Lady Maud Parr

Lady Maud Parr (née Green) was born in Northamptonshire on 6th April 1492. Her mother was Joan Fogge and her Sir Thomas Green. Joan Fogge was the daughter of Elizabeth Woodville's first cousin- Lady Alice Fogge, who was one of Queen Elizabeth's five ladies- in- waiting. Maud's mother died when she was an infant. 

When she was about sixteen, Maud was married to Sir Thomas Parr, son of Sir William Parr. The couple had three surviving children, one of which was Catherine Parr who went on to be the sixth wife of King Henry VIII. In 1512 Maud gave birth to her first surviving child, a daughter whom she named Catherine, quite possibly after her mistress Catherine of Aragon, who also became the baby's godmother. During a sweating sickness epidemic of 1517, Thomas Parr passed away leaving Maud a widow at twenty- five with three young children. 

In the court of Henry VIII, Maud was a favourite and trusted lady- in- waiting to Catherine of Aragon. When the queen established the Royal Court School to teach the royal children and the children of favoured nobles, Maud, a well educated and intelligent woman, was entrusted as the organiser. As small children, Maud had taught her issue (Catherine, William and Anne) how to read and write. At the Royal Court School Catherine and Anne leant to speak French and Latin; their mother was already fluent in French. 

It was unusual for mere knights' wives to be members of the gentlewomen but Maud succeeded and became a close companion of Queen Catherine. In 1520, Maud accompanied the king and queen to the Field of the Cloth of Gold, where King Henry and King Francis of France were to take part in 'friendly' competitions together.  

Maud died on 1st December 1531 aged 39 years old and she is buried in St Anne's Church, Blackfriars's Church, London next to her husband.