Anne Calthorpe
Encyclopedia
Anne Calthorpe, Countess of Sussex (died 22 August 1579/28 March 1582), was the second wife of Henry Radcliffe, 2nd Earl of Sussex, who divorced her in 1555 on the grounds of her alleged bigamous marriage to Sir Edmund Knyvet, and her "unnatural and unkind" character.
She served as a lady-in-waiting
in the household of Queen consort Catherine Parr
, the sixth wife of King Henry VIII
, and shared her Reformed beliefs. She was implicated in the heresy
of Anne Askew
. In 1552, she was sent to the Tower of London
for having practised sorcery
and having made "treasonous prophecies".
and his second wife, Jane Blennerhassett. Anne had an older half-brother Sir Philip Calthorpe who married Jane Boleyn, paternal aunt of Queen Anne Boleyn
.
had died in 1537. He was a cousin of King Henry VIII of England
. Together Henry and Anne had three children:
She also had two stepsons, Thomas
and Henry
from her husband's first marriage.
On 27 November 1542, her husband succeeded as the 2nd Earl of Sussex, and from that date onward, she was styled Countess of Sussex. He also became the 11th Baron of FitzWalter, and the 2nd Viscount FitzWalter.
In 1543, Anne went to court as a lady-in-waiting
to Queen Catherine Parr, whose Reformed beliefs she shared. Anne was later implicated in the heresy of Anne Askew, and was one of the Queen's ladies personally named by Askew's interrogators. She was also questioned by a commission for "errors in scripture".
Anne's marriage to Radcliffe was not a success, and they differed on religious issues. Sometime between 1547 and 1549, they separated after he had expelled her from their home, accusing her of having entered into a bigamous marriage with Sir Edmund Knyvet. In a letter written by Anne to her mother, she alleged that Radcliffe had thrown her out of his house without "money, men, women, or meat, and no more than two velvet gowns".
Following the accession of Mary I
to the English throne, Anne fled to the Continent to avoid persecution for her Protestant beliefs. In her absence, Radcliffe had a Bill
introduced in Parliament
against the "adulterous living of the late Countess of Sussex". It didn't pass. The following year, Radcliffe attempted to bastardise her children with another Parliamentary Bill, but this also failed to pass despite having been read three times in the House of Commons of England
. In 1555, he tried again with yet another Bill, this time to prevent her from enjoying her dowry or jointure rights which did pass; however, he no longer sought to bastardise her children. He described Anne as having been "unnatural and unkind". They were divorced on 13 November 1555.
. The following year, a Bill of Parliament settled the matter of her jointure, and in 1559, she married secondly, Andrew Wyse, a former Royal Officer in Ireland. Their marriage is confirmed in the Patent Rolls of Chancery in Ireland.
By her second husband, Anne had two more children:
Anne, her husband and their children returned to Ireland in 1564. She died sometime between 22 August 1579 and 28 March 1582.
She served as a lady-in-waiting
Lady-in-waiting
A lady-in-waiting is a female personal assistant at a royal court, attending on a queen, a princess, or a high-ranking noblewoman. Historically, in Europe a lady-in-waiting was often a noblewoman from a family highly thought of in good society, but was of lower rank than the woman on whom she...
in the household of Queen consort Catherine Parr
Catherine Parr
Catherine Parr ; 1512 – 5 September 1548) was Queen consort of England and Ireland and the last of the six wives of King Henry VIII of England. She married Henry VIII on 12 July 1543. She was the fourth commoner Henry had taken as his consort, and outlived him...
, the sixth wife of King Henry VIII
Henry VIII of England
Henry VIII was King of England from 21 April 1509 until his death. He was Lord, and later King, of Ireland, as well as continuing the nominal claim by the English monarchs to the Kingdom of France...
, and shared her Reformed beliefs. She was implicated in the heresy
Heresy
Heresy is a controversial or novel change to a system of beliefs, especially a religion, that conflicts with established dogma. It is distinct from apostasy, which is the formal denunciation of one's religion, principles or cause, and blasphemy, which is irreverence toward religion...
of Anne Askew
Anne Askew
Anne Askew was an English poet and Protestant who was condemned as a heretic...
. In 1552, she was sent to the Tower of London
Tower of London
Her Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress, more commonly known as the Tower of London, is a historic castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London, England. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, separated from the eastern edge of the City of London by the open space...
for having practised sorcery
Sorcery
Sorcery may refer to:* Magic * Maleficium * Witchcraft* Sorcery , a video game for the PlayStation 3 utilizing the PlayStation Move* Sorcery , 1995* Sorcery , 1974...
and having made "treasonous prophecies".
Family
Anne was the daughter of Sir Philip Calthorpe of Burnham Thorpe, NorfolkNorfolk
Norfolk is a low-lying county in the East of England. It has borders with Lincolnshire to the west, Cambridgeshire to the west and southwest and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the North Sea coast and to the north-west the county is bordered by The Wash. The county...
and his second wife, Jane Blennerhassett. Anne had an older half-brother Sir Philip Calthorpe who married Jane Boleyn, paternal aunt of Queen Anne Boleyn
Anne Boleyn
Anne Boleyn ;c.1501/1507 – 19 May 1536) was Queen of England from 1533 to 1536 as the second wife of Henry VIII of England and Marquess of Pembroke in her own right. Henry's marriage to Anne, and her subsequent execution, made her a key figure in the political and religious upheaval that was the...
.
First Marriage
Sometime before 21 November 1538, she married as his second wife, Henry Radcliffe, heir to the earldom of Sussex, whose wife, Elizabeth HowardHoward (surname)
Howard is a common English language surname. Its origins are unclear. One theory is that it derived from the Norman-French personal name "Huard" or "Heward" adapting after the Norman Conquest of 1066. Another theory is that its origin may be pre 7th century Germanic from the personal name "Hughard"...
had died in 1537. He was a cousin of King Henry VIII of England
Henry VIII of England
Henry VIII was King of England from 21 April 1509 until his death. He was Lord, and later King, of Ireland, as well as continuing the nominal claim by the English monarchs to the Kingdom of France...
. Together Henry and Anne had three children:
- Egremont Radcliffe (died 1578). He took part in the Rising of the NorthRising of the NorthThe Rising of the North of 1569, also called the Revolt of the Northern Earls or Northern Rebellion, was an unsuccessful attempt by Catholic nobles from Northern England to depose Queen Elizabeth I of England and replace her with Mary, Queen of Scots.-Background:When Elizabeth I succeeded her...
; after fleeing to the Continent, he was executed in NamurNamur (city)Namur is a city and municipality in Wallonia, in southern Belgium. It is both the capital of the province of Namur and of Wallonia....
, having been accused of attempting to poison John of Austria. - Lady Maud Radcliffe (died young)
- Lady Frances RadcliffeLady Frances RadclyffeLady Frances Radclyffe was an English noblewoman, who early in the reign of Queen Elizabeth I of England became one of her Maids of Honour. It was at the royal court when Frances attracted the attention of visiting Irish chieftain Shane O'Neill, who was searching for a "proper English wife" and...
(died 1602), married Sir Thomas Mildmay, by whom she had issue. The FitzWalter baronyBaron FitzWalterBaron FitzWalter is an ancient title in the Peerage of England. It was created in 1295 for Robert FitzWalter. The title was created by writ, which means that it can descend through both male and female lines. His great-grandson, the fourth Baron, was an Admiral of the Fleet. His grandson, the...
ultimately passed to her descendants.
She also had two stepsons, Thomas
Thomas Radclyffe, 3rd Earl of Sussex
Thomas Radclyffe 3rd Earl of Sussex was Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland during the Tudor period of English history, and a leading courtier during the reign of Elizabeth I.- Family:...
and Henry
Henry Radclyffe, 4th Earl of Sussex
Henry Radclyffe, 4th Earl of Sussex, KG was an English peer.-Life:He was born in England to Henry Radclyffe, 2nd Earl of Sussex and Elizabeth Howard...
from her husband's first marriage.
On 27 November 1542, her husband succeeded as the 2nd Earl of Sussex, and from that date onward, she was styled Countess of Sussex. He also became the 11th Baron of FitzWalter, and the 2nd Viscount FitzWalter.
In 1543, Anne went to court as a lady-in-waiting
Lady-in-waiting
A lady-in-waiting is a female personal assistant at a royal court, attending on a queen, a princess, or a high-ranking noblewoman. Historically, in Europe a lady-in-waiting was often a noblewoman from a family highly thought of in good society, but was of lower rank than the woman on whom she...
to Queen Catherine Parr, whose Reformed beliefs she shared. Anne was later implicated in the heresy of Anne Askew, and was one of the Queen's ladies personally named by Askew's interrogators. She was also questioned by a commission for "errors in scripture".
Anne's marriage to Radcliffe was not a success, and they differed on religious issues. Sometime between 1547 and 1549, they separated after he had expelled her from their home, accusing her of having entered into a bigamous marriage with Sir Edmund Knyvet. In a letter written by Anne to her mother, she alleged that Radcliffe had thrown her out of his house without "money, men, women, or meat, and no more than two velvet gowns".
Imprisonment and divorce
In September 1552, Anne was sent to the Tower of London for having practised sorcery and having made "treasonous prophecies". She was released five and a half months later.Following the accession of Mary I
Mary I of England
Mary I was queen regnant of England and Ireland from July 1553 until her death.She was the only surviving child born of the ill-fated marriage of Henry VIII and his first wife Catherine of Aragon. Her younger half-brother, Edward VI, succeeded Henry in 1547...
to the English throne, Anne fled to the Continent to avoid persecution for her Protestant beliefs. In her absence, Radcliffe had a Bill
Bill (proposed law)
A bill is a proposed law under consideration by a legislature. A bill does not become law until it is passed by the legislature and, in most cases, approved by the executive. Once a bill has been enacted into law, it is called an act or a statute....
introduced in Parliament
Parliament
A parliament is a legislature, especially in those countries whose system of government is based on the Westminster system modeled after that of the United Kingdom. The name is derived from the French , the action of parler : a parlement is a discussion. The term came to mean a meeting at which...
against the "adulterous living of the late Countess of Sussex". It didn't pass. The following year, Radcliffe attempted to bastardise her children with another Parliamentary Bill, but this also failed to pass despite having been read three times in the House of Commons of England
House of Commons of England
The House of Commons of England was the lower house of the Parliament of England from its development in the 14th century to the union of England and Scotland in 1707, when it was replaced by the House of Commons of Great Britain...
. In 1555, he tried again with yet another Bill, this time to prevent her from enjoying her dowry or jointure rights which did pass; however, he no longer sought to bastardise her children. He described Anne as having been "unnatural and unkind". They were divorced on 13 November 1555.
Return to England
Shortly after Radcliffe's death in February 1557, Anne returned to England. In his will Radcliffe styled Anne as his "unkind wife". By April of that same year she was a prisoner in the FleetFleet Prison
Fleet Prison was a notorious London prison by the side of the Fleet River in London. The prison was built in 1197 and was in use until 1844. It was demolished in 1846.- History :...
. The following year, a Bill of Parliament settled the matter of her jointure, and in 1559, she married secondly, Andrew Wyse, a former Royal Officer in Ireland. Their marriage is confirmed in the Patent Rolls of Chancery in Ireland.
By her second husband, Anne had two more children:
- Elizabeth Wyse (Baptised 2 January 1560), married Alexander Fitton on 31 October 1578.
- Anthony Wyse
Anne, her husband and their children returned to Ireland in 1564. She died sometime between 22 August 1579 and 28 March 1582.