Anne Herbert Introduction

My name is Anne Herbert, Countess of Pembroke, sister to the Queen of England.

My mother and father were Sir Thomas Parr and Maud Green. I was born on 15 June, 1515; an auspicious date for astrologers. However, my first two years of life would be marked with tragedy when my father died of sweat, leaving our pregnant mother and us children to fend for ourselves. Thankfully, we were still able to receive a good life, and were educated at the school our mother headed. Us children were given a good humanist education thanks to the famous scholar Joan Luis Vives. My brother served in the household of Henry Fitzroy, the ill-fated illegitimate son of Henry VIII.

I was brought to court at the age of 13, and became the ward of Henry VIII during his marriage to Anne Boleyn. I witnessed her fall, the rise of Jane Seymour, and attended both the christening of her son and her funeral. I served as Maid of Honour to his fourth wife, before my role was given to his fifth wife, Katherine Howard. When Katherine fell from grace, I was in charge of her crown jewels.

In 1538, I married Sir William Herbert, the child of an illegitimate line of Herberts that had married in and out of royalty for decades. We had three children, and were relatively happy. Although it is not known if we were a love match, it seems we did love each other with time.

In 1543, Henry VIII’s attention turned to my elder sister, Catherine. Catherine had been widowed, and he wished to settle down with someone. I was one of the witnesses at their wedding, and I served my sister dutifully. I was even a part of the clique of Protestants that my sister kept close to her, as she herself was Protestant. However, her heresy upset His Majesty, and many of us women were questioned. William Gardiner, Bishop of Winchester, was in charge of the investigation, and he even went so far as to torture a poor soul named Anne Askew in order to go after us. Once it became clear that Catherine was in danger, we rid ourselves of our heretical books, and we kept in quietness until the King died.

After the death of the king, I attended the Lady Mary until my death in early 1552. I was buried at Old St. Paul’s near the grave of John of Gaunt, my ancestor. My husband would join me in death 20 years later.

My grave reads as I lived: a most faithful wife, and a woman of the greatest piety and conviction.