court was still in progress. Queen Catherine made him her Private Secretary and then a Gentleman Usher of the Queen's Chamber. Dereham explained that if the King died, he would marry Catherine, boasting that he had been generously favoured. This arrogance, possibly intended to arouse the jealousy of Thomas Culpeper, caused some consternation at court. Dereham had a violent temper and, after getting drunk, he attacked John Fell, a Gentleman Usher of similar standing, who had questioned Dereham's pleasure at remaining seated after a Queen's Council meeting. When their past relationship was brought to the attention of Archbishop Thomas Cranmer by a chamberer in the Dowager Duchess's household, Mary Lassells, he reported them to the King in a letter. This provoked an investigation that resulted in the arrests of the Dowager Duchess, her son William Howard, 1st Lord Howard of Effingham, Thomas Culpeper, Queen Catherine herself, and eventually Lady Rochford, one of Catherine's ladies-in-waiting. Under interrogation, Dereham admitted to a pre-marital relationship with Catherine, but claimed that they had never been intimate after Catherine's marriage. Furthermore, he maintained that he had been supplanted in her affections by Culpeper. Cranmer was faced with the rumours of a pre-contract of marriage between Dereham and Catherine. Such a pre-contract would have been as binding as a marriage, especially if the couple had sealed the agreement with sexual relations. If this were the case, Catherine's marriage to the King would have been unlawful. However, no evidence exists to support this allegation; incriminating documents are thought to have been burned by the Dowager Duchess, as it is recorded that she raided Dereham's coffers and destroyed their letters. A supposed love letter from Catherine was used as evidence of her adultery. Dereham admitted, even under torture, only that there had been a pre-contract of marriage. Catherine admitted having sexual relations on many occasions with Dereham but claimed that they practised a method of birth control and, perhaps in her fear, blamed Dereham for forcing himself on her (which allegation was not supported by the many other witnesses to events at Norfolk House, who spoke of Catherine's apparent enjoyment of her sexual relationship with Dereham, much of which was conducted publicly). When interrogated again, Dereham denied any post-marital intercourse, but claimed that Culpeper "had succeeded him in the Queen's affections". Execution On 4 November 1541, Katheryn was taken to Syon, where she was imprisoned. On 22 November