Dudley Knollys (1562 - abt. 1562)

Born 9 May 1562 in England

Ancestors

Died about Jul 1562 at about age 0 in England

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Biography

Dudley Knollys, youngest child and daughter of Francis and Catherine was born on Saturday, 9 May 1562, a bit before 2 o'clock in the afternoon. ^[1] She lived less than two months and is represented on the family effigy as a swaddled infant lying next to her mother Catherine.

It is reasonable to assume, given her name, that someone from the Dudley family stood as a godparent to this child. Custom decreed that there were three godparents, with two of the same sex of the child and a third of the opposite sex. With the Queen standing as one of the godparents and the Countess of Warwick (a Dudley) as a possible second, the sex of the child could be confirmed as female, although the identity of the third godparent is not known. Confirmation that the infant Dudley Knollys was female comes from the Elizabethan New Year’s Gift Rolls where this item was recorded under Sundry Gifts at Various Tymes on the1563 roll:

Syr Frauncis Knolles—Gevon by the Quene her Matie this xviij of Maye Anno quarto Regni Regine Elizabeth at the Christeninge of Syr Frauncis Knowlles his Doughter—Thre guilt Bolles weith a couer bought of the Goldesmythes poz xlvj oz di.

The Queen’s role as godparent is confirmed by this gift. ^[2]

Sources

1. ↑ Varlow, Sally Sir Francis Knollys's Latin dictionary: new evidence for Katherine Carey Historical Research, Volume 80, Issue 209, August 2007, Pages 315–323,Oxford Academic
2. ↑ Bundesen, Kristin & Lawson, Jane. (2018). Dudley Knollys: Elizabethan Gender Identification. Notes and Queries. 65. 110-118. 10.1093/notesj/gjx184. PDF