EXCERPT: Katheryn of Berain: A young, beautiful gentlewoman
from North Wales, connected by blood and marriage to some of Wales’ most
influential families – and perhaps the Tudors – marries four times, and
outlives three of her husbands. Did this wealthy heiress poison her husbands
with her own hand, and kill a succession of lovers? Did she callously agree to
marry her second husband on the way to the funeral of her first? Was Katheryn
of Berain a 16th century villainess? Or, perhaps, has she simply been the
victim of spiteful gossip, folk stories, and centuries of exaggeration?
[Katharine Olson,“Did 16th century wealthy Welsh heiress
poison three of her four husbands?” Western Mail (Wales), Mar. 26, 2011; Mar.
21, 2013]
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Katheryn of Berain’s Four Husbands:
1) John Salusbury
At the age of 22, Katheryn married John Salusbury, Esquire, son of
Sir John Salusbury of Llewenni (died 1578), of the prestigious Salusbury
Family of Lleweni, Denbighshire. According to John Ballinger, this was
probably a "child marriage". There is said to be a letter written by
young Salusbury while at Westminster School in which he mentions his wife. He
died in late May or early June 1566. They had been married for nine years and
had two sons:
2) Sir Richard Clough
Following her first husband's death, Katheryn married Sir
Richard Clough, an extremely wealthy merchant, who established the Royal
Exchange in the City of London with his business partner Sir Thomas Gresham.
Clough had lived in Antwerp, and upon his return to Denbighshire in 1567 he
built two houses, Bach-y-graig and Plas Clough. The houses were built in
Antwerp style by Flemish craftsmen and were the first brick houses in Wales.
Upon Clough's death Plas Clough was inherited by Richard Clough, his son by his
first wife. Katheryn had two daughters
by Clough.
The Cloughs lived for a time in Antwerp, where Katheryn's
portrait was painted, probably by Adriaen van Cronenburgh, as the National
Museum now suggests, or perhaps by Lucas de Heere, a previous attribution.
Within six years of their marriage, Sir Richard Clough died in Hamburg aged
forty. He was probably poisoned because of his work as a spy for Queen
Elizabeth I.
3) Maurice Wynn
Katheryn then married Maurice Wynn of Gwydir. Wynn was Sheriff
of Caernarvonshire and left Katheryn an extremely wealthy woman when he died. Katheryn
had a further two children by Maurice Wynn.
4) Edward Thelwall
Katheryn's fourth and last husband was Edward Thirlwall of
Plas-y-Ward, who outlived her.
The Welsh poet Robert Parry wrote an elegy on the occasion
of Katheryn's death. Her many descendants included Hester Thrale and the 18th
century explorer John Salusbury.
[Excerpt from Wikipedia]
MORE Discredited Female Serial Killer Legends & False Reports
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