Jane Meutas facts for kids
Jane Meutas (born around 1517 – died around 1551) was an English lady who worked closely with Queen Jane Seymour. She later married a courtier named Peter Meutas. Her original family name was Astley. When her husband was made a knight in 1544, she became Lady Meutas. A famous drawing of her by Hans Holbein the Younger from the 1530s is kept in the Royal Collection.
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Jane Meutas: A Lady of the Royal Court
Jane Astley was a lady of the Queen's privy chamber. This meant she was part of a special group of people who worked very closely with the Queen. In 1537, she married Peter Meutas, who also worked at the royal court. Peter was a strong and skilled man. He was good with weapons and had fair hair and a long beard.
Peter Meutas was a supporter of Thomas Cromwell. He helped put down a rebellion called the Pilgrimage of Grace in 1536. That same year, he became a gentleman of the privy chamber. He also became the master of Bethlem Hospital. In 1537, he got two more important jobs. He became the boss of the Royal Mint (where coins are made) and the Overseer of Artillery (in charge of cannons).
Family and Children
Jane and Peter Meutas had a child who was baptized in February 1539. This was probably their son, Henry. Or it might have been their daughter, Frances. Frances later became a lady-in-waiting to Queen Elizabeth I. She married Henry, second Viscount Howard of Bindon. Jane and Peter also had at least two other sons, Thomas and Hercules. Hercules was their youngest child.
After Jane Meutas died, Peter Meutas married another woman also named Jane. Peter's children (from both wives) included:
- Henry Meautys (1526-1588), who married Ann Jermy. Their children included Thomas Meautys and Margaret Meautys. Margaret married Sir Thomas Wilson.
- Thomas Meautys.
- Hercules Meautys, who married Phillipa Cooke.
- Frances Meautys, who was a Maid of Honour to Queen Elizabeth. She married Henry Howard, 2nd Viscount Howard of Bindon and later Edmund Stansfield.
Royal Service and Land
In 1539, after King Henry VIII closed down many religious houses (a time called the Dissolution of the monasteries), Peter and Jane Mewtas bought a large estate in West Ham in Essex. In 1540, they were given the manor of Bretts. This land was mainly in Plaistow but also included other areas.
In August 1540, Jane Meutas and other ladies from the court visited Portsmouth. They went to see a new ship that had just been built. They sent a letter to King Henry VIII. Many ladies signed it, including "Jane Meowes" (Jane Meutas).
Peter Mewtas was one of the important people who met Anne of Cleves in Calais in 1540. He was made a knight on May 18, 1544, during a military action in Edinburgh. In 1545, he became the Governor of Guernsey. There, he built a new part of Castle Cornet called the 'Mewtas Bulwark'.
We don't know the exact date Jane Meutas died. By 1552, Sir Peter Mewtas had married another woman named Jane. This second Jane outlived her husband, who died in 1562. She still owned the manor of Bretts in 1567.
Holbein's Famous Drawing
Holbein's drawing of Jane Meutas was made using black and colored chalks on pink paper. It measures about 28.3 cm by 21.2 cm. The words 'The Lady Meutas' are clearly written on it. To the right of her head, Holbein drew a quick sketch of her hands. On one finger, there is a heart-shaped leaf. This symbol was used by German painters to represent the color green, often for an emerald ring. The same leaf symbol appears in a small oval decoration Lady Meutas wears.
The Tate Gallery website says the drawing was made "about 1536." If this is true, the words 'The Lady Meutas' must have been added later. This is because Peter Meutas was not made a knight until 1544. The drawing of Jane Meutas is very similar to another drawing by Holbein. This other drawing is of her royal mistress, Jane Seymour. Both drawings seem to have been done around the same time. Queen Jane Seymour died on October 24, 1537, shortly after giving birth to the future King Edward VI.
About the Engraving
Holbein's drawing of Jane Meutas was later made into an engraving by Francesco Bartolozzi in 1795. It was published in a book called Imitations of Original Drawings by Hans Holbein. This book showed portraits of important people from the court of King Henry VIII. The engraving also included a short story about Lady Meutas's life.
Bartolozzi was well-known for his stipple engravings. This is a special way of making prints that look like chalk drawings. He made his technique very good at copying the soft details of drawings from the Renaissance and baroque periods.
