Tudor Queens of England Read Online Free PDF Page B

thing that is known about him is that he served in the retinue of Sir Walter Hungerford, the steward of the King’s household, in France in May 1421. This would suggest that he held some position in that household, although what that might have been, and whether it was on the King’s side or the Queen’s is not known. Elis Gruffudd, the sixteenth-century Welsh chronicler, says that he was Catherine’s ‘sewer and servant’ and that is probably correct although it cannot be substantiated. Most likely Owain was a handsome and well set-up young man and the sexually frustrated Catherine fancied him. There is a story that during a dance at court he fell into her lap while trying to execute a diffi cult pirouette but that would seem to be symbolic rather than factual! Under other circumstances she might have simply taken him as a lover but the risk of unattributable pregnancy was simply too great and at some time in 1529 or 1530 they were secretly married.

T H E Q U E E N A S T R O P H Y
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    Her ladies apparently remonstrated with her for lowering herself in ‘paying any attention to a person, who, although possessing some personal accomplishments
    … had no princely or even gentle alliance’. Worst of all, he was Welsh. Catherine apparently responded that, being a French woman, she did not understand that there were racial differences within Britain. He summoned some of his more respectable kindred to speak for him – but unfortunately they knew no language but Welsh.
    Although after Catherine’s death in 1537 he was disparagingly described in a council minute as ‘Owen Tudor which dwelt with the said Catherine …’ there is no reason to doubt the reality of their marriage. Although it was recorded that
    ‘the high spirit of the Duke of Gloucester could not brook of her marriage’, it was not openly challenged at the time. Aspersions of bastardy were subsequently cast on both her sons, but that was for transparently political reasons. It was probably when she realized that she was pregnant that Catherine withdrew from court and took up residence at Much Hadham in Hertfordshire, where at some point in 1430 their eldest son, Edmund, was born.
    The Queen Mother was understandably concerned to make her position appear as respectable as possible. In 1431 she seems to have arranged for Owain’s pedigree to be presented to the parliament, presumably emphasizing his connection with the quasi-royal house of Deheubarth and in 1432 he was granted letters of denizenship. These he needed, because although he was the King’s subject, being a Welshman he was technically an alien in England and this was at a time when the Glyn Dwr revolt had left a number of anti-Welsh statutes on the record, making it (for example) illegal for a Welshman to hold land in England. By becoming a denizen, Owain became an honorary Englishman, although it is not clear that he ever held any signifi cant property in England. Over the next fi ve years Catherine must have been almost constantly pregnant because she bore Owain three more children: Jasper, who was born at another of her residences, Hatfi eld, at some time in 1432, David, who subsequently became a monk at Westminster and an unnamed daughter who seems to have died in infancy. Apart from motherhood, it is not clear how Catherine spent her time at this stage of her life. Her son, the King, seems to have regarded her with warm affection, and just a few days before her death, sent her a New Year’s gift of ‘a tablet of gold with a crucifi x, garnished with saphire’ and valued at £40.
    11 She was also much prayed for, even during her lifetime, which suggests a charitable disposition and involvement in works of piety. Towards the end of her life, and probably after she was already ill, her children were assigned to the care of a sister of the Earl of Suffolk. This was undoubtedly intended as a snub to Owain and must have caused the ailing Queen Mother considerable distress but we have no