Elizabeth Tilney, Countess of Surrey

Elizabeth Tilney, born before 1445 at Ashwellthorpe Manor, Norfolk, was the only child of Sir Frederick Tilney and Elizabeth Cheney. She served as a lady-in-waiting to Queen Elizabeth Woodville and as Lady of the Bedchamber to Queen Elizabeth of York. Elizabeth was also the joint godmother to Princess Margaret Tudor. Her first marriage to Sir Humphrey Bourchier produced three children, including John Bourchier, 2nd Baron Berners. After Sir Humphrey’s death at the Battle of Barnet, she married Thomas Howard, the future 2nd Duke of Norfolk, and had eleven children. Elizabeth’s second marriage linked her to the royal family, as she became the grandmother of Queens Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard, and her great-granddaughter was Queen Elizabeth I.

Elizabeth experienced the turbulence of the Wars of the Roses and witnessed significant political shifts, including the coronation of Richard III and the aftermath of the Battle of Bosworth. She managed to maintain her inheritance despite her husband’s temporary downfall following Richard III’s defeat. Elizabeth’s legacy is commemorated in John Skelton’s poem ‘The Garlande of Laurell’ and through her descendants’ prominent roles in English history.