| Notes |
- Elizabeth Tilney was born at Ashwellthorpe Hall sometime abt 1446, the only child of Sir Frederick Tilney, of Ashwellthorpe, Norfolk, and Boston, Lincolnshire, and Elizabeth Cheney (1422–1473) of Fen Ditton, Cambridgeshire. Sir Frederick Tilney died before 1447, and before 1449 Elizabeth's mother married as her second husband Sir John Say of Broxbourne, Hertfordshire, Speaker of the House of Commons, by whom she had three sons, Sir William, Sir Thomas and Leonard, and four daughters, Anne (wife of Sir Henry Wentworth of Nettlestead, Suffolk), Elizabeth (wife of Thomas Sampson), Katherine (wife of Thomas Bassingbourne), and Mary (wife of Sir Philip Calthorpe).[2] A fifth daughter died as a young child. Henry VIII's third queen consort, Jane Seymour, was the granddaughter of Henry Wentworth and Anne Say,[3] and thus a second cousin to Henry VIII's second and fifth queens consort, Anne Boleyn and Katherine Howard.[4]
Elizabeth's paternal grandparents were Sir Philip Tilney and Isabel Thorpe, and her maternal grandparents were Sir Laurence Cheney of Fen Ditton and Elizabeth Cockayne, widow of Sir Philip Butler. Elizabeth Cockayne was the daughter of Sir John Cockayne, Chief Baron of the Exchequer and Ida de Grey. Ida was a daughter of Welsh Marcher Lord Reginald Grey, 2nd Baron Grey de Ruthyn and Eleanor Le Strange of Blackmere.[5] Through her mother, Ida was a direct descendant of Welsh Prince Gruffydd II ap Madog, Lord of Dinas Bran and his wife Emma de Audley.
Elizabeth was co-heiress to the manors of Fisherwick and Shelfield in Walsall, Staffordshire by right of her descent from Roger Hillary, Chief Justice of the Common Pleas (d. 1356).[6]
She served as a lady-in-waiting to Queen consort Elizabeth Woodville, and later as Lady of the Bedchamber to the Queen's daughter, Elizabeth of York, consort of King Henry VII of England.
The Battle of Barnet where Elizabeth's first husband Sir Humphrey Bourchier was slain
Marriages[edit]
Elizabeth married her first husband, Sir Humphrey Bourchier, the son and heir of John Bourchier, 1st Baron Berners, and his wife Margery, in about 1466. The marriage produced a son, John Bourchier, 2nd Baron Berners and two daughters. Following her marriage, Elizabeth went to court where she served as lady-in-waiting to Queen consort Elizabeth Woodville, whose train she had carried at the latter's coronation in May 1465 at Westminster Abbey. Elizabeth accompanied the queen and her children into sanctuary at Westminster Abbey when King Edward IV had been ousted from the throne, and was present at the birth of the future King Edward V. She remained with the queen until Edward IV was restored to power.
Sir Humphrey was killed at the Battle of Barnet on 14 April 1471 fighting on the Yorkist side.[7] On 30 April 1472 Elizabeth married Thomas Howard, future Earl of Surrey,[8] a marriage arranged by the King.[9] In 1475, Elizabeth inherited her father's property of Ashwellthorpe Manor.[10] Her second husband was a close friend and companion of Richard, Duke of Gloucester who was crowned king in 1483. Elizabeth was one of Anne Neville's attendants at Richard's coronation, while her husband bore the Sword of State.[11] On 22 August 1485 Thomas's father John Howard, 1st Duke of Norfolk was killed at the Battle of Bosworth while fighting for Richard III; like his son, John was also one of King Richard's dearest friends.[12] Thomas Howard was wounded at Bosworth and imprisoned in the Tower for several years, and the dukedom of Norfolk was forfeited. Elizabeth was fortunate that Thomas' attainder stipulated that she would not lose her own inheritance. On 3 October 1485, she wrote to John Paston, who was married to her cousin. The letter, which she had written from the Isle of Sheppey, mentioned how she had wished to send her children to Thorpe, pointing out that Paston had pledged to send her horses as a means of transporting them there. She continued to complain that Lord FitzWalter, an adherent of the new king Henry VII, had dismissed all of her servants; however, because of the stipulations in her husband's attainder, FitzWalter was unable to appropriate her manor of Askwell.[13] In December 1485 she was living in London, near St Katharine's by the Tower, which placed her in the vicinity of her incarcerated husband.[14]
After Thomas was released from prison and his earldom and estates were restored to him, he entered the service of Henry VII. In November 1487, Thomas and Elizabeth attended the coronation of Henry's consort Elizabeth of York, who appointed Elizabeth a Lady of the Bedchamber. Elizabeth was further honoured by being asked to stand as joint godmother to the Princess Margaret Tudor at her baptism in late 1489.
Her second marriage produced eleven children, including Thomas Howard, 3rd Duke of Norfolk, Elizabeth Howard, mother of Anne Boleyn, and Lord Edmund Howard, father of Katherine Howard.
Surrey, Elizabeth Tilney, Countess of – (1448 – 1497)
English Plantagenet and Tudor courtier
Elizabeth Tilney was the daughter and heiress of Sir Frederick Tilney (c1415 – 1475) of Ashwellthorpe Hall, Norfolk, and his wife Elizabeth, the daughter of Laurence Cheney of Ditton, Cambridge, and his wife Elizabeth Cockayne. Elizabeth Tilney was married firstly (1464) to Sir Humphrey Bourchier (1443 – 1471), the son of John Bourchier, Lord Berners, a descendant of Edward III, after which she was appointed to serve at court as lady-in-waiting to Queen Elizabeth Woodville, the wife of Edward IV. She carried the queen’s train at her coronation at Westminster (May, 1465). Lady Bourchier was present at the birth of the future Edward V in the Tower of London (1470) and soon afterwards she accompanied the queen and her children, and the Duchess of Bedford into sanctuary in Westminster until Edward IV was shortly restored. Sir Humphrey predeceased his father, being killed at the battle of Barnet fighting for the Yorkists (April 14, 1471). The couple had three children,
Sir John Bourchier (1466 – 1533). He succeeded his grandfather as second Baron Berners (1474 – 1533). He was married and left descendants.
Margaret Bourchier (1467 – 1552). She married firstly John Sandys, and then Sir Thomas Bryan, of Assheridge, Bucks, and left descendants.
Anne Bourchier (1469 – 1530), wife of Thomas Fiennes, eighth Baron Dacre (1471 – 1533).
Elizabeth survived her husband as Dowager Lady Bourchier and then remarried (1472) to Sir Thomas Howard (1443 – 1524) as his first wife and when he was created Earl of Surrey, Elizabeth became countess of Surrey (1481 – 1497). The marriage had been arranged by Edward IV and Howard later succeeded as second Duke of Norfolk after Elizabeth’s death (1514). Elizabeth later inherited her father’s property of Ashwellthorpe Hall in Norfolk (1475), and it was here that the children of her second marriage were born. At the coronation of Richard III (1483) the earl carried the Sword of State, whilst Lady Surrey was one of the high-ranking ladies who attended Queen Anne Neville. The earl and countess were also present at the coronation of Elizabeth of York, the wife of Henry VII (Nov, 1487) and Lady Surrey then served Queen Elizabeth as lady-of-the-bedchamber, as she had served her mother before her. She stood as joint godmother to Princess Margaret Tudor, the eldest daughter of Henry VII, at her christening (1489). The countess of Surrey died (April 4, 1497) aged forty-nine. In her will she directed burial in the nun’s choir of the Convent of the Minoresses outside Aldgate, London, and left money to be distributed to the poor of Whitechapel and Hackney. Apart from six children who died young, her surviving children from her second marriage were,
Thomas Howard (1473 – 1554). He succeeded his father as third Duke of Norfolk (1524 – 1554) and was married twice, leaving issue. He was the uncle to two of the queens of Henry VIII, Anne Boleyn and Catharine Howard.
Admiral Sir Edward Howard (1477 – 1513). He was married but died childless.
Lady Muriel Howard (c1480 – 1512). She was married firstly to John Grey (1480 – 1504), second Viscount Lisle, and secondly to Sir Thomas Knyvett (died 1512).
Lady Elizabeth Howard (c1481 – 1538). She became the wife of Sir Thomas Boleyn (1477 – 1539), Earl of Wiltshire, and was mother to Queen Anne Boleyn and grandmother to Queen Elizabeth I.
Lord Edmund Howard (1491 – 1539). He was married three times and children. He was the father of Queen Catharine Howard.
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1445 - 1497 (52 years)
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