Lady Alice More, Hans Holbein the Younger, (1530)
From Sir Thomas More, his father, his household and his descendant, Rowland Lockey after Hans Holbein the Younger, (1593)
Thomas More is a name most Tudor fans and historians are well aware of; notable 16th-century humanist scholar, lawyer, and Lord High Chancellor to Henry VIII. But what of his second wife, Alice More? Her intelligence, skills, and successful marriage with Thomas More make her an iconic female figure in the Tudor period.
Alice More is the daughter of Sir Richard Harpur and Elizabeth Arden; coming from a wealthy lawyer family. There is no exact date of birth for Alice, but historians speculate it was around 1474, or after. It’s also likely that she was born in Epping, Essex. At ten years old, Alice’s father purchased Latton Manor, Wiltshire, as the main family home. Alice adored it here, with its lush, vast countryside setting and she loathed to depart from it. Again, there is no exact date but Alice was likely married to wealthy silk merchant, John Middleton around 1492. The reasoning for this date is that from this year onwards, Alice was excluded from her father’s will. This was common practice in the 15th century; fathers would leave out their daughter from their will if she became an established wife and member of another household. This marriage would have joined two high-ranking families together; securing wealth, status, and property.
Alice and John were cousins and both families owned significant properties across Yorkshire. This was a stereotypical marriage between the medieval gentry. Alongside a silk merchant, John was a member of the Mercers’ Company, a successful trading business, as well as the Staple of Calais, another trading corporation. Between them, Alice and John had 2 daughters, Helen and Alice. In October 1509, John Middleton passed away, leaving Alice a wealthy widow. She was made co-executor of his will and inherited his goods in London and Calais, as well as lands and rents in Hertfordshire and London. Dowries were also left for his daughters, however, Helen tragically passed away not long after her father. One can only imagine the heartbreak Alice must have felt from both of these losses.
In September 1511, Thomas More’s wife, Jane Colt, passed away. Thomas was anxious and needed a motherly figure in his household, to raise and support his four young children; Margaret, Cecily, John, and Elizabeth. The Middletons and Mores were very familiar families; being in the same wide circle of friends. Much like John Middleton, Thomas was also a member of the Mercers’ Company.
It was an appealing and ideal match for Thomas. Furthermore, Alice was experienced in raising children and managing finances; Thomas knew this and wanted a smart, maternal figure to run the More household. Alice was a godly woman too, perfect for a humanist scholar. Thomas was reported to have convinced and talked Alice into marriage as soon as possible. It’s not known exactly when Thomas and Alice were married but it’s reported that the speed in which they were, was unusually quick. A letter written in 1535 by the parish priest, Father John Bouge, recalls that within a month after Jane More’s death, Thomas visited the father late on a Sunday night with a marriage license from Cuthbert Tunstall, commissary general of the prerogative court of Canterbury. This was to receive a dispensation from the banns of marriage in order to marry Alice as soon as possible; avoiding the wedding banns in church for three consecutive Sundays. They were married on the Monday, with a scarce, strangely uneventful wedding ceremony. However, this was not uncommon. A Tudor wedding involving a person’s second marriage was frowned upon and seen as bigamous and unholy, particularly involving that of a woman’s second marriage.
After their marriage, Alice and Thomas More lived together at the Old Barge in Bucklesbury, between October and early November 1511. Their large family contained Thomas’s four children, Alice’s daughter, and their foster daughters, Margaret Giggs and Anne Cresacre. Immediately, Alice got to work and became a strong member and manager of the More household. In 1525, the family relocated to Chelsea, London, when Thomas gained parcels of land here and began to construct a new, spacious home with gardens and an orchard.
Thomas’s advocacy for scholarly pursuits made his household a leading institution for humanist-style education in London, significantly the education of women. As her husband’s career progressed, Alice was usually in charge of the house whilst her husband was away. She was described as “fun-loving” by her stepchildren and was a wonderful, loving mother to them; taking care of them as if they were her own. She was incredible at household and financial management; and described as frugal and careful of her assets. She supported and encouraged Thomas with his career, suggesting Alice was intelligent and interested in his scholarly pursuits. Alice was reported to have been wise and excellent at speech and speaking skills, again, indicating how intelligent Alice was. She also had a hand in supervising the children’s education and taught the young girls the appropriate, modest skills for a gentlewoman and how to run their own future households. After her father’s death, Alice made it a mission to recover her beloved, childhood home of Latton, after it was sold. For twenty years, she followed the fortunes of the estate and by marrying Thomas, she would have a stellar lawyer on her side for any legal matters surrounding it. Here, it can be suggested that Alice was not only experienced and successful at finances but ambitious and headstrong, wanting to take care of the things that mattered most to her.
Erasmus, one of Thomas More’s humanist friends, stated that Thomas loved Alice dearly. He treated her with kindness and good humour, taught her how to play the virginals, recorder, and lute and it’s reported that Alice had a deep, mutual affection for Thomas. The couple shared a love for animals, owning many pets including a monkey, weasels, and dogs. They also shared the same sense of humour, exchanging jokes and teasing each other. Thomas was a family man and kept it private from his work life, whilst keeping work separate from his family, this suggests he wanted to enjoy and spend quality time with them.
“Here lies Joanna, dear little wife of Thomas More, who intends this tomb for Alice and me. The first united to me in my youthful days, gave me a boy and three girls to call me father. The second, a rare distinction in a stepmother, was as affectionate as if the children were her own. It is hard to say if the first lived with me more beloved than the second does now. Oh, how blessed if fate and religion had permitted all three of us to live together. I pray the tomb and heaven may unite us; thus, death could give what life could not give”.
This is an epitaph written by Thomas More when designing his wives’ and his own tomb in Chelsea Old Church.
Immediately we can see how much Thomas loved Alice, even finding it “hard to say” which wife he loved more; this demonstrates the significance Alice had on Thomas. It is also evident here how much of a loving and brilliant stepmother Alice was to Thomas’s children; her loving and “affectionate” manner. Alice must have been a cherished wife and stepmother and shows once more how successful this match was; Thomas had succeeded in finding a maternal figure in his household. Alice also chose to be buried with Thomas, instead of John Middleton. This shows the closeness and loving relationship they shared and her affection for Thomas; he was thrilled with her decision too. The couple represents true love and companionship and stands out as a successful, sixteenth-century marriage.
Thomas More is infamously known for refusing to swear the Oath of Succession, which recognized Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn’s children as the legitimate heirs to the throne. On the 13th of April 1534, Thomas stood before the king’s commissioners and declared that he was willing to accept Henry’s new wife but would refuse to swear the oath, which also renounced papal power and recognized royalty as supremacy. Thomas was arrested for treason and disloyalty to the king and was imprisoned in the Tower of London. Whilst Thomas was in prison, Alice was in charge of the More finances and assets, again, Alice is shown to be intelligent and wise with money.
On the 1st of July 1535, Thomas stood trial for his actions and was condemned to death for “maliciously denying the Royal Supremacy”. Five days later, he was beheaded on Tower Hill, proclaiming himself ‘the King’s good servant but God’s first’. What effect would this have had on Alice More? Judging by her deep love for Thomas and the close, loyal relationship they had, it would have absolutely devasted her. It’s reported that Alice was strongly confused and somewhat angry about his choices; she strongly rebuked him during her visits, but Thomas was still unfazed. Alice pleaded for her husband to swear the oath and come back to their family. This demonstrates how much Alice loved her husband and her desperation for him to spare his life. She was as deeply religious as Thomas, but her love for him and their family was stronger. Thomas and his daughter, Margaret Roper, secretly shared letters during his confinement; most of his eight surviving letters addressed to Margaret affectionately mention Alice. Similarly, he refers to his wife as his “good bedfellow”, which may suggest that a certain degree of intimacy existed between the two. Again, it’s evident that this couple was deeply in love and extremely fond of each other. It’s heartbreaking to see how desperate Alice was for Thomas to swear the oath and to realize that the two should have had more time together.
It’s not known exactly when Alice More died, but experts place it at around 1551, due to an entry in the Land Revenue Miscellany Book, 212, noting on April 25th, 1551, that an Alice More had died. Sadly, the last years of her life were poor, due to the More’s property being confiscated after Thomas’s execution. The crown voided the family trust her husband had belatedly established for her, Henry VIII instead allowed her a smaller annuity of £20 in 1537, to live on after his death. Alice’s daughter had several children, keeping Alice More’s bloodline strong. Interestingly, researchers have discovered that Alice is an ancestor of the late Queen Elizabeth II’s mother! Alice More was an intelligent, kind, and headstrong woman who adored her family and suffered a great deal of heartbreak when her husband was executed. She represents ideal virtues for a sixteenth century-woman and played a huge role in Thomas More’s life, and happiness.
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