Scandalous and overlooked: the history of the Seymour family
- Kali Hollands
- 4 days ago
- 6 min read
Jane Seymour © Hans Holbein the Younger – The National Portrait Gallery
The name ‘Seymour’, to many, immediately conjures up the image of one infamous lady in British history: Jane Seymour. Third wife of Henry VIII and renowned for her pious and gentle character, as well as birthing the future king, Edward VI. Or perhaps it reminds people of the slippery Thomas Seymour, who preyed on a young Elizabeth I and was romantically involved with Katherine Parr. Unbeknownst to many, is that the House of Seymour is an ancient English family, stretching back through the chivalric and chaotic era of Plantagenet rule, way back to the Norman invasion of England. The family have witnessed pivotal events in the country’s history and scandalous stories can be told relating to their bloodline. Today, this blog post will explore the history of the Seymour family.
The Seymour family name supposedly originates from Saint-Maur-des-Fossess near Avranches, Normandy. This was brought over to England when William the Conqueror invaded the country in 1066. Sadly, there are scarce records of the original members of the family, but one states Wido de St. Maur came to England in 1066. William-Fits-Wido, his son, was a baron in Somerset, Wiltshire and Gloucester, who perhaps carried on his name.
The 13th century is where the Seymour story physically begins. William St Maur was a landholder in the 1200s, Monmouthshire, and came into an agreement with his brother-in-law, Gilbert Marshal. Marshal bestowed his lands upon William St. Maur, and this transaction created the Seymour coat of arms, which has been the same since this very agreement. The hallmark bears a pair of golden wings. Monmouthshire is said to be the place of birth of the Seymour name and family we know of today.
In the early 1500s, an advantageous marriage brought the Seymour family higher up the social scale. Roger Seymour wed Maud Esturmy; the daughter of Sir William Esturmy who was a noble and prominent figure in the court of Joan of Navarre who was Henry IV’s consort. It was a tactical marriage that united the two families and brought great wealth and social security for the Seymours. The family were granted ownership of Savernake Forest, which were excellent hunting grounds. In the medieval period, ownership of hunting grounds was a sign of great wealth and power, as well as being able to hunt good quality meat such as venison; a luxury purely for the higher ends of society.
The wardenship of the forest was eventually passed down to Roger’s son, Sir John Seymour and his wife Margery Wentworth. The forest was used by Henry VIII, again providing strong and powerful connections with the Seymour family.
John and Margery had ten children together; Edward, Jane and Thomas becoming the most notorious in Tudor history. John was both a soldier and courtier, who had served both Henry VII and Henry VIII. The Seymours were clearly now a gentry family of great influence and success. Margery was the daughter of Anne Say and Sir Henry Wentworth, making her daughter Jane the second cousin of the infamous Anne Boleyn.
John Seymour was awarded a knighthood from Henry VII, after fighting the Cornish Rebels at Blackheath. John was actually given his knighthood on the very battlefield that it took place. In 1513, John became a Groom of The Bedchamber to Henry VIII and a Knight of The Body after his role in the Battle of Therouanne. John was a well respected and top courtier in Henry’s household, and the king held high regards for the Seymour nobleman.
It's speculated by some scholars and historians, that John allegedly had an affair with Catherine Filliol, the wife of his son Edward. Whether this is true or not cannot be determined. Yet, Edward and Catherine were unhappily married; an affair would have been possible. In the 1520’s, Edward was away from home on military campaigns, meaning his wife was often alone and in the company of his father. Interestingly, the birth of her eldest son John caused quite a stir. Her husband refused to acknowledge the son as his own. It isn’t certain whether Sir John is the father but Catherine was immediately disowned, her sons disinherited, and Catherine was banished from Wulfhall to live in a convent. In 1528, Catherine’s father Sir William Filliol’ had removed Catherine and her husband Edward from the will. It isn’t certain what had exactly occurred in the Seymour household, but the story proves a scandalous one.
The Seymour family certainly rose to a higher status when Sir John and Lady Margery’s daughter Jane, arrived at the Henrician court. It isn’t known for certain when Jane arrived at court. Some believe that she was in the household of Katherine of Aragon, others believe her first appearance was to serve Anne Boleyn. It could very well be during Katherine’s time as queen, as Jane was highly fond of her.
When Jane caught the eye of the king in around 1535-6, it would bring immense success to the Seymour name. It was perhaps one of the most eventful and notorious stories to be told of this family, after Jane was caught sitting on the king’s lap by his wife, Anne Boleyn. Jane had officially stolen his heart and they were married in May 1536. The following month saw the birth of a healthy son and male heir, named Edward, who was named Prince of Wales and would later become Edward VI. Jane was officially the mother of a future king; a proud achievement.
At the same time, this elevated her brother Edward’s position at court. He became Lord Protector of his nephew Edward, when he became king following Henry’s death in 1547. Edward was an ambitious man and had been for most of his life. In 1514, he accompanied Mary Tudor, king Henry’s sister, to France to marry Louis XII. He was noticed and regarded well by the French king. As mentioned previously, Edward was away often on military campaigns and became a respected soldier. On the 5th of September 1523, Edward joined Charles Brandon on a military campaign to France, consisting of 20,000 men. Edward was awarded a knighthood for his achievements.
For this, Edward’s position in court rose to a high status. He was made Master of Horse to Henry Fitzroy, the king’s illegitimate son and became an Esquire to the Body of the King. After his sister’s marriage to Henry, his power and wealth only grew. Yet, this was not to last.
Despite becoming Duke of Somerset and Lord Protector to his sister’s son and the new king, he was becoming a little too big for his boots and asserting his power too far. He caused a stir in 1550, when his position was replaced by John Dudley, Earl of Warwick. His strong opinions and attempts to overthrow Dudley led to Edward being charged with a felony and beheaded at Tower Hill in 1552.
There was more scandal yet to come. Jane and Edward’s younger brother Thomas Seymour would bring the spotlight on the Seymour family even further. He first arrived at court as a messenger for Sir Francis Bryan who was the French ambassador and Thomas’s cousin. This placed him in a respectable position, entrusted with delivering significant, royal messages.
Thomas has been described as attractive, charming and ambitious. As well as being uncle to Edward VI, Thomas married Katherine Parr in 1547, one of the wealthiest women in England after her marriage to Henry VIII; she was his final wife. However, Thomas did not remain faithful. Whilst his wife was pregnant with their child, Thomas began flirting and visiting the young Princess Elizabeth in her bed chamber. Elizabeth was living with the couple after she was taken in under their protection and care at their home in Chelsea.
What Thomas Seymour did to Elizabeth can now be considered as grooming and even sexual assault. Many historians believe that this impacted Elizabeth for the rest of her life and may even be why she never married. Thomas was power hungry and most likely attempted to woo and marry the young princess to gain even more success. It’s recorded that Thomas was jealous of his older brother Edward, who held higher power and respect in court. Thomas began to creep around king Edward after he was given the title of Lord High Admiral and 1st Baron of Sudeley. After beginning to spend more time in and around court, he started giving the king money and convincing him of greater success if he was awarded more power. His greed and dominating attitude would become his downfall.
Thomas was caught trying to sneak into the king’s apartments at Hampton Court Palace, he was caught shooting one of Edward’s beloved pets. Being found in this precarious position and sneaking into a restricted area of the palace, did not look good. Together with his ambitious and power hungry attitude, it almost looked as if he was trying to overthrow the king. The following day, Thomas was arrested and on the 20th of March 1549, he was executed at Tower Hill under an Act of Attainder; a legislative act that declares someone guilty without trial.
The Boleyn’s, the Howards, the Brandons are some notorious names in Tudor history and associated with scandalous stories and affairs. Yet, the Seymours appear to not only be a family of ancient lineage and noble bloodline but of great scandal and shocking stories. Most certainly, the marriage of Jane Seymour to Henry VIII and her accession to queen placed the family on the centre stage but by looking deeper, there is much more to this family than meets the eye. Their legacy proves a prominent one in British history.
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