Henry VIII by Alison Weir Page B

was also insufferably proud and a manipulative intriguer, he was much vilified by those who feared his hold over his mistress, notably successive Spanish ambassadors, who even expressed fears—before her marriage—that he was her lover. What they really resented was the friar’s advice to the Queen to “forget Spain and gain the love of the English.” 20 But there was no denying the fact that the friar was a notorious womaniser who behaved “scandalously, in an extreme manner.” 21 Even Henry VII had warned Katherine against him, using “strong words,” 22 but she refused to believe anything of Fray Diego. That she was never his lover is borne out by her sworn oath in 1529 that she had come to the King “a true maid, without touch of man.” 23 Nor would Henry VIII have allowed her to retain the friar if he had believed the gossip. Yet Fray Diego would continue to cause trouble for some years to come.
    Many of those at court had to be housed and fed. It was the Lord Chamberlain’s responsibility to decide who was entitled to lodgings, meals, and “bouche of court”—a daily allowance of bread, wine, beer, candles, and firewood. The rations were allocated according to rank and the season of the year. This privilege was generally extended to the courtiers closest to the King, the great nobles, the chief officers of the household, and important servants. Those who were not entitled to it received just their wages or fees.
    Numbers at court were swelled by the servants whom the courtiers were allowed to bring with them, in recognition of their status. Each was allowed a number appropriate to his rank: a duke or archbishop might have twelve servants, the Lord Chamberlain ten, and a Gentleman of the Privy Chamber four, while Sergeants and Clerks were permitted just one each. The Sergeant Porter was ordered to forbid entry to any surplus servants, 24 although there is ample evidence that the rules were bent.
    The royal palaces were designed to accommodate large numbers of courtiers and servants, and whole ranges were given over to courtier lodgings, as in the Base Court at Hampton Court, which could house forty courtiers, 25 and the Green Court at Knole. Servants usually slept in rooms above their departments. The entitlements to lodgings were laid down in the Household Ordinances, and were the responsibility of the Lord Steward, but in smaller houses it was often a case of first come, first served. Only about a hundred courtiers were entitled to permanent rooms at court, most of them councillors, peers, and the chief officers— in short, all those on whom the King relied for advice and efficient service. The Duke of Norfolk, for example, had lodgings in nine of the King’s palaces. When he was not at court, no one else could use them.
    The gentlemen attendant upon the King were also entitled to lodgings at court, although when on duty they would sleep in the privy chamber, on call should their master need them. 26 Some important courtiers and officers were given houses within or near the palace precincts, while Cardinal Wolsey was even allowed to stay at Eltham Palace and Thomas Cromwell sometimes had the use of St. James’s Palace. 27 Other courtiers had homes near the palaces: at Greenwich, several courtiers owned houses in the town, 28 and many nobles had mansions in the Strand, near to Westminster and Whitehall.
    Courtier lodgings were of two types: double lodgings had two rooms, each with a fireplace and a garderobe, or “stool chamber,” while single lodgings had just one room with a fireplace. Their occupants were obliged to use the public latrines. All lodgings were meant to accommodate a courtier and his or her servants, so space was very limited. The most desirable lodgings, however small, were those nearest the King’s apartments. 29
    While the Office of the King’s Works would take care of repairs and maintenance, each courtier was