Margaret Beaufort: Mother of the Tudor Dynasty (33 page)

11 Margaret R: January 1486-July 1504

Margaret’s Ordinances are printed in Leland 1774 vol. IV p.179. Elizabeth of York’s purchase of cushions in 1503 are from her Privy Purse Expenses p.28. The manuscript containing details of Margaret Tudor’s birth is printed in Leland vol. IV p.249. Bacon’s comments on the relationship between Henry and Elizabeth are from pp.11-12. The document noting Henry’s grief at Elizabeth’s death is printed in
The Antiquarian Repertory
vol. IV p.655. There are two biographies of Elizabeth: Harvey 1973 and Okerlund 2009. There is also a detailed memoir of her life in Nicolas 1830. Okerlund 2009:95 discusses Margaret’s fondness for Cecily of York. Elizabeth Woodville’s Will is from
Testamenta Vetusta
vol. II p.24-6. A contemporary manuscript describing great court occasions and Margaret’s attendance there is printed in Leland vol. IV p.206. Henry’s letter to the Earl of Ormond dated 13 May 1487 is from Halliwell 1848:171. A contemporary document describing Elizabeth’s coronation is printed in Ives 1873. The gifts of the Garter robes to Elizabeth and Margaret by the King are noted in ‘Further Deliveries from the great Wardrobe, between 1 March 2nd Henry VII and Feast of St Michael 4th Henry VII’ (Campbell vol. II:497). The grant to Farnham for the foundation of a chantry is from Campbell vol. II p.115. The grant of the next presentation to the deanery of St Stephen is from Campbell vol. II p.218 (21 December 1487). The licence to found a chantry at Guildford is from Campbell vol. I p.278-9 (6 February 1496). Dr De Puebla to Ferdinand and Isabella, 15 July 1498 (CSP I no.202) notes the Spanish ambassador’s audience with Henry, Elizabeth and Margaret. Dr De Puebla to Ferdinand and Isabella, 17 July 1498 (CSP I no.203) records Margaret and Elizabeth’s request that Catherine learn French. De Puebla to Ferdinand and Isabella, 25 August 1498 (CSP I no.221) describes Elizabeth’s letters to Isabella and Catherine. One of the Secretaries of Henry VII to his Nephew, a Clergyman in Spain, 1501 (CSP I no.294) describes Elizabeth’s enquiries about Catherine’s progress in French. Margaret and Elizabeth’s concerns about Princess Margaret marrying young are from Don Pedro de Ayala to Ferdinand and Isabella, 25 July 1498 (CSP I no.210). Herbert p.109 suggests Henry VIII was intended to become Archbishop of Canterbury. Erasmus’s Account of his visit to the royal household in 1499 is in Mumby 1913:4. The celebrations that were held when Prince Henry was created Duke of York are described in a contemporary manuscript (Vitellius A XVI) (printed in Kingsford 1905:202). Details of Perkin Warbeck can be found in Seward 1995 and Okerlund 2009. Sir William Stanley’s arrest and death are noted in documents printed in Pollard 1914:81 and 86 and in
Wriothesley’s Chronicle
for 1495. Elizabeth of York’s payments for clothing for her daughters are in her privy purse expenses. Princess Margaret’s betrothal is in the contemporary document printed in Leland vol. IV p.262. Details of Catherine of Aragon’s journey to England, the celebrations for her marriage and the marriage itself are detailed in a contemporary manuscript printed in Leland 1774 vol. IV. Arthur’s death and his parents’ reaction are from the same document. Elizabeth’s privy purse expenses p.103 note the litter purchased to convey Catherine of Aragon from Ludlow to London. Don Pedro de Ayala to Ferdinand and Isabella, 26 March 1499 (CSP I no.239) notes the danger Elizabeth was in during the birth of Edmund. Okerlund 2009 speculates that Katherine was born prematurely and describes Elizabeth’s death. Margaret’s ordinances for mourning are from BL Add. MSS 45133 f.141v. ‘The fyancells of Margaret, Eldest Daughter of King Henry VIIth to James King of Scotland: Together with her departure from England and journey into Scotland’ (Leland IV p.266) describes Princess Margaret’s departure for Scotland.

12 A Patroness of Learning: July 1504-April 1509

Henry VII’s early visit to Cambridge is noted in ‘A shorte and brief memory by Licence and corveccon of the first progresse of our soveraigne lord King Henry’ from a manuscript in the Cottonian Library (Leland vol. IV p.186). All the letters to and from Oxford are taken from Anstey 1898. Rex 2003 discusses Margaret’s lectureship at Cambridge. Fisher’s background is detailed in
The Life of Fisher
(Bayne 1921). His attempts to persuade Margaret to benefit Cambridge and a description of her other good works is from the
Life
, p.10. Baker p.4 details Margaret’s preachership at Cambridge. Magrath 1921 details Philippa of Hainault’s foundation of Queen’s College, Oxford. Searle 1867:133 describes Margaret’s interest in Queen’s College, Cambridge, after Elizabeth of York’s death. Buckingham’s grant to the college is quoted from the same work. Cooper 1874:63 describes Margaret’s attempts to secure a fellowship for Thomas Maunfeld at Corpus Christi, Cambridge. The letters concerning the dispute between the university and the town are from Cooper 1874:80. The document describing the foundation of God’s House is quoted from Myers 1969:894-5. Nichols 1840:134 describes the poor state of God’s House. Cooper 1861:24 details Henry’s licence to Margaret to refound God’s House. The story of Margaret asking for a poor scholar at Christ’s to be chastised less harshly is printed in a number of works, including Nichols 1830:135. Cooper 1861:29 lists Margaret’s bequests of plate to Christ’s College. Jones and Underwood 1995:222 note that the woman bringing a cake to the college suggests that Margaret was regularly in attendance there. Baker relates the foundation of St John’s in his preface to Fisher’s funeral sermon for Margaret. Work towards the foundation after Margaret’s death is detailed in ‘Many suites and greate troubles which the Bishop of Rochester did undergoe in the behalfe of the colledge’ (printed in Fisher p.184). Caxton’s dedication to
The Hystorye of Kinge Blanchardyne and Queen Eglantyne his Wyfe
is printed in Fisher pp.178-9. The prefaces to
The Ladder of Perfection
and
The Grete Shyppe of Fooles of this Worlde
are also in Fisher. Fisher’s seven penitential psalms are in Mayor 1876. Walpole p.291 lists Margaret’s translation works. Fisher’s comments on the acquisition of his bishopric are in his 1527 work ‘On the Truth of Christ’s Body and Blood in the Eucharist’ to Fox, Bishop of Winchester (printed in Domville 1899). Henry VII’s letter to Margaret is from Fisher p.164. Margaret’s inquiry into royal rights at Corfe is in ‘Document of Maladministration of Justice’ (Pollard pp.143-44). ‘Grant of 20 November 1488 of the lead from the manor of Woxesey to be used for Corfe’ (Campbell vol. II p.364) notes that Henry supplied the lead for Margaret’s repairs at Corfe. Jones and Underwood 1995:82 describe Margaret’s forced surrender of Woking. Lockyer and Thrush 1997:36 note that Margaret was indited for keeping an illegal number of retainers. The note from 1525 about Margaret taking a judicial role is printed in Pollard 1913:200. The
Chronicle of Calais
for 1500 (p.3) records Henry and Elizabeth’s visit to Calais. Comments that Henry looked old are from Ayala to Ferdinand and Isabella, 25 July 1498 (Pollard p.4) and
Hall’s Chronicle
p.498. Henry’s letter to his mother from July 1504 is quoted from Halsted p.211. Chrimes p.313 notes that Henry was believed to have been suffering from consumption. The Spanish ambassador’s comments on Henry’s fondness for Prince Henry are in The Duke of Estrada to Isabella of Castile, 10 August 1504 (Mumby 1913:50). Isabella of Castile to the Duke of Estrada, 11 April 1503 records that Isabella had heard rumours that Henry intended to marry Catherine, which she called ‘a very evil thing’ (Mumby 1913:41-2). Catherine of Aragon to Queen Juana, 25 October 1507 (Mumby 1913:93) notes the princess’s support for Henry VII’s hopes of marrying her sister. Seward 1995:331 claims that Margaret moved to Coldharbour to be close to Henry in his final illness.
Hall’s Chronicle
p.10 talks of Henry’s charity when he realised that he was dying. Fisher’s funeral sermon for Henry, which was preached in St Paul’s on 10 May 1509 is printed in Fisher. The quote is from p.144. Henry VII’s Will is in
Testamenta Vetusta
vol. II pp.32-3.

13 My Lady, the King’s Grandmother: 23 April-29 June 1509

Routh 1924:124 notes that Margaret signed warrants for Henry’s funeral. Jones and Underwood 1995:234 note that estimates for Margaret’s funeral expenses were drawn up in early 1509. The quotes from Fisher’s funeral sermon on Margaret’s health are from pp.113, 120-1, 127. The description of Henry VIII in 1515, by a Venetian diplomat, is taken from Williams 1967:388. Lord Mountjoy’s letter is taken from Mumby. Jones and Underwood 1995:237 record Reginald Pole’s claims regarding Margaret’s deathbed. Herbert pp.110-1 describes Margaret’s appointment of Henry VIII’s council and her management of them. Jones and Underwood 1995:236 describe Margaret’s attendance to watch Henry VIII’s coronation procession.
Hall’s Chronicle
p.508 describes the coronation and the fine clothes that Henry wore. Parker claims that Margaret was taken ill after eating a cygnet at Henry’s coronation banquet (BL Add. MSS. 12060 f.23-23v). Fisher’s funeral sermon p.126 notes that she wept at Henry VIII’s coronation. The quote from the
Life of Fisher
on Fisher ordering Margaret’s household is from p.10. The quote on Fisher’s attempts to persuade Margaret to be generous to her servants is from ‘Suites and greate troubles which the Bishop of Rochester did undergoe in the behalfe of the colledge’ (Fisher p.186). The quotes from Fisher’s funeral sermon on Margaret’s death are from pp.130 and 117.

14 Mother of the Tudor Dynasty

Samuel Daniel’s poem is quoted from Chalmers 1810:525. Margaret’s Will is from
Testamenta Vetusta
vol. II. The
Life of Fisher
p.28 describes Margaret’s funeral. Parker’s comments are from BL Add. MSS. 12060 f.23. The quote by Fisher that is something of an epitaph for her is from ‘Fisher’s dedication in his 1527 work ‘on the Truth of Christ’s Body and Blood in the Eucharist’ to Fox, Bishop of Winchester’ (in Domville 1899:187).

Appendix: Margaret Beaufort in Her Own Words

Margaret’s letter to the Bishop of Exeter is taken from Campbell vol. II p.284. Her letters to Oxford University are from Anstey pp.614, 665 and 667. The letter to the Earl of Ormond is from Halsted 1839. The letter to Richard Shirley is from Wood 1846 vol. II. Margaret’s first letter to Henry VII is from Halsted 1839:206-7. The gaps in the text are where the original letter has been damaged and is now illegible. The second letter to Henry VII is from Wood 1846 vol. II. The letter to the Mayor of Coventry is printed as an appendix to Fisher’s funeral sermon (p.167). The first of Margaret’s letters to Sir John Paston is taken from the
Paston Letters
vol. III:392 (the Will of William Paston, naming Margaret as his executor, is from the same source, p.469). The second letter to Sir John Paston is from Simon 1982:115.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

British Library has been abbreviated to BL. Public Record Office has been abbreviated to PRO. Westminster Abbey Muniments have been abbreviated to WAM. Place of publication is London unless otherwise stated.

Primary Manuscript Sources

BL Add. MSS. 12060: A Book of Miracles and Examples of Virtue for the Guidance of a Ruler, Dedicated to Queen Mary by Henry Parker Lord Morley.

BL Add. MSS. 45133: Ordinances for Mourning 1502-3.

PRO SC 8/139/6909: Petition by John, first Earl of Somerset to King Henry IV, 1404.

PRO SC 8/141/7018: Petition by John, Earl of Somerset and his brother, Thomas Beaufort to the Duke of Gloucester and parliament, 1427.

PRO SC 8/152/7597: Petition by Richard, Duke of York, Edmund Tudor, Earl of Richmond, Margaret Beaufort, Countess of Richmond and others in relation to the manors of Collingham and Bardsley and the advowson of the church in Middleton, 1455.

PRO C 47/30/9/14: Engagement of the Duke of Bourbon to secure the release of the Earl of Somerset and Thomas Beaufort from their imprisonment in France, 1427.

WAM 12181-90: Household accounts of Sir Henry Stafford, 1466-1471.

WAM 5472: Receipts and expenses of Reginald Bray, receiver of Sir Henry Stafford 1468-1469.

WAM 32407: Receipts and expenses of Reginald Bray, receiver to Lord Stanley 1473- 1474.

WAM 32378: Patent of Henry VI creating Edmund Tudor Earl of Richmond, with a draft pardon from Edward IV to Henry Tudor on the reverse.

Primary Printed Sources

Andreas, B., ‘Historia Regis Henrici Septimi’, in Gairdner, J. (ed.),
Memorials of King Henry the Seventh
(1858)

Anstey, H. (ed.),
Epistolae Academicae Oxon
, vol. II (Oxford, 1898)

Bacon, F.,
History of the Reign of King Henry VII
, Lumby, J. R. (ed.) (Cambridge, 1885)

Bayne, R. (ed.),
The Life of Fisher MS. Harleian 6382
(1921)

Buck, G.,
The History of King Richard the Third
, Kincaid, A. N. (ed.) (Gloucester, 1619)

Calendar of State Papers Spain, vol. I 1485-1509
, Bergenroth, G. A. (ed.) (1862) (abbreviated to
CSP
in the text)