In 1541, Catherine Howard began a physical relationship with Thomas Culpepper, her husband Henry VIII's favourite courtier. In a letter to Culpepper Catherine wrote
“praying you that you will come when my Lady Rochford is here.”
It would be their undoing.
“praying you that you will come when my Lady Rochford is here.”
It would be their undoing.
Adultery with a queen was high treason, Thomas Culpepper was sentenced to be hanged, drawn and quartered but the sentence was commuted to beheading. He was executed on this day in 1541.
History tells us that Thomas Culpepper was born in 1514 the son of Alexander Colepeper. If this is the case then he had an older brother also called Thomas (to have a sibling of the same name is not unusual) who was born in 1501. This Thomas Colepeper was married to my 13th great-grandmother's sister and is mentioned in his father's will and other Colepeper wills. These predate the Catherine Howard affair, it seems strange that there is no reference to the Thomas who died on this day.
You can read about Thomas's and Catherine's downfall in my blog Dangerous Talk Cost Lives.
meanderingthroughtime.weebly.com/history-blog/dangerous-talk-costs-lives
 Tamzin Merchant played Catherine Howard in the TV series The Tudors |  Torrance Coombs played Thomas Culpepper in the TV series The Tudors |
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