Mary Howard, Duchess of Richmond

Mary Howard, the daughter of Thomas Howard, 3rd Duke of Norfolk and Elizabeth Stafford Howard, was born in 1519. She spent her childhood in Norfolk and at the age of ten arrangements were being made for her to marry the son of John de Vere, 15th Earl of Oxford, when Henry VIII proposed that Mary married his illegitimate son, Henry FitzRoy. (1)

It has been claimed by Alison Weir, the author of The Six Wives of Henry VIII (2007), that the marriage had been arranged by Anne Boleyn in an effort to gain the support of the Duke of Norfolk. (2) Beverley A Murphy has argued that Mary was close to Boleyn and like her brother, Henry Howard, "embraced the changes in religion". (3)

Mary Howard and Henry FitzRoy, Duke of Richmond, were both fourteen-years-old when they married on 26th November 1533. Their marriage was never consummated. It has been suggested by Antonia Fraser that " no doubt it was thought that the act would prove too taxing" for a young man in poor health. (4)

Henry VIII continued to use his son for diplomatic mission and hosted various feasts in honour of important foreign visitors. Henry was also present at the execution of the Observant Friars of Richmond when two carts full of friars were hanged, drawn and quartered for denying the royal supremacy. He was also at the execution of Anne Boleyn on 19th May 1536. This was taken as a sign of royal approval in these events. (5)

Death of Henry FitzRoy

Henry died suddenly on 22nd July 1536. Some historians have argued that he had been in poor health for sometime and died of tuberculosis. (6) Others disagree with this interpretation and Philippa Jones has suggested "the secrecy and speed of his burial might be due to the fact that he died, or was suspected of having died of pneumonic plague". She adds that the "main symptoms of this are fever, headache, weakness and rapidly developing pneumonia with shortness of breath, chest pain and coughing, all symptoms that Richmond showed before his death". (7)

Kelly Hart claims that Henry was inconsolable on his death and ordered the quick and private funeral because he wanted his "dead son's corpse taken far away from him". (8) Beverley A Murphy admits that it seems the intention was to attract as little notice as possible to the death. The wooden coffin was hidden in straw and taken in secret to be quietly laid to rest some distance from the capital and he was buried at Thetford Priory. (9)

The author of The Other Tudors: Henry VIII's Mistresses and Bastards (2010) puts forward another possibility. Did Henry VIII discover that Henry FitzRoy was involved in a conspiracy against him. "It would not be the first time an heir decided not to wait for his inheritance, and the affair could have been triggered by Jane Seymour's pregnancy. A living, lawful male child would have put Richmond firmly out of contention for the throne." Further support for this theory comes from the Pilgrimage of Grace uprising that took place two months later. "Would he have supported this action, had he been alive? Did Henry believe his son had been actively involved in this disturbance? Certainly supporters of the revolt came from South Kyme, Tailboys lands, and the leaders included Bessie Blount's son-in-law, Robert Dymoke, and Richmond's servants, Sir John Russell and Sir William Parr." (10)

After her husband's death. Mary Howard retired to Kenninghall, but the king refused to acknowledge her rights. It has been argued that the reason for this concerned Henry's relationship with other members of the family, including her father, Thomas Howard, 3rd Duke of Norfolk, and brother, Henry Howard. It was not until the Howards' return to favour in 1539 did she receive the first of a number of grants, which by 1540 assured her of a jointure worth over £700 a year. In the interim she incurred numerous debts, being forced to sell her jewels in an attempt to make ends meet. (11)

Mary Howard & Catherine Howard

Mary Howard returned to court following Henry VIII's marriage to Catherine Howard on 28th July 1540. However, she was dismissed from this post after Queen Catherine was found guilty of having sexual relationships with Thomas Culpeper and Francis Dereham and was executed on 13th February, 1542. (12)

Attempts were made by Mary's father to persuade her to marry Thomas Seymour, the younger brother of Jane Seymour. This was part of a "Triple Alliance" which also involved the offspring of Edward Seymour. However, she rejected the match and "remained determined to secure recognition of her status as dowager duchess of Richmond". (13)

Execution of Henry Howard

On 2nd December 1546, Richard Southwell came forward with evidence that Mary's brother, Henry Howard, was involved in a conspiracy against Henry VIII. Howard was arrested and held at Ely Place, where he was interviewed by Thomas Wriothesley. After several days of strongly denying his guilt he was taken to the Tower of London.

At his trial at the Guildhall on 13th January he pleaded not guilty and defended himself throughout a whole day. Evidence against him was given by former friends such as Edward Warner, Edmund Knyvet, Gawain Carew, Edward Rogers. David Starkey suggests that his friends thought "his tempestuous temperament unsuited him for power: he was fun as a friend; he would be deadly as a ruler." (14)

Henry Howard wrote to Henry VIII begging for mercy. He admitted that he was guilty of high treason for having worn the arms of Edward the Confessor in the first quarter of his coat-of-arms ever since his father died in 1524. He was sentenced him to be hanged, drawn and quartered. The King commuted the sentence to beheading and he was executed on Tower Hill on 19th January 1547. (15)

Death of Mary Howard

Mary Howard found life under Edward VI more comfortable. As a member of a staunchly Catholic family, her enthusiasm for the protestant faith was sometimes regarded with caution, but her patronage of John Bale suggests she was a willing convert. Mary was responsible for the education of her brother's children and appointed John Foxe. as their tutor. (16)

Mary Howard, Duchess of Richmond, died in December 1555.

Primary Sources

(1) Beverley A Murphy, Mary Howard : Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (2004-2014)

Under Edward VI, Mary continued to petition the council without success. As a Howard, a member of a staunchly Catholic family, her enthusiasm for the protestant faith was sometimes regarded with caution, but her patronage of John Foxe and John Bale suggests she was a willing convert. From 1548 she undertook the upbringing of Surrey's children, engaging John Foxe as tutor. After Queen Mary's accession in 1553 Mary Fitzroy maintained a tactful distance from court.