Anne Calthorpe
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Anne Calthorpe, Countess of Sussex (died between 22 August 1579 and 28 March 1582) was an English courtier. She was the second wife of Henry Radcliffe, 2nd Earl of Sussex, who divorced her in 1555 on the grounds of her alleged
bigamous In a culture where only monogamous relationships are legally recognized, bigamy is the act of entering into a marriage with one person while still legally married to another. A legal or de facto separation of the couple does not alter their mari ...
marriage to Sir Edmund Knyvet, and her "unnatural and unkind" character. She served as a
lady-in-waiting A lady-in-waiting (alternatively written lady in waiting) or court lady is a female personal assistant at a Royal court, court, attending on a royal woman or a high-ranking nobility, noblewoman. Historically, in Europe, a lady-in-waiting was o ...
in the household of Queen Consort
Katherine Parr Catherine Parr ( – 5 September 1548) was Queen of England and Ireland as the last of the six wives of King Henry VIII from their marriage on 12 July 1543 until Henry's death on 28 January 1547. Catherine was the final queen consort o ...
, the sixth wife of King
Henry VIII Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is known for his Wives of Henry VIII, six marriages and his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. ...
, and shared her
Reformed Reform is beneficial change. Reform, reformed or reforming may also refer to: Media * ''Reform'' (album), a 2011 album by Jane Zhang * Reform (band), a Swedish jazz fusion group * ''Reform'' (magazine), a Christian magazine Places * Reform, Al ...
beliefs. She was implicated in the
heresy Heresy is any belief or theory that is strongly at variance with established beliefs or customs, particularly the accepted beliefs or religious law of a religious organization. A heretic is a proponent of heresy. Heresy in Heresy in Christian ...
of
Anne Askew Anne Askew (sometimes spelled Ayscough or Ascue), married name Anne Kyme (152116 July 1546), was an English writer, poet, and Protestant preacher who was condemned as a heretic during the reign of Henry VIII of England. She and Margaret Cheyne ...
. In 1552, she was sent to the
Tower of London The Tower of London, officially His Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress of the Tower of London, is a historic citadel and castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London, England. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamle ...
for having practised
sorcery Sorcery commonly refers to: * Magic (supernatural), the application of beliefs, rituals or actions employed to manipulate natural or supernatural beings and forces ** Goetia, ''Goetia'', magic involving the evocation of spirits ** Witchcraft, the ...
and having made "treasonous prophecies".


Family

Anne was the daughter of Sir Philip Calthorpe of
Burnham Thorpe Burnham Thorpe is a village and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk. It is famous for being the birthplace of Vice Admiral Horatio Nelson, victor at the Battle of Trafalgar and one of Britain's greatest heroes. At the time of his bi ...
, Norfolk and his second wife, Jane Blennerhassett. Anne had an older half-brother Sir Philip Calthorpe who married Amata Boleyn, paternal aunt of Queen
Anne Boleyn Anne Boleyn (; 1501 or 1507 – 19 May 1536) was List of English royal consorts, Queen of England from 1533 to 1536, as the Wives of Henry VIII, second wife of King Henry VIII. The circumstances of her marriage and execution, by beheading ...
. An aunt, Agnes Calthorpe, had thirdly been married as his first wife to Charles Knyvett (died 1528), the great-uncle of Anne's alleged bigamous husband Sir Edmund.


First Marriage

Sometime before 21 November 1538, she married as his second wife, Henry Radcliffe, heir to the earldom of Sussex, whose wife, Elizabeth
Howard Howard is a masculine given name derived from the English surname Howard. ''The Oxford Dictionary of English Christian Names'' notes that "the use of this surname as a christian name is quite recent and there seems to be no particular reason for ...
had died in 1537. He was a second cousin of King
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 known for his Wives of Henry VIII, six marriages and his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. ...
as they shared
Richard Woodville, 1st Earl Rivers Richard Woodville, 1st Earl Rivers (1405 – 12 August 1469), also Wydeville, was the father of Elizabeth Woodville and father-in-law of Edward IV. Early life Born at Maidstone in Kent, Richard Woodville was the son of Richard Wydeville ...
and
Jacquetta of Luxembourg Jacquetta of Luxembourg (1415/1416 – 30 May 1472) was a prominent figure in the Wars of the Roses. Through her short-lived first marriage to the Duke of Bedford, brother of King Henry V, she was firmly allied to the House of Lancaster. Howe ...
as great-grandparents. Together Henry and Anne had three children: * Egremont Radcliffe (died 1578); he took part in the
Rising of the North The Rising of the North of 1569, also called the Revolt of the Northern Earls, Northern Rebellion or the Rebellion of the Earls, was an unsuccessful attempt by Catholicism, Catholic nobles from Northern England to depose Queen Elizabeth I of En ...
; after fleeing to the Continent, he was executed at
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after being accused of attempting to poison
John of Austria John of Austria (, ; 24 February 1547 – 1 October 1578) was the illegitimate son of Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor. Charles V recognized him in a codicil to his will. John became a military leader in the service of his half-brother, King Phi ...
. * Lady Maud Radcliffe (died at an early age) * Lady Frances Radcliffe (died 1602); married Sir Thomas Mildmay, by whom she had issue. The FitzWalter barony ultimately passed to her descendants. Anne had two stepsons,
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and
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from her husband's first marriage. On 27 November 1542, her husband succeeded as the 2nd Earl of Sussex, and from that date onward, she was styled Countess of Sussex. He also became the 11th Baron of FitzWalter, and the 2nd Viscount FitzWalter. In 1543, she went to court as a
lady-in-waiting A lady-in-waiting (alternatively written lady in waiting) or court lady is a female personal assistant at a Royal court, court, attending on a royal woman or a high-ranking nobility, noblewoman. Historically, in Europe, a lady-in-waiting was o ...
to the Queen, whose Reformed beliefs she shared. She was one of the Queen's ladies personally named by
Anne Askew Anne Askew (sometimes spelled Ayscough or Ascue), married name Anne Kyme (152116 July 1546), was an English writer, poet, and Protestant preacher who was condemned as a heretic during the reign of Henry VIII of England. She and Margaret Cheyne ...
's interrogators. She was questioned by a commission for "errors in scripture".Kathy Lynn Emerson, ''A Who's Who of Tudor Women''. Retrieved 12 August 2009. Her marriage to Radcliffe was not successful as they differed on religious issues. Between 1547 and 1549, they separated after he expelled her from their home, accusing her of having entered into a bigamous marriage with Sir Edmund Knyvet. In a letter written by Anne to her mother, she alleged that Radcliffe had thrown her out of his house without "money, men, women, or meat, and no more than two velvet gowns".


Imprisonment and divorce

In September 1552, Anne was sent to the Tower of London for having practised sorcery and having made "treasonous prophecies". She was released five and a half months later. Following the accession of
Mary I Mary I (18 February 1516 – 17 November 1558), also known as Mary Tudor, was Queen of England and Ireland from July 1553 and Queen of Spain as the wife of King Philip II from January 1556 until her death in 1558. She made vigorous a ...
to the English throne, Anne fled to the Continent to avoid persecution for her Protestant beliefs. In her absence, Radcliffe had a
Bill Bill(s) may refer to: Common meanings * Banknote, paper cash (especially in the United States) * Bill (law), a proposed law put before a legislature * Invoice, commercial document issued by a seller to a buyer * Bill, a bird or animal's beak Pl ...
introduced in
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against the "adulterous living of the late Countess of Sussex". It didn't pass. He also attempted to bastardise their children with another Parliamentary Bill, but this also failed to pass despite having been read three times in the
House of Commons of England The House of Commons of England was the lower house of the Parliament of England (which Laws in Wales Acts 1535 and 1542, incorporated Wales) from its development in the 14th century to the union of England and Scotland in 1707, when it was re ...
. In 1555, he tried again with yet another Bill, this time to prevent her from enjoying her dowry or jointure rights which did pass; however, he no longer sought to bastardise her children. He described Anne as having been "unnatural and unkind". They divorced on 13 November 1555.


Return to England

Shortly after Radcliffe's death in February 1557, she returned to England. In his will, Radcliffe had styled her as an "unkind wife". By April of that same year she was a prisoner in the
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. The following year, a Bill of Parliament settled the matter of her jointure, and by June 1559 she had married Andrew Wyse, a former Royal Officer in Ireland. By her second husband, Anne bore two more children: * Elizabeth Wyse (baptised 2 January 1560); married Alexander Fitton on 31 October 1578. * Anthony Wyse


Last years and death

Anne, her husband and their children returned to Ireland in 1564. She died sometime between 22 August 1579 and 28 March 1582.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sussex, Anne Calthorpe, Countess of English countesses by marriage English ladies-in-waiting 16th-century deaths Prisoners in the Tower of London 16th-century English women 16th-century English nobility People from King's Lynn and West Norfolk (district) Year of birth unknown Place of birth unknown
Anne Anne, alternatively spelled Ann, is a form of the Latin female name Anna (name), Anna. This in turn is a representation of the Hebrew Hannah (given name), Hannah, which means 'favour' or 'grace'. Related names include Annie (given name), Annie a ...
People accused of witchcraft Household of Catherine Parr Witchcraft in England