Eleanor or Alianor Verney was an English courtier who travelled to Scotland with

Margaret Tudor Margaret Tudor (28 November 1489 – 18 October 1541) was List of Scottish royal consorts, Queen of Scotland from 1503 until 1513 by marriage to King James IV. She then served as regent of Scotland during her son's minority, and fought to exte ...

in 1503.

Family background

She was a daughter of Geoffrey Pole and Edith St John. Her brother Richard Pole married Margaret Plantagenet daughter of

George, Duke of Clarence George Plantagenet, Duke of Clarence (21 October 144918 February 1478), was the sixth child and third surviving son of Richard Plantagenet, 3rd Duke of York, and Cecily Neville, and the brother of English kings Edward IV and Richard III. He pl ...

in 1487, a wedding perhaps intended to heal the divisions of the

War of the Roses The Wars of the Roses, known at the time and in following centuries as the Civil Wars, were a series of armed confrontations, machinations, battles and campaigns fought over control of the English throne from 1455 to 1487. The conflict was fo ...

Household of Elizabeth of York

She married Ralph Verney, chamberlain to

Elizabeth of York Elizabeth of York (11 February 1466 – 11 February 1503) was List of English royal consorts, Queen of England from her marriage to King Henry VII of England, Henry VII on 18 January 1486 until her death in 1503. She was the daughter of King E ...

. Henry VII granted them the manor of Swerford in Oxfordshire.

Cecily Neville, Duchess of York Cecily Neville (3 May 1415 – 31 May 1495) was an English noblewoman, the wife of Richard, Duke of York (1411–1460), and the mother of two Kings of England—Edward IV and Richard III. Cecily Neville was known as "the Rose of Raby", because ...

, made Ralph Verney keeper of the parks of

Berkhamsted Berkhamsted ( ) is a historic market town in Hertfordshire, England, in the River Bulbourne, Bulbourne valley, north-west of London. The town is a Civil parishes in England, civil parish with a town council within the borough of Dacorum which ...

and

Kings Langley Kings Langley is a village, former manor and civil parish in Hertfordshire, England, north-west of London and to the south of the Chiltern Hills. It now forms part of the London commuter belt. The village is divided between two local governme ...

in 1487. They had a son, John Verney, born in 1488. She became chief lady in waiting to

, and attended her coronation at

Westminster Abbey Westminster Abbey, formally titled the Collegiate Church of Saint Peter at Westminster, is an Anglican church in the City of Westminster, London, England. Since 1066, it has been the location of the coronations of 40 English and British m ...

on 25 November 1487. Ralph Verney was given a black velvet doublet and gown in December 1498. An account of the privy purse of Elizabeth of York shows that Lady Verney accompanied the queen and made payments for her. In July 1502 Lady Verney paid the ferry man at

Datchet Datchet is a village and civil parish in the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead in Berkshire, England, on the north bank of the River Thames. Historic counties of England, Historically part of Buckinghamshire, and the Stoke Hundred, the vi ...

for carrying the queen across the

Thames The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the second-longest in the United Kingdom, after th ...

. In August, at the command of Elizabeth of York, she made an offering of 20 pence at the shrine of Saint Frideswide at Oxford. On 28 August Elizabeth of York crossed the

Severn The River Severn (, ), at long, is the longest river in Great Britain. It is also the river with the most voluminous flow of water by far in all of England and Wales, with an average flow rate of at Apperley, Gloucestershire. It rises in t ...

Chepstow Chepstow () is a town and community in Monmouthshire, Wales, adjoining the border with Gloucestershire, England. It is located on the tidal River Wye, about above its confluence with the River Severn, and adjoining the western end of the ...

on her way to

Thornbury Thornbury may refer to: Places ;Australia *Thornbury, Victoria, a suburb of Melbourne **Thornbury railway station, Melbourne ;Canada * Thornbury, Ontario ;England *Thornbury, Devon * Thornbury, Herefordshire *Thornbury, Gloucestershire **Thornbury ...

and

Berkeley Castle Berkeley Castle ( ; historically sometimes spelled as ''Berkley Castle'' or ''Barkley Castle'') is a castle in the town of Berkeley, Gloucestershire, England. The castle's origins date back to the 11th century, being designated by English ...

, accompanied by Lady Verney, who transferred 40 shillings to the queen's purse at "Walleston" perhaps

Woolaston Woolaston is a village and civil parish in the Forest of Dean district of Gloucestershire in South West England. It lies on the north side of the Severn Estuary approximately from the Welsh border at Chepstow and is surrounded by woodland and ...

near Chepstow. A modern transcription of the queen's account has been compiled by the Tudor Chamber Books Project. Lady Verney paid the painters Robert Fyll and John Reynolds for making heraldic beasts for the garden at

Windsor Castle Windsor Castle is a List of British royal residences, royal residence at Windsor, Berkshire, Windsor in the English county of Berkshire, about west of central London. It is strongly associated with the Kingdom of England, English and succee ...

. A copy of

Wynkyn de Worde Wynkyn de Worde (; died , London) was a printer and publisher in London known for his work with William Caxton, and is recognised as the first to popularise the products of the printing press in England. Name Wynkyn de Worde was a German immi ...

's ''Vitas Patrum'' now in Lambeth Palace library was inscribed by Eleanor Verney and the nun Martha Fabyan.

Margaret Tudor in Scotland

Elizabeth of York died in 1503 and several members of her household became servants of her daughter, Margaret Tudor, who had been married by proxy to

James IV of Scotland James IV (17 March 1473 – 9 September 1513) was List of Scottish monarchs, King of Scotland from 11 June 1488 until his death at the Battle of Flodden in 1513. He inherited the throne at the age of fifteen on the death of his father, James I ...

. Eleanor and Ralph Verney travelled to Scotland and Ralph Verney became Margaret Tudor's chamberlain. Margaret Tudor's marriage contract allowed her 24 English attendants, and James IV subsequently undertook to pay them "competent fees". It has been suggested that Elen or Ellen More, an African servant at the Scottish court, was baptised and renamed after Eleanor Verney. In January 1505, as a New Year's Day gift, James IV gave Eleanor Verney fabric for a kirtle and probably, a gown. She was also paid a fee or salary with other "Inglis Ladyeis" of Margaret's household, including Elizabeth Berlay and Eleanor Johns. Lady Verney's two maiden attendants were given 11

gold coins A gold coin is a coin that is made mostly or entirely of gold. Most gold coins minted since 1800 are 90–92% gold (22 karat), while most of today's gold bullion coins are pure gold, such as the Britannia, Canadian Maple Leaf, and American B ...

strung as beads on necklaces as a New Year's Day gift in 1506. Eleanor and Ralph Verney were in Haddington and

Coldingham Coldingham is a village and parish in Berwickshire in the Scottish Borders. It lies a short distance inland from Coldingham Bay, three miles northeast of the fishing village of Eyemouth. Parish The parish lies in the east of the Lammermuir ...

in August 1507.

England and Mary Tudor

Margaret Beaufort Lady Margaret Beaufort ( ; 31 May 1443 – 29 June 1509) was a major figure in the Wars of the Roses of the late 15th century, and mother of King Henry VII of England, the first Tudor monarch. She was also a second cousin of Kings Henry ...

bequeathed £20 to "dame Elenor Vernay". Eleanor and Ralph Verney returned to England by 1509 and attended the funeral of Henry VII. They both joined the household of Mary Tudor, soon to be Queen of France. In 1516 she was awarded an annual wage of £20, perhaps as a member of the household of Princess Mary. She was granted a tun of wine annually by

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. ...

in February 1517. Ralph Verney died on 6 July 1528 and was buried at

in Hertfordshire. There is a monument with their effigies and heraldry in

All Saints' Church, Kings Langley All Saints' Church, Kings Langley is a Church of England parish church located in the village of Kings Langley in Hertfordshire, England. Originating in the 13th century, the church contains the English church monuments, tomb of Edmund of Langley ...

. Eleanor Verney outlived her husband and was given an annuity by Henry VIII in April 1532.J. S. Brewer, ''Letters and Papers'', 5 (London, 1864), p. 456.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Verney, Eleanor Court of James IV of Scotland Court of Henry VII of England Household of Margaret Tudor 15th-century English women 15th-century English people 16th-century English women English ladies-in-waiting

Eleanor Eleanor () is a feminine given name, originally from an Old French adaptation of the Old Provençal name ''Aliénor''. It was the name of a number of women of royalty and nobility in western Europe during the High Middle Ages">Provençal dialect ...