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Ladies of Honour
This is not a complete or comprehensive list, because it can't be. The record appears to be full of holes, and there are no extant lists showing who was a Maid of Honour, Lady of the Bedchamber, or whathaveyou at any time during the reign. The best we can do is poke through inventories, wardrobe books, New Year's gift lists, side references, and anecdotes to identify these ladies by the stories in which they appear.
It is uncertain even how many Maids of Honour there were at any one time, although 6 appears to be the most common. The number of ladies altogether seems to have been between 12 and 24 at various times, including Ladies and Gentlewomen of the Privy Chamber, Bed Chamber, and ordinary chamberers. The Maids apparently were there to be decorative and run errands, carry messages, and entertain with singing and dancing. Other more senior ladies had more particular duties, such as keeper of the jewel box or mistress of the robes. Blanche Parry seems to have served as librarian.
All dates are approximate. The date I have is probably a reference to a particular occasion or event. It doesn't mean that was the only year the lady was in royal service. Some Maids returned after marriage on and off for years as ladies of the Bed or Privy Chamber. Also, some families are better represented than others, notably the Howards, Careys, and Russells. Where possible I've noted the family connection, even if I'm not sure of the relationship, just for family recognition.
Ladies who share a name, I have sorted out and marked with a number. Ladies who had several positions over time are marked with a letter. "Connections" refers to family connections, even if it's not certain what that relationship was.
Forms of address: Among Maids of Honour, the title "Lady" is used only when it belongs to the girl by virtue of her birth. An unmarried lady of Honour was not addressed as "Lady" at any time during the reign unless she was an Earl's, Marquis's, or Duke's daughter. All others were addressed as Mistress. A title came with marriage, never with royal office.
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Name
|
Position
|
Approx. years of service
|
Notes/ Connections
|
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Anne Knollys
|
MoH
|
|
earl of Essex
|
|
Elizabeth Howard
|
MoH
|
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duke of Norfolk
|
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Frances Johnson
|
MoH
|
|
|
|
Frances Vaughn
|
MoH
|
|
|
|
Philadelphia
Carey
|
MoH
|
|
later Lady Scrope. The Carey girls are all sisters,
Hunsdon's dtrs, granddtrs of Mary Boleyn
|
|
Mary Howard
|
MoH
|
early reign
|
Effingham's dtr; Douglas's
sister
|
|
Mary Mackwilliam
|
Privy chamber
|
|
nee Hill
|
|
Anne Carey
|
Privy Chamber
|
throughout
|
nee Morgan. Lady Hunsdon
|
|
Blanche Parry
|
Privy Chamber
|
pre1558-90
|
Chief Lady of the Privy Chamber, Keeper of the Jewel Box,
also librarian
|
|
Katherine Ashley
|
Bed Chamber
|
pre1558 - 65
|
First lady of the bed chamber
|
|
Mary Sidney
|
Privy Chamber
|
1558-62
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Sir Henry Sidney's wife, Philip Sidney's mother, Leicester's sister
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Katherine Carey (a)
|
MoH
|
1558
|
The Carey girls are all sisters, Hunsdon's dtrs, granddtrs
of Mary Boleyn
|
|
Elizabeth Hardwick
|
Bed chamber
|
1558, 1565-68
|
"Bess of Hardwick" served between marriages 2&3 and
3&4
|
|
Dorothy Stafford
|
Privy Chamber
Mistress of the Robes
|
1558-1603
1562-1603
|
Lady Stafford (but not baroness Stafford)
|
|
Lady Catherine Grey
|
MoH
|
1559-61
|
Suffolk's
dtr, later countess of Hertford
|
|
Lettice Knollys
|
MoH
|
before 1561
|
later Countess of Essex
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Mary Ratcliffe
|
MoH
|
1561-1603
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Never married. Granddaughter to the 1st earl of Sussex.
|
|
Dorothy Broadbelt (a)
|
Privy Chamber
|
1562-68
|
Served with Kat Ashley.
|
|
Kathryn Dudley
|
Privy Chamber
|
from 1563/64
|
Countess of Huntingdon
|
|
Katherine Carey (b)
|
Privy Chamber
|
1560s
|
The Carey girls are all sisters, Hunsdon's dtrs, granddtrs
of Mary Boleyn
|
|
Catherine Knyvett (a)
|
MoH
|
1562-63
|
|
|
Catherine Knyvett (b)
|
Bed Chamber
|
after 1564
|
as Lady Paget
|
|
Helena von Snakenberg
|
MoH
|
from about 1564
|
Came to England with Princess Cecilia and stayed as QE's Maid of Honour; later Marchioness of
Northampton
|
|
Lady Anne Russell (1)
|
MoH
|
before 1565
|
Bedford's
dtr, later Countess of Warwick
|
|
Lady Mary Grey
|
MoH
|
before 1565
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Suffolk's
dtr, married the serjeant porter
|
|
Anne Windsor
|
MoH
|
1565
|
Lord Windsor
|
|
Dorothy Brooke (a)
|
MoH
|
1565
|
|
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Katherine Brydges
|
MoH
|
1565
|
Lord Chandos
|
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Mary Howard
|
MoH
|
1565
|
|
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Margaret Stanley
|
Privy Chamber
|
1568-70
|
Countess of Derby,
nee Clifford
|
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Elizabeth Marbery
|
Bed Chamber
|
1570
|
|
|
Douglas Howard
|
MoH
|
early 70s?
|
Effingham's dtr; later Lady Sheffield
|
|
Anne Cecil
|
MoH
|
1570-71
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Burghley's dtr, later Countess of Oxford
|
|
Lady Frances Howard (1a)
|
MoH
|
1570-82
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Effingham's dtr
|
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Lady Elizabeth Hastings
|
MoH
|
before 1571
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Huntingdon's sister. later countess of Worcester
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Elizabeth Stafford
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Chamberer
|
1572
|
later, Lady Drury ?
|
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Anne West
|
MoH
|
1572
|
|
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Eleanor Brydges
|
MoH
|
1572
|
Chandos
|
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Elizabeth Garrett
|
MoH
|
1572
|
|
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Elizabeth Knollys
|
MoH
|
1572
|
|
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Isabel Holcroft
|
MoH
|
1572
|
|
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Katherine Howard
|
MoH
|
1572
|
|
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Lady Susan Bowser
|
MoH
|
1572
|
|
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Mary Shelton (a)
|
MoH
|
1572
|
|
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Lady Elizabeth Clinton
|
Privy Chamber
|
1572-86 (?)
|
As Baroness Clinton. After 1572, as Countess of Lincoln
|
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Lady Mary Vere
|
MoH
|
1575
|
Oxford's sister, later Lady Willoughby D'Eresby
|
|
Frances Vaughn
|
MoH
|
1578
|
|
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Elizabeth Wyngfield
|
Mother of Maids
|
~1577-98
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Responsible for wrangling the Maids of Honour
|
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Lady Elizabeth Howard
|
MoH
|
early 1580s
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Earl of Nottingham's dtr
|
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Lady Mary Hastings
|
MoH
|
early 1580s
|
Huntingdon's sister.
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Margaret Carey
|
MoH
|
Before 1582
|
later Lady Edw. Hoby. The Carey girls are all sisters,
Hunsdon's dtrs, granddtrs of Mary Boleyn
|
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Elizabeth Throckmorton
|
MoH
|
1584-91
|
later Lady Walter Raleigh
|
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Lady Carew
|
Bed Chamber
|
1586-89
|
|
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Jane Brussels
|
Chamberer
|
1586-89
|
|
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Katherine Newton
|
Chamberer
|
1586-89
|
|
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Dorothy Brooke (b)
|
Bed Chamber
|
1586-89
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as Lady Cobham
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Mary Shelton (b)
|
Privy Chamber
|
1586-89
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as Mary Scudamore
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Dorothy Broadbelt (b)
|
Privy Chamber
|
1586-89
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After marriage?
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Dorothy Edmunds
|
Privy Chamber
|
1586-89
|
|
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Lady Hartford
|
Privy Chamber
|
1586-89
|
|
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Lady Howard
|
Privy Chamber
|
1586-89
|
|
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Lady Layton (Leighton?)
|
Privy Chamber
|
1586-89
|
Possibly Lettice Knollys's sister.
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|
Anne Vavasour
|
MoH
|
1580-81
|
|
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Frances Vavasour
|
MoH
|
1590-91
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Anne's sister
|
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Anne Hopton
|
MoH
|
1588-89
|
later Lady Wentworth
|
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Penelope Devereaux
|
Privy Chamber
|
by 1589
|
Lady Rich, sister to the 2nd earl of Essex
|
|
Elizabeth Vernon
|
MoH
|
1597-98
|
Essex's cousin, later c. of Southampton
|
|
Frances Brydges
|
MoH
|
1590s
|
Lord Chandos' dtr.
|
|
Mary Fitton
|
MoH
|
1590s
|
|
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Brigit Manners
|
MoH
|
early 1590s
|
Earl of Rutland
|
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Elizabeth Egerton
|
Privy Chamber
|
1590s
|
Lady Egerton "my sweet apple
|
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Mary Howard
|
MoH
|
1591-97
|
Lord Effingham's dtr
|
|
Elizabeth Brydges
|
MoH
|
1594
|
Lord Chandos
|
|
Lady Elizabeth Russell
|
MoH
|
1594
|
Bedford's
dtr
|
|
Lady Anne Russell (2)
|
MoH
|
1594-1600
|
Bedford's
dtr, later Countess of Worcester
|
|
Lady Elizabeth Somerset
|
MoH
|
1596
|
Earl of Worcester's dtr
|
|
Lady Katherine Somerset
|
MoH
|
1596
|
|
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Lady Mary Howard
|
MoH
|
1596
|
|
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Lady Elizabeth Clinton
|
Privy Chamber
|
1596
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2nd earl of Lincoln's dtr. Lady Gorges
|
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Lady Frances Howard (2)
|
Privy Chamber
|
1597-1600
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Nottingham's dtr, Douglas's
sister, later Lady Cobham
|
|
Lucy Hyde
|
Mother of Maids
|
1598-1603
|
|
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Lettice Garrett
|
MoH
|
1599
|
No other info but "Garrett" is an Irish variant of "Gerald".
|
|
Lord Burgh's daughter
|
MoH
|
1599
|
No other info
|
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Mistress Ouslow
|
MoH
|
1599
|
Possibly Hounslow
|
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Mistress Southwell
|
MoH
|
1599
|
Later Lady Elizabeth Southwell
|
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Lady Elizabeth Talbot
|
MoH
|
1600
|
Shrewsbury's dtr, Mary Talbot's sister
|
|
Lady Mary Talbot
|
Privy Chamber
|
1600
|
Shrewsbury's dtr
|
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Lady Frances Howard (1b)
|
Privy Chamber
|
off & on till 1603
|
Effingham's dtr. as c. of Hertford, then c. of Kildare (12th earl)
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Sources:
Arnold, Queen Elizabeth's Wardrobe Unlock'd
Emerson, Wives and Daughters: Women of 16th Century England
Refer to this book (or the online update) for other dates and stories.
Somerset, Ladies in Waiting
Peerage.com
Biographical Dictionary of English Literature
Dictionary of National Biography
 Titles and Forms of Address
Forms of Address for Non-Nobles
Patronage: Retinue, Companions, & Livery
Precedence, Preferment, & Attainder
Ranks & Files
8 March 2010 mps
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