Fitzroy, Henry, Duke of Richmond and Somerset (1519 -1536)

Henry Fitzroy was the illegitimate son of Henry VIII by Elizabeth Blount, a lady-in-waiting to Catherine of Aragon. The child was the only illegitimate offspring whom Henry VIII officially acknowledged after the early deaths of the three sons born to Catherine. Following his divorce from Catherine of Aragon and his subsequent marriage to Anne Boleyn, Henry VIII's attachment to Henry Fitzroy assumed a greater significance, particularly when his second wife also failed to produce a male heir. In 1525, before he turned six, the king granted him his own residence in London, Durham House on the Strand. The same year, he was appointed Knight of the Garter, and on 18 June 1525, was made Duke of Richmond and Somerset - the first time since the twelfth century that an illegitimate son was raised to the peerage. At the same time Henry Fitzroy was given several important positions, including that of Lord High Admiral of England, Lord President of the Council of the North, and Warden of the Marches towards Scotland, thereby placing the government of the north of England in his hands. He was also created Lord Lieutenant of Ireland. It appears that the king contemplated making Henry Fitzroy his heir, but whatever his intentions, the plan was dashed by the duke’s premature death at the age of 17. On 28 November 1533, at age 14, Richmond, as he came to be known, was married to Mary Howard, only daughter of Thomas Howard, 3rd Duke of Norfolk, Treasurer of the Household, and Earl Marshal. His stepfather was Gilbert Tailboys, 1st Baron Tailboys of Kyme In 1536 Henry Fitzroy was reported ill with tuberculosis. He died at St. James's Palace on 23 July 1536. His ornate tomb is in Framlingham Church, Suffolk.