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The Lady Catherine Howard

[i]She is a pretty young creature, with wit enough to do as badly as the others if she were to try[/i]

Catherine Howard is the Daughter of Lord Edmund Howard, Neice to the Duke of Norfolk Thomas Howard, and The Lady Elizabeth Howard; thus the first cousin to Queen Anne.

Catherine was born in Lambeth to Edmund Howard and Joyce Culpeper, and given her family name she was of Aristocratic Pedigree. But her Father was not wealthy owing to Primogeniture and his large birth family (being one of 21) he was one of the poorer Howard’s. When her father married Catherine's mother she already had five children from her first husband and went on to have another six, Catherine being about her tenth child. As a result, her father was often reduced to begging for handouts from his more affluent relatives. In 1531, he was appointed Controller of Calais. 
After the death of her mother during her early childhood, Catherine was sent to live in the household of her step-grandmother, the Dowager Duchess of Norfolk. The Dowager Duchess presided over households at Chesworth House, near Horsham, and Norfolk House, at Lambeth, comprising numerous male and female attendants along with her many wards, usually the children of aristocratic but poor relatives. While sending young children to be educated and trained in aristocratic households other than their own was common for centuries among European nobles, supervision at both Chesworth House and Lambeth was lax. The Dowager Duchess was often at Court and seems to have had little direct involvement in the upbringing of her wards and young female attendants.

As a result of the Dowager Duchess’s lack of attention, the Wards of her household were not always the best behaved, with many becoming sexually adventurous and acting in appropriately with one another. Many pursued Catherine, including the music teacher Henry Mannox, the Duchess’s secretary Francis Dereham and many other Wards. Catherine was a flirty youth, and much full of life she would find her attention wandering when she was a study, and would often make jokes.

When Queen Anne’s relationship with the King began to take a turn, the Duke of Norfolk (not wanting to lose his families position within the court and to keep their influence) went to Lambeth and called his niece to Court to be one of the Queens ladies, but more so to tempt the King and keep in his favour. It worked, and King Henry bestowed gifts, land and cloth upon Catherine. She gained quite the attention, being young and frivolous, loving the lavish feasts at Court. It angered her cousin, but Catherine spurred the Kings Advances, preferring herself one of his courtier’s, Thomas Culpeper. But King Henry, a competitive man, stole away Culpeper on his campaign in France, parting the young lovers.

Catherine was a lively spirit, deemed sunny and beautiful by the court. French ambassador Charles De Marillac said “A young lady of extraordinary beauty and superlative grace” Some may deem her as an empty headed foolish girl, with a favour for only dancing and merry making, and there is a certain amount of truth to that. But under the guidance and from watching her cousin closely, Catherine is not the fool. Many people trust a girl with a pretty smile and flamboyant air, what harm could she be? But the stark contrast in personalities between her and her cousin the Queen, people forget the Howard and Boelyn tie.

Catherine is skilled in matters of the arts. She can sing and dance well, and has a love for poetry and painting. She is also very skilled in cards and horse riding, and loves hunting. She was raised a Catholic, but Catherine is not devout, and she often says “I speak so little to god he would not know who I am”.

Family members:
Father: Lord Edmund Howard, third son of the 2nd Duke of Norfolk
Mother : Joyce Culpepper
Brother: Sir Charles Howard
Brother: Henry Howard
Brother: Sir George Howard
Sister: Lady Mary Howard
Sister: Lady Margaret Leigh Howard
Half siblings: Isabel, Margaret, Joyce, John, and Ralph Leigh from her mother's first marriage to Sir Ralph Leigh Esq
First cousin: Anne Boleyn on Howard side of family
First cousin: Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey
First cousin: Mary Fitzroy, Duchess of Richmond ( sister of Henry Howard and wife of Henry's illegimate son Henry Fitzroy)
Uncle: Thomas Howard, Duke of Norfolk
Aunt: Lady Margaret Bryan
Aunt: Elizabeth Howard (mother of Anne Boleyn)

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Mostly fact, but altered a bit to suit the story.