The
Boroughs of Gainsborough in Lincolnshire were an old and well-established gentry family. Sir Edward's great-grandfather, the
1st Baron had been an outstanding
Yorkist in the reign of King
Edward IV in the neighbourhood of fanatical
Lancastrians. He was a tough-minded and hard-handed individual, who was awarded the
Order of the Garter in 1496 by King
Henry VII, proving his ability to change and adapt with the constant royal change. Sir Thomas' son, Sir
Edward Borough, who, in 1496, became baron in name only, was not so fortunate. In 1510, only a few years after succeeding to the barony, Borough was declared a lunatic and was kept under restraint in his own home,
Gainsborough Old Hall. After his incarceration, Sir
Thomas, his eldest son, took over as head of the family. By August 1528, the 2nd Baron was dead. For centuries, historians, such as
Agnes Strickland, and antiquarians alike have confused the grandfather, Lord Borough, with the grandson, Sir Edward, throwing the Scrope-Parr marriage negotiations into the mix for good measure. The idea of twelve-year-old
Catherine Parr being sent away to marry an aged lunatic was a wonderful story filled with drama – but nonetheless was a myth. Through recent research of documents and the will of
Catherine Parr's mother, biographers
Linda Porter,
David Starkey, and
Antonia Fraser all confirm that Catherine married the 2nd Baron's grandson, who coincidentally shared his first name. At the time of his son's marriage, Sir Thomas, was thirty-five which would have made Edward around Catherine's age. Life at
Gainsborough, was under an overbearing father given to violent rages, and the memories of the recently deceased lunatic were prevalent. Sir Edward's father ruled his family with an iron hand, requiring absolute obedience. Some time after his marriage to Catherine, his father had another daughter-in-law, Elizabeth Owen, thrown out of the household and her children with his younger brother, Thomas, declared bastards. Sir Edward lived in constant fear of his own father. The duty of Sir Edward's wife, Catherine, was to bear sons, which did not happen. Failure to do so, however, may not have been all her fault. Having been raised in a liberal and enlightened household maintained by her mother, Edward Borough's new bride was unused to the paternal tyranny of the household at Gainsborough. If Sir Thomas attempted to intimidate his daughter-in-law, he did not succeed. In fact, Sir Thomas came to find that Catherine was made of sterner stuff than his own sons. Biographer
Linda Porter has determined that the younger Sir Edward Burgh died in the spring of 1533. Others state
before April 1533. Burgh had no issue. On 28 February 1550, Edward's father was succeeded by Edward's younger brother, William, 2nd Baron Burgh. == References ==