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Sunday, February 28, 2021

Queen Mary I to Henry Bedingfeld, 21 May 1554. Instructions for care of Princess Elizabeth at Woodstock.


On the morning of May 21, 1554, Princess Elizabeth embarked from the royal palace at Richmond, where Queen Mary’s court was installed, for the royal lodgings at Woodstock in the custody of Sir Henry Bedingfield. Here we have a memorandum giving his instructions[1], from the queen herself, in order that Elizabeth might be “moore honorablye used” than close imprisonment in The Tower while investigations into the details of the Wyatt Rebellion were being completed. She was to be treated with respect and her person kept safe.

Elizabeth’s servants had almost all been dismissed to survive as they might.  In general, her servants during her removal were provided by the court. She had not been permitted to send or receive letters nor would she be during her time in Woodstock. She was only occasionally permitted to leave her lodgings “for hir recreac̃on,” and, then, only accompanied by Bedingfeld.

The Royal Court itself had departed Richmond at the same time. The next extant letter between it and Bedingfeld was sent from the palace at St. James, on May 26.[2] In it the Council directed the knight that Thomas Parry’s presence was no longer required. Parry, it may be remembered, was the dedicated  treasurer of Elizabeth’s household who she had protected during the persecutions at Hatfield by the Duke of Somerset, as Lord Protector. He was once again ordered away, and, once again, he would remain with her.[3] He and a considerable number of the Princess’s servants are said to have taken up residence at the nearby Bull Inn.

Whether her dedicated governess, Kat Ashley, was with her at Woodstock or among those at the Bull Inn would not seem to be clear. According to Strickland, they were not reunited until Elizabeth was permitted to return to Hatfield.[4]

A memoriall gyven by the quenes highnes unto hir trustie and ryght well beloved counsellor sr henrye Bed. knyght, for the p[ur]poses ensuyng. xxi. maii 1554.

MARYE THE QUENE.

 

Ffyrst, where as wee have appoynted or syster the ladye Elizabeth, for diverse goode cosiderac̃ons, to be removed from or Tower off London unto or  manor off Wodestock, there to  remayne untill we shall otherwise determyn. The sayde Sr henrye Bed. havyng in hys companie suche nomber off p[er]sons as wee have appoynted for that p[ur]pose, shall make hys abode and gyve hys attendũnce wthin or sayde house of Wodestocke aboute the p[er]son off or sayde Syster, and in hys s[er]vice to guvern hym selfe as foloweth.

Itm, when comoditee shall s[er]ve he shall brefelye declare as well to suche gentlemen as wee have p[re]sentlye addressed or Ir̃es unto for hys assistance in or s[er]vice as to suche other also as shall have occasion to repare unto hym, the cause off or sayde systers late comittyng to the Toure, wheroff all though she be not hitherto thoroughlye clered, yet have we, for hir better quiet and to the ende she maye be the moore honorablye used, thought mete to appoynte liyr to remayne at or sayde mannor off Wodestock untill suche tyme as certain matters towchyng hir case wch bee not yet clered maye be thoroughlye tried and examined.

Itm, the sayde sr henrye Bed. shall cause my sayde syster to be saflye loked unto for the salfegarde off hir p[er]son, havyng neverthelesse regarde to use hyr In suche goode & honorable sorte as maye be agreable to or honor and hir estate & degree.

Itm, he shall at tymes convenient suffer or sayde syster, for hir recreac̃on, to walke abroode and take the ayre In the gardeyns off or sayde house, so as he hym self be p[rese]nt in hir copanie.

Itm, he shall cause goode hede to be gyven to or sayde systers behavor, for seeng that nether she be suffered to have conference wth anye suspected p[er]son oute off hys heryng, nor that she dooe by eny menes eyther receyve or sende eny message, Ir̃e, or token to or from eny manner off p[er]son.

Itm, he shall generallye have goode regarde not onlye to the p[ro]miss accordyng to the trust reposed In hym, but shall also dooe hys beste to cause the countreye thereaboute to be continued In goode and quiet ordre, usyng eyther for that p[ur]pose or for enye other matter that shall occurre the advyse and assistence off the sayde gentlemen whome wee have p[re]sentlye addressed or Ir̃es unto for that p[ur]pose; and yff anye matter shall happen towchyng thys hys charge worthye adv[er]tismt he shall immediately signify the same unto or p[ri]vie counsell attendyng uppon or p[er]son, to thende suche farther ordre maye bee by them taken in that behalf as shall be convenient.

Marye the Quene.


[1] Norfolk Archaeology, Vol. IV (1855). “State Papers Relating to the Custody of the Princess Elizabeth.” 157-9.

[2] Norfolk. 155-6.

[3] “Seven rediscovered letters of Princess Elizabeth Tudor.” Wiley Online Library. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/1468-2281.12197. [Accessed Feb. 28, 2021.] Citing Manning, pp. 194, 196; D. Starkey, Elizabeth: Apprenticeship (2000), pp. 155–6.

[4] Strickland, Agnes. The Life of Queen Elizabeth (1910). 104. “At Hatfield she was permitted to surround herself, with her old accustomed train of attached servants, among whom were, her beloved governess, Mrs. Katharine Ashley, her husband, the Parrys, and last, not least, her learned preceptor Roger Ascham,…”


Also at Virtual Grub Street:

  • Sleeping in the Jakes: Civilized Life in the Middle Ages.  June 30, 2019.  “But why before the “Third Dormitory”?  And why was  the Third Dormitory built two stories up on stone column-and-arch stilts?”
  • A Thousand Years of English Terms.  June 2, 2019.  ‘One person did not say to another, “Meet you at three o’clock”.    There was no clock to be o’.  But the church bell rang the hour of Nones and you arranged to meet “upon the Nones bell”.’
  • History of the Medieval Fork… or Lack Thereof. March 28, 2019. “The Italian and also most strangers that are commorant in Italy, doe alwaies at their meales use a little forke, when they cut their meate.”
  • Shakespeare’s Barnacles.  March 3, 2016.  “Prospero will wake, he fears, before they can murder him, and will cast a spell on them.”
  • The King's Esnecce.  January 13, 2019.  “It comes as no surprise, then, that when Maud’s son, Henry Plantagenet, Count or Duke of most of the western territories of France, and, by terms of the treaty, heir to Stephen, next rose to the throne as Henry II, he was quick to arrange for the safest possible means of transit across the channel.”
  • Check out the Medieval Topics Article Index for many more articles about this fascinating time.


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