Elizabeth Trevannion, Countess of Monmouth (died 1641), was an English aristocrat and keeper of Prince Charles.
Elizabeth Trevannion or Trevanion was a daughter of Hugh Trevannion of St Michael Caerhays and Sybilla Morgan of Lockstowe or Arkestone, Herefordshire. Their home was Caerhays Castle. [1]
She married Robert Carey on 20 Aug 1593. They were first cousins, Robert's mother Anne Carey was the elder sister of Sybilla Morgan.
After the Union of Crowns in 1603, Prince Charles remained in Scotland at Dunfermline Palace in the keeping of Alexander Seton. Elizabeth Carey was sworn in as a lady in waiting of the privy chamber and Mistress of her Majesty's Sweet Coffers to Anne of Denmark, in charge of perfuming the queen's wardrobe. [2] The occasion, at Windsor Castle, was probably 2 July 1603, when the "great ladies" paid homage to Anne of Denmark in turn, "most sumptuous in apparel, and exceeding rich and glorious in jewels". This event was held in parallel with the installation of King James' Knights of the Garter. [3] Lady Anne Clifford described an "infinite company of lords of ladies" and an "infinite number of ladies sworn of the Queen's Privy Chamber". [4]
In November 1603 the Spanish ambassador, the Count of Villamediana, invited the Duke of Lennox and the Earl of Mar to dinner. According to Arbella Stuart, he asked them "to bring the Scottish ladies for he was desirous to see some natural beauties". The women from the Queen's household who accepted this invitation included Jean Drummond (who had been involved in the care of Prince Charles in Scotland), the young Anna Hay, and Lady Carey. The ambassador gave her a present of Spanish leather gloves at the dinner, and afterwards sent a gold chain of little links that went twice about her neck. These were diplomatic gifts intended to leverage support for Spanish policy at court. [5]
Alexander Seton and his wife Grizel Leslie brought Prince Charles to England. He met his parents at Easton Neston and was lodged at Oatlands Palace. [6] On 23 February 1605 Lady Carey was made the governess of Prince Charles, who was now known as the "Duke of York". [7] Between 1604 and 1611, the young prince flourished with the Careys, learning to both ride and shoot. [8]
Lady Carey's daughter, Philadelphia, was brought up in the household of Princess Elizabeth at Coombe Abbey, in the care of Lord Harington. [9]
Robert Carey was made Earl of Monmouth in 1626. Their main residence was Moor Park.
Elizabeth Carey, Countess of Monmouth died in 1641 at Monmouth House in Watford and was buried at Rickmansworth.
Several Scottish servants came south with the Prince from Dunfermline, including his laundry-woman Agnes Fortune and the elder George Kirke. [10] In 1605 Agnes Fortune testified that one of the Gunpowder Plot conspirators Thomas Percy had asked her questions about Charles' lodging at Whitehall Palace and his activities. She recognised Percy because she had seen him before with Lady Carey at Greenwich Palace. Percy asked her about the way from the Hall to the Duke's private lodging, and she mentioned that Lady Carey had altered the access route to make it more secure and private. Fortune told Percy if he stayed a "bonnie while" he could meet the Duke and Sir Robert Carey. [11]
According to Thomas Winter's confession, Percy was planning to "carry the Duke safe away" after the explosion at the House of Lords. [12] The plan to capture Charles was mentioned in a Latin narrative of the discovery of the Gunpowder plot sent to Christian IV of Denmark, and was said to have been abandoned in favour of taking Princess Elizabeth. [13] The incident seems not to have affected Agnes Fortune's career, as she remained "laundress for the Prince's body" until the household broke up in 1611. [14]
In October 1607 Lady Carey heard there would be an investigation of the management of Prince Henry's household. She wrote to King James asking that the Duke of York's household should also be reviewed, since there was not always enough money allowed for food. [15]
Her children included:
Lady Arbella Stuart was an English noblewoman who was considered a possible successor to Queen Elizabeth I of England. During the reign of King James VI and I, she married William Seymour, 2nd Duke of Somerset, another claimant to the English throne, in secret. King James imprisoned William Seymour and placed her under house arrest. When she and her husband tried to escape England, she was captured and imprisoned in the Tower of London, where she died at age 39.
Henry Carey, 1st Baron Hunsdon KG PC, was an English nobleman and courtier. He was the patron of the Lord Chamberlain's Men, William Shakespeare's playing company. The son of Mary Boleyn, he was a cousin of Elizabeth I.
Henry Percy, 9th Earl of Northumberland, KG was an English nobleman. He was a grandee and one of the wealthiest peers of the court of Elizabeth I. Under James I, Northumberland was a long-term prisoner in the Tower of London, due to the suspicion that he was complicit in the Gunpowder Plot. He is known for the circles he moved in as well as for his own achievements. He acquired the sobriquet The Wizard Earl, from his scientific and alchemical experiments, his passion for cartography, and his large library.
Robert Carey, 1st Earl of Monmouth was an English nobleman and courtier. He was the youngest son of Henry Carey, 1st Baron Hunsdon, chamberlain and first cousin of Queen Elizabeth I, and Anne Morgan, daughter of Sir Thomas Morgan and Anne Whitney.
John Erskine, 2nd Earl of Mar was a Scottish politician, the only son of another John Erskine and Annabella Murray. He is regarded as both the 19th earl and the 2nd earl.
Ludovic Stewart, 2nd Duke of Lennox and 1st Duke of Richmond, lord of the Manor of Cobham, Kent, was a Scottish nobleman who through their paternal lines was a second cousin of King James VI of Scotland and I of England. He was involved in the Plantation of Ulster in Ireland and the colonization of Maine in New England. Richmond's Island and Cape Richmond as well as Richmond, Maine, are named after him. His magnificent monument with effigies survives in Westminster Abbey.
George Home, 1st Earl of Dunbar, KG, PC was, in the last decade of his life, the most prominent and most influential Scotsman in England. His work lay in the King's Household and in the control of the State Affairs of Scotland and he was the King's chief Scottish advisor. With the full backing and trust of King James he travelled regularly from London to Edinburgh via Berwick-upon-Tweed.
Margaret Stuart, Scottish aristocrat and courtier in England. She served as lady-in-waiting to the queen consort of England, Anne of Denmark. She was the daughter of James Stewart, 2nd Earl of Moray, and Elizabeth Stuart, 2nd Countess of Moray. The sailor and patron of Ben Jonson, Sir Frances Stuart was her brother.
Jean Ker, Countess of Roxburghe, néeDrummond (c.1585–1643) was a Scottish courtier, serving Anne of Denmark in Scotland and England.
Henry Carey, 2nd Earl of Monmouth, KB was an English nobleman and translator.
Anne Morgan, Baroness Hunsdon was an English official. She was the wife of Henry Carey, 1st Baron Hunsdon, by whom she had a total of 13 children. On 14 December 1595, she was appointed by Queen Elizabeth I of England to the office of Keeper of Somerset House; a post which she held for life. She also served the Queen as a Lady of the Privy Chamber.
Philadelphia Carey was an English courtier.
Mary Stuart was the third daughter and sixth child of James VI and I by Anne of Denmark. Her birth was much anticipated. She developed pneumonia at 17 months and died the following year.
Frances Howard, Countess of Kildare, was a courtier and governess of Princess Elizabeth Stuart, Queen of Bohemia, and a member of the House of Howard.
Barbara Ruthven was a Scottish courtier and favourite of Anne of Denmark, expelled from court after the death of her brother.
Dorothy Hastings was a courtier to Elizabeth I of England and Anne of Denmark
Anne Sutton was an English lady-in-waiting who was a companion of Elizabeth Stuart, Queen of Bohemia. She was the daughter of Edward Sutton, 5th Baron Dudley and Theodosia Harington. Sutton was known as "Mrs Anne Dudley" or "Mistress Dudley" although "Sutton" was the family surname. Elizabeth of Bohemia called her "Nan Duddlie".
Prince Henry's Welcome at Winchester was a masque produced by Anne of Denmark and performed in 1603 at Winchester on a day between 11 and 17 October.
Anna Hay, Countess of Winton (1592-1628) was a Scottish courtier.
Christophe de Harlay, Count of Beaumont (1570–1615) was a French politician and diplomat who served as ambassador to England.