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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[]

The Middleton-Lumsden 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[]

Appearances[]

References[]

See also[]


My Story characters
Main characters

Nebka | Hatshepsut "Asha" | Claudia | Bran | Tor Scaldbane | Jenkin Lloyd | Eva De Puebla
Elinor Valjean | Lady Jane Grey | Matilda "Tilly" Middleton | Catherine "Kitty" Lumsden | Thomas Hobbs
Remember "Mem" Whipple | Thomas Adamson | Alice Paynton | Susannah Makepeace | Ignatius Sancho
Euphemia Grant | Mary Wade | Elizabeth "Lizzie" Harvey | Isabelle | James Grant | Mary Prince | Bob Jenkins
Dick Maybury | Eliza Helsted | Phyllis McCormack | Lily Hicks | Michael Pope | Hanuman Singh | Clotee Henley
Will Reed | Edith Lorrimer | Jabulani | Florence Finch | Flora Bonnington | Sophia Duleep Singh | Dollie Baxter
Margaret Anne Brady | Billy Stevens | Jack Fairfax | Daphne "Daffy" Rowntree | Eleanor Rhys Davies
Rebecca "Becky" Mortkowicz | Harry Woods | Princess Margaret | Sophie Ridel | Peter Rogers | Kitty Langley
Edith "Edie" Benson | Noor Inayat Khan | Tim Jackson | Andrew "Andy" Pope | Paul Lelaud | Violet Debuchy

Supporting characters

Ptolemy Auletes | Henry VIII | Catherine of Aragon | Anne Boleyn | Jane Seymour | Anne of Cleves
Catherine Howard | Catherine Parr | Edward VI | Mary I | Elizabeth II

Lists of characters by book

Pyramid of Secrets | Princess of Egypt | Pompeii | Roman Invasion | Viking Blood | Agincourt | My Tudor Queen
Anne Boleyn and Me | Lady Jane Grey | Bloody Tower | The Queen's Spies | Armada | Mayflower | Civil War
The Great Plague | Highway Girl | Ignatius Sancho | The '45 Rising | No Way Back | Transported
The Fall of the Blade | Trafalgar | Mary Prince | Waterloo | Dodger! | Mill Girl | The Hunger | The Crystal Palace
Crimea | Indian Mutiny | Slave Girl | The Sweep's Boy | Victorian Workhouse | Zulu War | Factory Girl
Twentieth-Century Girl | Princess Sophia Duleep Singh | Suffragette | Titanic | The Trenches | Flying Ace
Road to War | Berlin Olympics | Nowhere to Run | Battle of Britain | Wartime Princess | Sophie's Secret War
U-Boat Hunter | War Nurse | Blitz | Noor-un-Nissa Inayat Khan | Desert Danger | D-Day | Spy Smuggler
Codename Céline | London Stories

My Royal Story characters

Cleopatra VII | Beatrice Townhill | Elizabeth I | Mary, Queen of Scots | Marie Antoinette | Victoria | Anastasia

Lists of My Royal Story characters by book

Cleopatra | Henry VIII's Wives | Elizabeth | Mary, Queen of Scots | Marie Antoinette | Victoria | Anastasia

My True Story characters

Dora Thewlis | John "Jack" Cornwell | Joe Read | Susan | Vera

Lists of My True Story characters by book

Give Us the Vote! | Standing Alone | Hero at Dunkirk | What If They Find Us?

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