Before they were queens…Catherine Howard
16th October 2026 by | Uncategorized
Before they were queens…Catherine Howard
Before the jewels, the royal gowns and Henry VIII’s court, Catherine Howard spent part of her youth at Chesworth House near Horsham, Sussex. After losing her mother as a child, she grew up in the care of her step-grandmother, Agnes Tilney, the Dowager Duchess of Norfolk, whose households were divided between Sussex and Lambeth.
Here, among other young women, servants and relatives, Catherine received music lessons and began the life that would later be scrutinised so cruelly when she became queen. She belonged to one of England’s most powerful families, yet her childhood had hardly prepared her for the dangers of the Tudor court.
Long before history remembered her as Henry’s fifth wife, she was a young girl whose future was still unwritten. Our Catherine Howard Quince and Rose Petal Jelly brings together golden fruit and fragrant rose — a pairing inspired by the orchards and gardens of Tudor England.
Her story also lies at the heart of my novel, The Reflection in the Mirror. If you would like to purchase an individual jar or the complete Six Queens collection, please drop me an email at info@murderinthetower.london UK delivery is free.
We also welcome enquiries from castles, museums and heritage sites interested in stocking the range. Our jams and preserves can be paired with my historical novels to create gift sets—a little taste of Tudor history to enjoy at home.
Best wishes
Gemma
Author and British Historian Founder, The Princes in the Tower Society Member of The Norfolk Archaeological Trust Member of The Historical Novel Society www.murderinthetower.london
Discover the Tudor Rose Collection at www.murderinthetower.london #BeforeTheyWereQueens #CatherineHoward #TudorRoseCollection #TudorHistory #Sussex #SixQueens