Joan Bulmer (1519 – December 1590), born Joan Acworth, was an English gentlewoman and courtier. The daughter of George Acworth and Margaret Wilberforce, Joan married William Bulmer at a young age. The marriage was short-lived, and she later entered the service of Agnes Tilney, the Dowager Duchess of Norfolk. While in service to the duchess, Bulmer became acquainted with

Katherine Howard Catherine Howard ( – 13 February 1542) was Queen of England from July 1540 until November 1541 as the fifth wife of King Henry VIII. She was the daughter of Lord Edmund Howard and Joyce Culpeper, a first cousin to Anne Boleyn (the second ...

, who would later become the fifth wife of King Henry VIII. It was during this time that Joan became involved in an affair with Edward Waldegrave. After Katherine Howard married Henry VIII, Bulmer requested a place in the royal household based on their previous association. Following Katherine's arrest, Bulmer was called upon to testify against the Queen and detail the aspects of her early life. After Katherine's trial and execution, Bulmer was released. She subsequently went on to marry Edward Waldegrave and resided at Lawford Hall in Essex. A letter from her to Katherine has survived.

In film and television

Joan Bulmer is depicted in the fourth series of ''

The Tudors ''The Tudors'' is a historical fiction television series set primarily in 16th-century England, created and written by Michael Hirst and produced for the American premium cable television channel Showtime. The series was a collaboration among ...

'' by

Catherine Steadman Catherine Steadman (born 8 February 1983) is a British actress and author. Career Steadman trained at the Oxford School of Drama and made her screen debut playing Julia Bertram in ''Mansfield Park''. Since then she has appeared in television s ...

References

1519 births 1590 deaths 16th-century English women Household of Catherine Howard {{England-bio-stub