Donna


    Age: 33

    Location:
    Granada Hills, Ca
    Home or favorite faire Spring and Fall Escondido Renaissance Faire

    Spring and Fall Ojai Renaissance Faire
    About Me
    Hmmm About me huh? Well, I live in Southern California. I grew up a military brat so I've lived all over the US and Europe. I miss traveling a LOT but I don't miss the moving around. I would love to move out of California but my hubby isn't ready to leave yet.

    I work as a freelance financial accountant for law firms all over the Los Angeles area (and sometimes other places in the US). I'm working primarily in Downtown L.A. right now.

    In my spare time (what little there is) my husband and I are part of St. Elizabeth's Guilde.
    Our Guilde portrays Queen Elizabeth I and her royal court at various renaissance faires all over Southern California.

    I also volunteer with Boxer Rescue Los Angeles and do fundraising for Aids Project Los Angeles.

    My husband and I also play EverQuest (he got me sucked into it), some of you may know us as Pantherr and Inoke from Lunacy Unbound.
    Music
    Great Big Sea, The Fables, Celtic Connection, Irish Descendants, Marooned
    TV
    Charmed, Gilmore Girls, Desperate Housewives, Greys Anatomy, South Park, Drawn Together, Big Love, Reno 911, Heroes, The Riches, Pirate Master, It's Always Sunny in Philladelphia
    Here For Friendships

    New Character

    Sunday, August 12, 2007, 10:15 PM PST [At Faire]

    We discussed a little bit about my new character at the last guild meeting but for those who weren't there and for those outside of St E's who have been asking, here is a bunch of information on her...

    Margaret Norreys, 1st Baroness Norreys of Rycote (aka Margery Williams)

    Birthdate: 1521

    Birthplace: Rycote, Oxfordshire England

    Father: John Williams, 1st Baron Williams of Thames

    Mother: Elizabeth Bledlow

    Siblings:
    • John Williams
    • (Sir) Henry Williams
    • Francis Williams
    • Isabella Williams

    Grandparents:
    • John Williams of Burghfield
    • Isabel More
    • (mother's side?)

    Spouse: Henry Norreys, 1st Baron Norreys of Rycote (Ambassador to France)

    Spouse's Family:
    • Sir Henry Norreys (father)
    • Mary Fiennes (mother)

    Children:
    • (Sir) Willian Norreys Marshall of Berwick (d. 1579)
    • (Sir) John Norreys (d. 1597)
    • (Sir) Edward Norreys Governor of Ostend
    • Catherine Norreys
    • (Sir) Henry Norreys (d. 1599)
    • (Sir) Thomas Norreys Lord President of Munster (d. 1599)
    • Maximillian Norreys (d. 1593)

    _________________________________

    My Father in Law:
    On 8 Jun 1515, Henry was made Keeper of the Park of Foliejon in Winkfield, Berkshire, an office which had been held by his father. On 17 Feb 1518, he became weigher at the common beam at Southampton, then the great mart of the Italian merchants. On 28 Jan 1519, he was appointed Bailiff of Ewelme in Oxfordshire. He was also Keeper of the King's Privy Purse. In 1519, he received an annuity of fifty marks (£33.6s 8d) and was at the Field of the Cloth of Gold in 1520. On 12 Sep 1523, he received the Keepership of Langley New Park in Buckinghamshire and was made Bailiff of Watlington. Henry early took the side against Cardinal Thomas Wolsey and was one of the main instruments in bringing about his fall. Wolsey certainly recommended him for promotion in a letter of 5 Jul 1528; but it may be assumed from the letter itself that this was rather done to secure Henry's favour for the writer himself than with the idea that Norreys had any need of the Cardinal's influence.

    Henry adhered closely to Anne Boleyn while she was gaining her position at Court and became one of her intimate friends and a leader of the faction that supported her proud pretensions to control the State. He had the sweating sickness in 1528 and, on 25 Oct 1629, gratified his enmity to Wolsey by being present when he resigned the Great Seal. On 24 Oct, Henry was the only attendant on the King, when he went, with Anne and her mother, to inspect Wolsey's property. Norreys was the bearer of the King's kind message to Wolsey, at Putney, about the same time, and seems to have been affected by Wolsey's fallen condition. In the same year, Henry received a grant of £100 a year from the revenues of the See of Winchester and was soon promoted to be Groom of the Stole. In 1531, he was made Chamberlain of North Wales; in Nov 1532, he was again ill; in 1534, he was appointed Constable of Beaumaris Castle; in 1535, he received various manors which Sir Thomas More had held. He was present at the execution of the Charterhouse monks, on 4 May 1535, and Henry granted him the important Constableship of Wallingford Castle (29 Nov 1535); and he was generally regarded as the King's agent in the promotion of the new marriage with Jane Seymour.

    In Apr 1536, Queen Anne had some talk with Sir Francis Weston, who hinted to her that Norreys loved her. She, afterwards, spoke to Norreys about it and, jokingly, said that he was waiting for 'dead men's shoes'. He protested and, in the end, she asked him to contradict any rumours he might hear about her conduct. But Norreys had many enemies and his alleged intimacy with Anne was carefully reported to Thomas Cromwell. On 1st May 1536, Norreys took part in a tournament at Greenwich and, at the close, Henry spoke to Norreys, telling him that he was suspected of an intrigue with Anne and urging him to confess. He was then arrested and taken to the Tower by Sir William FitzWilliam. He was tried on 12 May in Westminster Hall. He pleaded not guilty, but was found guilty and executed on 17 May. He was buried in the churchyard of the Tower of London.

    _________________________________

    My Father:
    John Williams of Burghfield in Berkshire & Preston Candover in Hampshire, was of Welsh descent, a direct descendant of Iestyn ap Gwrgant, the last ruler of the principality of Glamorgan. His father was the first of the line to anglicize his name and probably the first to seek his fortune in England. He was a kinsman of Morgan Williams who married Cromwell's sister, a relationship which must have helped his son in his early career: in 1535 Gregory Cromwell wrote to his own father from Rycote that he had been splendidly entertained by all the neighbourhood, especially by Williams. In 1544 Richard Cromwell, alias Williams, Morgan Williams's son, left Sir John Williams two of his best horses. He has also been described as a servant to Cardinal Wolsey and to King Henry VIII.

    He discharged the office of sheriff of Oxfordshire and Berkshire for a few weeks in the autumn of 1553 and Mary thereafter treated him as her henchman in Oxfordshire. In this capacity he was involved in the custody and execution of Cranmer, Latimer and Ridley, and the safe-keeping of Princess Elizabeth. In the same capacity he examined John Philpot. On 19 May 1554 he joined Sir Henry Bedingfield and Sir Leonard Chamberlain to escort Elizabeth from the Tower to Woodstock. Rycote Palace was a natural overnight stop for such a party undertaking the four day journey from London to Oxford. Lord Williams however laid on a lavish welcome for the young Elizabeth at Rycote, at which many local dignitaries, including Robert King, Bishop of Oxford, were present. It is not clear either that he was ever in sole charge of her, or that he was replaced by Bedingfield for his leniency, but he gained a lasting reputation for kindness to Elizabeth on her journeys to and from Woodstock. On both occasions he entertained her at Rycote and, according to Foxe, protested that he would die for her if necessary and clashed with Bedingfield over the respect he paid her. There is some likelihood, therefore, that he was the ‘Lord William' reported by the Imperial Ambassador in Mar 1555 to be conspiring with Elizabeth and plotting to marry her to Edward Courtenay. Williams's favourable reputation with Protestants is also clear from Foxe's report of his treatment of the condemned bishops, whom he conducted to Oxford from the Tower in Mar 1554 and at whose executions he presided in Oct 1555 and Mar 1556. The rumour is therefore intelligible which is reported to have been rife in Sep 1554, that the see of Canterbury ‘was given to a Spanish friar'; and the Lord Williams was out of his chamberlainship, and Secretary Petre out of his office.

    0 (0 Ratings)

    Time for a change...

    Tuesday, May 15, 2007, 03:47 PM PST [At Faire]

    Yep that's right, I'm changing characters.  After 3 years of playing Penelope Deveraux I'm done with her.  She made a big exit this last weekend at Ojai.  Her dear sweet mum - Lattice Knollys Countess of Essex - wrote a letter to her that made the Queen very very angry and Her Majesty send Penelope home.

    Thank you Kelly from Wenches & Warriors for being the messenger - I hope you had fun with the letter.  I know you made it to quite a few people with it.  They told me afterwards that they had seen it but none of the played with it leading up to the Queen getting it :-(

    Anyway, goodbye Penelope and hello Margery (aka Margaret) Norreys, Baroness Norreys of Rycote (aka the Black Crow).

    _________________________________

    Here is the offending letter: 

    To My Dearest Daughter Penelope,

    'tis so good to hear that you are doing so well at court, but I do miss you here at home, where you belong.

    Lady Penelope, I have so many things to gell you about the Great Hall We have built and the furnishings We have commissioned. The tapestries We are putting on the walls prove beyond a shadow of a doubt our relationship with our Dear Cousin who currently sits on the throne of England. We have also commissioned a beautious throne chair so that We may sit and be entertained by the commoners.

    Your dear brother Robert wishes to know if our Cousin would accept his proposal.

    Your brother, sweet loving Robert, far surpases any man at Court.

    I would ask you to carry a message to your sister Dorothy. Please give her my love and tell her to carry on her good job at court.

    We hope the progress does well and We I shall be joining you shortly.

    Your Loving Mother and Royal Heir to the Throne of England
    Lattice Knollys
    Countess of Essex

    0 (0 Ratings)
    Best Friends
  • Sir Walter Raleigh, 39
    Sir
    Walter
    Raleigh

  • Queen Elizabeth, 33
    Queen
    Elizabet
    h

  • Green Fairy Titania, 25
    Green
    Fairy
    Titania

  • Lady St . Loe, 47
    Lady St
    . Loe

  • Lettice Knollys, Countess of Essex, 32
    Lettice
    Knollys,
    Countess
    of Essex