Before they Were Queens: Catherine Parr
17th October 2026 by | Uncategorized
Before they Were Queens:
Catherine Parr
Before she became Henry VIII’s sixth wife, Catherine Parr had already lived through two marriages, bereavement and the dangers of rebellion. Born in 1512, she was the eldest surviving child of Sir Thomas Parr and Maud Green. Her father died when she was still very young, leaving her mother to oversee the family’s estates and her children’s education. Maud valued learning. Catherine grew up alongside her brother William and sister Anne, developing an interest in books that would remain with her throughout her life. Her mother had served Katherine of Aragon. The royal court was therefore part of the family’s world long before Catherine entered it as queen. Around 1529, she married Edward Burgh and moved to Lincolnshire. After his death, she married John Neville, Lord Latimer, becoming stepmother to his two children. Life in Yorkshire brought danger as well as responsibility. During the unrest surrounding the Pilgrimage of Grace, Catherine and her stepchildren were held hostage at Snape Castle. By the time she married Henry in 1543, she was a twice-widowed woman with considerable experience of managing a household, caring for children and navigating uncertain times. Behind the familiar word “Survived” was a life already full of its own stories.
Our Plum Preserve with Mulled Wine accompanies Catherine in an English orchard, surrounded by ripe plums and warming spices—a tribute to the woman before the crown.
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