Nicholas Stallinge facts for kids
Nicholas Stallinge was an important person who worked for the royal family in England. He served both Queen Elizabeth I and later King James I. He was known as a "gentleman usher," which meant he helped manage the royal household and introduced people to the monarch.
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Nicholas Stallinge: A Royal Courtier
Nicholas Stallinge owned land in Kenn and Yatton in Somerset, England. He was a trusted helper to the Queen and King.
His Work for the Queen
In 1586, Nicholas Stallinge visited Mary, Queen of Scots when she was being held at Chartley and Fotheringhay. He reported on how she was being kept by Amias Paulet. Paulet was thankful for Stallinge's help.
Nicholas Stallinge passed away on January 10, 1605, and was buried in Kenn.
His Family Life
Nicholas Stallinge married Florence Stallinge on September 14, 1593. Florence (who died in 1620) was the widow of Christopher Kenn, who had passed away in 1593. She was also the daughter of John Stallinge.
Nicholas and Florence did not have any children together. However, Florence had two daughters from her first marriage to Christopher Kenn. After their father died, these daughters became Nicholas Stallinge's wards. This meant he was responsible for looking after them and their money until they grew up.
Florence's Daughters
- Margaret Kenn married William Guise in 1608.
- Elizabeth Kenn was born after her father, Christopher Kenn, died. In 1605, when she was only 11 years old, a much older Scottish courtier named Sir Robert Stewart wanted to marry her. King James wrote to Nicholas Stallinge to support this marriage. However, Elizabeth's mother told Sir Robert Stewart to wait until her daughter was old enough to marry. Elizabeth herself said she "could not affect him nor any other" when he visited.
Later, in 1606, a marriage was suggested between Elizabeth and Walter Devereux. He was the son of the Earl of Essex. Elizabeth Kenn eventually married John Poulett in 1614. He was the grandson of Amias Paulet, the same person Nicholas Stallinge had reported on. There is a famous painting of Elizabeth at age 22, made in 1616 by Robert Peake the Elder. Her second husband was Jack Ashburnham.
Florence Stallinge had a monument built in the Church of St John the Evangelist at Kenn. It honored Christopher Kenn and her two daughters. She also had a painting made of herself and her daughters, which was kept at Elmore Court.
The Great Flood of 1607
Florence Stallinge showed great bravery during the great floods of 1607. She helped rescue and feed her tenants and neighbors by bringing them to the upper floors of Kenn Court. The floodwaters were so high that horses had to be kept in the great hall, standing in the water!
