no image
Privacy Level: Open (White)

Elizabeth (Fitzhugh) Parr (abt. 1460 - bef. 1508)

Elizabeth "Lady Parr of Kendal, Lady Vaux of Harrowden" Parr formerly Fitzhugh aka Vaux
Born about in Ravensworth, Yorkshire, Englandmap
Ancestors ancestors
Wife of — married 1473 in Foxley, Blakesley, Northamptonshire, Englandmap
Wife of — married 1484 in Harrowden, Northamptonshire, Englandmap
Descendants descendants
Died before before about age 48 in Harrowden, Northamptonshire, Englandmap
Problems/Questions Profile manager: Ron Lamoreaux private message [send private message]
Profile last modified | Created 6 Aug 2010
This page has been accessed 11,568 times.

Contents

Biography

Hon. Elizabeth FitzHugh Lady Parr of Kendal and Lady Vaux of Harrowden (1460 – before 1508)[1] was an English noblewoman and the co-heiress to her father, Hon. Sir Henry FitzHugh, 5th Baron FitzHugh of Ravensworth. Lady Parr is best known for being the grandmother of the sixth queen of Henry VIII, Katherine Parr and her siblings Lady Anne Herbert, Countess of Pembroke and William Parr, 1st Marquess of Northampton.

Elizabeth FitzHugh was born at her family’s ancestral home, Ravensworth Castle, in North Yorkshire, England. She was the daughter of Sir Henry FitzHugh, 5th Baron Fitzhugh of Ravensworth Castle. Her family was of the Northern gentry. Lady Parr’s mother was born Lady Alice Neville, daughter of Sir Richard Neville, 5th Earl of Salisbury and Lady Alice Montacute, suo jure 5th Countess of Salisbury, only daughter and heiress of Sir Thomas Montague, 4th Earl of Salisbury and Lady Eleanor Holland. Her paternal grandparents were Sir William FitzHugh, 4th Baron Fitzhugh of Ravensworth and Marjory Willoughby, daughter of Sir William Willoughby, 5th Baron Willoughby de Eresby and his first wife, Lucy Le Strange.

Through her mother Lady FitzHugh, Lady Parr descended from Edward III by his son Prince John of Gaunt, 1st Duke of Lancaster and Titular King of Castile. Lady FitzHugh was sister to Sir Richard Neville, 16th Earl of Warwick (“Warwick, the Kingmaker”). Her paternal aunts included Lady Cecily, Duchess of York making her a cousin to King Edward IV, Richard III, and his siblings. Elizabeth had nine siblings[1], including Alice FitzHugh, Lady Fiennes and Henry, 6th Baron FitzHugh who married Elizabeth Burgh, daughter of Sir Thomas Burgh, 1st Baron Burgh of Gainsborough. Their son George, the 7th Lord FitzHugh, inherited the barony but after his death in 1513, the barony fell in abeyance between Lady Parr and her older sister Alice, Lady Fiennes. This abeyance continues today between the two families.

Life

Elizabeth FitzHugh had an easy-going and pleasure-loving disposition. As Lady Parr, she joined the household of her cousin, the Duchess of Gloucester. Lady Parr was close to her cousin which showed in her positions under Anne as Duchess and Queen consort. Because of the family connections, Elizabeth’s mother, Lady FitzHugh pressured Lady Parr’s husband, Lord Parr, to follow the rule of the Duke of Gloucester (later King Richard III) while he was serving as Lord Protector of the Realm. When the Duchess became queen in 1483, Lady Parr was appointed by the Queen herself and served as lady-in-waiting. Lady Parr and her mother were both present at the coronation on 6 July 1483. Both were dressed in fine dresses made by cloth that the King himself had given them. Elizabeth received seven yards of gold and silk; her mother received material for two gowns, one of blue velvet and crimson satin as well as one of crimson and velvet with white damask. It is not known which gown Elizabeth wore as she rode behind Queen Anne; but she was one of the seven noble ladies given this honour. Her husband who had been deeply devoted to Edward IV declined his role in the coronation and headed north where he died shortly after.

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 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 would later become queen served in the household of the Lady Mary until she caught the eye of King Henry.


Marriages and Issue

FitzHugh was married twice. Elizabeth was lucky enough to remarry. After the overthrow of Richard III and The House of York, Elizabeth made a dubious second marriage with a protege of Lady Margaret Beaufort, Sir Nicholas Vaux, the future 1st Baron Vaux of Harrowden, which saved the family fortunes.

1. She married firstly, at the age of 12, Sir William Parr[2] (d.1483), a man twenty eight years her senior. William was a Knight of the Garter, among other high positions at court, who was held high in favour with King Edward IV; who by marriage to Elizabeth became a cousin. He fought as a Yorkist on the side of the Nevilles at Banbury. The couple did not produce their first child until Elizabeth was sixteen years of age.

Lord and Lady Parr had three sons and two daughters:

  • Sir Thomas Parr, Lord of Kendal (AFT 1475–11 November 1517), who was the eldest son, was knighted and was sheriff of Northamptonshire in 1509; he was master of the wards and comptroller to Henry VIII. He died on 10 September 1547, and was buried at Horton (for his tomb, see Bridges, Northamptonshire, i. 370). By Mary, daughter of Sir William Salisbury, he left four daughters.
  • Sir William Parr, Lord Parr of Horton.
  • John Parr, Esq. (BEF 1483–8 September 1508), married Constance, daughter of Sir Henry Vere of Addington, Surrey. They had no issue.

Alice, died young (b. before 1483).

  • Anne Parr, Lady Cheney (after 1475–4 November 1513), who married Sir Thomas Cheney of Irthlingborough.
  • Elizabeth, would go on to marry the son of Nicholas Vaux, 1st Baron Vaux of Harrowden (Elizabeth FitzHugh’s second husband) by his second marriage to Anne Green; maternal aunt to Katherine Parr. When Elizabeth Cheney married Lord Vaux, she was age 18 and he was age 14. While there were no blood relations, Lord Vaux’s father had issue by his marriage to his first wife (see below); thus making Hon. Katherine, Hon. Alice, and Hon. Anne Vaux her maternal aunts. Through these relations, Elizabeth Cheney and her husband, the 2nd Lord Vaux, would have Throckmorton cousins in common.

2. After the death of Sir William Parr in autumn 1483, Elizabeth re-married Sir Nicholas Vaux c.1484/5 (probably right before the fall of Richard III), who later became 1st Baron Vaux of Harrowden as his first wife. Vaux was the protege of Lady Margaret Beaufort, mother of King Henry VII, so the marriage came at a good time, saving the family fortunes. Vaux’s mother, Katherine Peniston, had been lady to Margaret of Anjou and as such, the Vauxs’ were sympathetic to the Lancastrian cause bringing the Parr family back in to favor. Lady Katherine Vaux (Peniston) would remain with Margaret of Anjou in exile and died in her service.[6] After the accession of Henry VII, Vaux was raised by Lady Margaret Beaufort.[6] Elizabeth’s son by her first marriage, Sir Thomas Parr (father of Katherine), is thought to have been educated under Beaufort’s tutelage (Susan James) which would explain the closeness he formed with her grandson, King Henry VIII. Vaux became close to his Parr step-children. After the death of Elizabeth, Vaux would re-marry Anne Green, sister to Lady Maud Parr and thus sister-in-law to Sir Thomas Parr.

Nicholas Vaux and Elizabeth Fitz Hugh had 3 daughters.

  • Hon. Katherine Vaux (abt 1490-1552/1571)[5], married the Catholic Sir George Throckmorton of Coughton Court. Sir George was one of those opposed to the divorce of Henry VIII and Queen Katherine of Aragon. He also opposed the break from Rome. As the divorce of Queen Katherine and the marriage of Anne Boleyn was still pending, Sir George said that the king “had meddled with both the mother and sister.” The couple had 19 children and in his life time 112 grandchildren who were mostly ardent Catholics. For over 500 years now, their family has remained one of England’s oldest Catholic families.
  • Hon. Alice Vaux (d. 1543), married Sir Richard Sapcott/Sapcote c. 1501. No issue; some genealogies state she was the mother of one of Sapcott’s younger sons, but that has not been proven.[4]
  • Hon. Anne Vaux, married Sir Thomas Le Strange (1493-1545) and had issue.[4]

Sources

  1. Douglas Richardson, Magna Carta Ancestry, 2nd Edition, Vol. III, p. 290-291
  2. Douglas Richardson, Plantagenet Ancestry, p. 326.
  • Richardson, Douglas. Royal Ancestry: A Study In Colonial And Medieval Families, in 5 vols. (Salt Lake City, Utah, 2013): vol. II, p. 633 and Vol. IV, p. 296.
  • The Complete Peerage vol. V, pp. 428-429.
  • Crofts Peerage Online, Baron FitzHugh http://www.cracroftspeerage.co.uk/fitzhugh1321.htm
  • Susan James. “Catherine Parr: Henry VIII’s Last Love,” (2009), pg 15, 81.
  • Douglas Richardson. “Plantagenet Ancestry,” Genealogical Publishing Com, 2004. pg 144, 561.
  • Peter Marshall, Geoffrey Scott (OSB.) “Catholic Gentry in English Society: The Throckmortons of Coughton from Reformation to Emancipation,” Ashgate Publishing, Ltd., Nov 17, 2009. [several errors, i.e. Katherine Parr’s relation to the Throckmorton’s and Lord Throckmorton died in 1552, we are pretty sure his wife didn’t die in the same year.]
  • Barbara J. Harris. “English Aristocratic Women, 1450-1550 : Marriage and Family, Property and Careers: Marriage and Family, Property and Careers,” Oxford University Press, Jul 26, 2002. pg 218.
  • Michael Hicks. “Anne Neville: Queen to Richard III,” Tempus, 2006. pg 189.
  • Linda Porter. “Katherine, the Queen,” Macmillan, 2010.




Is Elizabeth your ancestor? Please don't go away!
 star icon Login to collaborate or comment, or
 star icon contact private message the profile manager, or
 star icon ask our community of genealogists a question.
Sponsored Search by Ancestry.com

DNA
No known carriers of Elizabeth's DNA have taken a DNA test.

Have you taken a DNA test? If so, login to add it. If not, see our friends at Ancestry DNA.



Comments: 5

Leave a message for others who see this profile.
There are no comments yet.
Login to post a comment.
Shouldn't Elizabeth's current last name be de Vaux? Being her last husband's surname? Parr as the other last name?
posted by Faylene Bailey
edited by Faylene Bailey
Daughter Margaret Parr does not appear in Richardston, but there is a daughter Anne Parr (m Thomas Cheyne and a daughter Alice Parr.
posted by Andrew Lancaster
The daughter Anne Parr which Richardson names currently seems to be set as a grand daughter, daughter of son William Parr?
posted by Andrew Lancaster
Where was the text copied from? I see copied footnote numbers. We should mention where it is from.
posted by Andrew Lancaster
FitzHugh-338 and Fitzhugh-25 appear to represent the same person because: spouse and parents in common; FitzHugh-338 has no sources other than first hand knowledge.
posted by Greg Hays

F  >  Fitzhugh  |  P  >  Parr  >  Elizabeth (Fitzhugh) Parr

Categories: Edward III 5th Gen Descendants