Kat Ashley

Katherine Ashley (or Astley) née Champernowne (circa 1502–1565) was governess to Elizabeth I and was a close friend in later life, known to the Queen as "Kat," and it is by the name "Kat Ashley" that she is generally known to history. She should not be confused with her niece Catherine Champernowne, mother of Sir Walter Raleigh and Sir Humphrey Gilbert.

Origins

Katherine Champernowne’s parentage is not known for certain, but she was probably the daughter of Sir John Champernowne (1458–1503) of Dartington in Devon, by his wife Margaret Courtenay (c.1459-1504), a daughter of Sir Philip I Courtenay (died 1488) of Molland, Devon, Sheriff of Devon in 1470, the second son of Sir Philip II Courtenay (1404–1463) of Powderham by his wife Elizabeth Hungerford. The name derives from the village of Cambernon in Normandy, France, the former feudal holding of the de Cambernon family. Kat's niece was Joan Champernowne, who married Anthony Denny, a trusted servant of King Henry VIII.

Appointment as governess