Francis Dereham
Encyclopedia
Francis Dereham was a Tudor courtier whose involvement with Henry VIII's
fifth Queen, Catherine Howard
, in her youth was a principal cause of the Queen's execution.
in Norfolk
, and Isabell, the daughter of John Paynell, of Boothby
in Lincolnshire
. He is known for his sexual indiscretions with Queen Catherine Howard
, fifth wife of King Henry VIII of England
. Their affair began late in 1538, and lasted until Catherine was made lady-in-waiting
to the King's fourth wife, Anne of Cleves
. Dereham was appointed a secretary at Hampton Court, an appointment possibly engineered by Dowager Duchess of Norfolk, to silence him about Catherine's previous indiscretions. When their past relationship was brought to the attention of Archbishop Thomas Cranmer
by a member of the dowager Duchess's household, he reported them to the King in a letter, provoking an investigation which resulted in the arrests of the dowager Duchess of Norfolk, her son William Howard, 1st Lord Howard of Effingham, Thomas Culpeper
and Queen Catherine herself.
Under interrogation, Dereham admitted a pre-marital relationship with Catherine, but claimed that they were never intimate after Catherine's marriage to the King. Furthermore, he claimed that he had been supplanted in her affections by Culpeper. Any incriminating documents are thought to have been burned by the Dowager Duchess, as it is documented that she raided Dereham's coffers and destroyed letters. However, Cranmer was faced with the rumours of a pre-contract of marriage between Dereham and Catherine, which was effectively as binding as marriage itself, especially if the couple sealed the agreement with sexual relations. If this was true (there is no evidence to either prove nor disprove the allegation), Catherine's marriage to Henry would have been unlawful. A supposed love letter from Catherine to Culpeper had been discovered, sealing her fate and all those implicated.
Dereham died a traitor's death at the Tyburn
, being hanged, drawn and quartered
. Culpeper also died at Tyburn, but as he had been favoured by the King before his affair with Catherine, his sentence was commuted to beheading. Catherine was beheaded at the Tower of London
on 13 February 1542. The Dowager Duchess was eventually released.
In a confession, in the form of a letter of 7 November 1541 to the King, Catherine wrote the following regarding her relationship with Dereham:
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...
fifth 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"....
, in her youth was a principal cause of the Queen's execution.
Life
Francis Dereham was the son of John (Thomas) Derham, of CrimpleshamCrimplesham
Crimplesham is a village and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk. It is situated 4 km west of the small town of Downham Market, 20 km south of the larger town of King's Lynn, and 60 km west of the city of Norwich....
in Norfolk
Norfolk
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 Isabell, the daughter of John Paynell, of Boothby
Boothby Graffoe
Boothby Graffoe is a village and civil parish in the North Kesteven district of Lincolnshire, England. It lies approximately 7 miles south of Lincoln, on A607 . It's population is approximately 400....
in Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire is a county in the east of England. It borders Norfolk to the south east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south west, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire to the west, South Yorkshire to the north west, and the East Riding of Yorkshire to the north. It also borders...
. He is known for his sexual indiscretions with 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"....
, fifth wife 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...
. Their affair began late in 1538, and lasted until Catherine was made 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 the King's fourth wife, 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...
. Dereham was appointed a secretary at Hampton Court, an appointment possibly engineered by Dowager Duchess of Norfolk, to silence him about Catherine's previous indiscretions. When their past relationship was brought to the attention of Archbishop Thomas Cranmer
Thomas Cranmer
Thomas Cranmer was a leader of the English Reformation and Archbishop of Canterbury during the reigns of Henry VIII, Edward VI and, for a short time, Mary I. He helped build a favourable case for Henry's divorce from Catherine of Aragon which resulted in the separation of the English Church from...
by a member of the dowager Duchess's household, he reported them to the King in a letter, provoking an investigation which resulted in the arrests of the dowager Duchess of Norfolk, her son William Howard, 1st Lord Howard of Effingham, Thomas Culpeper
Thomas Culpeper
Sir Thomas Culpeper was a courtier of Henry VIII and the lover of Henry's fifth queen, Catherine Howard. He was born to Alexander Culpeper of Bedgebury, to the south of Maidstone in Kent, and his second wife, Constance Harper. He was the middle child and his older brother, also named Thomas, was a...
and Queen Catherine herself.
Under interrogation, Dereham admitted a pre-marital relationship with Catherine, but claimed that they were never intimate after Catherine's marriage to the King. Furthermore, he claimed that he had been supplanted in her affections by Culpeper. Any incriminating documents are thought to have been burned by the Dowager Duchess, as it is documented that she raided Dereham's coffers and destroyed letters. However, Cranmer was faced with the rumours of a pre-contract of marriage between Dereham and Catherine, which was effectively as binding as marriage itself, especially if the couple sealed the agreement with sexual relations. If this was true (there is no evidence to either prove nor disprove the allegation), Catherine's marriage to Henry would have been unlawful. A supposed love letter from Catherine to Culpeper had been discovered, sealing her fate and all those implicated.
Dereham died a traitor's death at the Tyburn
Tyburn
Tyburn is a former village just outside the then boundaries of London that was best known as a place of public execution.Tyburn may also refer to:* Tyburn , river and historical water source in London...
, being hanged, drawn and quartered
Hanged, drawn and quartered
To be hanged, drawn and quartered was from 1351 a penalty in England for men convicted of high treason, although the ritual was first recorded during the reigns of King Henry III and his successor, Edward I...
. Culpeper also died at Tyburn, but as he had been favoured by the King before his affair with Catherine, his sentence was commuted to beheading. Catherine was beheaded at 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...
on 13 February 1542. The Dowager Duchess was eventually released.
In a confession, in the form of a letter of 7 November 1541 to the King, Catherine wrote the following regarding her relationship with Dereham:
- …Francis Derehem by many persuasions procured me to his vicious purpose, and obtained first to lie upon my bed with his doubletDoublet (clothing)A doublet is a man's snug-fitting buttoned jacket that is fitted and shaped to the man's body which was worn in Western Europe from the Middle Ages through to the mid-17th century. The doublet was hip length or waist length and worn over the shirt or drawers. Until the end of the 15th century the...
and hoseHose (clothing)Hose are any of various styles of men's clothing for the legs and lower body, worn from the Middle Ages through the 17th century, when the term fell out of use in favor of breeches and stockings. The old plural form of "hose" was hosen...
, and after within the bed, and finally he lay with me naked, and used me in such sort as a man doth his wife, many and sundry times, and our company ended almost a year before the King's Majesty was married to my Lady Anne of ClevesAnne of ClevesAnne 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...
[Henry's preceding wife] and continued not past one quarter of a year, or a little above…