Thomas Culpeper
and Francis Dereham are executed at Tynurn on December 10, 1541. Culpeper was a
great favorite of Henry VIII and it was because of this favoritism that
Culpeper had major influence with the King. He was given the honor of being
keeper of the armory and eventually made gentleman to the King's Privy Chamber,
which gave him intimate access to the King, as the role involved dressing and
undressing Henry and often sleeping in his bedchamber. Culpeper had close
access and often came into contact with the Queen and her attendants. Thomas
Culpeper was first introduced into Catherine Howard in March 1541. At this time
Culpeper began asking favors of Catherine, who was distantly related to him.
The private meetings between them are thought to have begun sometime around May
of that same year. Catherine’s lady-in-waiting the Lady Rochford arranged the
meetings between Culpeper and Catherine. On these occasions only she and
another lady-in-waiting, Katherine Tilney, were allowed entrance to the Queen’s
chamber.
Stories of the
Queen's premarital indiscretions had meanwhile come to the attention of Thomas
Cranmer, then Archbishop of Canterbury. During Cranmer's investigations, he
came across rumors of an affair between the Queen and Culpeper; Culpeper was
soon arrested for questioning. Both he and the Queen denied the allegations,
but a letter from Catherine to Culpeper, found during a search of Culpeper's
quarters, provided the evidence for which Cranmer was looking. Whether the
association between Culpeper and the Queen was ever consummated is still
debated by historians, but the letter seems to give evidence of Catherine's
feelings for Culpeper.
Culpeper was arrested on orders from King
Henry VIII and, in December 1541, was tried for adultery alongside Francis Dereham,
who was separately accused of adultery with the Queen before her marriage to
Henry. Catherine had not hidden the affair with Culpeper from members of her
household, who now testified against her to protect themselves. The Queen was
portrayed as having seduced Culpeper, although it could easily have been the
other way around. Culpeper admitted under torture to having had sexual
relations with Catherine. Both Culpeper and Dereham were found guilty and sentenced
to death. They were both to be hanged, drawn and quartered. Both men pleaded
for mercy; Culpeper, presumably because of his former closeness to the King,
received a commuted sentence of simple beheading. Dereham received no such
mercy. Queen Catherine Howard was executed on February 13, 1542 at the Tower of
London.
Michael Thomas
Barry’s new book – Great Britain’s Royal Tombs: A Guide to the Lives & Burial Places
of British Monarchs can be purchased from Amazon or Barnes and Noble
thought the following links:
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