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Sunday, February 07, 2021

Sir Henry Bedingfeld’s Notes Regarding Princess Elizabeth in The Tower.

Robert Alexander Hillingford (1828–1904)

Princess Elizabeth landing at the tower
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Having received Queen Mary’s letter of January 26, 1553 [1554 N.S.] Elizabeth took ill at her Ashridge estate. Her doctors’ excuses seem to have convinced the Queen and Council to turn their full attention to sweeping up the last remnants of Wyatt’s Rebellion.

Upon capture the young rebel leader was questioned under torture. The Council was already in possession of two notes he had sent to Elizabeth which proved, at least, that she was familiar with Wyatt and was aware days before that something was about to occur. Her enemies spoke of him incriminating her. Her allies were silent. Wyatt himself on the scaffold announced that she was in no way involved.

Wyatt’s public statement was badly received by her arch-enemy Bishop Gardiner. A stunning anecdote in Holinshed’s Chronicle[1] makes clear that the Bishop was determined to quash any idea of her innocence.   

Vpon this it followed not long after, that a certeine prentise dwelling in saint Laurence lane, named Cut, as he was drinking with one Denham a plaisterer being one of queene Maries seruants, amongst other  talke, made mention how sir Thomas Wiat had cleared the ladie Elizabeth, and the lord Courtneie, to be no consenters to his rising. Which words being brought to Gardiner (by what means I in know not) incontinent vpon the same, sir Andrew [L]ud was sent by the said bishop brought to the lord maior, commanding him to bring the said prentise to the Starchamber, which was accused of these words, that he should saie that Wiat was constrained by the councell to accuse the ladie Elizabeth, and the lord Courtneie.

The Queen herself would soon fall ill and Gardiner take the opportunity to sign a warrant for Elizabeth’s execution.

The order was brought to the Queen’s attention and she countermanded it. As we know, Elizabeth would suffer many hardships over the Wyatt Rebellion and her popularity with the Protestants but she was not executed. Had Wyatt actually implicated the Princess it seems unlikely that she would have been allowed to live. Or, perhaps, Mary suspected that Wyatt had been told that his torture would not end unless he incriminated whomever the Bishop required.

The rebellion defeated and interrogations sufficiently far along, Mary sent agents to see to it that Elizabeth obeyed the order to present herself at St. James. She set out with them on March 15, 1553 [1554 N.S.]  Once there, all but a few of her servants were given quarters outside of the palace and she was placed under guard. Her requests for an audience were met with silence.

On the 18th, she was transferred to The Tower where Gardiner attempted her execution. Mary called upon Henry Bedingfeld, a trusted ally, to bring a force of one hundred men to The Tower in order to be Elizabeth’s jailer and protector.

The following is his list of the instructions he had been given for her proper care and further questions that had come to mind.[2] They give us a more detailed picture of her time there than is generally available in such situations. We learn that she had four rooms, that her few servants remained with her and the rest remained outside the gates, how her laundry was taken care of, etc. It is a fascinating picture.

 

Articles comitted to my brother Anthonie to know my lorde Chamberleyn off the householde[3] hys plesure in. and all other that he dydde p'cribe unto me, as ordres to be observed by hys p'sidente aboute my Ladie elizabeths grace.

1. Ffyrst his Lordeshippe ordre was, that hir grace sholde have lib'tee off iiijor chambres wherin her grace doth lye, and nooe man to cū there but suche off the Quenes s'vunts and hyr owen, as be appointed daylye to attende uppon hir grace.

2. Itm, hir grace to have lib'tee to walke in the Gardeyn when so ever she doth comaunde, forenoone and afternoone, in wch tyme eyther my lorde Shandoes or I, henry Bedyngfeld, knyght, to geve or attendiince at that tyme, letting hir grace to cū directlye oute off hir lodgyng into the gardeyn through the doores, wheroff my sayde lorde delyvered me the keyes.

3. Itm, hir grace to have hyr plesure, and walke in the grette chambre nexte to hir owen chamber when so ever she comaundeth the same, the p'sons abovesayde gevyng their attendunce as ys abovesayde.

4. Itm, this p'sente xxvth off Apryll shee made desyre to have liberte to walke in the grette galorie. Wherin hys lordshipps Ordre ys to be known speciallye.

5. Itm, all lynnen broute to hir grace clene by the laundresse to be delyvered to the quenes women. And theye to see all the foule lynnen delyvered to the sayde laundresse.

6. Itm, all other thyngs brought to hir grace to be vewed & serched by the sayde Syr henrye or oon off his brothers at the fyrst comyng In onlye.

7. Itm, wthin what Limitte my ladye Elizabeths gracs own s'vnts attendyng uppon hir wthin the toure, shall remayn.

8. Itm, yff eny of them fall sycke wthin the toure, whether they may be licensed to departe into the towne, there to take there ease or nooe.

9. Itm, whether eny off hir s'vnts beeng marryed maye have theire wyffs repayryng into them or there lodgyng wth them or nooe.

10. Itm, whether yt shall be suffered that enye other then hir gracs s'vnts for hir ᵽvision off victual onlye, shall have there repayre into the toure, and have eny p’vate conference or eate & drynke wth those whooe remayneth wth her grace or nooe.

11. Itm, to knowe the ordre off the quenes maties counsell how my ladyes gracs s'vnts lieng aboute the gate called colde harburgh shall be used & comaunded. 


[1] Holinshed, Chronicles of England, Scotland, and Ireland... (1808). Vol. 4. 26.

[2] “State Papers Relating to the Custody of the Princess Elizabeth”. Norfolk Archaeology. 141-43. 

[3] “State Papers Relating to the Custody of the Princess Elizabeth”. Norfolk Archaeology. 145n.  “Sir John Gage, K.G., Lord Chamberlain to Queen Mary. He had been t distinguished statesman in the reign of Henry VIIi, having filled the offices of Privy Councillor, Vice- Chamberlain, Captain of the Guard, Comptroller of the Household, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, and Constable of the Tower for life. He died April 11, 1556, aged 77, and was buried at West Firle, Sussex.”


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