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Catherine Carey

Wiltshire, 1523 – Hampton Court Palace, 4 Feb 1569

11 facts3 sources

Facts and their sources

  • Born1523, Wiltshirenot verified1 source
  • TitleLady of the Bedchambernot verified1 source
  • Died4 Feb 1569, Hampton Court Palaceor 15 Jan 1568 · 25 Jan 1569Records disagree1 source
  • FatherWilliam Careynot verified1 source
  • MotherMary Boleynnot verified1 source

A life in time

  1. 1523

    Born in Wiltshire

  2. 4 Feb 1569

    Dies in Hampton Court Palace

Family

See the tree

Parents

During her lifetime

She lived through 5 decades. Pick one to hear and see what it was like around Wiltshire.

General history, not a record about the family: each item says where it comes from.

The 1520s · Catherine is born in Wiltshire

In the news1528

Execution of Patrick Hamilton

Patrick Hamilton was burned as a heretic in St Andrews in 1528, marking an early moment of religious tension.

At the table

Diet of pottage and oats

Families frequently ate pottage, a thick soup or stew made from whatever was available, such as oats, peas, beans, and vegetables like cabbage or leeks. Oat-based foods like porridge and bannocks—rough, thick cakes—formed the core of their daily diet.

What people wore

Limited wardrobes for the commoners

Many ordinary people owned only one set of clothes for daytime wear and lacked dedicated sleepwear, opting to sleep in their smocks and nightcaps.

Getting around

Horses were the fastest travel option

Riding a horse was the fastest and most reliable way to travel for those who could afford one. A basic riding horse cost about £4 to £5, a sum many skilled tradesmen struggled to earn in an entire year.

What it cost

Cost of Basic Food Items

A loaf of bread (24 oz) cost 1 penny, and 1 pound of cheese cost 1 1/2 pence. A skilled worker could buy a dozen eggs for 4d and a pound of cheese for 1 1/2d with their daily wage.

Music

Paying Minstrels for Parish Festivals

Parish records show that minstrel hire for Whitsuntide festivities was common, with payments reaching up to 8s 4d for a single minstrel in 1533.

Daily life

Classical Schooling for Future Professionals

Education at the Dunfermline Grammar School focused on classical Latin and Greek literature to prepare students for employment in the Church or advanced legal studies.