Henry Carey, 1st Baron Hunsdon
Henry Carey entered the world on the 4th of March 1526 as the second child of William Carey and Mary Boleyn. His mother was the sister of Anne Boleyn, who would become Queen Henry VIII's second wife. The young boy and his elder sister Catherine came under the wardship of their maternal aunt during her engagement to the King. They maintained active contact with their mother until Mary's secret elopement with a soldier named William Stafford in 1535. Anne Boleyn acted as her nephew's patron and provided him with an excellent education at a prestigious Cistercian monastery. He received tutoring from the French poet Nicholas Bourbon, whose life had been saved from the French Inquisition after Queen Anne Boleyn's intervention. The royal aunt was beheaded in May 1536 when Henry was ten years old. His mother died seven years later in 1543 on her estate in Essex.
Carey served twice as Member of Parliament representing Buckingham between 1547 and 1550, entering office when he was twenty-one. He also represented the constituency again from 1554 to 1555. Elizabeth I knighted him in November 1558 before creating him Baron on the 13th of January 1559. His sister Catherine became one of Elizabeth's favourite ladies-in-waiting while the Queen remained very generous to her Carey relatives. The Baronial estate consisted of the manors of Hunsdon and Eastwick in Hertfordshire plus possessions in Kent. Hunsdon had previously belonged to Elizabeth's predecessor Mary I. Carey received an annual pension of £400 for his service. On the 31st of October 1560 he was appointed master of the queen's hawks with a salary of £40 a year. He became a Knight of the Garter on the 20th of April 1561. In 1564 Elizabeth appointed Carey Captain of the Gentlemen Pensioners making him effectively her personal bodyguard for four years. He accompanied her to Cambridge University that same year where he was awarded an MA degree.
The year 1569 marked the beginning of the Rising of the North which lasted until February 1570. Thomas Howard, Charles Neville, and Thomas Percy instigated this major uprising expecting support from Pope Pius V. Carey was appointed Lieutenant General of the forces loyal to the Queen during the conflict. His February victory over Sir Leonard Dacre near Gelt Bridge between Naworth and Carlisle proved instrumental in crushing the rebellion. Nearly three thousand rebels ambushed Carey's party of half that size yet he remained victorious in fending off the assault. A number of the rebels crossed the border to Scotland but were there targeted by the forces of Regent Lennox. Carey could still appreciate the courage of Dacre's soldiers despite their opposition. In his letter to the Queen detailing the victory he made mention of the rebel charge as the bravest charge that ever I saw. The victorious Carey was rewarded with a personal note of thanks from Queen Elizabeth I. He was subsequently appointed Warden of the Eastern March and represented the Queen in signing a treaty with Regent Mar on the 23rd of October 1571.
Carey became Governor of Berwick-upon-Tweed in Northumberland on the 25th of August 1568 managing Anglo-Scottish tensions. He served as Captain-General of the forces responsible for the safety of English borders starting the 16th of January 1581. The appointment occurred on the 20th of July 1588 in Tilbury where Elizabeth named him Lord Chamberlain Lieutenant, Principal Captain and Governor of the army for the defence and surety of our own Royal Person. He also served as Chief Justice in Eyre south of the River Trent between 1589 and his death. Carey joined as Commissioner of the Office Earl Marshal and High Steward of Ipswich and Doncaster. He served as Chief Justice of the Royal Forces between the 20th of December 1591 until his death. On the 2nd of March 1592 Carey was appointed High Steward of Oxford for life. These roles required constant vigilance along the volatile northern frontier where Mary Queen of Scots had encouraged Dan Carr to make trouble in Teviotdale and Liddesdale.
In 1587 Carey began an affair with Emilia Lanier who lived between 1569 and 1645. She was the daughter of a Venetian-born court musician and forty-five years younger than the Lord Chamberlain. Elizabeth's Lord Chamberlain at the time of their affair was also a patron of the arts and theatre. Records indicate that Carey gave Lanier a pension of £40 a year which she apparently enjoyed. An entry from Simon Forman's diary reads Lanier hath bin married 4 years/ The old Lord Chamberlain kept her longue She was maintained in great pomp... she hath 40£ a yere & was welthy to him that married her in monie & Jewells. In 1592 when she was twenty-three Lanier became pregnant with Carey's child. Carey paid her off with a sum of money then married her off to her first cousin once removed Alfonso Lanier. Church records show the two were married in St. Botolph's
church Aldgate on the 18th of October 1592. In 1593 Lanier gave birth to Carey's son Henry presumably named after his father.
Carey died at Somerset House Strand on the 23rd of July 1596 and was buried on the 12th of August 1596 at Westminster Abbey. On his deathbed he refused his cousin Elizabeth I's offer to make him Earl of Wiltshire saying Madam as you did not count me worthy of this honour in life then I shall account myself not worthy of it in death. Two of his sons George and John successively followed him as Baron Hunsdon. His marriage to Anne Morgan resulted in thirteen children including Sir George Carey who lived until the 8th of September 1603. He also had several illegitimate children including Valentine Cary who became a clergyman and ultimately Bishop of Exeter. Contemporary rumours stated that Carey was an illegitimate child of Henry VIII though some ten years after his birth John Hales vicar of Isleworth remarked that he had met a young Master Carey whom some
monks believed to be the king's son. Alison Weir concluded that the preponderance of evidence points to Henry Carey's sister Catherine as being the only offspring of Mary's relations with Henry VIII.
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Common questions
When was Henry Carey 1st Baron Hunsdon born and who were his parents?
Henry Carey entered the world on the 4th of March 1526 as the second child of William Carey and Mary Boleyn. His mother was the sister of Anne Boleyn, who would become Queen Henry VIII's second wife.
What dates did Henry Carey hold the title of Lord Chamberlain Lieutenant during Elizabeth I reign?
Elizabeth named him Lord Chamberlain Lieutenant on the 20th of July 1588 in Tilbury where he served as Principal Captain and Governor of the army for the defence and surety of our own Royal Person. He held this position until his death on the 23rd of July 1596.
How many children did Henry Carey have with his wife Anne Morgan and what happened to them?
His marriage to Anne Morgan resulted in thirteen children including Sir George Carey who lived until the 8th of September 1603. Two of his sons George and John successively followed him as Baron Hunsdon after his death.
Why did Henry Carey refuse the offer to become Earl of Wiltshire on his deathbed?
On his deathbed he refused his cousin Elizabeth I's offer to make him Earl of Wiltshire saying Madam as you did not count me worthy of this honour in life then I shall account myself not worthy of it in death. This decision occurred shortly before he died at Somerset House Strand on the 23rd of July 1596.
When was Henry Carey appointed High Steward of Oxford and how long did he serve?
On the 2nd of March 1592 Carey was appointed High Steward of Oxford for life. These roles required constant vigilance along the volatile northern frontier where Mary Queen of Scots had encouraged Dan Carr to make trouble in Teviotdale and Liddesdale.
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1 references cited across the entry
- 1bookAnne BoleynEric Ives — 1986