Joan Champernowne


Joan Champernowne was a lady-in-waiting at the court of King Henry VIII of England. She became a close friend to his sixth wife, Queen Catherine Parr. She married Sir Anthony Denny, who at the end of King Henry's reign was widely considered to be his most trusted servant.

Biography

Joan was born in Modbury, Devon on an unknown date, but no later than 1513, the daughter of Sir Philip Champernowne and his wife, Katherine Carew. She married Sir Anthony Denny, son of Sir Edmund Denny, by whom she had twelve children, including:
Joan was considered to be both beautiful and intelligent, and a member of the burgeoning Protestant faction at court, despite her husband's pro-Catholic inclinations. She was the niece of Katherine Ashley née Champernowne, the governess of Queen Elizabeth I. The Tudor historian, Joanna Denny, was a descendant of Joan's.