Blanche Parry 1507-1589


Blanche Parry was born in Bacton, Herefordshire, the daughter of Henry Parry of Newcourt, Bacton and Alice Milborne. Henry Parry was himself the son of Miles Ap Harry & Jane Stradling. The Ap in a Welsh name means 'son of', usually the 'a' was dropped and the 'p' was incorporated into the Christian name, eg Ap Robert became Probert.
Blanche's claim to fame was that she became the handmaid of Queen Elizabeth I.
Blanche's father died when she was in her teens and her mother remarried when Blanche was sixteen years old.
Blanche was introduced to the Tudor court shortly after Elizabeth was born in 1533 when Blanche was 26 , became her nurse and taught her to speak Welsh, the language of her great grandfather, Owen Tudor who had been executed in Hereford. It was Blanche who rocked Elizabeth to sleep as a child.
Blanche who never wed, stayed with Elizabeth all her life. Such was her loyalty that she even followed the Tudor princess to the Tower of London when she was imprisoned there for several months in 1554.
For Elizabeth's coronation ceremony in 1558, Blanche was given seven yards of scarlet and fifteen yards of crimson velvet plus 1¼ yards of cloth of gold yellow with work and three-quarters yard cloth of gold and black to wear to the occasion. Blanche became a gentlewoman of the Privy Chamber on a salary of £33 6s. 8d plus bed and board for herself and her servants, and also food for her horses and stabling. The bit about horses was important because queen Elizabeth was an enthusiastic rider and liked to be accompanied when out in the saddle.
Blanche's cousin, Sir Thomas Parry was appointed treasurer to the household, another cousin was Dr John Dee who was the monarch's astronomer and astrologer, and it was he who fixed the date of Elizabeth's coronation for January 15th 1559, calculating that this was most propitious. Blanche herself was well into palmistry.
Elizabeth rewarded Blanche's loyal service with gift of land for example Llangorse lake, and the pleasure of looking after the Queen's library and jewel box.
Towards the end of her life Blanche lost her sight so had to retire. When she passed away in 1589 a monument was made to her in St Margaret's Church, Westminster was well as an effigy in St Faith's church, Bacton showing Blanche in service to the queen.

Blanche's Memorial


In Bacton church there is a memorial to Blanche with the following inscription: 

                  I Parryehys dovghter Blaenche, of Newe Court borne,
                  That traenyd was in pryncys' courts, wythe gorgivs wyghts
                  Wheare fleetynge honor sounds wythe blaste of horne;
                  Each of accovnte too place of worldes delyghts,
                  And lodgyd heere wythe in thys stonye toombe,
                  My harpynger ys paede, I owght of due,
                  My frynds of speeche heere in doo fynde me doombe.
                  The whiche in vaene they doo so greatlye rhve:
                  For so mooche as hyt ys but thende of all.
                  This wordlye rowte of State, what so they be:
                  The whiche untoo the reste heerafter shall
                  Assemble thvs each wyghte in hys degree.
                  I lyvde allwys as handmaede too a Quene;
                  In chamber chiff, my tyme dyd tooverpasse;
                  Uncarefull of my wellthe there was I sene,
                  Whyllste I abode the ronnynge of my glasse;
                  Not dovbtynge wante, whyllste that my mystres lyvde,
                  In womans state, whose cradell sawe I rockte:
                  Here servaunte them. as when shee her crowne attcheved;
                  And so remaend tyll deathe my doore had knockte;
                  As farre as I doorste move her Grace hys eare,
                  For too rewarde decerts, by course of ryghte;
                  As needs resulte of sarvys doone eache weare;
                  So that my tyme I thus dyd passe awaye,
                  A maede in courte and never no man's wyffe;
                  Sworne of Quene Ellbeth's hedd chamber allwaye,
                  Wythe maeden Queve, a maede dyd ende my lyffe.'

The memorial shows her next to Elizabeth. This is one of the few statues of the queen carved in her lifetime, so it might have a better likeness than most.

Link to site about Bacton



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