40 CSPS, XI, p. 183.
41 Commendone, Accession, p. 26.
42 Nicolas, Memoirs, p. 71.
43 Commendone, Accession, p. 26.
44 Nichols (ed.), The Chronicle of Queen Jane, p. 15.
45 Ibid., p. 16.
46 Foxe, Acts and Monuments, X, p. 1620.
47 Ibid.
48 Nichols (ed.), The Chronicle of Queen Jane, p. 20.
49 Ibid.
50 Northumberland did not give up hope of a reprieve until the very end. The night before his execution, he wrote to his former colleague the Earl of Arundel begging for his intercession with Queen Mary: Alas my good lord, is my crime so heinous as no redemption but my blood can wash away the spots thereof?’
51 De Guaras, Accession, p. 105.
52 Commendone, Accession, p. 27.
53 Sir John Gates had been arrested with Northumberland at Cambridge. Sir Thomas Palmer was also an adherent of Northumberland’s. Northumberland, Gates and Palmer were the only three men to be immediately punished as a result of the events of the summer of 1553.
54 CSPS, XI, p. 186. Northumberland’s father, Edmund Dudley, had been a minister of Henry VII’s. He and his colleague, Sir Richard Empson, were deeply unpopular for their financial policies, and as a result, following the death of Henry VII in 1509, both men were arrested and sent to the Tower. Though the charge was treason, the real reason lay in their financial actions. Both men were executed on Tower Hill on 17 August 1510.
55 Several versions of Northumberland’s scaffold speech survive. This is cited by Commendone, Accession, p. 28.
56 CSPS, XI, p. 210. Northumberland’s headless body was brought back to the Tower, where he was interred in the Chapel of St Peter ad Vincula, ‘at the high altar’ according to The Chronicle of Queen Jane. What were thought to be his remains were discovered when the Chapel underwent restoration during the reign of Queen Victoria.
57 Jane Dudley still mourned her husband at the time of her death in 1555, and referred to him on several occasions in her will. She was buried in Chelsea Old Church.
58 The identity of the manservant is unknown.
59 Nichols (ed.), The Chronicle of Queen Jane, p. 19.
60 Ibid.
61 Ibid.
62 De Guaras, Accession, p. 112.
63 St Paul’s Cross once stood in the grounds of Old St Paul’s Cathedral, and was an open-air pulpit used for preaching.
64 Nichols (ed.), The Chronicle of Queen Jane, p. 19.
65 Ibid.
66 Ibid., p. 20.
67 Ibid.
68 Wingfield, Vita Mariae, p. 273.
Chapter 18: Justice is an Excellent Virtue
1 CSPS, XI, p. 232.
2 Charles V was the son of Philip the Fair, the son of the Emperor Maximilian. Charles’s mother was Juana, the daughter of Ferdinand of Aragon and Isabella of Castile, and sister of Mary’s mother, Katherine of Aragon.
3 Nichols (ed.), The Chronicle of Queen Jane, p. 21. Described as ‘the gate against the water-gate’, this was St Thomas’s Tower.
4 Wriothesley, Chronicle, p. 96; De Guaras, Accession, p. 101.
5 Wingfield, Vita Mariae, p. 272.
6 Robinson (ed.), Original Letters, p. 100. John Hooper was Bishop of Gloucester and Worcester during the reign of Edward VI. In 1555 he was burned at the stake for heresy in Gloucester.
7 Wingfield, Vita Mariae, p. 272.
8 Ibid., p. 273.
9 CSPS, XI, p. 332.
10 CSPS, XI, p. 280.
11 CSPS, XI, p. 241. This is the first reference in contemporary accounts to the notion of Jane standing trial.
12 CSPS, XI, p. 334.
13 CSPS, XI, p. 393.
14 Ibid.
15 CSPS, XI, p. 241.
16 Nichols (ed.), The Chronicle of Queen Jane, p. 25.
17 Guildford’s eldest brother John had been tried alongside their father, and his brother Robert was tried separately on 22 January 1554. This was because it was decided that his main act of treason had been taking up arms alongside his father in Cambridge, rather than any of his actions in London. Therefore a London jury had no authority to try him: a Norfolk jury had to be first appointed, hence the reason for the delay.
18 Nichols (ed.), The Chronicle of Queen Jane, p. 24. Traditionally, it is always referred to as Guildhall rather than ‘the’ Guildhall.
19 Florio, Historia, p. 61.
20 TNA, KB 8/23.
21 Nichols (ed.), The Chronicle of Queen Jane, p. 24.
22 A note made by the Privy Council the following month indicates that Jane’s health had suffered as a result of her imprisonment.
23 Nichols (ed.), The Chronicle of Queen Jane, p. 25.
24 Part of the original façade was destroyed, and now dates from the eighteenth century. Stow believed that two of the statues were of the Empress Matilda and Philippa of Hainault.
25 Commendone, Accession, p. 30.
26 The original statues were destroyed during the Great Fire of London, and the present ones date from 1953.
27 In 1536, the Imperial ambassador Eustace Chapuys, though not present, had heard that over two thousand people attended Anne Boleyn’s trial.
28 TNA, KB 8/23.
29 De Guaras, Accession, p. 101.
30 Ibid., p. 102; TNA, KB 8/23.
31 TNA, KB 8/23.
32 The knights were Sir Robert Rochester, Sir Edward Hastings, Sir Nicholas Hare, Sir Richard Southwell, Sir Edward Waldegrave, Sir Henry Bedingfield, Sir David Broke, Sir Edward Saunders, Sir Thomas Moyle and Sir Robert Broke.
33 TNA, KB 8/23.
34 Ibid.
35 Harry’s date of birth is unknown, and the only certainty is that he was younger than Guildford. At the time of his trial he was at least fourteen, probably fifteen, which places his birthdate at some time around 1538/9. He is not to be confused with his elder brother, also called Harry (Henry). The elder Harry had died in 1544 during the siege of Boulogne.
36 TNA, KB 8/23.
37 Anne Boleyn was the first Queen of England to stand trial, and Katherine Howard was condemned without trial; TNA, KB 8/23.
38 Ibid.
39 Ibid.
40 Ibid.
41 Ibid.
42 Ibid.
43 Ibid.
44 Ibid.
45 TNA, KB 8/23.
46 Commendone, Accession, p. 45.
47 TNA, KB 8/23.
48 Commendone, Accession, p. 45.
49 TNA, KB 8/23.
50 Ibid.
51 Ibid.
52 Ibid.
53 Ibid.
54 Ibid.
55 CSPS, XI, p. 359.
Chapter 19: Fear Not for Any Pain
1 CSPS, XI, p. 359.
2 Cranmer was burned at the stake for heresy at Oxford on 21 March 1556 – not before he had renounced his Protestant faith, a decision that he later recanted.
3 This probably took place in November 1553.
4 Foxe, Acts and Monuments, X, p. 1620.
5 Ibid.
6 Ibid., pp. 1620–1.
7 Ibid.
8 Robinson (ed.), Original Letters, p. 304.
9 Ibid.
10 Ibid.
11 CSPS, XI, p. 366.
12 Robinson (ed.), Original Letters, p. 77.
13 CSPS, XI, p. 366. There is no evidence that Henry underwent an official conversion ceremony similar to the one Northumberland participated in before his execution. It is more probable that it was an outward show of conformity in order to protect his daughter and the rest of his family.
14 Ibid.
15 Florio, Historia, p. 62.
16 Foxe, Acts and Monuments, X, p. 1605. Vespasian was a Roman Emperor, responsible for endowing schools and libraries; Sempronia were a Roman family of great prestige; the Gracchus brothers, Tiberius and Gaius, were elected Roman officials who attempted to aid the poor by the proposal of a land redistribution system. However, both brothers were assassinated.
17 CSPS, XI, p. 306.
/> 18 CSPS, XI, p. 366.
19 Commendone, Accession, p. 38.
20 CSPS, XI, p. 408.
21 Commendone, Accession, p. 38.
Chapter 20: Liberty of the Tower
1 Wingfield, Vita Mariae, p. 278.
2 On 8 April 1554, Sir John was created Baron Chandos, and was granted Sudeley Castle, where Jane spent the summer of 1548 in the company of Sir Thomas Seymour and Katherine Parr. He died there in April 1557, and was buried in the church.
3 Florio, Historia, p. 62.
4 Ibid.
5 J.R. Dasent et al. (eds), Acts of the Privy Council, IV (London, 1890–1907), p. 379.
6 Nichols (ed.), The Chronicle of Queen Jane, p. 25.
7 Florio, Historia, p. 62.
8 Sir John’s wife was Elizabeth Grey, daughter of Edmund Grey, Baron de Wilton, who came from another branch of Jane’s family. The precise identity of Thomas’s wife is unclear; she was known simply as Anne.
9 If Jane and Guildford did meet, they would have been supervised in order to prevent any opportunity of Jane falling pregnant; Nichols (ed.), The Chronicle of Queen Jane, p. 21.
10 Ibid., p. 25.
11 Ibid.
12 Wriothesley, Chronicle, p. 105.
13 CSPS, XI, p. 445.
14 Wingfield, Vita Mariae, p. 279.
15 CSPS, XI, p. 446.
16 Wingfield, Vita Mariae, p. 279.
17 CSPS, XI, p. 142.
18 CSPS, XI, p. 445.
19 CSPS, XI, p. 441.
20 Ibid.
21 CSPS, XI, p. 444; CSPS, XI, p. 473.
22 CSPS, XI, pp. 439–40.
23 CSPS, XI, p. 446; CSPS, XI, p. 440.
24 CSPS, XI, p. 418.
25 Ibid.
26 CSPS, XI, p. 446.
27 Wingfield, Vita Mariae, p. 273.
28 It seems probable that Mary’s intention was to release Jane once she had married and produced an heir.
29 Nichols (ed.), The Chronicle of Queen Jane, p. 25.
30 Ibid., p. 26.
31 Wingfield, Vita Mariae, pp. 279–80.
32 Ibid., p. 279.
33 Ibid.
34 Ibid.
35 Robinson (ed.), Original Letters, pp. 290–1.
36 Despite the fact that Mary had ordered Courtenay’s release from the Tower and had treated him well, Courtenay was keen for a royal bride, and when Mary made it evident that she would not marry him, his hopes turned in Elizabeth’s direction. Following the failure of the rebellion, Courtenay was returned to the Tower alongside Elizabeth. However, he was eventually exiled abroad, and died in Padua in 1556.
37 CSPS, XII, p. 20.
38 CSPS, XII, p. 2.
39 CSPS, XII, p. 31.
40 Ibid.
41 Carew was later captured in Flanders in 1556 and returned to England, where he was imprisoned in the Tower for a brief period before being released.
42 Commendone, Accession, p. 39.
43 Ibid.
44 Ibid.
45 Ibid.
46 Nichols (ed.), The Chronicle of Queen Jane, p. 37.
47 Always more astute than her husband and no doubt still recovering from the repercussions of Northumberland’s ploy, Frances would have been all too aware of the consequences both for herself and her family should the rebellion fail, and is unlikely to have approved of Henry’s participation. Moreover, she may have resented the risk that he was taking with his family’s welfare, which possibly caused a rift between the couple.
48 Initially, Henry’s motive appears purely to have been to object to the Queen’s marriage, and it may have been for this reason that he perhaps believed that Jane’s well-being would not be affected. However, he was probably aware that Wyatt and his supporters also planned to replace Mary with Elizabeth. He may have been hoping that Jane would be restored to the throne, as his later actions certainly demonstrate that he had aspirations in this quarter.
Chapter 21: The Permanent Ruin of the Ancient House of Grey
1 Nichols (ed.), The Chronicle of the Grey Friars, p. 86.
2 CSPS, XII, p. 79.
3 Ibid.
4 Ibid.
5 CSPS, XII, p. 69; CSPS, XII, p. 77.
6 CSPS, XII, p. 80.
7 Ibid.
8 At both his trial and on the scaffold, Wyatt claimed that Elizabeth was not involved.
9 CSPS, XII, p. 54.
10 CSPD, II, p. 24.
11 Ibid.
12 CSPS, XII, p. 55. Huntingdon had been arrested alongside Northumberland at Cambridge. Unlike Northumberland, however, he was later pardoned and released.
13 Nichols (ed.), The Chronicle of Queen Jane, p. 35.
14 CSPS, XII, pp. 53–4. The brothers had actually headed for Astley, which was over a hundred miles from London.
15 CSPS, XII, p. 80.
16 Ibid.
17 CSPS, XII, p. 81.
18 Commendone, Accession, p. 40.
19 CSPS, XII, p. 78.
20 Ibid.
21 Ibid.
22 Ibid.
23 Wriothesley, Chronicle, p. 111.
24 Harington was released in January 1555.
25 Commendone, Accession, p. 44.
26 Wingfield, Vita Mariae, p. 284.
27 Nichols (ed.), The Chronicle of Queen Jane, p. 37.
28 Ibid., p. 38.
29 Wyatt was executed on 11 April 1554.
30 Commendone, Accession, p. 39.
31 Ibid.
32 Ibid., p. 40.
33 Ibid.
34 CSPS, XII, p. 85. According to Eric Ives, the table and chair that Henry is supposed to have used while in his hiding place are now on display at Arbury Hall in Warwickshire.
35 The brothers were in the home of alderman Christopher Warren, where they remained for three days.
36 See D. Loades, Two Tudor Conspiracies (Cambridge, 1965), p. 108; CSPS, XII, p. 85.
37 CSPS, XII, p. 87.
38 Ibid.
39 Ibid.
40 Ibid.
41 Ibid.
42 Wingfield, Vita Mariae, p. 286.
43 Commendone, Accession, p. 44.
44 Cited in D.C. Bell, Notices of the Historic Persons Buried in the Chapel of St Peter ad Vincula (London, 1877), p. 56.
45 R. Baker, A Chronicle of the Kings of England from the time of the Romans Government unto the Death of King James (London, 1670), p. 458.
46 Cobbett (ed.), State Trials, p. 868.
47 On 8 February, Renard wrote that if Mary’s commands ‘were executed last Tuesday, Jane of Suffolk and her husband were to have lost their heads on that day, but I am not certain that the deed has yet been done’. The Tuesday to which he refers was 6 February, so clearly the decision to execute Jane had been taken prior to that date, perhaps at the end of January when the Queen was informed of the Duke of Suffolk’s treachery. However, there was delay on two occasions, for Jane was not executed until 12 February. In Cobbett (ed.), State Trials, p. 868, it states that ‘Two days after the taking of Wyatt a message was sent to Jane Grey and her husband to bid them prepare for death’; however, it is clear that Jane was informed prior to this. Cobbett probably confused this with the date originally set for Jane’s execution, 9 February.
48 Cobbett (ed.), State Trials, p. 868.
Chapter 22: Bound by Indissoluble Ties
1 G.R. Rosso, I successi d’Inghilterra dopo la morte di Odoardo Sesto, fino all giunta in quell regno del Sereniss (Ferrara, 1560), f. 53.
2 Robinson (ed.), Original Letters, p. 304; Commendone, Accession, p. 44.
3 Commendone, Accession, p. 44.
4 Ibid.
5 Ibid.
6 Foxe, Acts and Monuments, X, p. 1618.
7 Ibid., p. 1619.
8 Ibid.
9 Commendone, Accession, p. 45.
10 Ibid.
11 Foxe, Acts and Monuments, X, p. 1619.
12 Anne Askew being the obvious previous example.
13 Commendone, Accession, p. 45.
14 An Epistle of the L
adye Jane, a righte vertuous woman (London, 1554).
15 CSPD, III (84).
16 Foxe, Acts and Monuments, X, pp. 1621–2.
17 Ibid., p. 1621.
18 Ibid.
19 Florio, Historia, p. 73.
20 It is uncertain exactly where in the Tower Henry was imprisoned.
21 Foxe, Acts and Monuments, X, p. 1619.
22 Robinson (ed.), Original Letters, p. 304.
23 It is unclear precisely when, or if in fact the message in the prayer book was shown to Henry, but it seems probable that it was intended for after Jane’s death with the collusion of Sir John Brydges.
24 Harley MS 2342, ff. 78–80.
25 Ibid., f. 79.
26 Ibid., ff. 59–60.
27 Commendone, Accession, pp. 48–9.
28 Ibid., p. 49.
29 Ibid., p. 45.
30 Foxe, Acts and Monuments, X, p. 1622.
Chapter 23: I am Come Hither to Die
1 Although it is known that attempts were made to persuade Guildford to convert, it is unclear if they were made by Feckenham. However, considering his presence in the Tower in order to speak to Jane, it seems probable that he also spoke to Guildford.
2 Nichols (ed.), The Chronicle of Queen Jane, p. 39.
3 Ibid.
4 Grafton, Abridgement, f. 159.
5 Nichols (ed.), The Chronicle of Queen Jane, p. 39.
6 Ibid.
7 Florio, Historia, p. 76. Florio claims that Jane made a further impassioned comment about the couple’s shared fate, but as Eric Ives highlights, this is unlikely.
8 Nichols (ed.), The Chronicle of Queen Jane, p. 39.
9 Commendone, Accession, p. 49.
10 Harley MS 2342, ff. 74–7.
11 Nichols (ed.), The Chronicle of Queen Jane, p. 39. Contrary to tradition, Jane was not executed on the site now marked on Tower Green, but behind the White Tower, close to the modern-day entrance to the Crown Jewels.
12 Nichols (ed.), The Chronicle of Queen Jane, p. 40.
13 Foxe, Acts and Monuments, X, p. 1622.
14 Commendone, Accession, p. 45.
15 Precisely how many people had gathered to witness Jane’s execution is not recorded.
16 Nichols (ed.), The Chronicle of Queen Jane, p. 40.
17 Ibid., pp. 40–1.
18 Nichols (ed.), The Chronicle of Queen Jane, p. 41.
19 J.P. de Castro, ‘A Diary of Events Regarding the Happenings in Connection with the Rebellion of Thomas Wyatt and others following the arrival of the Imperial Ambassadors’, in Malfatti (ed.), The Accession, Coronation and Marriage of Mary Tudor, p. 72.
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