Catherine's mother, in the tradition of the nobility in renaissance England began the search for Catherine's first husband when she was just nine years old. Her first betrothal was sealed at the age of twelve, she was offered in marriage to Lord Scrope’s son, which was declined because it did not meet the conditions set out in her father’s will. At some point she married a Edward Borough of Gainsborough in Lincolnshire, of whom very little is known. Catherine travelled up to Gainsborough, Lincolnshire, with the Duke of Richmond and his entourage. Richmond was going to Sherrif Hutton which is near York. There is a controversy about who is the Edward who married Catherine. Some sources states that he was the second Lord Borough, a man in his late fifties. Other sources says that she married the eldest son of Thomas, 3rd Lord Borough, and his wife Agnes Tyrwhitt, so he was not old - and he never became Lord Borough either. Through recent research of documents and the will of Catherine Parr's mother, biographers confirm that Catherine married the 2nd Baron's grandson, who coincidentally shared his first name. As the dowry had not been fully paid, Maud Parr in her will, dated May 1529, mentioned Sir Thomas, father of Edward, saying ´... I am indebted to Sir Thomas Borough, knight, for the marriage of my daughter...'. At the time of his son's marriage, Sir Thomas, was thirty-five which would have made Edward around Catherine's age. Whether his physical health was frail or whether he inherited the bad seeds of his grandfather's lunacy is uncertain. There were also rumours that Edward may have been homosexual. Whatever his condition, Edward was competent enough for his father to allow him the duties and responsibilities of part of his inheritance — he served as both a feofee and a justice of peace.

For a time, Edward and Catherine lived with Edward's family at Gainsborough Old Hall. If his wife was homesick or unhappy, she had reason to be and wrote frequently to her mother for advice. Maud Parr would travel north in 1530 to see Catherine and it is most likely at her urging that the couple move out of the Old Hall after two years of marriage. Sir Thomas was a steward to the manor of the soke of Kirton-in-Lindsey, a small village about ten miles above Gainsborough. Thomas was persuaded to secure a joint patent in survivorship with his son. In Oct 1530, Edward and Catherine moved to Kirton-in-Lindsey. It was a modest residence, but mainly it was away from Edward's family and was a household in which the couple could manage their own affairs. Instead of becoming the passive lady of the household, Catherine, took control of the household immediately. It brought both Edward and Catherine great joy to be away from the Old Hall.

In 1532, Edward was named to the various commissions of peace that held session in the area, but by Apr 1533, Edward and Catherine's marriage came to a fragile end when Edward Borough died. Catherine, unable to remain at Kirton-in Lindsey, which belonged to her father-in-law, had limited options. Her in-laws showed no desire to have her move back into Gainsborough Old Hall. Sir Thomas turned over the income of two of his manors in Surrey and one in Kent as her dowry and that was the end of it. With no children from their marriage, she no longer had ties to the Boroughs.

Sketch of a "Lady Borough"
Copy of a Holbein Sketch

Portrait identified as Catherine
Painted by an unknown artist.
At Lambeth Palace

Another portrait identified as Catherine
by an unknown artist.
At Lambeth Palace

Some courtiers who were jealous of her influence over the King tried to link her with heresy. Stephen Gardiner and other hard-line bishops, such as Bonner of London, were by no means a spent force and they had an ally in the Lord Chancellor, Thomas Wriothesley. By the end of 1545 they were becoming increasingly disturbed by the spread of religious dissidence, especially in London and the south-east, and had no doubt who to blame for the growing strength of radical views in high places. Having failed with Anne Askew, the Queen's enemies were obliged to fall back on charges of a more general nature, such as the possession of banned books which they felt pretty certain would be found in her apartments, or which could always be planted there. A list of charges had, in fact, been drawn up by early Jul and the stage set for the queen's arrest. But Henry, who had become sufficiently irritated lately by some of his wife's freely expressed progressive views - she had on one recent occasion been unwise enough to forget that in any debate, especially theological debate, the King must always win hands down - that he had been willing to listen to hints being dropped about her dangerous opinions so 'stiffly maintained'. Now, though, he evidently decided matters had gone far enough and he allowed Catherine to be warned of what was being prepared for her. She quickly seized her chance to explain that she had only been bold enough to seem to engage in argument with her lord and master in order to distract him from the pain of his ulcerated leg and also that she herself might profit from hearing his learned discourse. An affecting reconciliation followed and when Wriothesley arrived with forty yeomen of the guard at his back and a warrant for the Queen's arrest in his pocket, he was greeted with a tirade of royal abuse and sent packing with his tail between his legs.

 The tomb of Catherine Parr, St. Mary's Church, Sudeley Castle

Close-up of Catherine's tomb
Photograph by Lara E. Eakins