John Norreys (Usher of the Chamber)
Encyclopedia
Sir John Norreys was an important member of the English court during the reign of the House of Tudor
.
, John was the eldest son of Sir Edward Norreys (d. 1487) and Frideswide Lovell, sister and heiress of Lord Lovell
. He was named after his great grandfather Sir John Norreys, who had established this branch of the Norreys
family as extensive landowners in the county of Berkshire
. The Norreys
family members often held positions of importantance at the English court.
John's father Edward, the eldest son and heir of Sir William Norreys, had taken part in the Battle of Stoke Field
in 1487, dying shortly afterwards. John was then his grandfather's heir, and succeeded to the Norreys
family estates upon the old man's death in 1507. The estates included major residences such as Yattendon Castle
and Ockwells
and minor lands like Norreys Manor
in Wokingham
.
in unknown circumstances. He was fined 1,000 marks and had to surrender Ockwells
. In return by his brother, Henry
, obtained a pardon for him. His uncle, Sir Thomas Fettiplace
, took possession of Ockwells.
, whose family was as important in England
as the Norreys
family. Elizabeth's brother, Edmund Braye
(d. 1539), was the 1st Baron Braye
, a title created for him in 1529. Her brother, Edward Braye (d. 1558), was a Member of Parliament
. The couple was childless.
of the body of King Henry VII
, and later the usher
of the outer chamber to both King Henry VIII
and King Edward VI
. Described as "a rank papist
", he was later promoted to be chief usher of the privy chamber
to Queen Mary Tudor
. He retired to Ashampstead
upon the accession of Queen Elizabeth
.
In 1520, John entertained King Henry VIII
, his Queen Catherine of Aragon
, and the lady-in-waiting, Anne Boleyn
, at Yattendon Castle
.
, was beheaded
in 1536 for his supposed adultery
with the queen, Anne Boleyn
, John and his wife, Elizabeth, took over the care of Henry's orphaned children Henry
and Mary. Having no children of his own, John was licensed to settle his estates in reversion on his nephew in December 1542.
Tudor dynasty
The Tudor dynasty or House of Tudor was a European royal house of Welsh origin that ruled the Kingdom of England and its realms, including the Lordship of Ireland, later the Kingdom of Ireland, from 1485 until 1603. Its first monarch was Henry Tudor, a descendant through his mother of a legitimised...
.
Family
Probably born at Yattendon CastleYattendon Castle
Yattendon Castle was a fortified manor house located in the civil parish of Yattendon, in the hundred of Faircross, in the English county of Berkshire.-History:...
, John was the eldest son of Sir Edward Norreys (d. 1487) and Frideswide Lovell, sister and heiress of Lord Lovell
Francis Lovell, 1st Viscount Lovell
Francis Lovell, 9th Baron Lovell, 6th Baron Holand, later 1st Viscount Lovell was an English nobleman. He probably knew the later King Richard III of England from a young age, and was to become his lifelong friend and staunch ally....
. He was named after his great grandfather Sir John Norreys, who had established this branch of the Norreys
Norreys
Norreys may refer to various members of, or estates belonging to, a landed family chiefly seated in the English counties of Berkshire and Lancashire and the Irish county of Cork....
family as extensive landowners in the county of Berkshire
Berkshire
Berkshire is a historic county in the South of England. It is also often referred to as the Royal County of Berkshire because of the presence of the royal residence of Windsor Castle in the county; this usage, which dates to the 19th century at least, was recognised by the Queen in 1957, and...
. The Norreys
Norreys
Norreys may refer to various members of, or estates belonging to, a landed family chiefly seated in the English counties of Berkshire and Lancashire and the Irish county of Cork....
family members often held positions of importantance at the English court.
John's father Edward, the eldest son and heir of Sir William Norreys, had taken part in the Battle of Stoke Field
Battle of Stoke Field
The Battle of Stoke Field may be considered the last battle of the Wars of the Roses, since it was to be the last engagement in which a Lancastrian king faced an army of Yorkist supporters, under the pretender Lambert Simnel...
in 1487, dying shortly afterwards. John was then his grandfather's heir, and succeeded to the Norreys
Norreys
Norreys may refer to various members of, or estates belonging to, a landed family chiefly seated in the English counties of Berkshire and Lancashire and the Irish county of Cork....
family estates upon the old man's death in 1507. The estates included major residences such as Yattendon Castle
Yattendon Castle
Yattendon Castle was a fortified manor house located in the civil parish of Yattendon, in the hundred of Faircross, in the English county of Berkshire.-History:...
and Ockwells
Ockwells
Ockwells Manor is a timber-framed 15th century manor house in the civil parish of Cox Green, adjoining Maidenhead, in the English county of Berkshire. It was previously in the parish of Bray....
and minor lands like Norreys Manor
Norreys Estate
The Norreys Estate is a housing estate, part of the Dowlesgreen area of Wokingham in the English county of Berkshire, situated just east of the town centre....
in Wokingham
Wokingham
Wokingham is a market town and civil parish in Berkshire in South East England about west of central London. It is about east-southeast of Reading and west of Bracknell. It spans an area of and, according to the 2001 census, has a population of 30,403...
.
Murderer
In 1517, John murdered one John Enhold of NettlebedNettlebed
Nettlebed is a village in England in the Chiltern Hills about northwest of Henley-on-Thames in Oxfordshire and southeast of Wallingford.-History:Archaeological finds show that the area around Nettlebed has been inhabited since Palaeolithic times....
in unknown circumstances. He was fined 1,000 marks and had to surrender Ockwells
Ockwells
Ockwells Manor is a timber-framed 15th century manor house in the civil parish of Cox Green, adjoining Maidenhead, in the English county of Berkshire. It was previously in the parish of Bray....
. In return by his brother, Henry
Sir Henry Norreys
Sir Henry Norris was a groom of the stool in the privy chamber of King Henry VIII. While a close servant of the King he also supported the faction in court led by Queen Anne Boleyn, and when Anne fell out of favour he was among those accused of adultery with her. He was found guilty of treason and...
, obtained a pardon for him. His uncle, Sir Thomas Fettiplace
Fettiplace
Fettiplace is an English family name of Norman descent, with at least 800 years of history. They were landed gentry, chiefly in the counties of Berkshire and Oxfordshire.-Origin:...
, took possession of Ockwells.
Marriage
John married Elizabeth Braye (born c. 1490), daughter of John Braye of Eaton BrayEaton Bray, Bedfordshire
Eaton Bray is a village and civil parish in the English county of Bedfordshire. It is part of a semi-rural area which crosses into the parish of Edlesborough in Buckinghamshire and is around one mile from the Bedfordshire village of Totternhoe....
, whose family was as important in England
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...
as the Norreys
Norreys
Norreys may refer to various members of, or estates belonging to, a landed family chiefly seated in the English counties of Berkshire and Lancashire and the Irish county of Cork....
family. Elizabeth's brother, Edmund Braye
Edmund Braye, 1st Baron Braye
Edmund Braye , 1st Baron Braye , was an English peer.Edmund Braye was the son of John Braye of Eaton Bray in Bedfordshire and the older brother of Sir Edward Braye....
(d. 1539), was the 1st Baron Braye
Baron Braye
Baron Braye, of Eaton Bray in the County of Bedford, is a title in the Peerage of England. It was created in 1529 for Sir Edmund Braye. The barony was created by writ, which means that it can descend through both male and female lines. He was succeeded by his son, the second Baron. He died from...
, a title created for him in 1529. Her brother, Edward Braye (d. 1558), was a Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
. The couple was childless.
Royal associations
John rose in favour at Court, perhaps with the help of his mother, and became the EsquireEsquire
Esquire is a term of West European origin . Depending on the country, the term has different meanings...
of the body of King Henry VII
Henry VII of England
Henry VII was King of England and Lord of Ireland from his seizing the crown on 22 August 1485 until his death on 21 April 1509, as the first monarch of the House of Tudor....
, and later the usher
Gentleman Usher
Gentleman Usher is a title for some officers of the Royal Household of the United Kingdom. See List of Gentlemen Ushers for a list of office-holders.-Historical:...
of the outer chamber to both 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 King Edward VI
Edward VI of England
Edward VI was the King of England and Ireland from 28 January 1547 until his death. He was crowned on 20 February at the age of nine. The son of Henry VIII and Jane Seymour, Edward was the third monarch of the Tudor dynasty and England's first monarch who was raised as a Protestant...
. Described as "a rank papist
Papist
Papist is a term or an anti-Catholic slur, referring to the Roman Catholic Church, its teachings, practices, or adherents. The term was coined during the English Reformation to denote a person whose loyalties were to the Pope, rather than to the Church of England...
", he was later promoted to be chief usher of the privy chamber
Privy chamber
A Privy chamber was the private apartment of a royal residence in England. The gentlemen of the Privy chamber were servants to the Crown who would wait and attend on the King and Queen at court during their various activities, functions and entertainments....
to Queen Mary Tudor
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...
. He retired to Ashampstead
Ashampstead
Ashampstead is a small village and civil parish in the rural area between Reading, Newbury and Streatley in Berkshire. The parish population is about 400, occupying some 150 dwellings.-History:...
upon the accession of Queen Elizabeth
Elizabeth I of England
Elizabeth I was queen regnant of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death. Sometimes called The Virgin Queen, Gloriana, or Good Queen Bess, Elizabeth was the fifth and last monarch of the Tudor dynasty...
.
In 1520, John entertained 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...
, his Queen Catherine of Aragon
Catherine of Aragon
Catherine of Aragon , also known as Katherine or Katharine, was Queen consort of England as the first wife of King Henry VIII of England and Princess of Wales as the wife to Arthur, Prince of Wales...
, and the lady-in-waiting, 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...
, at Yattendon Castle
Yattendon Castle
Yattendon Castle was a fortified manor house located in the civil parish of Yattendon, in the hundred of Faircross, in the English county of Berkshire.-History:...
.
Later life
When John's younger brother, Sir Henry NorreysSir Henry Norreys
Sir Henry Norris was a groom of the stool in the privy chamber of King Henry VIII. While a close servant of the King he also supported the faction in court led by Queen Anne Boleyn, and when Anne fell out of favour he was among those accused of adultery with her. He was found guilty of treason and...
, was beheaded
Decapitation
Decapitation is the separation of the head from the body. Beheading typically refers to the act of intentional decapitation, e.g., as a means of murder or execution; it may be accomplished, for example, with an axe, sword, knife, wire, or by other more sophisticated means such as a guillotine...
in 1536 for his supposed adultery
Adultery
Adultery is sexual infidelity to one's spouse, and is a form of extramarital sex. It originally referred only to sex between a woman who was married and a person other than her spouse. Even in cases of separation from one's spouse, an extramarital affair is still considered adultery.Adultery is...
with the 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...
, John and his wife, Elizabeth, took over the care of Henry's orphaned children Henry
Henry Norris, 1st Baron Norreys
Henry Norris , Baron Norris belonged to an old Berkshire family, many members of which had held positions at the English court. He was the son of Sir Henry Norreys, who was beheaded for his supposed adultery with Queen Anne Boleyn, and Mary Fiennes Henry Norris (or Norreys), Baron Norris (15257...
and Mary. Having no children of his own, John was licensed to settle his estates in reversion on his nephew in December 1542.