ON THIS DAY - 24 February 1603

On This Day (24 February) in 1603, Katherine Carey, Countess of Nottingham, the longest-serving Elizabethan Gentlewoman of the Privy Chamber, died at Arundel House, on The Strand, in the City of Westminster.

'Portrait of a Lady, thought to be Catherine Howard, Countess of Nottingham'. Attributed to Robert Peake the elder Year: c.1595-1606 © The Weiss Gallery

Katherine, also known as "Kate", was born c.1550; the eldest daughter of Henry Carey, 1st Baron Hunsdon and his wife Anne Morgan. Henry was the son of Mary Boleyn, the elder sister of the damned Queen Anne Boleyn, and subsequently the cousin to Elizabeth I. Under the supervision of her paternal aunt Catherine Carey, Lady Knollys, the younger Katherine was likely raised in the household of the Lady Elizabeth, at Hatfield House, Hertfordshire.

Following Elizabeth's accession to the throne in November 1558, she intentionally surrounded herself with old friends and allies, including her Boleyn relatives, making many appointments to her household. The young Kate was subsequently appointed as a Gentlewoman of the Privy Chamber in January 1559, along with her older paternal cousin Lettice Knollys, both of whom were granted a wage of £33 6s 8d a year. Kate's mother Anne, Lady Carey, was also appointed to an unpaid role within the queen's household, as a Lady of the Privy Chamber. Having been appointed at the beginning of Elizabeth's reign, weeks before her coronation, Kate became the longest serving member of the queen's household, eventually being appointed to the top position as Chief Lady of the Bedchamber in 1572. It was at this time that her younger sister, Philadelphia, Lady Scrope, also joined Elizabeth's household, initially as a Gentlewoman of the Privy Chamber, later being promoted to the Bedchamber.

'Arundel House from the South in 1646' William Amor Fenn, 1900 © Look and Learn/Bridgeman Images

Kate's health began to decline in 1601, and so she began to withdraw in her duties at court, spending more time at Arundel House, the home on The Strand that she shared with her husband of almost 40 years, Charles Howard, 1st Earl of Nottingham, that had recently been granted by Elizabeth I, following the previous owner, Philip Howard, 13th Earl of Arundel, in 1595. It was at Arundel House where Kate died on 24 February 1603, after reportedly suffering from a number of "fits", Elizabeth having attended her death-bed.

'Chelsea' Artist: Samuel Ireland, 1792 © rareoldprints

Elizabeth made the decision that her long-time companion should have a funeral which reflected her 'lofty rank'; it eventually took place on 25 April 1603, only days before the queen's own funeral at Westminster Abbey on 28 April. Kate's service was held at Chelsea Old Church, the favoured manor of Chelsea having been gifted to the countess in 1591.

'Queen Elizabeth I (1538-1603) in Old Age'; Unknown Artist, c.1610 © Corsham Court

Following Kate's death, Elizabeth reportedly sank into a further depression; she had experienced previous episodes of poor mental health over the past few years, predominantly following the betrayal and subsequent execution of her one-time favourite Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex 2 years previously, on 25 February 1601. Her depressive episodes were further exacerbated by her "constant battle with advancing age", which she would lose one month later, when she died at Richmond Palace, on 24 March 1603.