Henry Noel (courtier) facts for kids

Henry Noel (died 1597) was an English gentleman who worked for the Queen. He was also a member of Parliament, which is like being a lawmaker. He represented two different areas in England: Morpeth in 1589 and Cricklade in 1593.

Early Life and Family

Henry Noel was the son of Andrew Noel and Elizabeth Hopton. His family lived in places like Dalby and Brooke. Henry also had a brother, Andrew Noel (who died in 1607), who was also a member of Parliament for Rutland.

A Man of Many Talents

Henry Noel was a talented person. He wrote poems and supported a famous musician named John Dowland. He was also a "gentleman pensioner" to Queen Elizabeth I. This meant he was a trusted guard and attendant who served the Queen at court.

A Playful Joke

A lawyer named John Manningham wrote in his diary about Henry Noel. He mentioned that Walter Raleigh made a joke about Henry's name. Raleigh used a pun, which is a clever play on words. He said that Henry spent money too easily.

The joke went like this:

The word of denial and the letter of fifty,
Makes the gentleman's name that will never be thrifty.

This meant "No" (denial) and "L" (the Roman numeral for 50) sounded like "Noel." It was a funny way to say Henry wasn't very good at saving money.

The Game of Baloune

Henry Noel died on February 26, 1597. He passed away from a fever after playing a game called baloune at the Queen's court. He was playing against an Italian opponent.

What was Baloune?

The historian Thomas Fuller wrote about this game of "baloune." Not many details are known about it. It was played in a court, possibly with a heavy ball. Players might have worn wooden braces on their arms to help them play.

A Royal Reaction

There's another interesting story about "baloune" from 1597. Two ladies-in-waiting to Queen Elizabeth I, Elizabeth Brydges and "Mrs Russell" (who was Elizabeth Russell), pretended to be sick. They did this to avoid their duties. Instead, they secretly went through the palace galleries to watch men playing "balloon."

Queen Elizabeth I found out and was very angry! She scolded them and even used "words and blows" against Elizabeth Brydges. Both women were suspended from their duties for three days because of this.

Burial and Tributes

Henry Noel was buried in St Andrew's Chapel, which is inside Westminster Abbey. This happened in February 1597.

After his death, several famous musicians honored him. John Dowland wrote a piece called "Lamentatio Henrici Noel" for his funeral. Later, Thomas Morley and Thomas Weelkes also created musical tributes to remember Henry Noel.