Elizabeth FitzHugh

Elizabeth FitzHugh
Lady Parr of Kendal
Spouse(s) William Parr, 1st Baron Parr of Kendal
Nicholas Vaux, 1st Baron Vaux of Harrowden

Issue

Anne Parr
Sir Thomas Parr
William Parr, 1st Baron Parr of Horton
John Parr
Katherine Vaux,
Alice Vaux
Anne Vaux
Noble family FitzHugh (by birth)
Parr (by marriage)
Vaux (by marriage)
Father Henry FitzHugh, 5th Baron Fitzhugh of Ravensworth
Mother Lady Alice Neville
Born 1455/65
Ravensworth, Yorkshire, England
Died before 10 July 1507[1]
Harrowden, Northamptonshire, England

Elizabeth FitzHugh (1455/65 - before 10 July 1507) was an English noblewoman. She is best known for being the grandmother of Catherine Parr, sixth queen consort to Henry VIII, and her siblings Anne Herbert, Countess of Pembroke, and William Parr, 1st Marquess of Northampton.

Family

Elizabeth was born at the family's ancestral home, Ravensworth Castle in North Yorkshire, England. She was the daughter of Henry FitzHugh, 5th Baron FitzHugh of Ravensworth (descendant of King John)[2] and Lady Alice Neville, daughter of Richard Neville, 5th Earl of Salisbury and Alice Montagu, 5th Countess of Salisbury suo jure, only daughter and heiress of Thomas Montacute, 4th Earl of Salisbury and Lady Eleanor Holland. Her paternal grandparents were William FitzHugh, 4th Baron FitzHugh and Margery Willoughby.

Through her mother Alice, Elizabeth descended from King Edward III. Through her grandfather, the Earl of Salisbury, she was a niece of Richard Neville, 16th Earl of Warwick (known in history as "Warwick, the Kingmaker"), a grandniece of Cecily Neville, Duchess of York (mother of King Edward IV and King Richard III) and a great-grandniece of King Henry IV. Through her great-grandmother, Eleanor Holland, she was a great-great-grandniece of King Richard II and was also related to the York line of Kings and their successor Henry Tudor, who became King Henry VII.

Elizabeth had nine siblings,[3] including Lady Alice FitzHugh and Henry, 6th Baron FitzHugh who married Elizabeth Burgh or Borough, daughter of Sir Thomas Burgh, 1st Baron Burgh of Gainsborough and his wife Margaret De Ros. Their son, George FitzHugh, inherited the barony but after his death in 1513, the barony fell in abeyance between Elizabeth and her older sister Alice. This abeyance continues today between the two families.[4]
The current co-heirs to the barony are:

Life

Elizabeth had an easy-going and pleasure-loving disposition. After her husband Sir William Parr died in 1483, Elizabeth, who was twenty three at the time, was left with four small children. As a widow, Elizabeth's life revolved around the court. Elizabeth served as lady-in-waiting to Richard III's queen consort, her cousin, Anne Neville. Elizabeth would be second in a four generation span of family that would serve England's queens which started in 1483 with her mother, the redoubtable Alice Neville, Lady FitzHugh. Her granddaughter, Anne Parr would continue the tradition by becoming lady-in-waiting to all six of Henry VIII's wives. Even Anne's sister, Catherine Parr, who later became queen served in the household of the Princess Mary until she caught the eye of King Henry.[5]

Elizabeth was lucky enough to remarry. After the overthrow of the House of York, Elizabeth made a dubious second marriage with a protégé of Margaret Beaufort, Sir Nicholas Vaux (later Baron Vaux), which saved the family fortunes.[5]

Marriages and Issue

Elizabeth was married twice. At the age of twelve, she married firstly William Parr, 1st Baron Parr of Kendal, a man twenty eight years her senior. William was a Knight of the Garter who was held high in favour with King Edward IV; who by marriage was a cousin to him. He fought with the Nevilles on the Yorkist side at Banbury. Elizabeth did not give birth to her first child until the age of sixteen. Elizabeth and William had the following children:

After the death of Sir William Parr c. 1484, Elizabeth married Sir Nicholas Vaux c. 1483/4 as his first wife.[7] When Elizabeth married Lord Vaux, she was age 18 and he was age 14. Their issue includes:

Ancestry

References

  1. Douglas Richardson. Plantagenet Ancestry, Genealogical Publishing Com, 2004. pg 562.
  2. Douglas Richardson. Plantagenet Ancestry, Genealogical Publishing Com, 2004. pg 144, 561.
  3. The Complete Peerage vol.V, pp. 428-429
  4. Crofts Peerage Online Baron FitzHugh
  5. 1 2 3 James, Susan. Catherine Parr: Henry VIII's Last Love. (2009), pg 15, 81.
  6. Metcalfe, Walter Charles, ed., Book of Knights Banneret, Knights of the Bath etc., IV Henry VI to 1660, London (1885), p. 50, at the siege of Tournai
  7. History of Parliament, a biographical dictionary of Members of the House of Commons
  8. "Henry FitzHugh, 5th Baron". Retrieved 2010-09-29.
  9. "Alice Neville". Retrieved 2010-09-27.
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