Editing Katherine Swynford (section)

===First marriage===
In the 1360s, Katherine was in the service of Blanche of Lancaster, who by that time had become the wife of John of Gaunt.{{sfn|Weir|2007|pp=11–27}} Jean Froissart mentions that Katherine was in the service of Blanche's family in her youth, but does not mention how old she was then. Gaunt's wife had her own household, independent of her husband, which had its own staff of officers, servants and ladies. The first record of Katherine in this new capacity dates to 24 January 1365, when she is mentioned as a servant. However, John of Gaunt's journals for an earlier period have not been preserved, and it is possible that her employment began at an earlier date. Blanche gave birth to her first daughter in March 1360, and she lived in the household of her mother-in-law, queen Phillipa, during her pregnancy. It is possible that Queen Philippa transferred Katherine to the service of Blanche at this time, and she probably accompanied Blanche to [[Leicester Castle]] for the confinement.{{sfn|Weir|2007|pp=37–53}} Katherine's duties would have been to help care for the newborn, possibly to rock the baby. Such work was often entrusted to young girls of the age of Katherine, who at that time was about 10 years old. 

At this time, Katherine herself married. This early marriage was probably arranged by John of Gaunt himself at the behest of his wife. Her first husband, Sir Hugh Swynford, descendant from an ancient English family, was a professional soldier and a tenant of the Duke of Lancaster. At first, he served the [[Black Prince]], who probably knighted him. In 1361, he moved to the service of [[John of Gaunt]], in the same year inheriting his ancestral domains after the death of his father. For a long time, it was believed that the marriage was concluded around 1366-1367; however, Alison Weir does not agree with this. Weir posits that Katherine's eldest daughter in 1368 was old enough to be placed in the chambers of the daughters of the Duke of Lancaster. In addition, there are indications that another daughter was born in this marriage, who became a nun in 1377, and the earliest age at which this is possible was 13-14 years. On this basis, Weir considers that the marriage took place in 1361 or 1362. Katherine was definitely married by 24 January 1365 when, in the register of the [[Bishop of Lincoln]], [[John Bokyngham]], she is referred to as "Katherine Swynford". The marriage may have been celebrated in one of the Duke of Lancaster's residences, possibly the chapel of [[Savoy Palace]].{{sfn|Weir|2007|pp=58–64}}

Although some researchers wrote that Katherine got married in an old aristocratic house, this is not true. Despite the fact that the Swynford family were quite an ancient and branched family, whose representatives had possessions in [[Lincolnshire]], [[Northamptonshire]], [[Huntingdonshire]], [[Essex]] and [[Suffolk]], they were not aristocrats, but ordinary landowners, and never rose above the knightly rank. Hugh was not particularly rich, he owned only two estates in Lincolnshire —
[[Coleby, North Kesteven|Coleby]] and [[Kettlethorpe, Lincolnshire|Kettlethorpe]], and none of them were profitable enough, and they were acquired by his father relatively recently. His main income came from the salary for his service with the Duke of Lancaster.{{sfn|Weir|2007|pp=58–64}}

Hugh lived mainly on the estate of Kettlethorpe,{{efn|According to legend, the estate of Kettlethorpe was founded in the 9th century by a Viking named Ketil, after whom it was named. However, it is not mentioned in the [[Domesday Book]], for the first time this name is only found in 1220. Not later than 1287 it was owned by the Croy family, and in 1357 it was bought by Thomas Swynford, Hugh's father. At the moment, [[Kettlethorpe Hall]] has been built in its place , in which some fragments of a medieval house have been preserved.{{sfn|Weir|2007|pp=58–64}}}} located 12 miles west of [[Lincoln, England|Lincoln]], that became the main residence of Katherine for many subsequent years. For 40 years she was called "Lady Kettlethorpe". The size of the estate was about 3,000 acres, most of which fell on the forest. It also included the villages of Lauterton, Newton-on-Trent and Fenton. Another Swynford estate, Colby,{{efn|Colby Manor was established during the [[Danelaw]]. In the Domesday Book in 1086, it is listed as the property of the crown. In 1345 it was bought by Thomas Swynford, Hugh's father. One part of it was rented from the crown, and the second from the Earl of Richmond. The medieval house has not being preserved.{{sfn|Weir|2007|pp=58–64}}}} located seven miles south of Lincoln, was divided into two equal parts, each of which was about 90 acres of land and 15 acres of pasture. In 1367, the southern part of the estate generated an income of 54 shillings and 4d, with the rent paid to John of Gaunt as Earl of Richmond being 2 shillings. The other part of it belonged to the King and made up half of the knight's [[fief]]. In 1361, it did not bring much income, since the land was barren, and the dovecote and mill lay in ruins; its cost was 37 shillings and 10 pence —a third of the amount once paid by Hugh's father for its purchase.{{sfn|Weir|2007|pp=58–64}}

Although Hugh Swynford was quite poor, he was able to receive a knighthood and provide his wife with a social position. It is not known how happy the marriage was, although, according to Alison Weir, it is unlikely that Katherine experienced warm or lasting feelings for her husband, due to her later connection with John of Gaunt. Hugh Swynford was often absent, participating in various military campaigns. When she married, Katherine became quite active in managing the estate of Kettlethorpe.{{sfn|Weir|2007|pp=67–72}}

From her marriage, Katherine gave birth to several children. The eldest was probably a daughter, Blanche. In 1368 she was old enough to be placed in the chambers of the daughters of John of Gaunt, probably as a playmate. Alison Weir dates her birth to 1363. The origin of Blanche was recorded in 1396 by John of Gaunt, who, submitting a petition to the Pope for permission to marry Katherine, indicated that he was the godfather of her daughter, “born from another man”,{{efn|This was one of the canonical obstacles to marriage, so special papal dispensation must be required.{{sfn|Weir|2007|pp=67–72}}}} adding that he did not advertise this fact. Some researchers have suggested that  the Duke was the real father of Katherine's daughter, and this was why he kept the fact that he was the godfather a secret. However, Weir pointed out that the real father could not be the godfather for his own daughter. At the same time, John of Gaunt himself directly indicated that he was not her father, and it is unlikely that he would lie to the Pope, putting himself at risk. Considering that he recognized four children born by Katherine from their love affair without any problems, there was no problem for him to recognize another daughter. Therefore, the father of the indicated daughter (by whom, apparently, Blanche was meant) was precisely Hugh Swynford. The girl was probably named after the Duke's wife; she later enjoyed the patronage of Gaunt: in 1375 he granted Katherine custody of the heir Sir Robert Deincourt, who was betrothed to Blanche. Weir also suggested that Duchess Blanche herself could have been the godmother of Katherine's daughter, which is why the girl could have been placed in her daughters' chambers.{{sfn|Weir|2007|pp=67–72}}

The next daughter, Margaret, was born about 1364, and in 1377 she became a nun at [[Barking Abbey]].{{efn|There is no documentary evidence that Margaret Swynford was the daughter of Hugh and Katherine, but Alison Weir gives several arguments in favor of this. In addition to the surname, Margaret also became a nun in the very prestigious Barking Abbey, and the King himself took care of this, which indicates her rather high social status; it is possible that this appointment was taken care of by John of Gaunt, who in 1377 was Katherine's lover. At the same time, the King appointed to the Priory of Saint Helena Elizabeth Chaucer, who was probably the daughter of Philippa, Katherine's sister, which, according to Weir, also indicates the relationship of the two girls; later Elizabeth was also transferred to Barking. In addition, there is evidence that Barking Abbey was patronized by Katherine's two sons, born from her connection with John of Gaunt; this could be explained by that their half-sister lived there. In addition, from a chronological point of view, she could well be the daughter of Hugh and Katherine.{{sfn|Weir|2007|pp=67–72}}}}{{sfn|Weir|2007|pp=67–72}} [[Thomas Stapleton (antiquary)|Thomas Stapleton]] in 1846 also hypothesized that another daughter, Dorothy, who married Thomas Thymelby of Pulham near [[Horncastle]] (died 1390), [[High Sheriff of Lincolnshire|Sheriff of Lincolnshire]] in 1380, could have been born in this marriage. Although a number of researchers reject this statement, indicating that the name Dorothy was not used in England until the 16th century, however, Alison Weir indicates that there are cases of its use in medieval England, and the image of St. [[Dorothea of Caesarea]], known in England since the time of the Anglo-Saxon conquest, is often found on stained-glass windows, especially at the end of the 14th-15th centuries. Weir admits that the unusual choice of name could be associated with her birth on the saint's memorial day – 6 February. In addition, Weir points out that in the church at [[Irnham]] on the tombs and stained glass windows there are coats of arms of several prominent Lincolnshire families related by marriage, including Swynford and Thymelby. In her opinion, Dorothy could have been born around 1366. It is possible that other children who died in infancy could have been born in the marriage.{{sfn|Weir|2007|pp=67–72}}

Like many other families in the service of John of Gaunt, Katherine and her husband often lived at the ducal court, and specially appointed officials managed their estates in their absence. At the same time, Hugh Swynford spent a significant part of his married life in various foreign military campaigns of the Duke in France and Spain. In particular, he participated in the military campaigns of 1366 and 1370. Most likely, Katherine continued to serve the Duchess between births, and her growing children could be brought up together with the children of the Ducal couple.{{sfn|Walker|2004a}}{{sfn|Weir|2007|pp=67–72}}

Katherine's main duty at the ducal court was probably the care of the ducal children. Of the seven children born in the marriage of John of Gaunt and Blanche of Lancaster, only three survived to adulthood: two daughters, [[Philippa of Lancaster|Philippa]] (later [[List of Portuguese royal consorts|Queen consort of Portugal]]) and [[Elizabeth of Lancaster, Duchess of Exeter|Elizabeth]] (by her three marriages [[John Hastings, 3rd Earl of Pembroke|Countess of Pembroke]], [[John Holland, 1st Duke of Exeter|Duchess of Exeter]] and [[John Cornwall, 1st Baron Fanhope|Lady Cornwall]]), and one son, [[Henry IV of England|Henry Bolingbroke]], who later became King of England under the name of Henry IV.{{sfn|Weir|2007|pp=67–72}}{{sfn|Weir|2007|p=82}}

Shortly before 21 January 1365, John Bokyngham, Bishop of Lincoln, conferred on Katherine the privilege of privately church worship whenever she visited Leicester, which, according to Alison Weir, indicates that she was not only devout, but also a quite important and respected parishioner. In addition, to perform worship, she needed a chapel, a prayer house or a separate room, as well as a portable altar. However, Weir believes that it is unlikely that Katherine enjoyed such privilege in 1365.{{sfn|Weir|2007|pp=67–72}}

In November 1366, Hugh Swynford traveled to Aquitaine to join John of Gaunt's military expedition to Castile. Katherine, who was expecting a child, remained to serve Duchess Blanche, who was also pregnant. By Christmas, the Duchess had settled in her husband's [[Bolingbroke Castle]], where she gave birth to a son, Henry, in April. In mid-February 1367, Katherine moved to Lincoln, where on 24 February she gave birth to a son, [[:ru:Суинфорд, Томас (шериф Линкольншира)|Thomas]].{{efn|In Hugh Swynford's [[inquisition post mortem]] dated June 1372, is mentioned that Thomas was 4 years old at this time, on the basis of which his date of birth is often attributed to February 1368, but Hugh did not return to England until October 1367. Moreover, there were often errors in these proceedings. So, during the trial to establish the coming of age of Thomas Swynford, which was held between 22 June 1394 and 22 June 1395, 13 witnesses stated that he was born in 1373 –15 months after the death of his father. Alison Weir suggests that in 1373 another son of Katherine, John Beaufort, was baptized, and the witnesses confused them. The researcher points out that none of the relatives of Hugh Swynford after his death made any claims to his inheritance, so there was no doubt about Thomas' legitimacy.{{sfn|Weir|2007|pp=79–81}}}}<ref>Plea rolls of the Court of Common Pleas: National Archives; CP 40/629; [http://aalt.law.uh.edu/H5/CP40no629/bCP40no629dorses/IMG_1228.htm first entry, Thomas Swynford, knight, appearing with his wife, Margaret]</ref> He was baptized at St. Margaret's Church of [[Lincoln Cathedral]] and named after his [[:ru:Суинфорд, Томас (владелец Кетлторпа)|paternal grandfather]] and one of his godparents, [[Canon (clergy)|Canon]] Thomas Sutton.{{sfn|Weir|2007|p=82}}{{sfn|Weir|2007|pp=79–81}}

Blanche of Lancaster, wife of John of Gaunt, died on 12 September 1368 at [[Tutbury Castle]], [[Staffordshire]]. It is not known whether Katherine was present, but she, along with other ladies from the household of the late Duchess, accompanied the funeral cortege with her remains, who went south, and may have attended her funeral in [[London]], at [[St. Paul's Cathedral]].{{sfn|Weir|2007|pp=86–87}} The death of the Duchess of Lancaster brought about major changes in Katherine's life. Usually, after the death of a noble lady, her household was dismissed. However, John of Gaunt had three small children to take care of. Katherine, who seemed to be highly regarded in the Duke's household, got along well with the children. Therefore, it has been suggested that she remained in the nursery.{{sfn|Weir|2007|pp=87–88}} Although there are statements that she was their governess at this point,{{sfn|Walker|2004a}}{{sfn|Armitage-Smith|1905|pp=[https://archive.org/details/johngauntkingca01armigoog/page/n550 390–391]}} Alison Weir indicates that other noble ladies performed these functions. In 1369, John of Gaunt appointed [[Alice Holland, Countess of Kent|Alice FitzAlan, Lady Holland]] (cousin of the late Duchess) as the children's governess, with a salary of £66 13s 4d per year. She performed these duties until November 1371. In addition, in 1370, the Duke granted Eileen, the wife of his squire Edward Herberge, a pension of £100 for "the diligence and good service she has rendered to our dear daughter Philippa". Weir believes that Eileen Gerberge was a trusted lady who was present at the time of the Duchess's death and was then appointed to look after Philippa. She was later assigned to the service of Gaunt's second wife.{{sfn|Weir|2007|pp=87–88}}

From 1368 until at least September 1369, Blanche Swynford, Katherine's eldest daughter, lived in the ducal household as a lady-in-waiting to Philippa and Elizabeth, daughters of John of Gaunt. Since the registers of the Duke's household for the years 1369–1372 have not been preserved, it is not known how long she remained in this capacity after 1369. There is no evidence that her mother lived at this time in the ducal house. Alison Weir suggests that Katherine, who had her own family, lived at that time in her estate of Kettlethorpe.{{sfn|Weir|2007|pp=87–88}}

In August–September 1369, Hugh Swynford, as part of the army of John of Gaunt, participated in a military campaign in France, where the [[Hundred Years' War]] resumed; he returned to England probably in November. On 14 August of that year, Queen Philippa died. On 1 September, King Edward III ordered that mourning clothes be provided to his family and the servants of the late Queen. This included clothing for Blanche Swynford, "damuselle of the daughters of the Duke of Lancaster", which, according to Weir, indicates that the Queen showed concern for Katherine and her family until the end of her life. It is likely that she, being a pupil of the Queen, was present on 29 January 1370 at her solemn funeral in [[Westminster Abbey]], after which she returned to Kettlethorpe.{{sfn|Weir|2007|pp=87–88}}

In 1370 Hugh Swynford again went on a military expedition with the Duke of Lancaster, this time to [[Duchy of Aquitaine|Aquitaine]]. When John of Gaunt, who had married [[Constance of Castile, Duchess of Lancaster|Constance of Castile]] in the autumn of 1371, returned to England, Hugh no longer accompanied him. Probably due to illness, Katherine's husband died in Aquitaine on 13 November 1371.{{sfn|Weir|2007|pp=91–100}}