Living Descendants of King Henry the Eighth
I subscribe to a service called “SiteMeter” which allows me to see a limited amount of information about my visitors. One thing that I can see is if someone finds my site via a Google search. Recently, I’ve had a number of hits from people looking to find out about living descendants of King Henry VIII. My site isn’t really about that, but I thought I’d provide an answer anyway, as a public service.
There are no living descendants of King Henry VIII.
Henry’s father, King Henry VII, had four offspring who lived past childhood: Arthur, Margaret, Henry, and Mary. Arthur was always expected to be the next king, but he died in 1502. When Henry VII died in 1509, the kingdom was passed to his younger son, crowned Henry VIII.
Henry VIII had four known living offspring from four different women. His first wife, Catherine of Arragon, gave him a daughter, Mary (born 1516). He had an illegitimate son, Henry FitzRoy (born 1519), with his mistress Elizabeth Blount. His second wife, Ann Boleyn, had a daughter Elizabeth (born 1533). His third wife, Jane Seymour, had a son, Edward (born 1537). Henry VIII would have three more wives, but no more children to carry on his line. And as we shall see, none of his four branches would bear fruit.
Henry FitzRoy died in 1536, while his father was still alive.
When Henry VIII died in 1547, young Edward became King Edward VI, but died in 1553 with no heir. He was 15 years old. That was the end of Henry’s Y chromosome. But what about the daughters?
There was a brief reign by Lady Jane Grey (not a descendant of Henry VIII, but a granddaughter of his sister Mary) and then Henry VIII’s daughter Mary took the throne as Queen Mary I of England. You may know her as Bloody Mary.
(Don’t confuse either Mary with Mary Queen of Scots, who was yet a third Mary. She is a descendant of Henry VIII’s sister Margaret. We’ll come back to her in a bit.)
Mary I of England died in 1558 with no offspring, leaving the country in the capable hands of her sister Elizabeth. During the 45-year-long reign of Queen Elizabeth I, we saw a new Golden Age which included the rise of Shakespeare and Sir Francis Bacon. But alas, we saw no heir. Elizabeth died in 1603, ending her father’s biological legacy forever.
The crown then passed to the son of Mary Queen of Scots, who was James VI of Scotland at the time. He became King James I of England. And Shakespeare quickly began work on Macbeth. Note that the British monarchy even today can be traced back to King Henry VII, the father of King Henry VIII.
But King Henry VIII himself has no known living descendants.
I hope this was helpful for at least some of you. For the rest of you, expect a new Conundrum tomorrow.
UPDATE: An anagram version of the answer!
November 9th, 2007 at 2:39 am
I don’t know much about it ,but there are other known children he had. Mary Boleyn had 2 children by Henry the 8th. Henry and Catherine. So theres still a possible chance their are some descendents of his. Supposedly he has 29 living descendents. From his own bloodline. Not his whole families.
November 9th, 2007 at 4:24 am
Welcome Sam!
There isn’t any evidence that Mary Boleyn’s children were fathered by Henry. There was some speculation at the time that one of them might have been, because Mary was one of Henry’s mistresses. But modern historians believe that he was born too late to have been a product of their affair.
Look, Henry certainly got around. It’s no doubt possible that he has living descendants today from his own bloodline. But none of them are known to us today.
And that’s lucky for me. Otherwise, I would have to change the anagram.
February 15th, 2008 at 9:38 am
There is evidence to suggest that Henry and Catherine Carey could have been the offspring of Henry VIII. He took a keen interest in both children’s up bringing despite the Boleyn disgrace, and under his daughter both children did well and were seemly favoured by her. It is said that the descendents of Henry and Catherine Carey bore a strong resemblence to their cousin and that Catherine particularly bore a stricking resemblence to Elizabeth, even down to the trade mark fiery red hair. To further support this you only have to look at the treatment of William Carey, Mary’s jilted husband. Through the years Mary shared Henry’s bed William Carey was bestowed with numerous, albeit minor, gifts of land, money and titles. These gifts particularly intensfied around the birth of both children, a very intriguing fact don’t you think? Despite the claims of some historians that the children were born outside of the affair it is not really known when either child were born, so it is possible they were born during the affair. The question is why, for a man so desperate for sons did Henry VIII not announce the child was his? There appears to be several reasons; firstly there was not the remotest chance that Henry Fitzroy, his son by Elizabeth Blount, could not have been his as she was not married- Mary Boleyn was. So even though it is quite possible that Henry Carey was his son, Henry VIII did not have undeniable proof and the last thing Henry wanted to do was divide the country by giving them a dubious claimiant as their next sovereign. Another reason was his devotion and desperation to marry Mary’s sister Anne Boleyn, in his papal plea Henry argued that his marriage to Catherine of Aragon was void because she had been married and supposedly bedded by his older brother Arthur, the deceased Prince of Wales. So here you can see the irony, how could he then have a legal marriage ( he did intially seek a legal marriage) to the sister of a former conquest when he claimed his previous marriage was void for the very same fact- it is important to remember that in the beginning Henry was very keen to keep his divorce and remarriage all legal and properly done. Then you must consider the position of Anne Boleyn, if Henry Carey was indeed the son of Henry VIII he would be a thorn in the side of any son of her own, so perhaps she used her own considerable influence to ensure the boy was never recognised. Despite this Henry Carey was later given over into the care of Anne, why would a child of relative unimportance be given in to the Queen of England’s ward?In some quarters it is believed that Anne Boleyn took the child to strengthen her own position, particularly in later days when she failed to produce her own son.
It is possible that Henry Carey was the son of Henry VIII and particularly relevant when you consider Mary was widowed not long after the end of their affair. Perhaps in different circumstances this and the death of Catherine of Aragon could have resulted in their marriage and the legitimisation of Henry Carey into the heir apparent. Some may claim that this is a far fetched suggestion, however it is important to remember that Henry VIII’s own ancestor John of Gaunt had his illegimate children, the Beauforts, legitimised post birth when he eventually married their mother, these legitimised children later joined forces with the Tudors and culminated in the King Henry VII.
Even though Henry was reknowned for his overriding obsession to produce a healthy male heir he was also a statesmen and madly in love, perhaps he realised, at this time, during the turmoil he had already caused that pronouncing another illegitimate son would jeapodize his position further and also jeapodize his marriage and love for Anne Boleyn. He may have also genuiniely believed that his beloved Anne would produce him a hoard of sons and therefore felt there was not point in trying to legitamize a son whos paternity to the outside world was some what dubious. Perhaps in another time and place Henry Carey could have been recognized.
In the end it is the Carey children who have had the last laugh and gained their rightful recognition, for if Catherine and Heny are the children of this famous King our present day Queen is a direct descendent of both them and Henry VIII.
February 17th, 2008 at 2:30 am
Welcome, Jet! Thanks for your insights and information. I didn’t know QE2 was descended from the Carey children.
With the attention surrounding The Other Boleyn Girl, we can expect this topic to heat up. I don’t have much more to add than I wrote above, but I’ll throw this back in the Active category and invite others to join the discussion.
February 17th, 2008 at 7:58 pm
thanks, ive had too much time on my hands evidently. The Tudors were a scandolous,hot blooded and blood thirsty lol, forget todays WAGS!
March 7th, 2008 at 10:40 pm
I am a direct descendent of Catherine Carey. We are out here.
March 14th, 2008 at 7:26 pm
Beth – would love to see your lineage.
what do you know about Henry Carey’s lineage ?
I am really interested in the modern ancestry of Henry VIII
illegitamate children .
Have found details of Henry Fitzroy but would love some background on Mary Boleyn’s children and their descendents
October 21st, 2008 at 11:54 pm
I seem to recall reading that there were a total of four suspected illegitimate children of Henry VIII, three in addition to Henry Fitzroy. I wish I could find more information about those three.
November 5th, 2008 at 7:10 am
There is a very large number of descendants of Catherine Carey in the United States.
Catherine Carey wed Francis Knollys, KG, and by him had Anne Knollys who wed Thomas West, 2nd B. De la Warr (of the second creation), and they were the father of three royal governors of the Colony of Virginia (namely, Thomas West, 3rd B. De la Warr; Francis West; and John West), as well as Elizabeth West who wed Richard Saltonstall and whose descendants were prominent in the Massachusetts Bay Colony, Lettice West who wed Henry Ludlow and whose descendants also settled in colonial Virginia, and Penelope West who wed (Fitz)Herbert Pelham and whose descendants settled in early Maryland.
November 5th, 2008 at 7:27 am
Beelsie:
Henry FitzRoy, D. Richmond and Somerset, died without issue (neither legitimate nor illegitimate), and thus no one is descended from him.
Henry Carey, 1st B. Hunsdon, wed Anne Morgan and had children who either inherited or were granted further titles in the peerage, e.g., E. Monmouth, E. Dover, and E. Sunderland (in addition to B. Hunsdon). There is no contempraneous source that identifies either Catherine or Henry Carey as an illegitimate child of King Henry VIII. It seems to be the overwhelmingly most likely case that these myths began during the height of renownedly exaggerated Puritan intellectualism about a century later on.
November 5th, 2008 at 8:01 am
Bill:
Yes, Queen Elizabeth II is a descendant of Catherine Carey as follows.
Catherine Carey, who wed Francis Knollys, KG, had:
Lettice Knollys, who wed Walter Devereux, KG, 1st E. Essex, and had:
Penelope Devereux, who wed Robert Rich, 1st E. Warwick, and had:
(Mary) Essex Rich, who wed Daniel Finch, 2nd E. Nottingham and Winchilsea, and had:
Mary Finch, who wed William Savile, 2nd M. Halifax, and had:
Dorothy Savile, who wed Richard Boyle, KG, 4th E. Cork, and had:
Charlotte Elizabeth Boyle, who wed William Cavendish, KG, 4th D. Devon, Prime Minister, and had:
Dorothy Cavendish, who wed William Henry Cavendish-Bentinck, KG, 3rd D. Portland, Prime Minister, and had:
William Charles Augustus Cavendish-Bentinck, who wed Anne Wellesley, and had:
Rev. Charles William Frederick Cavendish-Bentinck, who wed Caroline Louisa Burnaby, and had:
Nina Cecilia Cavendish Bentinck, who wed Claude George Bowes-Lyon, KG, 14th E. Strathmore and Kinghorne, and had:
Elizabeth Angela Marguerite Bowes-Lyon, KG, who wed King George VI, and had:
Queen Elizabeth II
November 6th, 2008 at 12:40 am
Welcome Beth, Beelsie, Mary, and C. H. E. West III!
Wow, thanks for sharing all of that information. This has been one of the most popular posts on the blog. It comes up on a lot of Google searches and brings in new readers. So I’m glad that visitors looking for answers will find some!
Thanks again.
November 18th, 2008 at 5:00 am
Thanks! I got everything I needed to know here about Henry’s descendants, plus some!
November 21st, 2008 at 10:59 pm
Welcome, Ushasi!
I’m glad you found what you’re looking for. Thanks for visiting.
November 30th, 2008 at 10:31 pm
As far as I know, my mother’s family (Stuckey) are descended from Henry VIII (granted it is from the wrong side of the sheets) as we have a signet ring that has been passed from father to son and now my cousin has it.
December 3rd, 2008 at 12:02 am
Welcome, Brent Jones!
The signet ring sounds interesting. What can you tell us about it? And do you know from which of the suspected Henry kids you’re descended?
January 4th, 2009 at 1:15 pm
Very interested in these comments. My family is supposed to be descended from Mary Boleyn. Old family records list Carey, Broadstock, Whitehorn, Tame (of Fairford Church fame) but I don’t understand the links of the chain. Can anyone help?
January 6th, 2009 at 9:09 pm
Welcome, Gillian!
I also don’t know the links of the chain, but information about the Carey family is listed above.
I’ve learned a lot from these comments!
January 7th, 2009 at 4:39 am
Thanks for the reply, Bill. I’m interested in the descendents of Henry Carey (I think the above lists Catherine’s offspring?) so if anyone has any info on the Henry side also, that would be great!
January 12th, 2009 at 7:04 pm
I too am interested in the connection between the CAREY family and others named Broadstock, Whitehorn, Tame, all apparently of Berkshire, England. Does anybody have the direct ties?
alanr@rogers.com
London, Ont., Canada
May 3rd, 2009 at 8:16 pm
I have been researching my family history and through one genealogy site was able to connect my family to Mary Boleyn. This was something really exciting for me because I have been avidly reading up on Mary and others of the Tudor era for a few years. However, I found that the link that was made was not necessarily a valid one, and I have been going through, person by person, to verify each and every link. I have gotten caught at one last link, which could either link my family to Mary Boleyn or finally allow me to know for sure that the lineage I have been following is not valid. If anyone could help me out, I would be really thankful. What I need to know is who the children of Lettice (or Letitia) West and Henry Ludlow were. Again, if anyone could help, I would be extremely thankful.
May 7th, 2009 at 1:13 pm
Welcome Alan and Kaitlin!
I’m not an expert on British royal lineage, but perhaps other readers can help out. This post still gets more Google traffic than any other post on the blog, so feel free to continue the discussion.
July 23rd, 2009 at 9:16 am
Just thought I’d mention that whether Henry & Catherine Carey were descended from William Carey or Henry VIII, doesn’t matter, they are still descended from Edward III through John of Gaunt either way … and Mary Boleyn, of course, is descended from Edward I. Bless him, Sir William Carey keeps getting palmed off as a lesser person, he hasn’t got such a bad looking tree really! What are the best sources for researching Henry Carey’s family, anyone?
November 1st, 2009 at 2:42 pm
Infact Jane Seymour, Henrys Wife was bloodline related to Henry.. she was his 5th cousin only 3 times removed via Marriage only.. so where her brothers.. who infact went on to have children also.. so Henrys bloodline did living on to a degree..
November 1st, 2009 at 2:52 pm
Correct hj Her father, Sir John Seymour, was knighted at the Battle of Blackheath in 1497 by Henry VII. He enjoyed royal favour during the next reign. Her mother, Margery Wentworth, was descended from Edward III, so Jane was Henry VIII’s fifth cousin. The Seymours were a respectable family from Wolf Hall, near Marlborough in Wiltshire. They produced ten children, including Edward, Thomas and Jane (born c1508).
November 9th, 2009 at 2:25 am
Kaitlin,
I too am looking to confirm my descendancy from Mary Boleyn through Lettice West & Henry Ludlow. Does anyone know if William Ludlam is a descendant of Henry & Lettice? This is the gap I need bridged. I have seen such connection made in the past but am not certain as to their reliability. Help anyone?
November 10th, 2009 at 11:49 pm
i read t that Henrys fool,Will Somers was in possession of Henrys diary and right before his death he was in correspondence with catherine carey telling her she was the daughter of Henry and mailing the diary to her. He was afraid that one of Henrys other descendants might burn or destroy it after what Mary had done to henrys body
November 17th, 2009 at 9:42 am
I have also begun researching my husband’s lineage so I could create a scrapbook for his dad for Christmas. When I saw the Mary Boleyn pop up in the pedigree, my initial reaction was ‘No Way’. I’ve always been interested in that part of history before I found this out. My research has led me to that my husband is a direct descendant of Henry Carey. The line goes as such:
Henry Carey
Catherine Carey
Joan Howard
Henry Scott
Thomas Scott
Edmund Scott
Hannah Scott
Isaac Brunson
David Brunson
David Brunson
Martha P Brunson
Joseph J Franklin
James E Franklin
Augustus Franklin
If any of my info is wrong, please let me know. I found out my husband’s tree is more fascinating than mine.
December 29th, 2009 at 8:18 pm
I have always been taughter that the Stuckey’s (my family name) were somehow descendents (illegitimately) of King Henry VIII. Apparently the historical book “The Stuckey’s of Somerset” by Michael Churchman reflects this?
May 13th, 2010 at 4:23 am
A lot of inbreeding in England huh?
May 22nd, 2010 at 6:50 pm
I have direct linage to Mary Boleyn through Catheryn also- via colonial virginia ancestors – Mary Cade Wise – Matilda West -Anthony West – Gov John West – many Americans with early families on the eastern shore were lesser nobility that would not inherit due to birth order so they came to the new colony to seek their fortunes -and make claims for the king, who they evetually turned on. Most American Presidents come from these lines – they inter-married to the nth degree – at some point our family trees pratically just go straigt up. I’d like to believe that Grandmother Catheryn was the daughter of the great Henry VIII – and that some of his royal blood flows in the US today. Oh also on another line go back to Lady Jane Grey’s family – so am a decendant of Henry’s royal line in that way. And all from a colony in Jamestowne.
June 9th, 2010 at 10:42 am
It appears increasingly likely over time that the Carey children were indeed the children of Henry VIII and were said to be so at the time. Just not by Henry, who could not claim them for politcal and moral reasons. Mary Boleyn was a married woman.
It’s amazing to realize that there are literally thousands of Henry VIIIs direct descendants in the world today. Ha, so far I am not among them, though the above poster is quite correct about the settlers in Virgina who could not have title in England. Those settlers gave many of us direct connection to famous Tudor families.
The very royal remains of Elizabeth I and Henry Carey are right there at Westminster Abbey. Henry VIII is just a few miles away at Windsor Chapel.
DNA testing could answer our questions, but the present royals are not likely to ever grant such tests. DNA testing seldom fails to present totally unexpected results, and today’s royals need none of that.
July 30th, 2010 at 1:50 pm
Referring to Jennifer Stuckey post. The Michael Churchman “book” (an unpublished typescript manuscript) has no reference or reflection to a descendancy of Henry VIII, that I can find. I do not have a complete manuscript however.
August 19th, 2010 at 7:25 pm
The “Groton Avery Clan” can also trace their heritage to Mary Boleyn
and William Carey. My relationship joins at the marriage of
Humphrey Avery (1699) and Jerusha Morgan (1704). The Avery’s
lived in Conn., Maryland and my link, South Carolina, my gg grandmother was an Avery…..there are a lot of us out there!
September 7th, 2010 at 9:46 pm
This site has been very interesting. I have been researching my grandfathers family and we are related it seems to Catherine Carey
through her son Sir Francis Knollys and wife Lettice nee Barrett.
Through a female line . My granfathers family inherited money and title through a court case proving direct lineage to a Knollys Branch
also related to Sir Francis and Wife Lettice nee Barrett through a male line.It was an exciting discovery.
September 18th, 2010 at 8:02 pm
I was looking at some portraits of Henry Carey and King Henry the eighth, and visually there is an amazing resemblance. I think that for the reasons stated above, and the physical resemblance, he was a son but could not be claimed. Mary’s parents had her marry young to someone in the court of the king in order to put her under the nose of the king. It would stand to reason that once she caught his eye, everyone that stood to benefit saw the logic in her not sleeping with her husband for the duration of the affair. I doubt her husband would have minded that much because he was being elevated in status and wealth.
November 24th, 2010 at 3:14 pm
HenryVIIII had an affair with Mary Boleyn produced Henry Lord Hunsdon Carey and so to my tree as follows
Robert Carey 1560
Philadelphia Carey 1585
John Worton 1617
John Worton 1638
John Worton 1661
William Worton 1684
William Worton 1714
Benjamin Worton1742
John Worton 1763
John Worton 1797
John Worton 1814
Elizabeth Worton 1848
Hannah Hale 1875
Alice Maud Morris 1913
Roger Morgan 1940 (Living )
This makes Henry VIII my 14 th G/G/father . Right or wrong ? can someone advise me ?
February 18th, 2011 at 12:36 am
Incorrect. There are no KNOWN descendants of Henry VIII. Doesn’t give you the authorotative right to assert that there are not potential illigitimate ones in existence, especially when it seems you haven’t done your homework very well. You didn’t even mention Richard Edwardes, but I suppose you’d dismiss the possbility of that as quickly as any other.
The jury is still out on Henry VIII’s descendants. I personally believe he did have children…he just had way too many mistresses and way too many “rumors” circulating for NOTHING to have come forth. We don’t see any other monarch in British history to where there are so many assertions of descent. Why fabricate stories about Henry VIII when you could do the same for many other monarchs? Sure, he was fairly popular, but he was no George Washington and certainly not the most beloved English king. More research has to be done and while we may never be able to definitely say we are his descendants we also can never definitely say that we are not.
March 13th, 2011 at 6:44 am
KING HENRY THE 8TH THE DUKE OF ALBANY COMES UP ON MY SURNAME IT IS CALLED THE BUIK OF THE KIRK OF THE CANAGAIT MARRIED MARY QUEEN OF ROIS IN THE CHAPPEL IN EDINBURGH, IT COMES UP ON FAMILY WEBSITE, WE HOLD HIS NAME DOES THIS MEAN WE CARRY HIS BLOOD LINEAGE, ALSO THE BUIK OF ALEXANDER THE GRIT GREAT COMES UP ON MY BUIK FAMILY NAME
March 22nd, 2011 at 12:06 am
I too am a descendant of Mary Boleyn through her daughter, Catherine who married Sir Francis Knollys. Mary was my 13th great grandmother. My line is through many Knollys generations. I’m quite sure that there are many of us that could possibly be the descendants of King Henry VIII. Hopefully, one day there will be DNA to be able to prove our heritage without a shadow of doubt. I’ve always believed that during the time of Catherine and Henry Carey’s birth Henry VIII wouldn’t have dared admit that he had possible heirs to the throne with a “married” woman while he was trying to divorce Catherine of Aragon. The Church would have most definitely have thrown his plea out for such activities especially since he wanted to marry his married mistresses sister, Anne. The timing and circumstances during the birth of Catherine and Henry’s was just wrong. I think that Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn tried to make up for not announcing the children’s birth right in the only way they knew how by lavishing gifts, money and titles on them.
April 2nd, 2011 at 1:01 am
There seems to be some chronological evidence of Catherine and Henry Carey having been the children of Henry VIII and Mary Boleyn. Their affair began in 1522 and ended in 1526, both Catherine and Henry were born during this time period. It is doubtful that HenryVIII would have shared Mary with William Carey during their affair. Also, estates were granted to William Carey in 1524 and 1526 at about the time that Catherine and Henry were born. Arrangements were made for Catherine and Henry to be taken care of and educated, also they became wards of their aunt Queen Ann after her marriage to Henry VIII. Why else would this have been done if they were not the children of Henry VIII? Catherine and Henry Carey were also VERY close to Queen Elizabeth I, beyond what a cousin relationship might be. Elizabeth I paid for their stately funerals and monuments which would suggest a sibling relationship most likely only known to her. I am descended from Henry Carey….. having problems with the “beheading issues.”
April 15th, 2011 at 3:36 pm
This is all so fascinating to me. I recently learned that I am a direct descendent of Mary Boleyn through her daughter Catherine and later the Wests from Virginia. There must be A LOT of us in the US from them!
May 5th, 2011 at 5:27 pm
Kia ora- Hi
I am from New Zealand I am a Maori, native of my country. My ancestors include this man Henry the eight. How I, can’t tell you. I have been brought up knowing that we relate to Henry 8th. Once when I ws a young child we had a family reunion and a geneology chart was shown to the families and on it was his name. But my great great great grandfather originates from England. Our family name is Gage. Other then that I dont know much. But one day soon I will be looking into it.
June 28th, 2011 at 12:08 am
Hello cousins! I think there’s one thing we can all agree on: Our upteenth great grandfather was a tramp and and our possible upteenth great grandmother was no better. My lineage traces back to Mary Boleyn also, but I have no clue if I’m a decendant of Henry VIII, not that it matters…us Melton’s eventually gave up our coat of arms and moved to the US anyway. Happy hunting to the rest of you though! :)
September 15th, 2011 at 7:06 pm
Here’s another “me, too!” I’m connected to Mary Boleyn as well. I was always fascinated by the Tudors, Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn in particular. Through an ancestry service I found direct connections to the first settlers of Jamestowne including the Wests whose links to the Knollys then to Mary Boleyn have been described by other posters. In addition to all the clues cited in other posts,
Catherine (Lady Knoylls) Carey’s funeral documents are the only “non royal” ones kept with many royal funeral documents and she was buried like royalty at Elizabeth I’s expense, as was her brother, Henry. On Sir Henry Carey’s tomb his name is not inscribed but his title: Lord Hunsdon which could be a way of indicating that he was not a Carey by birth. In spite of that, the Carey name definitely came to the colonies.
I found an interesting link to Martha Custis Washington. You may recall George Washington had a romance with a woman named Sally Fairfax. Her maiden name…..Sally Carey! The women of her family were noted for their beauty and charm. She was wealthy, from a very old family, claimed the same coat of arms as Sir Henry Carey and she had auburn hair. I’m thinking Henry VIII’s genes via Mary Boleyn are still
among us. Cheers!
September 15th, 2011 at 7:06 pm
Here’s another “me, too!” I’m connected to Mary Boleyn as well. I was always fascinated by the Tudors, Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn in particular. Through an ancestry service I found direct connections to the first settlers of Jamestowne including the Wests whose links to the Knollys then to Mary Boleyn have been described by other posters. In addition to all the clues cited in other posts,
Catherine (Lady Knoylls) Carey’s funeral documents are the only “non royal” ones kept with many royal funeral documents and she was buried like royalty at Elizabeth I’s expense, as was her brother, Henry. On Sir Henry Carey’s tomb his name is not inscribed but his title: Lord Hunsdon which could be a way of indicating that he was not a Carey by birth. In spite of that, the Carey name definitely came to the colonies.
I found an interesting link to Martha Custis Washington. You may recall George Washington had a romance with a woman named Sally Fairfax. Her maiden name…..Sally Carey! The women of her family were noted for their beauty and charm. She was wealthy, from a very old family, claimed the same coat of arms as Sir Henry Carey and she had auburn hair. I’m thinking Henry VIII’s genes via Mary Boleyn are still
among us. Cheers!
September 24th, 2011 at 7:07 am
There are Carey, Littlefield, West in my family. Anybody know of a connection with Littlefield to Mary Carey?
November 24th, 2011 at 5:46 am
Green Beads…
[...]Shakespeare Teacher » Blog Archive » Living Descendants of King Henry the Eighth[...]…
December 26th, 2011 at 11:57 pm
I am descendant of Henry Carey, and would love to know if there is any type of ancestry DNA going on out there that would prove/disprove relatives from Mary Boleyn’s children to find a possible link. Mary was my 12th great-grandmother, and I do have strong belief that Henry was the son of Henry VIII. Reason for not publicly accounting of this was the King’s new obsession with Mary’s sister, Anne, and if he’d hope to ever marry Anne, he could not openly admit that he had children with her sister. No church would grant dispensation nor the heirarchy be accepting of that situation.
If DNA testing is not currently being done…is there a way to begin this in the lineages that believe they are connected?
December 26th, 2011 at 11:58 pm
forgot my email address to those interested. I live in Florida, USA.
January 16th, 2012 at 5:57 am
gregg…
[...]Shakespeare Teacher » Blog Archive » Living Descendants of King Henry the Eighth[...]…
February 11th, 2012 at 8:59 pm
I too descend from Mary Boleyn, through Katherine/Catherine Carey and Francis Knollys;
Anne Knollys and Sir Thomas West
Letitia West and Henry Ludlow/Ludlam
William Ludlow/Ludlam and Clemance Fordham (he came to Long Island after his wife died)
Mary Ludlow/Ludlam and Thomas Scudder
Benjamin Scudder and Elizabeth Smith
William Smith Scudder and Elizabeth Wood
Mary Scudder and John Wyckoff
Catherine Wyckoff and William Charles Maben
Benjamin Scudder Maben and Emma Landphair
Mary Emma Maben and Otto John Gano
then my mother and aunts, cousins, daughter and granddaughters still living;
is there any organization of us cousins???
there can’t be any DNA test as there are no descendants of Henry VIII who we KNOW for sure are his heirs…too bad…I don’t care about Henry VIII but feel well for Mary that she did marry for love. Read Alison Weir’s books for all the different angels and rumors.
February 20th, 2012 at 8:29 am
There is plenty of Mary’s decendants living in New Zealand. My Great Grandmother Jean Henrietta West was a descendant of Francis West from Virginia.
The family tree continues to get interesting within America with a decendant of Richard Warren who was on the “Mayflower” marrying a later Thomas West, who’s son William moved to Nova Scotia in Canada.
My Great, Great Grandfather Henry West then left Canada for New Zealand and through his marriage, we link into the famous De Green family, (one is beheaded in Shakespeare’s play Richard II, much like Anne Bolyen) which pretty much traces back to all the royal families including the Byzantine Emperor Constantine IX, who’s painting hangs in the St Sofia in Istanbul, Turkey. (that I visited last year)
Explains why we always had to watch the Queens speech at Christmas time as kids.
March 5th, 2012 at 3:30 am
I have been able to trace my genealogy back to Catherine Carey, Daughter of Mary Boleyn.
Catherine and Sir Francis Knollys had Anne Knollys who married Thomas West (my grandfather) 1555-1608
Anne and Thomas had John West Governor of Virginia (my grandfather) 1590-1659
John West 1st married Anne Claiborne and had John West 2nd 1632-1691
John married Unity Croshaw and had John West 3rd (grandfather) 1676-1744 and so forth, I have the family tree all the way to me.
March 5th, 2012 at 3:30 am
I have been able to trace my genealogy back to Catherine Carey, Daughter of Mary Boleyn.
Catherine and Sir Francis Knollys had Anne Knollys who married Thomas West (my grandfather) 1555-1608
Anne and Thomas had John West Governor of Virginia (my grandfather) 1590-1659
John West 1st married Anne Claiborne and had John West 2nd 1632-1691
John married Unity Croshaw and had John West 3rd (grandfather) 1676-1744 and so forth, I have the family tree all the way to me.
March 8th, 2012 at 1:49 am
I just found out, today, that I am a descendant to Henry the VIII, which is why I Googled, “Descendants of Henry VIII”.
My grandmother has traced our genealogy to Henry VIII, and is working on getting everything together to mail to me.
March 24th, 2012 at 12:58 am
ornamental gates…
[...]Shakespeare Teacher » Blog Archive » Living Descendants of King Henry the Eighth[...]…
May 2nd, 2012 at 1:22 am
My Family checked my dads full English background and I too am a descendant of Henry VIII from one of his children with a mistress
May 2nd, 2012 at 9:19 pm
I am a direct descendant of Henry VIII. Thank you for your diligence and best wishes.
May 12th, 2012 at 10:56 am
Before I even new what geneology was about I always said my
Grandmother looked exactly like the Queen of England .
Now that I have traced my roots & it links me to Mary Boelyn& Catherine Cary it all makes sense !! I would love to have DNA done.
Can it be done, and if so why hasn’t it been done !!! All of us with
these Royal roots no why…….
WE ALL GOT THE ROYAL YOU NO WHAT
May 30th, 2012 at 7:48 pm
Funny that this guy is my ancestor.
May 31st, 2012 at 7:41 pm
I am a living descendant of Margaret Beauchamp. I was very excited to learn this. Margaret was the grandmother of Hendry VII.
May 31st, 2012 at 7:42 pm
That would be Henry VII not Hendry.
June 21st, 2012 at 8:35 pm
My family, the Edwards, are reputed to be descended from H8 and his mistress Agnes “Beaupenny” Bluett. The evidence is purely circumstantial, but fairly strong. She and H8 were in close proximity before her son’s birth, and she was allowed to include the Tudor Rose in her coat of arms, which showed she was under H8’s favor and protection. There is a lot more info out there.
June 23rd, 2012 at 12:51 pm
I am a historian, not a potential descendant, but simply reading about the customs of the time and actions taken by the participants, are very telling. And finally, using one’s eyes. There are several others who have a striking resemblance to old Henry, who really got around a lot. I think at the time all knew who his bastards were, and made great efforts to marry them and shelter them, perhaps with hopes for their own families.
Just look at the portraits of the peerage. I think future DNA testing will prove it. My guess is that there were many royal bastards, all quietly placed with appropriate families whose own children had no heirs, as child mortality was so high in those days. Daughters were married into well placed families, sons became heirs of fathers with no living sons who were friends and intimates of the king.
At least one grandson I am quite sure of had quite a lot to do with the Virginia company. The movie ” Anonymous” was close but didn’t do quite enough research and drew a wrong conclusion. If you are a good detective you will figure it out.
June 26th, 2012 at 8:36 am
Me too… The Carey children have numerous descendants in the Netherlands. Henry Carey’s sons Edmund and Robert served with the earl of Leicester’s troops supporting The dutch revolt against Spain in the 1580s. Later Careys served as officers in the armies of the (then) Dutch republic against France. One of Edmund Carey’s great-grand- children, Philippa Staunton, married a dutch nobleman, Roelof van Arkel. They have many descendants in the Netherlands (and no doubt elsewhere) – of whom I am one.
July 3rd, 2012 at 3:05 pm
How do I know if I am a great great great grandaughter or a cousin i have no idea how. My uncle was looking up the family tree and told me that we were related to king henry the II.
July 4th, 2012 at 5:28 am
Of England? He died in 1189, so I imagine he would have many, many descendants alive today. If you’re one of them, check out The Lion in Winter, an excellent 20th-century play about Henry II that’s been made into a couple of movies. Actually, you should check it out either way!
July 21st, 2012 at 7:28 pm
My name is Marcia Hamilton, my maiden name is Pinney.I am a descendant of Henry, says my grandmother who past, it was my aunt who picked up an interest in our family tree. My mother maiden name was Watkins, before that boltenhouse or boltinghouse not sure but my aunt has all our records.
August 10th, 2012 at 8:14 am
My last name is hance I have no access to genealogy sites how would I find out if I am a royal descendent or anything like that?
September 22nd, 2012 at 7:04 am
[...] to the Shakespeare lovers and Shakespeare teachers. Thanks to the Googlebot and people looking for living descendants of Henry VIII. Today, you all have been counted. Onward and [...]
October 31st, 2012 at 11:19 am
recenlty my uncle, (father’s brother) sent his DNA into geology .com and it was a direct 99% match to King henry the 16th. Are there groups that meet?
November 22nd, 2012 at 1:30 pm
In regards to Henry VIII having 4 illegitimate sons, I am curious about Richard, born to Katherine who was married to a man from Wales. They were at Henry VIII’s court, when Cromwell was in great favor with Henry VIII. Henry was also so fond of Richard, that he offered to knight him if he changed his name to Cromwell. Katherine and her son Richard were in favor of this, and Richard became Sir Richard Cromwell. I cannot trace Richard’s father who was married to Katherine or any of her other husband. She was supposedly a beautiful woman and married several times. I have always wondered if Richard was one of Henry illegitimate sons.
November 25th, 2012 at 2:19 am
I am a descendant of an Agnes Nesbit who may be a descendant of Henry VIII’s sister Mary Tudor, Queen of France. After the King of France died, Henry sent his childhood companion, Charles Brandon to bring her home. She eloped with Brandon and they were ignored by Henry for a time and finally forgiven. They had a daughter Eleanor Brandon (Lady Jane Gray’s aunt) who married Henry de Clifford. My relatives come from a Agnes Nesbit who married William Curry. They were from Scotland and immigrated to Lancaster, PA in the 1600’s. My family has an amazing resemblance to the Tudor portraits, especially Henry’s children Edward and Elizabeth. So far we have not been able to figure out if Agnes Nesbit is truly a descendant of Henry VII.
December 3rd, 2012 at 12:25 pm
i am also related to king henry VIII. Queen Elizabeth II (current queen of the UK) is my cousin. King Henry VIII is i think my uncle. My grandmother did a project in high school and did a family tree dating all the way back to the 1300’s and we are related to King Henry VIII if we would have kept the legacy in our family (stranded off to queen Elizabeth, my great great (GREAT) grandfather married a german woman taking the royality directly out of my name) i would have been king by now :( sad to think about it but Queen Elizabeth and i are cousins
December 3rd, 2012 at 12:26 pm
also its cool to see who i could be related too
December 5th, 2012 at 2:50 pm
My parent was going through ancestry and the humphrey name led back to henry the 8th, are there any others that are also humphrey and think there relatef to him ?
January 16th, 2013 at 9:25 am
I agree 0.0 Bloody Mary…
February 3rd, 2013 at 4:37 pm
Re: Corgiotter’s comment above, and replying to Dorothy Davis Gilmore: “My family, the Edwards, are reputed to be descended from H8 and his mistress Agnes “Beaupenny” Bluett. The evidence is purely circumstantial, but fairly strong. She and H8 were in close proximity before her son’s birth, and she was allowed to include the Tudor Rose in her coat of arms, which showed she was under H8’s favor and protection. There is a lot more info out there.” Dorothy, Agnes is Richard Edwards’s mother, the child Richard being Henry Viii’s. Agnes decided to marry a noble Edwards, of Wales. I’m descended from this line and I’ve found many others who are too. I even look like Henry! (American living in NYC)
February 6th, 2013 at 4:17 pm
I’ve recently delved into ancestry and found that my line goes all the way back to Richard Edwards. Would love to have proof that H8 was the father of Richard (OR NOT) just to know which direction my lineage follows.
February 21st, 2013 at 8:39 am
Wow just stumbled across this website, with a coffee in hand its better than reading a book or episode of the Tudors!
Do have to agree with some of you above though that sadly there is no concrete evidence and probably never will be that any of these illegitimate children were Henry VIIIs. Any evidence that may once of existed would most certainly have been destroyed to protect Henry himself and any future marriages/children. The actual probability of course is a different matter but as yet no proof has ever been found. I’m sure Henry would find this all very entertaining though and any disputes would be treason in his eyes!! Happy searching all.
February 27th, 2013 at 9:19 pm
Hi everyone I am a desendent of the late james cowall the earl of cowall of blackmoor from myresearch his llife ends cant find his parents but there are alot of coincidences in the background I think im somehow related to richard henry brother who started a hermitage in blackmoor any way the earls daughter was ellenor she marrried richard turner and left for canada she brought her dad the earl of cowellanyway my grear grandmother was olivia turner his granddaughteror something like that I was also told I was of royal blood I just want to know were it was from the earl married mary woan
March 1st, 2013 at 8:53 pm
Hello. My name is Jennifer. My nickname has been “Quiet Princess” for many years now [please don't laugh]. Yet, I did not realize until only two years ago that I was actually a possible descendent of King Henry VIII and his mistress Mary Boleyn & her daughter Catherine Carey. A distant cousin came up with the research and found out that many other people from my same home county in Arkansas were also descendents of these historic people. I just find it very eery that my nickname was what it was. It’s almost like someone from above really wanted to let the cat out of the bag! Eeery! Well, I hope they succeed one day in allowing us all to know the truth about what exactly happened 489 years ago. Wouldn’t that be nice?
March 2nd, 2013 at 2:57 am
I descend from Mary Boleyn and Catherine Carey through a line in which my ancestors came over to the U.S. in the Maryland/Virginia area. Here is the line:
Mary Boleyn
Catherine Carey married Francis Knollys
Henry Knollys married Margaret Cave
Elizabeth Knollys married Henry Willoughby
Margaret Willoughby married Henry Griffith
Samuel Griffith married Elizabeth Evans
Samuel Griffith married Mary Katherine Wood
John Griffith married Mary
Mary Griffith married William Marshall
Thomas Marshall married Margaret Wells
William Marshall married Eleanor Austin
William Howard married Elizabeth Marshall
Mary Howard married William Wells
David Wells married Elizabeth Ann Waterson
John Geller married Viola Mae Wells (My Great Grandparents)
March 2nd, 2013 at 8:59 pm
I am hoping to make connections/contacts with others who are decendents of King Henry VIII. I was searching my family geneology recently and it is showing that King Henry VIII is my 12th Great Grandfather. It showes that Catherine Carey is my Great Grandmother. In addition I also show that William the Conqueror, King of England is my 23rd Great Grandfather. I find this very interesting, and again, I hope to make connections with other decendents.
March 5th, 2013 at 6:50 pm
I found your site today and may have breaking news for you. I am currently at work on the Family tree and it points to Henry VIII and the Laundress of Field of Cloth of Gold 1520. The story my 93 year old father told me just prior to his death was that we are related to crowned heads of Europe. That was 1979. Fast Forward 40 years and I find the RICE coat of Arms and the story of Sir Thomas ap Rhys. We seem to be 40 strong descendants of the Love Child William Henry Rice. The Laundress is Beatrice Rice of David Rice Groom and part of the Household of Princess Mary from 1519. I am investigating whether the controversy over William ap Rhys 1522 of Catherine Howard/and Sir Griffith ap Rhys ap Thomas Fitzurien beheaded tower hill Jan 4, 1531 is the Fostered Love Child of Henry…. On the site of “TUDOR WOMEN” They wrongly assert that Mary Griffith was the only Child of Gruffed ap Rhys and Catherine St. John, who was born March 31,1519. That would leave out the son who was beheaded by Henry VIII. The second Child of David and Beatrice Rice was Mary, whom Princess Mary paid for both their educations and even a wedding gown for little Mary. So is Mary Griffith also the fostered child of David and Beatrice? Henry ap Rhys went on to marry Elizabeth Batman 1500 ca.= John ap Rhys II & Catrin Perrott 1530 gggrandaughter of John Perrott. From there we find Thomas ap Rhys 1570-1608&Margaret Mercer to my connection, Captain John ap Rhys/ Rice Rebecca Hoewll and #2 Anne Hackley. Your private commets would be greatly appreciated. Thankyou.
April 12th, 2013 at 7:10 am
I have been trying to find out how many children Sir Thomas Wharton 1587-1622 and Philadelphia Carey 1585-1655 had. Philip 1613 & Thomas 1615 for sure but others also claim John 1617 and Edward 1619. Can anyone tell me what documentary evidence there is for the latter 2 sons?
April 21st, 2013 at 11:54 pm
My dog is related to King Henry the VIII. his dog sired my dogs great great great great great great great great great grandmother. I am ALSO related to the king…and my family sailed to ELis Island about 80 years ago….right here on long island we have about 300 ancestors of the king.
April 24th, 2013 at 3:26 pm
Linus, for the win!
May 17th, 2013 at 4:43 pm
I am related to Catherine as well.
May 17th, 2013 at 5:10 pm
I’ve been reading a book about the Tudors (don’t know why I wasted my time), and I can not understand why anyone would want to claim that monstrous individual as an ancestor