NAUGHTY ANNE VAVASOUR

 

 NAUGHTY ANNE VAVASOUR 
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A Tale Of Scandal & Forbidden Tudor Love.

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 Anne Vavasour was born about 1560-1563.

When she was somewhere between eighteen and twenty, she came to court as one of Elizabeth I’s ladies-in-waiting.

Despite her short-lived attendance on the Queen as the lover of two prominent courtiers, Anne would be one of the most talked about ladies during her lifetime - providing the gossips with an almost constant stream of subject matter.

 Rather than being a chaste ornament in the court of the Virgin Queen, Anne Vasavour enjoyed being chased - and caught - by Edward de Vere, the 17th Earl of Oxford.

Edward de Vere was also one of Elizabeth I’s favourites, and already had a bit of a reputation for naughtiness.

He was also married....
To Anne Cecil, the daughter of William Cecil.

 In 1581, Anne and Edward de Vere had an illegitimate son together.

This came as a shock to the other ladies she shared the maiden chamber with, as she had successfully managed to keep her pregnancy secret.

The day after Anne gave birth, she was quickly packed off to The Tower.

Edward de Vere was also invited to spend some time in The Tower - to consider the error of his ways.

 Although Edward de Vere never formally acknowledged his son, he gave a grant of money to Anne and later settled some lands upon him.

Baby Edward was removed from Anne’s care while she was in the Tower and placed with Oxford’s cousin Francis Vere.

 The consequence of the affair was that Anne’s reputation was now in tatters.

Anne was now in need of a respectable spouse, so she was married off to a sea captain called Finch.

At about the same time she married, the naughty Anne also became the mistress of Sir Henry Lee.

Sir Henry Lee begun his career in the court of Henry VIII, and had risen to become a prominent gentleman under Elizabeth I.

He administered her residence at Woodstock, and served as her champion in tournaments.

 Lee did not hide his affection for Anne, either.

He even had a suit of armour that was decorated with Anne’s initials and love knots.
Clearly Henry Lee was taking lessons from his old master, Henry VIII.

 Unfortunately for Anne Vavasour, Sir Henry was also married!
He had his own wife at home in Ditchley, in Oxfordshire.

In 1589, Anne had a second son called Thomas.
The boy belonged to Sir Henry Lee, although he took the name of Anne’s husband, Finch.

 In 1590, Sir Henry's wife died, Anne lived openly with Henry as his mistress and the two settled into a happy domesticity.

The pair lived together at Henry's home in Ditchley - along with Anne’s two sons.

Sir Henry paid Anne's husband Finch, a handsome pension.
Presumably to stay at sea and not make trouble.

 Sir Henry was on the best of terms with the likes of Robert Dudley and with William Cecil.

Despite the fact that he was co-habiting with a married woman who had done a stint in the Tower, he was also on good terms with Queen Elizabeth.

Such was their friendship, that Elizabeth visited him at Ditchley.

Sir Henry then presented Queen Elizabeth I with the famous life sized portrait of herself - 'The Ditchley Portrait'

 After Queen Elizabeth's death, King James' wife Queen Anne, regularly visited Ditchley.

Anne, Henry and the Queen dined together and afterwards, the two Anne’s would retreat for an evening of conversation.



 After twenty-one years at Ditchley together, Sir Henry Lee died in 1611.
He left Anne the princely sum of £700.

However, his heir- and cousin- challenged Anne in the courts over the inheritance.

In 1618, despite her husband Finch being very much alive and well, Anne married again, to a man called Richardson.

Henry Lee’s cousin promptly took Anne to court on charges of bigamy.

 Anne was required to pay a hefty fine of £2000 and to do public penance.

The fine was excused when Queen Anne, the wife of James I, interceded on her behalf.

Anne Vavasour would live until 1650, aged 90.

Although the Church drew the line at allowing the unmarried couple to snuggle up for eternity in a shared tomb, Anne can be found on Sir Henry Lee’s monument in Spelsbury Church.

 Sir Henry Lee’s tomb contained an image of Anne kneeling at his feet.

There was also an amusing inscription - hinting at the fun they shared in life

"Here lies the good old knight Sir Harry,
Who loved well but could not marry;

While he lived and had his feeling,
She did lie and he was kneeling.

Now he’s dead and cannot feel,
He doth lie and she doth kneel"

The Tudor Intruders (and more)
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 Source - thehistoryjar/anne-vavasour-scandal-bigamy-and-a-portrait.
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 Portrait of Anne Vavasour, attributed to John de Critz, c.1605