Joyce Culpeper facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Joyce Culpeper
Oxon Hoath, enlarged from the original manor house built by the Culpeper family
Born	c. 1480
Died	c. 1528 (aged 47–48)
Noble family	Howard (by marriage)
Spouse(s)	Ralph Leigh Lord Edmund Howard
Issue	Sir John Leigh Ralph Leigh Isabel Leigh Joyce Leigh Margaret Leigh Henry Howard Sir Charles Howard Sir George Howard Margaret Howard Catherine, Queen of England Mary Howard
Father	Sir Richard Culpeper
Mother	Isabel Worsley

Joyce Culpeper (born around 1480 – died around 1528) was an important English lady from the Tudor period. She is best known as the mother of Catherine Howard, who became the fifth wife of King Henry VIII. Joyce lived at a place called Oxon Hoath.

Who Was Joyce Culpeper?

Joyce Culpeper was born about 1480. Her father was Sir Richard Culpeper, and her mother was Isabel Worsley. Isabel was the daughter of Otewell Worsley.

Her Family Tree

Joyce had a brother named Thomas Culpeper. He died when he was young. She also had a younger sister named Margaret. Joyce and Margaret shared their brother Thomas's inheritance after he passed away in 1492. This means they were his co-heirs.

After Joyce's father, Sir Richard Culpeper, died, her mother Isabel married Sir John Leigh. Sir John was from Stockwell in Surrey. Isabel and Sir John Leigh had a son, also named John Leigh, and a daughter, Joyce Leigh.

Her Marriages and Children

Joyce Culpeper was married twice. She had several children from both marriages.

Her First Marriage: The Leigh Family

Before 1492, Joyce Culpeper married Ralph Leigh. He was the younger brother of her stepfather, Sir John Leigh. Ralph Leigh was a lawyer and held an important position at the Inner Temple, a famous legal society in London.

With Ralph Leigh, Joyce had five children:

• Sir John Leigh (1502–1564): He became a knight. He was knighted by Queen Mary I in 1553. Sir John traveled a lot and was a friend of Sir Thomas Gresham, a well-known merchant. He had a daughter named Agnes Leigh. Sir John had a disagreement with Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey, another important noble.
• Ralph Leigh (died before 1563): He married Margaret Ireland. They had a son named John Leigh and a daughter named Frances.
• Isabel Leigh (died 1573): She married three times. Her first husband was Sir Edward Baynton.
• Joyce Leigh: She married John Stanney.
• Margaret Leigh: She married a man with the last name Rice.

Her Second Marriage: The Howard Family

Ralph Leigh died in 1509. After his death, Joyce Culpeper married Lord Edmund Howard. Lord Edmund Howard was a member of the powerful Howard family.

With Lord Edmund Howard, Joyce had six more children:

• Henry Howard
• Sir Charles Howard: He was a courtier, meaning he worked at the royal court.
• Sir George Howard (born around 1519 – died 1580): He also served at court.
• Margaret Howard (died 1571): She married Sir Thomas Arundell. They had two sons, Sir Matthew Arundell and Charles Arundell, and two daughters, Dorothy and Jane.
• Catherine Howard: She became the fifth wife of King Henry VIII.
• Mary Howard: She married Edmund Trafford.

Joyce Culpeper was still alive in 1527. It is believed she died around 1528. After Joyce's death, Lord Edmund Howard married two more times, but he did not have any more children.