Crown of Blood

by Nicola Tallis

  AT BRADGATE PARK, Jane’s parents were informed of the death of the Queen Dowager, and received word from the Admiral that he was ‘so amazed’ by the death of his wife that he had ‘small regard either to myself or to my doings’.30 His first thought was to order the disbandment of Katherine’s household, and with that in mind he wrote to the Dorsets and offered ‘to send my Lady Jane unto you’, to those who ‘would be most tender on her’.31Jane’s parents were alarmed by the fact that their daughter was now ‘destitute of such one as should correct her as a mistress, and monish her as a mother’, and they immediately accepted Seymour’s offer for her return.32

  Jane was probably relieved to receive the summons home – the summer at Sudeley had begun with such happiness, full of hope and anticipation for the future. But now the castle was tinged with sadness and unhappy reminders of Katherine’s death, as she lay entombed in the chapel. One thing that might perhaps have offered Jane some small comfort was the tiny, beautifully decorated prayer book that may have been in her possession at this time.33 Gorgeously bound with gilt edges, the prayer book contained prayers written in English from An epitome of the Psalmes, as translated by Richard Taverner in 1539. Taverner was a lay preacher who had also been responsible for a translation of the Bible, commonly referred to as Taverner’s Bible.34 Inside, exquisitely decorated initials in vibrant colours and gold adorned the pages, all the painstaking work of a professional scribe that would have taken much time to complete. Its size meant that Jane could carry the prayer book with her at all times, and for this reason it may have been intended to hang from a girdle (a belt worn around the waist). It was without doubt an object of high value that had been made to a commission, perhaps as a special gift for Jane.35 She certainly treated it as such, and she would treasure it for the rest of her life.

  As Jane prepared to bid farewell to Sudeley and begin the journey home to Bradgate Park soon after Katherine’s funeral, she had good reason to believe that the chapter of her life that she had spent with Katherine and the Admiral was at an end. Now Jane prepared for the next one to begin.

  CHAPTER 7

  Ruled and Framed

  Towards Virtue

  AT BRADGATE PARK, Henry and Frances waited expectantly for the return of their daughter. Shortly after their summons, a messenger on horseback rode into the courtyard at Bradgate, but there was no sign of Jane. The message was for Henry, and it came from the Admiral. In the brief period that had elapsed since Katherine’s death, Seymour had realized that he had been foolish to relinquish the custody of his precious ward and set about attempting to rectify the situation. His letter, dated 17 September, explained to Henry that his grief at the loss of his wife had clouded his judgement and had caused him to break up her household over-hastily. However, knowing that Jane had not yet left Sudeley, and fearing lest Henry should think it unkind of him to ‘rid me of your daughter so soon after the Queen’s death’, with a clearer head on his shoulders, he now desired to ‘keep her, until I shall next speak with your Lordship’.1 Once more putting his skills with his pen to good use, Seymour reassured Henry that with Katherine gone, his own mother, Lady Margery Seymour, would assume Jane’s care. The lady would, he promised, ‘be as dear unto her, as though she were her own daughter’.2 For his own part, he assured Henry that he would continue to be ‘her half father and more; and all that are in my house shall be as diligent about her, as yourself would wish accordingly’.3

  The Admiral’s words were as smooth as silk, but on this occasion they were not enough to convince the usually pliable Henry, who was ‘fully determined that his daughter, the Lady Jane, should go no more to the Lord Admiral’s house’.4 Though they were no doubt grateful for the interest that both the Admiral and the late Katherine had shown in Jane, Henry and Frances were disappointed that her residence in Seymour’s household had brought them no tangible advantage. Despite Seymour’s promises, eighteen months in his household had brought Jane no closer to marriage with the King, and with the death of Katherine Parr the Dorsets perceived that the Admiral did not now have enough influence to achieve this. Besides that, they were acutely conscious of the fact that their daughter may have become somewhat spoilt. With Seymour being known for his ‘liberality and splendour’, Jane had perhaps been overindulged while in the Admiral’s care.5 Aware that the situation required the utmost tact, soon after receiving the Admiral’s letter Henry sat down to pen his reply. After acknowledging ‘your most friendly affection towards me and her [Jane]’, he informed Seymour that ‘considering the state of my daughter and her tender years’, he deemed it wisest that Jane should return home. She would be committed to ‘the governance of her mother; by whom for the fear and duty she oweth her, she shall most easily be ruled and framed towards virtue, which I wish above all things to be most plentiful in her’. Henry was eager for Jane to be raised as a virtuous evangelical maid, and he continued to explain why he felt it was so important for Lady Frances to resume the care of their daughter. Jane, he reasoned,

  shall hardly rule her self as yet without a guide, lest she should for lack of a bridle, take to much the Head and conceive such opinion of her self, that all such good behaviour as she heretofore hath learned, by the Queen’s and your most wholesome instructions, should either altogether be quenched in her, or at the least much diminished.6

  Henry evidently felt that Jane needed a positive female influence around her, and who better for the task than her own mother, who surely concurred with her husband’s views? He hurried to assure Seymour, however, that he would still consult him on the matter of Jane’s marriage, and claimed that he sought only ‘in this her young years ... the addressing of her mind to humility, soberness and obedience’.7

  Though they were Henry’s words, the hand of his wife shone through. Henry’s reference to Jane’s relationship with her mother suggests that it was Lady Frances who had the final say in deciding how Jane was raised. It indicates that Frances’s ‘waking eye in respecting her [Jane’s] demeanour’ was attentive and firm, and that Jane’s upbringing had been strict while she had been at home.

  The rigorous nature of Jane’s childhood appears to be confirmed when, on the same day, Frances herself also took the opportunity of writing to the Admiral in support of her husband. Addressing him as her ‘good brother’, Frances thanked him for his ‘gentle offer’ and attention to Jane, but tactfully declined to allow her to remain in his custody:

  trusting nevertheless that, for the good opinion you have in your Sister [Frances], you will be content to charge her with her, who promises you, not only to be ready at all times to account for the ordering of your dear Niece, but also to use your counsel and advice in the bestowing of her, whensoever it shall happen. Wherefore, my good brother, my request shall be, that I may have the oversight of her with your good will, and thereby I shall have occasion to think, that you do trust me in such wise, as is convenient that a sister to be trusted of so loving a brother.8

  Though the letters of both of Jane’s parents appear to indicate that they positively welcomed Seymour’s advice when it came to Jane’s future, almost begging for permission to keep their daughter at home, in truth their responses displayed the polished diplomacy in which they were both well versed. Frances was an assertive woman, of stronger character than her husband, and her letter proved that when it came to making decisions about Jane’s future, she expected to be consulted. The message was clear: while Jane’s parents addressed the Admiral in suitably complimentary words, and claimed that they were ready to do his bidding in terms of Jane’s welfare, in truth they had already made up their minds: Jane was to come home.

  By the time the Dorsets wrote their letters, Seymour had left Sudeley and Jane in order to attend to business at court in London. He hoped that his letter had been enough to convince Jane’s parents to allow her to remain with him, and confidently expected his ward to be at Sudeley when he returned. In his absence, however, Jane’s father had arranged for his daughter to travel home.

&n
bsp; When Jane arrived at Bradgate towards the end of September, it was the first time she had set eyes on her childhood home in at least eighteen months. The palatial surroundings of Bradgate and the woody Charnwood Forest that encompassed the house had not changed, but her parents quickly discovered that their daughter had. The Jane who had returned to them had altered in her manner. Much to their horror, Jane’s parents now detected a spark of insolence, a glimmer of wilfulness, and a flicker of disobedience in her countenance. Their worries, it seems, had been well founded. There was, though, barely any time to address the situation, before yet another messenger arrived.

  Once again it came from Seymour, whose determined spirit they had wildly underestimated. When Seymour returned to Sudeley in the last week of September, much to his dismay he discovered that Jane was gone. Rather than abandoning his plans, so confident was he in his persuasive abilities that, paying no attention to the words of Jane’s grovelling parents, the Admiral tried again. In his attempt to regain his ward, the Admiral even wrote to Jane herself.9 At the instigation of her parents, on 1 October Jane sent him a short note in reply that highlighted her gratitude for his kindness towards her:

  My duty to your Lordship in most humble wise remembered, with no less thanks for the gentle letters which I received from you. Thinking myself so much bound to your Lordship, for your great goodness towards me from time to time, that I cannot by any means be able to recompense the least part thereof, I purposed to write a few rude lines unto your Lordship, rather as a token to show how much worthier I think your Lordship’s goodness than to give worthy thanks for the same; and these my letters shall be to testify unto you that, like as you have become towards me a loving and kind father, so I shall be always most ready to obey your godly monitions and good instructions, as becometh one upon whom you have heaped so many benefits. And thus fearing lest I should trouble your Lordship too much, I most humbly take my leave of your good Lordship.

  Your humble servant during my life,

  Jane Grey10

  It was a polite note, and one that echoed the sentiments of her parents.11 Besides that, it demonstrated Jane’s fondness for the Admiral, who had indeed always been kind to her. But Jane herself had no choice as to where her future lay, and as her note revealed, on paper at least, she was obedient to the wishes of those that did.

  But the Admiral was not to be dissuaded and it is clear that his determination ultimately had the desired effect, for, worn down by his persistence, Jane’s parents finally agreed to a meeting in order to discuss their next move. The day after Jane’s note, Frances wrote to assure Seymour that she trusted that matters in regards to Jane’s custody would soon be resolved to the satisfaction of all. Addressing Seymour in familiar terms once more as ‘Mine own good brother’, she proceeded to soothe him:

  I have received your most gentle and loving letter, wherein I do perceive your approved goodwill which you bear unto my daughter Jane, for the which I think myself most bounden to you, for that you are so desirous for to have her continue with you. I trust at our next meeting, which, according to your own appointment, shall be shortly, we shall so communicate together as you shall be satisfied, and I contented; and forasmuch as this messenger does make haste away, that I have but little leisure to write, I shall desire you to take these few lines in good part: and thus wishing your health and quietness as my own, and a short dispatch of your business, that I might the sooner see you here, I take my leave of you, my good brother, for this time.12

  Once again, Frances had taken the lead in asserting her voice when it came to her daughter’s upbringing. She flattered the Admiral into believing that she would at least consider returning Jane to his care, though that may not have been her true intention. Her ambitions for Jane had not waned, and aware that she and her husband held the upper hand by having what the Admiral sought, she was determined that any arrangements made would be to their advantage. Jane would have to comply.

  Encouraged by Frances’s letter and feeling certain of a positive outcome, the Admiral shortly afterwards presented himself at Bradgate Park in person. Determined that he would not leave before he had won back his ward, this time he brought his companion, Sir William Sharington, to help him achieve his goal. Sharington was a shady character, who would later be condemned for embezzling the Bristol Mint.13 At the time of the meeting he was in his early fifties with a serious face and a long brown beard. He had been well favoured by Henry VIII, and was now closely allied with the Admiral. The Admiral’s tactics were simple: while he set to work on persuading Henry to relinquish Jane, Sharington exercised his charms on Frances. This time his plan worked, and by Henry’s admission, Seymour ‘persuaded me to have her return, renewing his promise for her marriage to the king’.14 Seymour flattered Henry by telling him that ‘if the King’s majesty, when he came to age, would marry within the realm, it was as likely he would be there, as in any other place’.15 It would have been a dazzling prospect for Jane: marriage to the King would make her Queen of England, and would bring unimaginable wealth and influence to her family. However, this time, promises of a royal marriage alone were not enough. Henry and Frances had driven a hard bargain, and though ‘After long debate we agreed to her return’, the Admiral was obliged to produce £500 (£154,000) of the £2,000 loan he had originally offered to Jane’s father.16 Once again, Seymour’s eloquent charms had worked, but at a higher price than he had anticipated. That Seymour fought so hard reveals just how highly he perceived Jane’s value. Nevertheless, if his intrigues paid off, the prize would be worth the investment.

  Having successfully managed to bribe Jane’s parents into returning her, by the end of October Jane was once more in London, installed at Seymour Place with the Admiral’s mother Lady Seymour for company. On her journey south she had passed through the city of Leicester, where she had been entertained in the style her rank demanded, and where she was admired by the city folk. She was in no mood for such revelries, however, and was no doubt relieved to reach her destination. It had been an exhausting and disruptive time for Jane, and though she was once more the Admiral’s ward, this time it was different. There was no Katherine Parr or Lady Elizabeth to offer her companionship – by comparison, at around seventy years old, Lady Seymour must have seemed impossibly old – while the Admiral’s infant daughter, Mary, was no more than a baby.17 In her youth, Lady Seymour had once been praised for her beauty by the famous poet John Skelton, but to Jane she would have appeared as a grandmotherly figure.18 As Jane adjusted to the changes within the Seymour household and tried to settle into a routine once more, she was oblivious to the fact that the Admiral was now under pressure to fulfil his promise of her marriage to the King. In the eyes of Jane’s parents, words were no longer of use: actions were needed.

  The Admiral’s behaviour, though, was starting to give cause for concern. Following the death of his wife and the removal of her generally steadying influence, Seymour had become progressively erratic and outspoken in his bid for power. He had even made a failed attempt to pursue a second marriage with Jane’s cousin, fifteen-year-old Elizabeth, with whom he had enjoyed a previous flirtation. As the year 1548 drew to a close, it was starting to become glaringly apparent that it was dangerous to be associated with this treacherously impulsive man, who was becoming increasingly reckless and was starting to raise eyebrows at court. For Jane and her family, the risk was greater than most, for Jane’s residence in the Admiral’s household was clear evidence of their association with him. Incredibly, Jane’s parents ignored all of the warning signs and clung to the hope that the Admiral would be true to his word, and achieve the grand promises he had made.

  As the New Year of 1549 dawned, however, the Admiral went several steps too far. Having realized that his best chance of achieving real power was through securing the King’s person and removing him from the clutches of the Lord Protector, Seymour hatched a daring plan. On the night of 16 January, he attempted to break into the King’s apartments at Hampton Court. He had almost
made it when ‘The alarm was given by the gentleman who sleeps in the King’s chamber, who, awakened by the barking of the dog that lies before the King’s door, cried out “Help! Murder!”’19 In a moment of blind panic, the Admiral, carrying a loaded pistol, shot the dog before fleeing the scene. ‘Everybody rushed in; but the only thing they found was the lifeless corpse of the dog. Suspicion points to the Admiral.’20 It was a disastrous mistake, and for Seymour time was up. The following day the King’s guards arrived at Seymour Place, and he was arrested. Whether Jane witnessed the Admiral’s arrest or any change in his behaviour is open to speculation, but what is certain is that she would have witnessed the ransacking of Seymour Place as the guards searched relentlessly for evidence against him. Also at Seymour Place at the time of the arrest were Jane’s father and his younger brother, Sir Thomas Grey, who watched in horror as the Admiral was taken to the Tower. His actions had been treasonous, and his true intentions were about to be revealed.

  The Admiral’s arrest came as a complete shock to the Dorsets. Finally the penny dropped, and they realized that they needed to disassociate themselves from this dangerous man, and quickly. The Council were beginning to gather evidence against him, and soon discovered that it was more than forthcoming. Eager to exonerate himself for having had any relations with Seymour, Henry offered to testify against his former ally the day after his arrest. His deposition was damning.21

  With no prompting, Henry revealed the true extent of the Admiral’s ambitions. How he had plotted to remove the King from the influence of his brother the Lord Protector, whom ‘he did not love’, and the conversation they had had in which Seymour had advised him to rally the men on his estates.22 On the subject of his daughter Jane, Henry claimed that following the death of Katherine Parr, the Admiral ‘came to my house himself and was so earnestly in hand with me and my wife that in the end because he would not have no nay, we were contented she should again return to his house’.23 In other words, the Admiral had bullied them into handing over their eldest daughter until they were unable to refuse.