Katherine Howard Historical Profile

History of
Katherine Howard

Queen Consort
for 18 months
28th July 1540 - 13th February 1542

Before her marriage Katherine had had several lovers, among them being a musician, Henry Mannock, or Manox; her cousin, Thomas Culpepper; and Francis Dereham, to whom she had certainly been betrothed. After becoming queen she occasionally met Dereham and Culpepper, and in November 1541 Thomas Cranmer informed Henry that his queen's past life had not been stainless. Cranmer had obtained his knowledge indirectly from an old servant of the duchess of Norfolk.

Dereham confessed to his relations with Katherine, and after some denials the queen herself admitted that this was true; but denied that she had ever been betrothed to Dereham, or that she had ever misconducted herself since her marriage.










This letter written by Katherine to Thomas Culpepper was used as evidence of her adultery.

It helped to seal her fate. In this affectionate letter, she has heard that Thomas has fallen ill.and she urges him to let her know how he is. She writes that it causes her pain to be apart from him and wishes he could be with her. She asks him to provide a horse for the servant in order to aid their communications. The letter ends with 'Yours as long as life endures'. For the high treason of adultery with the queen, Thomas Culpepper was sentenced to be hanged, drawn and quartered but the sentence was commuted to beheading and Culpepper was dispatched in December 1541.

Exact words of Letter:

Master Culpeper,
I heartily recommend me unto you, praying you to send me word how that you do. It was showed me that you was sick, the which thing troubled me very much till such time that I hear from you praying you to send me word how that you do, for I never longed so much for a thing as I do to see you and to speak with you, the which I trust shall be shortly now. That which doth comfortly me very much when I think of it, and when I think again that you shall depart from me again it makes my heart die to think what fortune I have that I cannot be always in your company. It my trust is always in you that you will be as you have promised me, and in that hope I trust upon still, praying you that you will come when my Lady Rochford is here for then I shall be best at leisure to be at your commandment, thanking you for that you have promised me to be so good unto that poor fellow my man which is one of the griefs that I do feel to depart from him for then I do know no one that I dare trust to send to you, and therefore I pray you take him to be with you that I may sometime hear from you one thing. I pray you to give me a horse for my man for I had much ado to get one and therefore I pray send me one by him and in so doing I am as I said afor, and thus I take my leave of you, trusting to see you shortly again and I would you was with me now that you might see what pain I take in writing to you.

Yours as long as life endures,
Katheryn.

One thing I had forgotten and that is to instruct my man to tarry here with me still for he says whatsomever you bid him he will do it.

The Window of the Queen of Sheba, King's
College Chapel, Cambridge
From a stained glass window, the face of the woman kneeling may be Kathryn Howard according to Lady Antonia Fraser.