Elizabeth (Blount) Clinton (abt. 1502 - aft. 1539)

Born about 1502 in Kinlet, Shropshire, England

Ancestors

Wife of Edward Clinton KG PC — married about 1531 in England

Descendants

Died after 6 Feb 1539 in England

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Biography

Elizabeth Blount, better known as "Bessie," was a mistress of Henry VIII and mother of his illegitimate son, Henry FitzRoy, Duke of Richmond and Somerset.

Father: Sir John Blount of Kinlet

Mother: Catherine Pershall

Baroness Tailboys of Kyme Born c. 1498 Kinlet, Shropshire Baroness Clinton Died c. January 1540 (aged 42)

Spouse(s)

Gilbert Tailboys, 1st Baron Tailboys of Kyme

Edward Clinton, 1st Earl of Lincoln

Blount's relationship with Henry VIII lasted for some length of time, compared to his other affairs, which were generally short-lived and unacknowledged. On 15 June 1519, Blount bore the King an illegitimate son who was named Henry FitzRoy, later created Duke of Richmond and Somerset and Earl of Nottingham. He was the only illegitimate son of Henry VIII whom the King acknowledged as his own.[6] After the child's birth, the affair ended for unknown reasons. For proving that King Henry was capable of fathering healthy sons, Elizabeth Blount prompted a popular saying, "Bless 'ee, Bessie Blount", often heard during and after this period.

Issue:

From King Henry VIII

1. Henry FitzRoy, 1st Duke of Richmond and Somerset

From Gilbert Tailboys, 1st Baron Tailboys of Kyme

1. Elizabeth Tailboys, 4th Baroness Tailboys of Kyme
2. George Tailboys, 2nd Baron Tailboys of Kyme
3. Robert Tailboys, 3rd Baron Tailboys of Kyme

From her 2nd marriage to Edward Clinton, 1st Earl of Lincoln

1. Bridget Clinton, Lady Dymoke
2. Catherine Clinton, Baroness Burgh
3. Margaret Clinton, Baroness Willoughby of Parham

Sources

• Oxford Dictionary of National Biography: Blount [married names Tailboys, Fiennes de Clinton, Elizabethunlocked

(c. 1500–1539x41) Beverley A. Murphy]

• Richardson, Douglas. Royal Ancestry (2013) Vol. V pp. 217
• Marlyn_Lewis
• Wikipedia:Elizabeth_Blount
• History of Parliament Online
• Geni http://www.geni.com/people/Elizabeth-Bessie-Blount-Tailboys-Fiennes-Blount-Mistress-of-King-Henry-VIII/6000000003234347010
• Find a Grave.com memorial #101856985
• THE PEERAGE 28836
• Visitation of Shropshire Page 54: Blunt
• Wikidata contributors, "Q237170," Wikidata, https://www.wikidata.org/w/index.php?title=Q237170&oldid=823146398 (accessed February 3, 2019).

Acknowledgements

• WikiTree profile Blount-317 created through the import of OliveMinverva.ged on Aug 5, 2011 by Ryan Davis. See the Changes page for the details of edits by Ryan and others.

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