Mary Percy, Countess of Northumberland
Encyclopedia
Mary Percy Countess of Northumberland (died 16 April 1572) was a courtier and noblewoman during the reign of Henry VIII of England
. She was the daughter of George Talbot, 4th Earl of Shrewsbury
. Her husband, Henry Percy, 6th Earl of Northumberland
, had wished to marry Anne Boleyn
instead of her.
. Her paternal grandparents were John Talbot, 3rd Earl of Shrewsbury
and Catherine Stafford, daughter of Humphrey Stafford, 1st Duke of Buckingham
and Anne Neville. Her maternal grandparents were William Hastings, 1st Baron Hastings
and Katherine Neville
, a younger sister of Richard Neville, 16th Earl of Warwick
.
to Queen Catherine of Aragon
. He naturally did not wish to marry Mary. It was Cardinal Thomas Wolsey who was responsible for breaking up the affair between Henry and Anne, reminding Henry of his precontract with Mary Talbot, who he had been betrothed to from 1516. After Henry's father, the 5th Earl of Northumberland, was quickly summoned to the English court and apprised of the situation, he took Henry Percy home to Alnwick Castle
in Northumberland
. The date of the marriage is debated, with estimates made between September 1523 and August 1525 or August 1526 It seems to have been an unhappy marriage from the start.
Henry succeeded his father as the 6th Earl on 19 May 1527, and Mary was henceforth styled as the Countess of Northumberland. The marriage, however, was unhappy, and they had no children. In June 1532, Mary sought an annulment, on the grounds that her husband had a precontract with Anne Boleyn. Percy was questioned by Henry VIII and the petition was thrown out by Parliament; the Percys remained married.
Mary died on 16 April 1572, Henry Percy having died many years before on 30 January 1537. In later life, though she had had a grant of abbey lands from the Dissolution of the Monasteries
, she was suspect: of being a Roman Catholic, a favourer of Mary Queen of Scots, and of hearing mass in her house. She was buried in Sheffield
church.
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...
. She was the daughter of George Talbot, 4th Earl of Shrewsbury
George Talbot, 4th Earl of Shrewsbury
George Talbot, 4th Earl of Shrewsbury, 4th Earl of Waterford, 10th Baron Talbot, 9th Baron Furnivall, KG was the son of John Talbot, 3rd Earl of Shrewsbury and Lady Catherine Stafford, daughter of the 1st Duke of Buckingham....
. Her husband, Henry Percy, 6th Earl of Northumberland
Henry Percy, 6th Earl of Northumberland
Henry Percy, 6th Earl of Northumberland, KG was an English nobleman, active as a military officer in the north. He is now primarily remembered as the betrothed of Anne Boleyn, whom he was forced to give up before she became involved with King Henry VIII.-Early life:He was eldest son of Henry...
, had wished to marry 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...
instead of her.
Family
Lady Mary Talbot was one of the eleven children of George Talbot, 4th Earl of Shrewsbury and his first wife, Anne HastingsAnne Hastings, Countess of Shrewsbury
Anne Hastings, Countess of Shrewsbury was an English noblewoman who served as a lady-in-waiting to Queen consort Catherine of Aragon, the first wife of King Henry VIII of England. Anne was the first wife of George Talbot, 4th Earl of Shrewsbury, by whom she had 11 children...
. Her paternal grandparents were John Talbot, 3rd Earl of Shrewsbury
John Talbot, 3rd Earl of Shrewsbury
John Talbot, 3rd Earl of Shrewsbury, 3rd Earl of Waterford, 9th Baron Talbot, KG was an English nobleman. He was the son of John Talbot, 2nd Earl of Shrewsbury and Elizabeth Butler....
and Catherine Stafford, daughter of Humphrey Stafford, 1st Duke of Buckingham
Humphrey Stafford, 1st Duke of Buckingham
Humphrey Stafford, 1st Duke of Buckingham KG , an English nobleman, great grandson of King Edward III on his mother's side, was best known as a military commander in the Hundred Years' War and in the Wars of the Roses....
and Anne Neville. Her maternal grandparents were William Hastings, 1st Baron Hastings
William Hastings, 1st Baron Hastings
William Hastings, 1st Baron Hastings KG was an English nobleman. A follower of the House of York, he became a close friend and the most important courtier of King Edward IV, whom he served as Lord Chamberlain...
and Katherine Neville
Katherine Neville, Baroness Hastings
Katherine Neville, Baroness Hastings , was a noblewoman and a member of the powerful Neville family of northern England...
, a younger sister of Richard Neville, 16th Earl of Warwick
Richard Neville, 16th Earl of Warwick
Richard Neville KG, jure uxoris 16th Earl of Warwick and suo jure 6th Earl of Salisbury and 8th and 5th Baron Montacute , known as Warwick the Kingmaker, was an English nobleman, administrator, and military commander...
.
Marriage
In January 1524, Lady Mary was forced to marry Henry Percy, heir to the earldom of Northumberland, who had fallen deeply in love with Anne Boleyn, then a lady-in-waitingLady-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 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...
. He naturally did not wish to marry Mary. It was Cardinal Thomas Wolsey who was responsible for breaking up the affair between Henry and Anne, reminding Henry of his precontract with Mary Talbot, who he had been betrothed to from 1516. After Henry's father, the 5th Earl of Northumberland, was quickly summoned to the English court and apprised of the situation, he took Henry Percy home to Alnwick Castle
Alnwick Castle
Alnwick Castle is a castle and stately home in the town of the same name in the English county of Northumberland. It is the residence of the Duke of Northumberland, built following the Norman conquest, and renovated and remodelled a number of times. It is a Grade I listed building.-History:Alnwick...
in Northumberland
Northumberland
Northumberland is the northernmost ceremonial county and a unitary district in North East England. For Eurostat purposes Northumberland is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three boroughs or unitary districts that comprise the "Northumberland and Tyne and Wear" NUTS 2 region...
. The date of the marriage is debated, with estimates made between September 1523 and August 1525 or August 1526 It seems to have been an unhappy marriage from the start.
Henry succeeded his father as the 6th Earl on 19 May 1527, and Mary was henceforth styled as the Countess of Northumberland. The marriage, however, was unhappy, and they had no children. In June 1532, Mary sought an annulment, on the grounds that her husband had a precontract with Anne Boleyn. Percy was questioned by Henry VIII and the petition was thrown out by Parliament; the Percys remained married.
Mary died on 16 April 1572, Henry Percy having died many years before on 30 January 1537. In later life, though she had had a grant of abbey lands from the Dissolution of the Monasteries
Dissolution of the Monasteries
The Dissolution of the Monasteries, sometimes referred to as the Suppression of the Monasteries, was the set of administrative and legal processes between 1536 and 1541 by which Henry VIII disbanded monasteries, priories, convents and friaries in England, Wales and Ireland; appropriated their...
, she was suspect: of being a Roman Catholic, a favourer of Mary Queen of Scots, and of hearing mass in her house. She was buried in Sheffield
Sheffield
Sheffield is a city and metropolitan borough of South Yorkshire, England. Its name derives from the River Sheaf, which runs through the city. Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, and with some of its southern suburbs annexed from Derbyshire, the city has grown from its largely...
church.