The true Tudor story of Katherine Grey, her forbidden marriage to Edward Seymour, and the fate that brought them together again in Salisbury Cathedral
In the Gothic Salisbury Cathedral this extraordinary tomb stands near the altar, with its alabaster and marble carvings, heraldry and figures kneeling in homage. But what is striking is the woman lays above the man.
That is unusual enough to make you stop and look more closely. Why was Lady Katherine Grey’s effigy raised above that of her husband, Edward Seymour, Earl of Hertford?
The answer leads into a story of forbidden love, royal blood, secrets and tragedy. And a young woman who dared defy Queen Elizabeth I for the man she loved.
A Tragic Family
Katherine Grey was born into a family where love and politics were never far apart. She was the younger sister of Lady Jane Grey, who became Queen of England for just nine days in 1553.
Jane’s story is better known. When Edward VI was dying, he proclaimed she and her heirs would rule, but Mary Tudor soon claimed the throne. Jane was imprisoned in the Tower of London, then came to be regarded as a threat after her father became involved with Wyatt’s rebellion against Mary marrying Philip of Spain. She was executed for treason by Mary in February 1554, at only seventeen.
Love Found
Katherine will have known exactly what could happen when ambition becomes entangled with royalty. And yet, years later, she would find herself in danger for that reason.
Until Mary married, Katherine was senior heir-in-line to the throne, and then again when Elizabeth became queen in 1558. In fact, Elizabeth was looking at adopting her, but then she met Edward Seymour. They fell in love, and in December 1560 they secretly married.
There is something irresistibly Gothic about the story: a young woman with a dangerous royal inheritance, a forbidden marriage conducted in secret, and a queen who could not afford to ignore the threat posed by their future children.
Elizabeth had plans for Katherine. She was to marry the unstable Earl of Arran, who had strong ties to the coveted Scottish throne. And Katherine was pregnant. In fact, she concealed it whilst in Court for eight months. Imagine the stress Katherine would have been under, being at such close quarters with the Queen every day. Desperate, and after approaching other nobles who rebuffed her, she went to her late sister’s brother-in-law Robert Dudley, in the middle of the night. She wanted him to plea for her, to the Queen. His rooms were next to the Queen’s, and fearing his own safety, he got rid of her as soon as he could. In the morning he told Elizabeth everything.
The Queen was furious. Not only had Anglo-Scottish diplomacy been ruined, she disapproved of Katherine’s choice of husband. Unmarried herself, she feared a rebellion should the union give Katherine and Edward male heirs.
Katherine was imprisoned in the Tower, and Edward, when he returned from a Grand Tour of Europe, was also sent there.
Their first son, Edward, was born there. Somehow, the couple managed to meet in secret within the prison and another son, Thomas, followed. It’s thought that the figures of the two knights at either side of the couple on the tomb are their sons.
Love Lost
The Queen declared their marriage invalid. Katherine and Edward were called fornicators for ‘carnal copulation’ by the Archbishop of Canterbury. The children became illegitimate, but it didn’t stop speculation about their right to be heirs to the throne.
Katherine never regained her freedom. And never saw her husband or sons again.
She was confined to the care of her uncle, Sir John Grey, at Pirgo, then moved around locations, until at Cockfield Hall in Suffolk, in 1568, she died of consumption at the age of 27.
Edward lived for many years after her death. But their story did not end here.
The Beautiful Epitaph
Katherine was brought from her original burial place in Suffolk and reburied beside Edward in Salisbury Cathedral. Their magnificent tomb was created in the seventeenth century, long after their secret marriage and Katherine’s lonely death.
It was commissioned around 1625 by their grandson, William Seymour, 2nd Duke of Somerset, to reunite the couple in death.
The long Latin inscription celebrates them as ‘Incomparable Consorts’.
Here she lies, above him, because she was of higher social rank, descended from royalty.
And as I looked at the tomb, I saw two lovers, separated in life but reunited in death.
Perhaps that is what makes Katherine’s story so compelling. It isn’t simply a story about a woman who defied a queen. Nor is it the romantic story with a happy ending.
It’s a tale of love lost, and freedom taken. Of what happened when a woman’s heart collided with the ambitions of a queen. And in choosing Edward – choosing love, the price was terrible.
References/further reading:
https://www.salisburycathedral.org.uk/salisbury-cathedrals-remarkable-women/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lady_Katherine_Grey
https://historyofparliament.com/2023/08/24/what-if-elizabeth-i-had-died-in-1562/
https://historyofparliament.com/2022/02/24/lady-katherine-grey-and-edward-seymour/
Julie is a dark fiction author who loves history. If you love the Gothic, you can subscribe to her fortnightly newsletter, filled with stories, folklore and deep reflection. Join The Dark Pen here
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