Madge Shelton
Madge Shelton stood in the room when Anne Boleyn made her first public appearance as Queen of England on Easter Eve, the 12th of April 1533. She was a cousin of the new queen, a lady-in-waiting, and a young woman whose name would become tangled in some of the most dangerous court politics of the Tudor era. Who was she sleeping with? Who wanted to marry her? And why did she end up at the center of a story involving executions, royal mistresses, and the fall of a queen? The answers are more complicated than they first appear.
Sir John Shelton and his wife Anne were the parents of both Madge and her sister Mary. Their mother Anne was the sister of Thomas Boleyn, 1st Earl of Wiltshire, which made Queen Anne Boleyn the girls' first cousin. Madge was the youngest of Sir John Shelton's daughters. That family tie brought her directly into the queen's household as an attendant, placing her inside the most privileged and perilous circle at the English court.
One of the Shelton sisters is believed to have been Henry VIII's mistress for six months beginning in February 1535. The evidence for this comes primarily from the Imperial ambassador Eustace Chapuys, who was almost constantly at the English court and wrote of a woman he called Mistress Shelton. Biographer Antonia Fraser identified this woman as Margaret, the subject of this documentary. More recent research, however, has tilted toward Mary Shelton as the likeliest candidate. Historians now think the confusion traces back to a handwriting problem: the label "Marg Shelton" in sixteenth-century documents had a "y" that could easily be misread as a "g", sending earlier scholars toward Margaret instead of Mary. Mary was also the sister rumoured to have been considered as a candidate for Henry's fourth wife.
Henry Norris was engaged to Madge Shelton, and his failure to actually marry her drew comment from the queen herself. Anne Boleyn reportedly told Francis Weston to stop flirting with Madge, who was Norris's betrothed. Weston's reply was blunt: Norris came to Anne's chambers more for Anne herself than for Madge. That exchange was reported to Thomas Cromwell by Mrs Coffin, one of four unsympathetic ladies placed around the arrested Anne Boleyn with instructions to report on her behaviour. The scandal that followed destroyed both men. Norris, Madge's betrothed, and Weston, said to have flirted with her, were both executed on charges of having been Anne Boleyn's lovers.
Hugh Latimer identified Madge as the woman attendant on Anne when Anne miscarried within hours of Katherine of Aragon's death. Madge was described as the closest companion in waiting to the queen, yet she was dismissed when Anne's position collapsed. She went on to marry Thomas Woodhouse, the son of Sir Roger Woodhouse, who died in 1560, and his wife Elizabeth Radcliffe, daughter of Sir Robert Radcliffe of Hunstanton. Her husband Thomas was present at the Battle of Pinkie in September 1547; some sources suggest he was killed there. Madge and Thomas had a son, Roger Woodhouse, born around 1541 and died in 1588, who became the father of Sir Philip Wodehouse, 1st Baronet and an ancestor of the later Earls of Kimberley.
Jean Bruller, who wrote under the pen name Vercors, made Margaret Shelton the narrator of his 1985 French-language novel about Anne Boleyn. In that book, Anne is portrayed as a far-sighted English patriot working to free England from Catholic Church dependence and build up its navy. The fictional Margaret is Anne's closest and most loyal companion, sharing her vision and living long enough to pass it on to Anne's daughter, the future Queen Elizabeth I. Madge also appears in the television series The Tudors, portrayed by Laura Jane Laughlin, where she is put forward by Anne herself as a deliberate strategy to manage Henry's appetites, an effort that ultimately fails.
Common questions
Who was Madge Shelton and how was she related to Anne Boleyn?
Madge Shelton, also known as Margaret Shelton, was an English courtier and first cousin of Anne Boleyn. Her mother was the sister of Thomas Boleyn, 1st Earl of Wiltshire, making Anne Boleyn Madge's first cousin. She served as a lady-in-waiting in Anne's household and was present at Anne's first public appearance as queen on Easter Eve, the 12th of April 1533.
Was Madge Shelton a mistress of Henry VIII?
One of the Shelton sisters is believed to have been Henry VIII's mistress for six months beginning in February 1535, based on reports by the Imperial ambassador Eustace Chapuys. Biographer Antonia Fraser identified the mistress as Margaret (Madge), but more recent research suggests it was actually her sister Mary Shelton. The confusion likely arose from a sixteenth-century handwriting issue where the label "Marg Shelton" could be misread.
Who was Madge Shelton betrothed to?
Madge Shelton was betrothed to Henry Norris. Anne Boleyn reportedly questioned why Norris had not yet married Madge. Both Norris and Francis Weston, who was said to have flirted with Madge, were executed on charges of having been Anne Boleyn's lovers.
Who did Madge Shelton eventually marry?
Madge Shelton married Thomas Woodhouse, the son of Sir Roger Woodhouse and Elizabeth Radcliffe, daughter of Sir Robert Radcliffe of Hunstanton. Their son Roger Woodhouse, born around 1541, became the father of Sir Philip Wodehouse, 1st Baronet, and an ancestor of the later Earls of Kimberley.
How is Madge Shelton depicted in fiction and television?
Margaret Shelton is the narrator in Jean Bruller's 1985 novel Anne Boleyn, written in French under the pen name Vercors, where she is portrayed as Anne Boleyn's closest and most loyal companion. In the television series The Tudors, Madge Shelton is portrayed by Laura Jane Laughlin as a figure Anne puts forward in an attempt to manage Henry VIII's relationships.
What role did Madge Shelton play during the fall of Anne Boleyn?
Hugh Latimer identified Madge Shelton as the attendant present when Anne Boleyn miscarried within hours of Katherine of Aragon's death. She was described as the closest companion in waiting to Anne due to their family connection, though she was dismissed following Anne's arrest and fall from power.
All sources
5 references cited across the entry
- 1harvnbRichardson (2004) p. 179Richardson — 2004
- 2harvnbWeir (1991) p. 277Weir — 1991