2] LifeBasset was the second daughter of Sir John Basset (1462–1528), KB, of Tehidy in Cornwall and Umberleigh in Devon (Sheriff of Cornwall in 1497, 1517 and 1522 and Sheriff of Devon in 1524) by his second wife, Honor Grenville (died 1566; later Viscountess Lisle), a daughter of Sir Thomas Grenville (died 1513) of Stowe in the parish of Kilkhampton, Cornwall, and lord of the manor of Bideford in North Devon, Sheriff of Cornwall in 1481 and in 1486.[3] Her siblings were:[4] Philippa Basset (born 1516), eldest daughter; John Basset (1518–1541), his father's eldest son and heir, a lawyer and servant of Thomas Cromwell who died aged 23; Anne Basset (born 1521), third daughter and a fellow courtier, maid of honour successively to Queens Jane Seymour, Anne of Cleves, Catherine Howard and Katharine Parr;[5] George Basset (b.circa 1522–5), second son, MP; and James Basset, MP, third son and youngest child, a courtier first to Stephen Gardiner, Bishop of Winchester and Lord Chancellor, and later a courtier to Queen Mary I. Katharine was brought up by her mother and stepfather, Arthur Plantagenet, 1st Viscount Lisle (died 1542), Governor of Calais, uncle of King Henry VIII. CareerServant to Countess of RutlandThe young Katharine was sent to live in the household of Eleanor Manners, Countess of Rutland (c. 1495 – 1551), (lady-in-waiting to four wives of King Henry VIII: Anne Boleyn, Jane Seymour, Anne of Cleves and Catherine Howard) whom she served as a gentlewoman-waiter, until about 1540.[6] During this time, her mother wrote to the Countess of Rutland, asking if "Mistress Basset" could become one of the Queen's maids, but the Countess thought no more maids would be accepted at court.[7] Servant to Anne of ClevesLater after 1540[8] she gained a position in the household of Anne of Cleves, 4th wife of King Henry VIII from 6 January 1540 to 9 July 1540. However, she never achieved the coveted position of maid of honour, as did her sister Anne Basset,[9] as Anne of Cleves' marriage to the king was soon annulled to facilitate his marriage to Catherine Howard. Katharine Basset was referred to thereafter simply as "The Lady Anne of Cleves' woman".[10] Anne resided at Hever Castle, the old family seat of the Boleyn family. The pursuit of a place at court for Katharine is well documented in the Lisle Papers. In 1539, Katherine wrote to her mother:[11]
Her mother took the opportunity of making the request via John Norris, brother of Henry Norris.[12] On her way to England, Queen Anne of Cleves in December 1539 had an enforced stay at Calais, and Lord Lisle used his influence as Lord Deputy of Calais, on behalf of his step-daughter Katharine, to speak to the vice-chancellor of the Duchy of Cleves, Henry Olisleger, who wrote to Lord Lisle on 6 January 1540 with disappointing news as follows:[13]
On 17 February 1540 Lady Rutland wrote more positively to Lady Lisle:[14]
On 19 February 1540, Katharine wrote to her mother:[15]
The suit to the Mother of the Maids, "Mother Lowe", was successful and after 1540 Katharine was taken into the household of Anne of Cleves.[16] Arrest and questioningHer sister Anne Bassett was rumoured to be a mistress of Henry VIII, by whom she was showered with great gifts and kept at court even after her stepfather Viscount Lisle had been sent to the Tower of London for alleged treason, namely for having plotted to betray Calais, then an English dominion, to the French. According to rumour, Anne Basset was being considered as Henry's sixth wife on the eve of Queen Catherine Howard's execution.[17] Katharine came to public attention at the same time that her sister was supposedly being considered as a new wife for King Henry VIII, and was arrested and briefly imprisoned on suspicion of having made treasonable utterances. Katharine is said to have gossiped that Catherine Howard's misdemeanours and execution were the actions of God showing the king that his previous marriage to Anne of Cleves was still in force.[18] The Letters and Papers of Henry VIII record the following examination dated 4 December 1541 of Jane Rattsey, who it appears had been provoked by Katharine Basset's relation to her of the news of Catherine Howard's misdemeanours and by her expression of praise of Anne of Cleves, into making unconsidered and impolitic replies to her:[19]
Attends funeral of Henry VIIIAt the funeral of King Henry VIII in 1547 Katharine Basset received a cloth allowance for clothing as one of the household of Anne of Cleves, and her sister Anne Basset received a cloth grant also as a servant of the king.[20] Marriage and progenyOn 8 December 1547 she married Sir Henry Ashley (1519–1588), MP, of Hever in Kent, later of St Giles, Upper Wimborne in Dorset, who was later knighted in 1553 the day after the coronation of Queen Mary I.[21] She had the following progeny:
DeathBasset was still alive in 1558 when mentioned in the will of her brother James Basset, but appears to have predeceased her husband, who died in 1588.[23] Notes
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