Blanche Parry at Queen Elizabeth’s Court.

Fans of Tudor history tend to be far more knowledgeable about members of the nobility and the royal families than anyone or anything else. Upon graduating to be students of the era they may begin to knowledgeable about daily, seasonal and life-cycle routines of the common man and woman. The amount of information available concerning individual commoners from the era is greater than in times further in the past but still quite limited.

About the classes between the two we may nearly as little. About the small property owners, for example, or the younger sons of the nobility, the dominant members of the various guilds and their children, and others of similar stature.

Among the many scattered details of the existence of these people — each an individual — we find the appearance of some few on the list of those who gave Queen Elizabeth Christmas presents every year. Well beneath the Earl of Leicester’s

carcanet of golde ennamuled, nyne peces whereof are garneshed with sparks of diamonds and rubyes, and every one of them a pendant of golde ennamuled, garneshed with small sparks of rubyes and ophall in the [midst]; and tenne other peeces of golde lykewyse ennamuled, every of them garneshed with verey small diamonds; two large ragged perles set in a rose of sparks of rubyes, and every of the two lesser perles pendant, and a pendant of golde, in every of them a small diamonde lozenged, and a small rubye, and in the [midst] a large pendant of golde garneshed with [small] rubyes, an ophall, and a [small] perle pendant, and six dosen of buttons of golde lykewyse ennamuled, every button garneshed with small sparks of rubyes, in every of them a large ragged perle.

beneath the Earl of Arundel’s 50₤ of gold, the Duchess of Suffolk’s

[fire] cushyn of purple [velvet], very [fair]ly embrawdred of the story of Truth set with garnetts and [seed] perle, the backsyde purple satten frynged, and tassels of Venice golde and sylke.

etc., we find, in due order (for everything in the Tudor world has its proper order), at the bottom of the list, from “Doctor Hewyk, a pot of grene gynger, and another of orenge flowers,” from “Morgan, Apotticary, thre boxes, one of gynger candy, another of grene, gynger, and the thirde orenge candit” and so on.

Somewhat above the doctors and apothecaries were entered the gifts from Elizabeth’s attendant Gentlewomen. At the top of them — being the  Chief Gentlewoman of the Privy Chamber — we find the gifts from much beloved Blanche Parry: “a litill box of golde to put in [comfits], and a litill [spoon] of golde, weying all 3 oz. 1 qr.”, from 1577-78, being representative. Gifts near the top of the list included an assessed monetary value. The gifts of gentlewomen are worth too little to bother with such an effort.

Parry is described in a footnote in Lodge’s Illustrations.

Daughter of Henry Parry, of Newcourt in Herefordshire, and Chief Gentlewoman of the Privy Chamber, and Keeper of the Queen's jewels. She died Feb. 12, 1589-90, unmarried, and in the eighty-second year of her age; was buried in St. Margaret's church, Westminster; and left large donations to that city, and to the parishes of Bacton and Newton, in her native country, and other places.[1]

She had served Elizabeth as princess, at Hatfield House. There she also showed up in the accounting books for the year 1552.

Paid 14th of December, to Blanche Parry for her half-year's annuity, 100s.[2]

Strickland is likely to have modernized the spelling. For all she was the chief gentlewoman, in the Queen’s records her name was carelessly spelled. She appears as Mrs. Blanch, Blanch a Parry [Ap Parry, Welsh for “of the clan Parry”], Blanch Aparry, Blanch Appary, Blanch Apprice, etc.

The Queen’s Christmas gift to her seems always to have been the standard: a piece of “guilte plate”. Like every gift incorporating gold, no matter how little, its weight was carefully entered in the record. Strangely, regardless that she was “chief” her plate was not the weightiest given among the gentlewomen.

For all that the signs are that she might have been humiliated a wee bit from time to time without the Queen feeling the need to intervene, there are also signs that her bond with her mistresses was powerful. She signed her own name P-a-r-y in this letter to her Welsh cousin, Edward Stradling, “Sheriffe of the countie of Glamorgan”.

After my very harty comendacons unto you. Wheras the Queenes Ma^tie, of her gracious favour, hath heretofore graunted a patent of the [jailor]shipp of that countye to my kinseman Davyd Morgan, w^ch he hath ever sence enjoyed: for that he is a younger brother, and hath noe other way of livinge, I have thought good to praye you most hartely that he maye, w^th yo^r favo^r and lykinge, enjoye the same by him selfe or his deputye wthout troble; and you shall have sufficyent suertyes to save you harmeles, according as her Ma^ties sayd graunte doth purporte; and what favor you shall shewe him I wilbe readye to requytte. And soe, trustinge that he shall need noe other helpe herein besyd my request, I byd you hartely well to fare. From the Courte at

Windeso^r, the xiith of December 1582.

Yo^r assured loving cosen,

Blanche Pary.

Parry’s special relationship to the Queen includes granting her requests for minor offices for her family and associates.

The grant to her “kinseman Davyd Morgan” was terminated the next year. The cessation of the grant made its way back to the ears of the Queen and/or her Court of Requests. Surely, the complaint arrived from Morgan via Parry.

The high county officials of Glamorgan were informed of the Court’s displeasure. They contacted Stradling.

Nowe complaint is made unto her Ma^tie in her Highnes Courte of Requestes on the behalf of the said Morgan that you will nott suffer him to enjoy her Ma^tie said graunt, like as other yo^r p~decessores have hitherto donn,… we have thought good to pray and require you to have such considracons of her Mat^ies right and graunt as without good cause you do nott withstand the same, but pmit the said Morgan to enjoy her Ma^ties gift,…[3]

We may presume that the direct involvement of the Queen’s Court resulted in Morgan being reinstated, with emoluments and benefits, for so long as he would properly execute the duties of his office. Or, at least, for another year.

As has been mentioned, Blanche Parry was well enough rewarded for her lifetime of 24/7 service that she was able to leave large donations to the various parish churches she patronized. And, of course, she has been recently much in the news for having left Bacton church one of Queen Elizabeth’s hand-me-down gowns to be repurposed as an alter cloth.

Her heart is said to be buried at Bacton church and her body at Westminster Abbey.

 

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[1] Lodge, Edmund. Illustrations of British History, Biography, And Manners (1838). II.393n.

[2] Strickland, Agnes. The Life of Queen Elizabeth (1906, 1910). 54. Citing " The Account of Thomas Parry, Esq., Cofferer to the Right Excellent Princess the Lady Elizabeth, her Grace, the King's Majesty's Most Honourable Sister."

[3] Traherne, John Montgomery. Stradling Correspondence (1840). Tho. Sekford. Valentyne Dale. Da. Lewys. to Sr Edward Stradlinge, xvth of January 1582. 268-9.

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Check out the English Renaissance Article Index for many more articles and reviews about this fascinating time and about the Shakespeare Authorship Question.

Check out the Queen Elizabeth I Biography Page for many other articles.