Joan Champernowne

Joan Champernowne
Born	Modbury, Devon, England
Died	1553 (1554)
Spouse	Sir Anthony Denny ​ (m. 1525)​
Children	12, including Edward
Relatives	Katherine Ashley (aunt)

Joan Champernowne, Lady Denny (died 1553) was a lady-in-waiting at the court of King Henry VIII of England. She became the friend and lady-in-waiting ^[1] to his sixth wife, Queen Catherine Parr.

Biography

Joan was born in Modbury, Devon on an unknown date, but no later than 1513, the daughter of Sir Philip Champernowne and his wife, K(C)atherine Carew. She was the niece of Katherine Ashley née Champernowne, the governess of Queen Elizabeth I. Before her marriage, she served as maid-of-honour to Catherine of Aragon.^[2]

In 1525 she married Sir Anthony Denny, who at the end of King Henry's reign was widely considered to be his most trusted servant.^[3]

Joan was considered to be both beautiful and intelligent,^[4] and a member of the burgeoning Protestant faction at court along with her husband.

In August 1539, she and others ladies of the court visited Portsmouth to see a newly built ship. They sent Henry VIII a joint letter which was signed by Mabel, Lady Southampton, Margaret Tallebois, Margaret Howard (sister of Queen Catherine Howard), Alice Browne, Anne Knyvett (daughter of Thomas Knyvett), "Jane Denny", Jane Meutas, Anne Bassett, Elizabeth Tyrwhitt, and Elizabeth Harvey.^[5]

She was appointed lady-in-waiting to queen Catherine Parr, and became the personal friend of the queen.

She had twelve children, including:

• Henry Denny, Dean of Chester (d. 24 March 1574). He married, firstly, Honory Grey, daughter of William Grey, 13th Baron Grey de Wilton and Lady Mary Somerset. His second wife was Elizabeth Grey, by whom he had a son, who died unmarried.
• Sir Edward Denny (died 12 February 1600), married Margaret Edgcumbe, daughter of Sir Piers Edgcumbe (1536 - c.1607), by whom he had issue.^[6]

The Tudor historian, Joanna Denny, was a descendant of Joan's.

References

1. Women’s Bookscapes in Early Modern Britain: Reading, Ownership, Circulation. (2018). USA: University of Michigan Press.
2. Weir, A. (2018). Six Tudor Queens: Jane Seymour, The Haunted Queen: Six Tudor Queens 3. Storbritannien: Headline.
3. The Last Days of Henry VIII by Robert Hutchinson, p. 154
4. Hart, K. (2010). The Mistresses of Henry VIII. Storbritannien: History Press.
5. Henry Ellis, Original Letters, series 1 vol. 2 (London, 1824), pp. 126-127.
6. Mosley, Charles, editor. Burke's Peerage, Baronetage & Knightage, 107th edition, 3 volumes (Wilmington, Delaware, U.S.A.: Burke's Peerage (Genealogical Books) Ltd, 2003), Volume I, pg. 1094.

Sources

• Narasingha P. Sil. Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Denny, Sir Anthony (1501–1549)