Francis Dereham (c. 1506/09 – executed (1541-12-10)10 December 1541) was a Tudor courtier whose involvement with Henry VIII's fifth Queen, Catherine Howard, in her youth, prior to engagement with the king, was eventually found out and led to his arrest.
The information of Dereham having a relationship with Howard displeased King Henry to such great lengths he arranged the executions of all involved.
1474 - d. 1531) of Crimplesham in Norfolk, and Isabel, the daughter of John Paynell, of Boothby in Lincolnshire[1] and Elizabeth Tylney (da.
Dereham's relationship with Catherine came to an end when her music master, Henry Mannox, sent an anonymous letter to the Dowager Duchess.
On 27 August 1541, using the Dowager Duchess as a reference, Dereham approached his former lover at Pontefract Castle, seeking employment while the court was still in progress.
[3] When their past relationship was brought to the attention of Archbishop Thomas Cranmer by a chamberer in the Dowager Duchess's household, Mary Lassells, he reported them to the King in a letter.
This provoked an investigation that resulted in the arrests of the Dowager Duchess, her son William Howard, 1st Lord Howard of Effingham, Thomas Dereham (Francis' brother),[4] Thomas Culpeper, Queen Catherine herself, and eventually Lady Rochford, one of Catherine's ladies-in-waiting.
However, no evidence exists to support this allegation; incriminating documents are thought to have been burned by the Dowager Duchess, as it is recorded that she raided Dereham's coffers and destroyed their letters.
On 1 December 1541, Thomas Culpeper and Francis Dereham were arraigned at Guildhall for treason and each sentenced to a traitor's death.