Joan Bulmer

Who is Joan Bulmer?

Joan Bulmer was the married name of Joan Acworth after a short unhappy marriage to William Bulmer. She was the daughter of George Acworth of Toddington.

She later married Edward Waldegrave and lived at Lawford Hall in Essex. These facts may be confirmed by inspection of her memorial in Lawford Church.

The following is an inaccurate account which should be removed:

Joan Bulmer was an English gentlewoman during the reign of Henry VIII. She grew up in the household of Agnes Howard, Dowager Duchess of Norfolk and there became a close friend of the Dowager Duchess' step-granddaughter, Catherine Howard, who went on to become Henry VIII's fifth wife.

She was the second daughter and heir of John or Thomas Bulmer or Bulman. During her teenage years, she was the lover of Edward Waldegrave. Once Catherine became queen, she gave Joan a place at court; it cannot be determined whether this was out of friendship or consideration of the tales which Joan could tell on the Queen and her teenage affairs. Bulmer may have been close to Francis Dereham, Queen Catherine's liaison who brought about her downfall.