Mary Middlemore (died 1618) was a Courtier and Maid of Honour to

Anne of Denmark Anne of Denmark (; 12 December 1574 – 2 March 1619) was the wife of King James VI and I; as such, she was Queen of Scotland from their marriage on 20 August 1589 and Queen of England and Ireland from the union of the Scottish and En ...

, subject of poems, and treasure hunter.

Family background

Mary Middlemore was the eldest daughter of Henry Middlemore of Enfield, a groom of the privy chamber to

Queen Elizabeth Queen Elizabeth, Queen Elisabeth or Elizabeth the Queen may refer to: Queens regnant * Elizabeth I (1533–1603; ), Queen of England and Ireland * Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022 ...

, and Elizabeth Fowkes from Somerset. Henry Middlemore had been sent as a messenger in 1568 to

Mary, Queen of Scots Mary, Queen of Scots (8 December 1542 – 8 February 1587), also known as Mary Stuart or Mary I of Scotland, was Queen of Scotland from 14 December 1542 until her forced abdication in 1567. The only surviving legitimate child of James V of S ...

Carlisle Castle Carlisle Castle is a medieval stone keep castle that stands within the English city of Carlisle near the ruins of Hadrian's Wall. First built during the reign of William II in 1093 and rebuilt in stone under Henry I in 1122, the castle is over ...

and to her half-brother

Regent Moray James Stewart, 1st Earl of Moray (c. 1531 – 23 January 1570) was a member of the House of Stewart as the illegitimate son of King James V of Scotland. A supporter of his half-sister Mary, Queen of Scots, he was the regent of Scotland for his ...

in Scotland. Mary's brother Robert Middlemore (d. 1629) was an equerry to King James. A monument to Robert and his wife Dorothy Fulstow or Fulstone (d. 1610) can be seen at St Andrews, Church,

Enfield Enfield may refer to: Places Australia * Enfield, New South Wales * Enfield, South Australia ** Electoral district of Enfield, a state electoral district in South Australia, corresponding to the suburb ** Enfield High School (South Australia) ...

Career

After her father died, her mother Elizabeth married Sir Vincent Skinner (d. 1616) an ambitious MP. Middlemore was appointed a Maid of Honour to the queen in December 1603. Her companions were Anne Carey,

Mary Gargrave Mary Gargrave (1576 – c. 1640) was a courtier to Anne of Denmark. Mary Gargrave was a daughter of Sir Cotton Gargrave (1540–1588) and his second wife Anne Waterton. They had houses at Kinsley, Hemsworth, and Nostell Priory, near Wakefield. ...

Elizabeth Roper Elizabeth Roper (d. 1658) was a member of the household of Anne of Denmark. She married Robert Mansell, a glass-making entrepreneur and became involved in his business. She was noted for her business activities as a "capitalist" by the historian ...

Elizabeth Harcourt Elizabeth Harcourt (fl. c. 1590–1610), Courtier to Anne of Denmark. She was a daughter of Sir Walter Harcourt of Stanton Harcourt and Ellenhall, and Dorothy Robinson, who was Harcourt's step-sister and daughter of William Robinson of Drayton ...

, and

Mary Woodhouse Mary Woodhouse (d. 1656), musician and correspondent of Constantijn Huygens, was the daughter of Henry Woodhouse (MP) of Hickling and Waxham, and Anne Bacon, daughter of Sir Nicholas Bacon. (Some sources say she was a daughter of the Woodhouse f ...

. These positions were established by a household ordinance of 20 July 1603, with places for six maids of honour, a mother of maids, and four chamberers.

Rowland Whyte Rowland Whyte (died after 1626) was an Elizabethan official and businessman, whose letters provide important evidence about the latter stages of the life of Queen Elizabeth I and the transition to the rule of James I. The letters were first publi ...

mentioned the maids of honour and others dancing at

Hampton Court Hampton Court Palace is a Grade I listed royal palace in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, southwest and upstream of central London on the River Thames. The building of the palace began in 1514 for Cardinal Thomas Wolsey, the chie ...

in the presence chamber of Anne of Denmark, with a French visitor, the

Count of Vaudémont The title Count of Vaudémont was granted to Gérard 1st of Vaudémont in 1070, after he supported the succession of his brother, Theodoric II, Duke of Lorraine to the Duchy of Lorraine. Counts of Vaudémont served as vassals of the Dukes of Lo ...

. In 1608 her younger sister Elizabeth married Edward Zouche of

Bramshill Bramshill is a civil parish in the English county of Hampshire. Its name has become synonymous with the Police Staff College, Bramshill located in Bramshill House. Bramshill forms part of the district of Hart. It is bordered by the Rivers Whit ...

, or perhaps

Edward Zouch Sir Edward Zouch of Woking (died 1634) was a courtier to English kings James and Charles I, a masque actor, and Knight Marshal of the King's Household. He was the son of Sir Willam Zouch or Zouche. His mother's name is not known. Career Marriage ...

of Woking, Knight Marshall. She died shortly afterwards and was buried in Westminster Abbey in March 1610. Her brother Robert Middlemore of Thornton married Dorothy Fulstowe who also died in 1610. She was a daughter of Richard Fulstowe a servant of

Lord Willoughby Baron Willoughby of Parham was a title in the Peerage of England with two creations. The first creation was for Sir William Willoughby who was raised to the peerage under letters patent in 1547, with the remainder to his heirs male of body. An ...

. Around Christmas time 1609/10,

Sir Edward Herbert Edward Herbert, 1st Baron Herbert of Cherbury (or Chirbury) KB (3 March 1583 – 5 August 1648) was an English soldier, diplomat, historian, poet and religious philosopher of the Kingdom of England. Life Early life Edward Herbert was the ...

fought with a Scottish gentleman who had snatched a ribbon from her hair in a back room of the queen's lodgings at

Greenwich Palace Greenwich ( , ,) is a town in south-east London, England, within the ceremonial county of Greater London. It is situated east-southeast of Charing Cross. Greenwich is notable for its maritime history and for giving its name to the Greenwich ...

. Herbert would have followed up by fighting a duel in

Hyde Park Hyde Park may refer to: Places England * Hyde Park, London, a Royal Park in Central London * Hyde Park, Leeds, an inner-city area of north-west Leeds * Hyde Park, Sheffield, district of Sheffield * Hyde Park, in Hyde, Greater Manchester Austr ...

, but the Privy Council prevented it. John Chamberlain recorded that the Scottish man was an usher to the queen named "Boghvan". There was a musician recorded as "Jacques Bochan". There was a violin player at court in 1609 called "James Bochan". "Mr Bochan" taught the ladies of Anne of Denmark's household dance steps for masques. Bochan, however, was described as a French violer, attached to the household of Prince Henry from 1608 to 1610. A man called "Baughan" is mentioned in the Lincoln's Inn accounts of the masque ''

The Memorable Masque of the Middle Temple and Lincoln's Inn ''The Memorable Masque of the Middle Temple and Lincoln's Inn'' was a Jacobean era masque, written by George Chapman, and with costumes, sets, and stage effects designed by Inigo Jones. It was performed in the Great Hall of Whitehall Palace o ...

'' in 1613 as a Marshal not a musician, and perhaps he was Anne's Scottish usher. Subsequently, Edward Herbert became involved with another lady-in-waiting,

Dorothy Bulstrode Dorothy Bulstrode or Boulstred (1592-1650) was a lady-in-waiting to Anne of Denmark. One of her older sisters was Cecily Bulstrode, who was the subject of poems by Ben Jonson and John Donne. Childhood She was the youngest of six daughters of Edw ...

, and was beaten up by husband, John Eyre. The queen's secretary William Fowler dedicated poems to her, including the ''Meditation upon Virgin Maryes Hatt'', and ''Aetna'' which includes her name; "My harte as Aetna burnes, and suffers MORE / Paines in my MIDDLE than ever MARY proved", and devised an Italian anagram "Madre di mill'amori", the mother of a thousand loves. On 20 August 1613 Anne of Denmark was received at

Wells, Somerset Wells () is a cathedral city and civil parish in the Mendip district of Somerset, located on the southern edge of the Mendip Hills, south-east of Weston-super-Mare, south-west of Bath and south of Bristol. Although the population recor ...

, during her progress to Bath. The mayor William Bull hosted a dinner for members of her household including the four maids of honour. Anna of Denmark had a portrait of Mary Middlemore at Oatlands. In July 1615 she was bought a bay ambling gelding horse to replace her lame grey horse. After Vincent Skinner's death, her mother Elizabeth Foukes seems also to have joined the queen's household. On 29 April 1617 Middlemore was granted a licence by the king to have workmen seek treasure in

Glastonbury Abbey Glastonbury Abbey was a monastery in Glastonbury, Somerset, England. Its ruins, a grade I listed building and scheduled ancient monument, are open as a visitor attraction. The abbey was founded in the 8th century and enlarged in the 10th. It ...

St Albans Abbey St Albans Cathedral, officially the Cathedral and Abbey Church of St Alban but often referred to locally as "the Abbey", is a Church of England cathedral in St Albans, England. Much of its architecture dates from Norman times. It ceased to be ...

, Bury St Edmunds Abbey, and

Romsey Abbey Romsey Abbey is the name currently given to a parish church of the Church of England in Romsey, a market town in Hampshire, England. Until the Dissolution of the Monasteries it was the church of a Benedictine nunnery. The surviving Norman-era c ...

. She died later in the year, and perhaps did not profit from prospecting in the ruins. The gift has sometimes been assumed to be intended for the queen, but it may be connected with the financial ruin and death of her step-father Sir

Vincent Skinner Sir Vincent Skinner (1543 – 28 February 1616) was an English politician, who sat in Parliament for numerous constituencies. He was born the son of John Skinner, a mercer of Thorpe-by- Wainfleet, Lincolnshire. He matriculated at Trinity Colleg ...

, who had been building a country house at

Thornton Abbey Thornton Abbey was a medieval abbey located close to the small North Lincolnshire village of Thornton Curtis, near Ulceby, and directly south of Hull on the other side of the Humber estuary. Its ruins are a Grade I listed building, including not ...

. Around this time, her mother joined the queen's household. Mary Middlemore died of

consumption Consumption may refer to: *Resource consumption *Tuberculosis, an infectious disease, historically * Consumption (ecology), receipt of energy by consuming other organisms * Consumption (economics), the purchasing of newly produced goods for curre ...

on 3 January 1618 at

Whitehall Palace The Palace of Whitehall (also spelt White Hall) at Westminster was the main residence of the English monarchs from 1530 until 1698, when most of its structures, except notably Inigo Jones's Banqueting House of 1622, were destroyed by fire. ...

and was buried the next day at

Westminster Abbey Westminster Abbey, formally titled the Collegiate Church of Saint Peter at Westminster, is an historic, mainly Gothic church in the City of Westminster, London, England, just to the west of the Palace of Westminster. It is one of the United ...

.''Collectanea topographica et genealogica'', vol. 7 (London, 1841), p. 357: Norman Egbert McClure, ''Letters of John Chamberlain'', vol. 2 (Philadelphia, 1939), p. 129:

Thomas Birch Thomas Birch (23 November 17059 January 1766) was an English historian. Life He was the son of Joseph Birch, a coffee-mill maker, and was born at Clerkenwell. He preferred study to business but, as his parents were Quakers, he did not go to ...

& Folkestone Williams, ''Court and Times of James the First'', vol. 1 (London, 1848), pp. 418, 456: Joseph Lemuel Chester, ''Westminster Abbey Registers: Harleian Society'', vol. 10 (London, 1869), p. 114: William Phillimore, ''Family of Middlemore'' (London, 1901), p. 246.

References

External links

'Aetna', H. Meikle, ''Works of William Fowler'', vol. 1 (Edinburgh, 1914), pp. 268-9

Monument to Robert Middlemore and Dorothy Fulstone at Enfield, Geograph, Mike Quinn
{{DEFAULTSORT:Middlemore, Mary 1618 deaths 17th-century English women 17th-century deaths from tuberculosis British maids of honour Ladies of the Bedchamber Court of James VI and I Treasure hunters Dueling Household of Anne of Denmark Burials at Westminster Abbey Tuberculosis deaths in England