Elizabeth Bassett (maid-of-honour)
Encyclopedia
Elizabeth Basset was an English
noblewoman who served at the court of King Henry VIII
, and was briefly jailed
for speaking against him.
Elizabeth was one of the youngest children of Sir John Bassett
and Honor Grenville
. Her siblings were: Philippa, b.1516; Katherine, b.1517; John, b.1518; Anne
, b.1521; Elizabeth; George, b.c. 1522–5; and James
, b.c. 1526–7. She was brought up by her mother and stepfather, Arthur Plantagenet
, viscount Lisle, the King's uncle. Lisle governed Calais
, the enclave
which then belonged to England but is now part of France
.
Elizabeth gained a position in the household of Anne of Cleves
, whose marriage to Henry had been annulled
. Anne was living in Hever Castle
, the old family seat of the Boleyn family. Elizabeth came to public attention at the same time that her sister was supposedly being considered as queen, when she was arrested for possible treasonous utterings. She is said to have gossiped that Catherine Howard's misdemeanours and execution were God showing Henry that his previous marriage to Anne of Cleves was valid. Elizabeth clearly had a lot of respect for her mistress. She is also said to have exclaimed, "What a man is the King! How many wives will he have?" She did not spend long in custody.
Her sister Anne Bassett
was rumoured to be a mistress of Henry VIII, who showered Anne with great gifts and kept her at court even after their stepfather was sent to the Tower of London
for treason
, for allegedly plotting to betray Calais to the French. According to another rumour, Anne was being considered for Henry's sixth wife on the eve of Queen Catherine Howard
's execution
.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
noblewoman who served at the court 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 was briefly jailed
Arrest
An arrest is the act of depriving a person of his or her liberty usually in relation to the purported investigation and prevention of crime and presenting into the criminal justice system or harm to oneself or others...
for speaking against him.
Elizabeth was one of the youngest children of Sir John Bassett
Sir John Bassett
Sir John Basset of Umberleigh in Devon and Tehidy in Cornwall, was a courtier in the reign of Henry VIII. He was married twice; firstly to Ann Denys, daughter of John Denys and secondly to Honor Grenville...
and Honor Grenville
Honor Plantagenet, Viscountess Lisle
Honor Grenville was an English lady-in-waiting during the reign of Henry VIII. Honor was the daughter of Sir Thomas Grenville of Stowe in Kilkhampton, Cornwall and his wife Isabella. She was the wife first of Sir John Bassett of Umberleigh, Devon and then second wife of Arthur Plantagenet, 1st...
. Her siblings were: Philippa, b.1516; Katherine, b.1517; John, b.1518; Anne
Anne Bassett
Anne Bassett was an English courtier of the Tudor period, whose charms attracted the attention of King Henry VIII.-Family background:Anne was born in 1521, the fourth child of Sir John Bassett and Honor...
, b.1521; Elizabeth; George, b.c. 1522–5; and James
James Bassett (clergy)
James Bassett was born in 1526 to Honor Grenville and Sir John Bassett, as the youngest son. When his father died, his mother became remarried to Arthur Plantagenet, Henry VIII's uncle. James then moved to Calais with his mother and stepfather....
, b.c. 1526–7. She was brought up by her mother and stepfather, Arthur Plantagenet
Arthur Plantagenet, 1st Viscount Lisle
Arthur Plantagenet, 1st Viscount Lisle, KG was an illegitimate son of King Edward IV of England, and an important figure at the court of Henry VIII...
, viscount Lisle, the King's uncle. Lisle governed Calais
Calais
Calais is a town in Northern France in the department of Pas-de-Calais, of which it is a sub-prefecture. Although Calais is by far the largest city in Pas-de-Calais, the department's capital is its third-largest city of Arras....
, the enclave
Enclave and exclave
In political geography, an enclave is a territory whose geographical boundaries lie entirely within the boundaries of another territory.An exclave, on the other hand, is a territory legally or politically attached to another territory with which it is not physically contiguous.These are two...
which then belonged to England but is now part of France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
.
Elizabeth gained a position in the household of Anne of Cleves
Anne of Cleves
Anne of Cleves was a German noblewoman and the fourth wife of Henry VIII of England and as such she was Queen of England from 6 January 1540 to 9 July 1540. The marriage was never consummated, and she was not crowned queen consort...
, whose marriage to Henry had been annulled
Annulment
Annulment is a legal procedure for declaring a marriage null and void. Unlike divorce, it is usually retroactive, meaning that an annulled marriage is considered to be invalid from the beginning almost as if it had never taken place...
. Anne was living in Hever Castle
Hever Castle
Hever Castle is located in the village of Hever near Edenbridge, Kent, south-east of London, England. It began as a country house, built in the 13th century...
, the old family seat of the Boleyn family. Elizabeth came to public attention at the same time that her sister was supposedly being considered as queen, when she was arrested for possible treasonous utterings. She is said to have gossiped that Catherine Howard's misdemeanours and execution were God showing Henry that his previous marriage to Anne of Cleves was valid. Elizabeth clearly had a lot of respect for her mistress. She is also said to have exclaimed, "What a man is the King! How many wives will he have?" She did not spend long in custody.
Her sister Anne Bassett
Anne Bassett
Anne Bassett was an English courtier of the Tudor period, whose charms attracted the attention of King Henry VIII.-Family background:Anne was born in 1521, the fourth child of Sir John Bassett and Honor...
was rumoured to be a mistress of Henry VIII, who showered Anne with great gifts and kept her at court even after their stepfather 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 treason
Treason
In law, treason is the crime that covers some of the more extreme acts against one's sovereign or nation. Historically, treason also covered the murder of specific social superiors, such as the murder of a husband by his wife. Treason against the king was known as high treason and treason against a...
, for allegedly plotting to betray Calais to the French. According to another rumour, Anne was being considered for Henry's sixth wife on the eve of Queen Catherine Howard
Catherine Howard
Catherine Howard , also spelled Katherine, Katheryn or Kathryn, was the fifth wife of Henry VIII of England, and sometimes known by his reference to her as his "rose without a thorn"....
's execution
Capital punishment
Capital punishment, the death penalty, or execution is the sentence of death upon a person by the state as a punishment for an offence. Crimes that can result in a death penalty are known as capital crimes or capital offences. The term capital originates from the Latin capitalis, literally...
.