Elizabeth, Lady Boleyn (' Wood) was a lady-in-waiting at the court of

Henry VIII of England Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is best known for his six marriages, and for his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. His disa ...

. Through her marriage to Sir James Boleyn, she was the aunt of Henry VIII's second wife,

Anne Boleyn Anne Boleyn (; 1501 or 1507 – 19 May 1536) was Queen of England from 1533 to 1536, as the second wife of King Henry VIII. The circumstances of her marriage and of her execution by beheading for treason and other charges made her a key ...

. The two were not close, and Elizabeth Boleyn acted as her niece's

gaoler A prison officer or corrections officer is a uniformed law enforcement official responsible for the custody, supervision, safety, and regulation of prisoners. They are responsible for the care, custody, and control of individuals who have been ...

when Queen Anne was arrested on charges of adultery, incest and conspiracy to kill the King. Elizabeth Boleyn was one of the many relatives who benefitted from the success of her brother-in-law,

Sir Thomas Boleyn Thomas Bolina, Earl of Wiltshire, 1st Earl of Ormond, 1st Viscount Rochford KG KB (c. 1477 – 12 March 1539), of Hever Castle in Kent, was an English diplomat and politician who was the father of Anne Boleyn, the second wife of King Henry ...

, who was a successful ambassador and rose to the title Viscount Rochford in 1525. After Henry fell in love with Thomas' daughter, Anne, Thomas Boleyn was given the earldoms of Wiltshire and Ormonde, titles that his grandfather had held. Despite this, there seems to have been long-running animosity between Elizabeth Boleyn and her niece. In 1536 five women were appointed to serve Queen Anne while she was imprisoned in the

Tower A tower is a tall structure, taller than it is wide, often by a significant factor. Towers are distinguished from masts by their lack of guy-wires and are therefore, along with tall buildings, self-supporting structures. Towers are specifi ...

and to report to Sir William Kingston, the Lieutenant of the Tower, and through him to the King's chief minister,

Thomas Cromwell Thomas Cromwell (; 1485 – 28 July 1540), briefly Earl of Essex, was an English lawyer and statesman who served as chief minister to King Henry VIII from 1534 to 1540, when he was beheaded on orders of the king, who later blamed false char ...

, all that the Queen said. These women included Elizabeth Boleyn; Queen Anne's aunt, Anne Shelton;

Mary Kingston Mary Kingston (born 29 May 1970 in Inchydoney, County Cork), is an Irish children's television presenter and philanthropist. She presented ''The Disney Club'' on RTÉ Two. She also presented ''Scratch Saturday'' and '' The Works''. Early life ...

, the wife of Sir William Kingston, the Lieutenant of the Tower; Margaret Coffin, the wife of Queen Anne's

Master of the Horse Master of the Horse is an official position in several European nations. It was more common when most countries in Europe were monarchies, and is of varying prominence today. (Ancient Rome) The original Master of the Horse ( la, Magister Equitu ...

; and Elizabeth Stoner, wife of the King's Serjeant-at-Arms. Sir William Kingston described the five as "honest and good women", but Queen Anne said that it was "a great unkindness in the King to set such about me as I have never loved". George Cavendish, ''Wolsey'', pp. 451–460 It was Elizabeth Boleyn and Mary Kingston who accompanied Queen Anne to her trial on 15 May 1536.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Boleyn (lady-in-waiting), Elizabeth English ladies-in-waiting Year of birth unknown 16th-century deaths 16th-century English women

Elizabeth Elizabeth or Elisabeth may refer to: People * Elizabeth (given name), a female given name (including people with that name) * Elizabeth (biblical figure), mother of John the Baptist Ships * HMS ''Elizabeth'', several ships * ''Elisabeth'' (sch ...

Wives of knights Household of Anne Boleyn