This article is about an English girl. For other uses, see Catherine (disambiguation). |
- "It seems to me there might be three plots now: one to free Mary Stuart, and make her queen, a second to kill Elizabeth, and then another. I'm not sure what the third plot is, but there is something, and I will find out."
- —Kitty Lumsden[3]
Catherine Anne "Kitty" Lumsden (born May 1571) was the daughter of Matilda Middleton and Nicholas Lumsden. Her best friend and favorite cousin was Edmund Middleton. She lived in London with her family during the reign of Elizabeth I. In the 1583, she became interested in Mary, Queen of Scots whom became the focus of several Catholic plots against Elizabeth.
Biography[]
Early life[]
Kitty was born in May 1571 to her parents, Matilda "Tilly" Middleton and Nicholas Lumsden.[2] Her father worked for Queen Elizabeth and was often away on assignments. Kitty had five siblings. Her older brothers were Richard and Joseph, and her younger siblings were Harry, George, and Elizabeth. Kitty grew up near her cousins, Kathryn and Edmund Middleton, the latter being her favorite.
Until May 1583, Kitty was educated in reading, writing, Latin, and history with a tutor.[2]
1583 – 1586[]
In November 1583, Kitty received a diary from her mother, whom had kept a diary since she was Kitty's age. She later visited Edmund at his home in the Tower of London, where they learned about Francis Throckmorton. Many prisoners of the Tower at that time, like Throckmorton, were charged with plotting to overthrow Queen Elizabeth in favor of Mary Stuart, Queen of Scots. Later, Kitty's brother, Joseph, introduced his new friend, Anthony Babington to his family. He soon became a regular visitor to the Lumsdens' home. Kitty became suspicious of Anthony, whom she learned was a Catholic and was also sympathetic towards Mary Stuart.
Edmund became a physician's apprentice to his father, William, in June 1584. This left little time for him and Kitty to spend together. She proposed to their parents that they study Latin together, but they really talked or played games the whole time. Kathryn, however, still often got in the way. The following month, the Lumsdens' vacationed in the country for three weeks with relatives before returning home. A friend of her parents, Francis Walsingham, often visited their home. Kitty took to listening at the door to their conversations, especially after hearing news about Mary, Queen of Scots in January 1585. The next month, the Lumsdens' visited her paternal grandparents for several weeks.
In August 1585, Kitty devised a way for her and Edmund to leave secret messages for each other in order to avoid Kathryn. She soon found their hiding place so Kitty made up a secret code, which she also figured out. Starting in early 1586, Kitty began to learn about Anthony's plot to overthrow the Queen and place Mary on the throne, as well as Walsingham's holding the latter complicit in the plot. She became worried for Joseph and made him promise to stop meeting Anthony Anthony and his co-conspirators were arrested and later executed in September 1586. A month later, Kitty traveled to Greenwich Palace with her family and met the Queen, whom thanked the whole family for their service.
Personality and traits[]
Like her mother, Kitty was an extremely curious person. She always wanted to know the goings-on around her house and the Tower of London where Edmund lived. Kitty became particularly interested in Mary, Queen of Scots and the Catholics who plotted to overthrow Queen Elizabeth for her. These plots made her seriously worried at times. Kitty sometimes eavesdropped or feigned sleep to hear more information. She also had a vivid imagination and loved making up fanciful stories. Her tendency to fantasize and exaggerate made others not take her claims too seriously at times. She was good at keeping secrets and nicknamed herself, "Kitty the Silent."
Family tree[]
Master Middleton | Mistress Middleton | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
William Middleton | Frances Lea (b. 1540) | Edward Middleton (d. 1540s) | Matilda Middleton (b. 1540) | Nicholas Lumsden | Jack Middleton (b. 1550) | Harry Middleton (b. 1552) | Susannah Middleton (b/d. 1553) | Mary Middleton (b. 1554) | Susannah Middleton (b. 1554) | Edward Middleton (b. 1556) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Kathryn Middleton (b. 1567) | Edmund Middleton | Richard Lumsden | Joseph Lumsden | Catherine Lumsden (b. 1571) | Harry Lumsden | George Lumsden | Elizabeth Lumsden | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Behind the scenes[]
- Kitty is the main character of The Queen's Spies by Valerie Wilding.
Appearances[]
References[]
- ↑ To Kill a Queen, Valerie Wilding, page 5
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 To Kill a Queen, Valerie Wilding, page 10
- ↑ To Kill a Queen, Valerie Wilding, page 141
See also[]