CATHERINE

See also:

• HOWARD (FAMILY)
• CATHERINE HOWARD (d. 1542)
• HOWARD, JOHN (1726-1790)
• HOWARD, LORD WILLIAM (1563–1640)
• HOWARD, OLIVER OTIS (1830-19o9)
• HOWARD, SIR ROBERT (1626–1698)

HOWARD (d. 1542)  , the fifth queen of Henry VIII.. was a daughter of Lord Edmund Howard and a grand-daughter of Thomas Howard, 2nd duke of Norfolk @1 . 1524) . Her father was very poor, and Catherine lived mainly with Agnes, widow of the 2nd duke of Norfolk, meeting the king at the house of Stephen Gardiner, bishop of Winchester . Henry was evidently charmed by her; the Roman Catholic party, who disliked the marriage with Anne of Cleves, encouraged his attentions; and after Anne's divorce he was privately married to Catherine at Oatlands in July 154o . Soon afterwards she was publicly acknowledged as queen . Before her marriage Catherine had had several lovers, among them being a musician, Henry Mannock, or Manox; her cousin, Thomas Culpepper; And Francis Dereham, to whom she had certainly been betrothed . After becoming queen she occasionally met Dereham and Culpepper, and in November 1541 Archbishop Cranmer informed Henry that his queen's past life had not been stainless . Cranmer had obtained his knowledge indirectly from an old servant of the duchess of Norfolk . Dereham confessed to his relations with Catherine, and after some denials the queen herself admitted that this was true; but denied that she had ever been betrothed to Dereham, or that she had misconducted herself since her marriage . Dereham and Culpepper were executed in December 1541 and their accomplices were punished, but Catherine was released from prison . Some fresh information, however, very soon came to light showing that she had been unchaste since her marriage; a bill of attainder was passed through parliament, and on the 13th of February 1 542 the queen was beheaded . See A .

Strickland, Lives of the Queens of England (vol. iii . 1877) .