Imprisonment and death
Prior to her marriage to the King, Catherine was pursued by Francis Dereham, a secretary of the Dowager Duchess of Norfolk, her father, Lord Edmund Howard’s stepmother, Agnes Howard (née Tilney). Catherine Howard had been placed in the Dowager Duchess’s care after her mother’s death.
Catherine Howard and Francis Dereham allegedly became lovers, addressing each other as “husband” and “wife”. Dereham also entrusted Catherine with various wifely duties, such as keeping his money when he was away on business. Many of Catherine’s roommates among the Dowager Duchess’s maids of honour and attendants knew of the relationship, which apparently ended in 1539, when the Dowager Duchess found out.
Despite this, Catherine and Dereham may have parted with intentions to marry upon his return from Ireland, agreeing to a precontract of marriage. If indeed they exchanged vows before having sexual intercourse, they would have been considered married in the…
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