Bassett, Mary (1522?–1598)
The youngest daughter of Sir John Bassett and Honor Grenville, Mary was, according to Peter Mewtas, the prettiest of the four sisters. She joined the household of Nicholas de Montmorency, Seigneur de Bours, in Abbeville in August 1534. Her stepfather, Arthur Plantagenet, Lord Lisle, attempted to find her a place in the household of the young Elizabeth Tudor, but nothing came of it. Mary suffered from ill health and returned to Calais in March 1538 to be nursed by her mother. Gabriel de Montmorency, who had become Seigneur de Bours on his father’s death in 1537, paid a number of visits to her there and eventually proposed marriage. They kept their betrothal secret, with disastrous consequences. When her mother and stepfather were arrested and all their papers seized, Mary attempted to destroy Gabriel’s love letters by throwing them down the jakes. She was caught and her unsanctioned engagement to a Frenchman was taken to be one more proof of treason in the household. It was a crime to conspire to marry a foreigner without the king’s permission. It is not clear where Mary was confined in Calais or when she was released. The next record of her is her marriage to John Wollacombe of Overcombe, Devon, on June 8, 1557.
Bassett, Philippa (1516?–1582)
This oldest Bassett daughter remained in Calais with her mother. There was talk of a marriage to Clement Philpott, but nothing came of it. She was arrested with her mother and sister but it is not clear where she was held or when she was released. She had married a man named James Pitts by 1548.
Botolph, Sir Gregory (d. 1540+)
Botolph is the mystery man of the story. He was a younger son from a respectable Suffolk family and became a priest. He was a canon at St. Gregory’s in Canterbury in the mid–1530s and later confessed that he stole a plate from the church during that time. He went to Calais in April of 1538 to become one of the three domestic chaplains employed by Lord Lisle. There he shared quarters with Clement Philpott, who joined the household at the same time. He has been described as both a fanatic papist and an unscrupulous rogue. He was known in Calais as “Gregory Sweet-lips” for his ability to talk people into doing what he wanted. He claimed to have made a very fast, very secret trip to Rome to meet with the pope and Cardinal Pole in early 1540, but there is no evidence to back up his story. He was, however, clearly the instigator of a plot to deliver Calais to England’s enemies in “herring time” and he did recruit Clement Philpott and Edward Corbett, among others, to help him. The plan probably would not have succeeded even if Philpott had not betrayed the conspirators. Botolph escaped being arrested when his coconspirators were taken by English authorities because he was already in “the emperor’s dominions.” He may have been taken into custody there, briefly, but he was never returned to England to stand trial for treason. He disappears from history after August of 1540. Further details about the Botolph conspiracy can be found in volume six of M. St. Clare Byrne’s The Lisle Letters.
Bray, Dorothy (1524?–1605)
Dorothy Bray was either the youngest daughter or the fifth of six daughters of Edmund, Baron Bray, and was at court as a maid of honor to Anna of Cleves in 1540. She served Catherine Howard and Kathryn Parr in the same capacity. She was involved in a brief, passionate affair with William Parr, brother of the future queen, in 1541, but during Kathryn Parr’s tenure as queen, Parr’s interest shifted to Dorothy’s niece, Elizabeth Brooke. Dorothy later married Edmund Brydges, Baron Chandos, by whom she had five children. After his death she wed Sir William Knollys, a much younger man. Late in life she was known as “old Lady Chandos.”
Brooke, Elizabeth (1525–1565)
Elizabeth Brooke is sometimes confused with her aunt, Lady Wyatt, with whom she shared her name. This younger Elizabeth, however, is most likely to have been the “sister of Lord Cobham” to whom Henry VIII paid attention at a supper and banquet at court in January 1542, leading to speculation that he might marry her. Elizabeth was accounted one of the most beautiful women of her time. Late in the reign of Henry VIII, she captured the heart of Queen Kathryn’s brother, William Parr. For more on this fascinating woman, see the extended biography at my website, KateEmersonHistoricals.com.
Browne, John (d. 1540+?)
Edward Corbett’s servant, Browne was accused of treason right along with his master. There is a record of his attainder and his exemption from the general pardon, but not of his execution.
Carey, Catherine (1523?–1569)
As the daughter of Mary Boleyn, long Henry VIII’s mistress, Catherine may in fact have been the king’s child, but he never acknowledged her as such. Catherine came to court as a maid of honor to Anna of Cleves in January of 1540, but she married Sir Francis Knollys on April 26 of that same year and gave up the post. They had fourteen children. Catherine returned to court when Queen Elizabeth took the throne.
Champernowne, Joan (Mistress Denny) (d. 1553)
Joan Champernowne came to court as a maid of honor to Catherine of Aragon and remained at court during the tenures of Henry VIII’s next five wives. Married to Anthony Denny, by whom she had at least ten children, she was called upon by King Henry VIII to take Anne Bassett as a guest in her house in Westminster so that Anne could enjoy the country air and take long walks. Joan was one of the ladies sent to greet Anna of Cleves upon her arrival. While serving Kathryn Parr, she was accused of sending aid to Anne Askew, who was later executed for heresy. Joan was an ardent Protestant, but nothing treasonable or heretical was ever proved against her. In May 1548, Princess Elizabeth and her household were sent to stay at Cheshunt with the Dennys. They remained there until autumn. Some accounts say Elizabeth’s governess, Katherine Champernowne Astley, was Joan’s younger sister. Others believe they were only distantly related. Joan was considered a great beauty.
Corbett, Edward (d. 1540+?)
Very little is known about the real Edward Corbett except that he was a gentleman servitor to Lord Lisle at Calais and frequently carried messages to Honor Lisle’s daughters in England and ran other errands for his master. He became close friends with Clement Philpott after the latter’s arrival in Calais in 1538 and was recruited by Sir Gregory Botolph to participate in a plot to overthrow Calais. His failure to report what Botolph suggested made him guilty of treason even though he did not actively aid the conspirators. He was arrested, questioned in Calais, then taken to England and imprisoned in the Tower. He was attainted and exempted from the general pardon but there is no record of his execution. He simply disappears from history. He may have been one of the “others” executed at the same time as Clement Philpott. His relationship with Anne Bassett is my own invention, but it could have happened.
Cromwell, Thomas (1485?–1540)
Henry VIII’s chief advisor after the death of Cardinal Wolsey, Cromwell was the driving force behind the king’s marriage to Anna of Cleves. Henry’s displeasure with his new bride was undoubtedly what cost Cromwell his life. Cromwell created difficulties over money and property for Lord and Lady Lisle and was probably responsible for Lisle being implicated in the Botolph conspiracy, even though Lisle knew nothing about it before Philpott confided in him. Cromwell was arrested on June 10, 1540, and executed on the same day Henry VIII married Catherine Howard.