Mary Kingston

Mary Scrope was a lady at the court of Henry VIII of England. She was particularly influential in gathering evidence against the King's second wife, Anne Boleyn during the latter's imprisonment in the Tower of London.

Her father was Sir Richard Scrope and her mother was Eleanor Washbourne. Mary's first husband was Sir Edward Jerningham from Bolton, Yorkshire and they married in about 1509. They had one child, Sir Henry Jerningham of Cotesby Hall. Her second marriage was to Sir William Kingston, Lieutenant of the Tower of London. They married at some point before 1534, and had two children, Bridget Kingston, who married George Baynham, and Anthony Kingston.[SIC - children by an earlier wife].

In May 1536, five women were appointed to serve Anne Boleyn during her imprisonment in the Tower of London, reporting back to William Kingston, Lieutenant of the Tower, and through him to Thomas Cromwell, all that the Queen said. These women included Anne Shelton, the sister of Thomas Boleyn. Lady Shelton had been entrusted with the care of Princess Mary and Princess Elizabeth, but perhaps fell out with Anne during Henry VIII's affair with Anne's first cousin and Lady Shelton's daughter, Mary Shelton. The other women to attend Anne were Lady Kingston, Margaret Coffin, the wife of Anne's Master of the Horse, Elizabeth Boleyn, Lady Boleyn, the wife of Anne's uncle, James Boleyn, and Mrs. Stoner, wife of the King's sergeant-at arms.

Kingston described the five as honest and good women but Anne said that it was a great unkindness in the King to set such about me as I have never loved.

Family

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Scrope

Mary Scrope was one of the nine daughters of Richard Scrope (d. 1485) of Upsall, Yorkshire, the second son of Henry Scrope, 4th Baron Scrope of Bolton (4 June 1418 – 14 January 1459).[1] Her mother was Eleanor Washbourne (d. 1505/6), the daughter of Norman Washbourne (1433–1482).

Mary Scrope married firstly, about 1509, as his second wife, Edward Jerningham (d. 6 January 1515) of Somerleyton, Suffolk, the son of Sir John Jerningham (d. 1503) and Isabel Clifton, the daughter of Sir Gervase Clifton (d. 1471) and Isabel Herbert.[30] Jerningham's first wife was Margaret Bedingfield (d. 24 March 1504),[31] by whom he had six sons[32] and two daughter.

By Edward Jerningham, Mary Scrope is said to have had four sons and a daughter:[40][4]

1. Sir Henry Jerningham of Costessey Hall, who married Frances Baynham, the daughter of Sir George Baynham (d. 6 May 1546) of Clearwell, Gloucestershire, by whom he had three sons, Henry, William and Francis, and two daughters, Mary, who married Sir Thomas Southwell (d. 1568) of Woodrising, Norfolk, and Jeronyma, who married Charles Waldegrave.
2. Ferdinand Jerningham.
3. Edward Jerningham, born after the death of his father. Edmund Jerningham (d. 9 February 1546), whose wardship was granted to his mother's second husband, Sir William Kingston. He was a Gentleman of the Bedchamber to King Henry VIII.[14]
4. Elizabeth Jerningham, Maid of Honour to Queen Mary I.

She married secondly, by 1532, as his third wife, Sir William Kingston (c. 1476 – 14 September 1540), Constable of the Tower of London, by whom she had no issue. Kingston had earlier been twice married, to a wife named Elizabeth whose surname is unknown, and to Anne (née Berkeley), the widow of Sir John Gyse or Guise (d. 30 September 1501), and daughter of Sir William Berkeley (d. 1501) of Weoley (in Northfield), Worcestershire, by Anne Stafford, daughter of Sir Humphrey Stafford of Grafton, Worcestershire, slain by Jack Cade 7 June 1450.

Lady Kingston made her will in 1548, and died on 25 August of that year. Among many other bequests, she left a goblet of silver and gilt and a ruby ring to her step-daughter, Lady Anne Grey, and a bed of crimson velvet to her granddaughter, Mary Jerningham. In her will she requested burial at Painswick with her second husband, Sir William Kingston, but was buried at Low Leyton, Essex, on 4 September 1548.

http://www.luminarium.org/encyclopedia/kingston.htm

SIR WILLIAM KINGSTON (d. 1540), Constable of the Tower, was of a Gloucestershire family, settled at Painswick. A brother George is mentioned in the inquisition taken after his death.

Kingston was made Controller of the Household 9 March 1539, and Knight of the Garter 24 April following. He had many small grants, and on the dissolution of monasteries received the site of the Cistercian abbey of Flaxley, Gloucestershire. He died at Painswick, Gloucestershire, 14 Sept. 1510, and was buried there. He married, first, Elizabeth, of whom nothing seems known, and by her had Anthony, who is separately noticed, and Bridget, married to Sir George Baynham of Clearwell, Gloucestershire; secondly, Mary, daughter of Sir Richard Scrope of Upsall, Yorkshire, and widow of Sir Edward Jerningham of Somerleyton, Suffolk.

According to Magna Carta Ancestry: A Study in Colonial and Medieval Families, 2nd Edition, page 378 GoogleBooks, Anne Berkeley was the 1st wife of William Kingston, and had no issue of her 2nd marriage. Elizabeth was the 2nd, and Mary Scope died by 1528. However she was an executor of his will in 1541:

http://www.historyofparliamentonline.org/volume/1509-1558/member/ki...

Kingston attended his last Privy Council meeting on 1 Sept. 1540 and died at Painswick 13 days later. In his short will, drawn up on 26 June 1539, soon after his brush with Broke, he made bequests to Sir John Dauntesey, Sir John St. Loe, Richard Cromwell alias Williams*, and John and Thomas Guise, who were probably his stepsons. Apart from Painswick, he mentioned only the manors of Clopton and Rush in Berkshire. The will was proved on 5 July 1541 on behalf of his executors, who were his wife Mary, Sir William Fitzwilliam I, Earl of Southampton, and Sir Anthony Browne. Kingston was succeeded by his son Anthony, then aged 21 and more.9