{{Short description|Servant to Catherine Howard (16th century)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}{{Use British English|date=April 2025}}

'''Alice Wilkes''' (also spelt '''Welkes''', married name Alice '''Restwold''') was an English servant to Catherine Howard, the fifth wife of Henry VIII of England and was a significant witness in Queen Catherine's trial for treason and adultery.

== Biography == Wilkes was member of the household of Agnes Howard, Duchess of Norfolk, with Catherine Howard.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Clark |first=Nicola |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7hhnDwAAQBAJ&dq=%22Alice+Wilkes%22+catherine+howard&pg=PA38 |title=Gender, Family, and Politics: The Howard Women, 1485-1558 |date=2018-07-26 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-108765-3 |pages=38 |language=en}}</ref> When Catherine became queen, Wilkes was appointed as one of her chamberers.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Norrie |first1=Aidan |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=eOF8EAAAQBAJ |title=Tudor and Stuart Consorts: Power, Influence, and Dynasty |last2=Harris |first2=Carolyn |last3=Laynesmith |first3=J. L. |last4=Messer |first4=Danna R. |last5=Woodacre |first5=Elena |date=2022-07-20 |publisher=Springer Nature |isbn=978-3-030-95197-9 |pages=125, 131 |language=en}}</ref> Catherine Howard gave Wilkes "upper and nether habiliments of goldsmith's work for the French hood and a tablet of gold".<ref>{{Cite book |last=Tallis |first=Nicola |author-link=Nicola Tallis|title=All the Queen's Jewels, 1445–1548: Power, Majesty and Display |date=2023 |publisher=Routledge |page=221 |language=en}}</ref>

Wilkes was a significant witness in Queen Catherine's trial for treason and adultery.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Hutchinson |first=Robert |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ACB0DwAAQBAJ |title=Henry VIII: The Decline and Fall of a Tyrant |date=2019-04-04 |publisher=Orion |isbn=978-1-4746-0581-6 |pages=78 |language=en}}</ref> She was first questioned about her former mistress on 5 November 1541 and by 22 December had "pleaded guilty to misprision of treason as having concealed the facts of the Queen’s behaviour."<ref name=":1" />

After questioning, Wilkes informed that Francis Dereham had spent his nights in Catherine’s bed whilst in the household of Agnes Howard 1538, prior to her marriage to the King.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Wilkinson |first=Josephine |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9f4eCgAAQBAJ&dq=%22Alice+Wilkes%22+catherine+howard&pg=PT36 |title=Katherine Howard: The Tragic Story of Henry VIII's Fifth Queen |date=2016-04-07 |publisher=John Murray Press |isbn=978-1-4447-9628-5 |language=en}}</ref> Wilkes also slept in this bed and was allegedly "so irritated by the couples puffing and blowing" as they had sex that she asked to switch beds.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last=Russell |first=Gareth |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LCKLDgAAQBAJ&dq=%22Alice+Wilkes%22+catherine+howard&pg=PA76 |title=Young and Damned and Fair: The Life of Catherine Howard, Fifth Wife of King Henry VIII |date=2017-04-04 |publisher=Simon and Schuster |isbn=978-1-5011-0863-1 |pages=59, 76 |language=en}}</ref>

Alice's husband was Anthony Restwold,<ref name=":0" /> the son of Edward Restwold and Agnes Restwold ({{Nee|Cheyne}}, later Waterton). He was a Member (MP) of the Parliament of England for New Woodstock in November 1554 and for Aylesbury in 1555.<ref name=":1">{{cite web |title=RESTWOLD, Anthony (by 1517-55/60), of The Vache, Bucks. |url=http://www.historyofparliamentonline.org/volume/1509-1558/member/restwold-anthony-1517-5560 |archive-date= |access-date=18 April 2025 |website=History of Parliament Online}}</ref>

==References== {{reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wilkes, Alice}} Category:Year of birth unknown Category:Year of death unknown Category:16th-century English women Category:Women of the Tudor period Category:Household of Catherine Howard Category:Chamberers at court Category:Catherine Howard

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