Author Topic: Mary Seymour  (Read 7591 times)

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AnastasiaAutumn

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Mary Seymour
« on: May 28, 2009, 05:33:48 PM »
My apologies if this has already been discussed; I searched it in the forum to no avail. But...

Does anyone have any new light to shed on Mary Seymour, daughter of Katherine Parr and the Admiral Thomas Seymour? All I've come across about her, is that she was named in honor of Mary I. After her parents' deaths, she was given into the care of Lady Catherine Willoughby...the Duchess of Suffolk. Catherine wrote to William Cecil, complaining of the child's costs. (Clothing and such)

There's no record of Mary Seymour after that. But it seems odd that we don't even have a record of death...? After all, her guardian was a prestigous lady. She was the step-daughter (or however that works) of Henry VIII. Queen Jane was her aunt. Edward, the reigning king, was her cousin. Lady Jane Grey seemed as if she would have been interested in the child. Or maybe people were still "flustered" by Katherine and Thomas's marriage. Maybe they wouldn't have cared about their child.

Thoughts, anyone...? :)

Offline mcdnab

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Re: Mary Seymour
« Reply #1 on: May 29, 2009, 04:30:24 AM »
Its largely suspected that she died young - its not surprising that so little is known about her. Her mother Queen Katherine was dead, her father an attainted traitor, her uncle the Regent was also brought down - in other words she had no one to fight her corner. Had her mother lived then she would have had a comfortable life because Katherine various dower incomes would have provided for her even after her husbands execution. The fact that Catherine Suffolk was complaining about the costs of the child suggest that no-one really cared for her and that she hadn't been provided for financially following her parents death

*Tina*

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Re: Mary Seymour
« Reply #2 on: May 29, 2009, 12:47:44 PM »
As far as I know, there is no historical record about her after 1550. It leads many to conclusion that she did not live past the age of two (since she was born in 1948)...

Offline Terence

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Re: Mary Seymour
« Reply #3 on: May 30, 2009, 02:15:48 AM »
As far as I know, there is no historical record about her after 1550. It leads many to conclusion that she did not live past the age of two (since she was born in 1948)...

This question intrigued me also.  I couldn't find any evidence that Mary Seymour lived beyond the age of 2 or so.  Everyone seems to assume the same, but who knows w/ the scanty records back then.

She became the ward of the Duchess of Suffolk.  Maybe there's some hint in any scant records of what happened to little Mary.  You never know, another look can come up with a different idea.

T

Olishka Romanova

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Re: Mary Seymour
« Reply #4 on: July 31, 2009, 05:46:32 PM »
It is indeed very strange -at least I think so- that there is no record of her death.  But it would be even stranger if she had lived to be older and there were no records of her life later on.  In fact, I think that would be nearly impossible.  Therefore I think the most likely -or least unlikely- explanation is just that she died when she was about two.  It wouldn't have been a huge deal back then because a lot of children died young like that. 

Mari

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