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Sunday, April 11, 2021

Elizabeth I’s Progress to Cambridge University, 1564: Final Inspections.

In the Progress to Cambridge University, 1564 series:

  • The host is notified
  • Preparations at Greenwich
  • The Host Makes Ready
  • Final Inspections
  • Her Arrival

  • The first member of the Royal Court to arrive at Cambridge was William Cecil. He and his wife arrive in a “coach” on Friday, August 4th.

    ...about three a clocke in the afternoone, and tooke up his lodging at the master's chamber of S. John's college: where he was received with an oration.[1]

    The two had stopped overnight at Cecil’s good friend Ralph Sadler’s estate, in Standon, halfway between the Royal residence at Enfield and Cambridge. The coach was necessary because Cecil was suffering another of his persistent episodes of gout. The coach must have been heavily built and the 30 miles of the road between Enfield and Cambridge (15 miles if he was lent it from Sadler) unusually well maintained in order for the arrangement to have been possible.

    From there the two had proceeded to Hinchinbrook House, the residence of Sir Henry Cromwell, in Huntingdon on the outskirts of Cambridge, where they may or may not have spent the night. Cromwell’s  estate would be the staging area for the Court to change into their finest apparel and saddle their most impressive mounts for the grand entrance, and, therefore, must also be carefully inspected and put in order.

    Always the officer of the Court who supervised to the fine detail of the Queen’s activities — and who, on this occasion, was also the Chancellor of the university which would host her  — Cecil had arrived in order to inspect every aspect and interview every master of every aspect of the Queen’s traveling household and the University. The August 1st letter announcing his pending arrival was delivered by “[Gabriel Goodman] Mr. Dean of Westminster” who was also sent “to furder your common causes.” If they needed any help, Goodman was trusted to expedite matters.

    In our last segment, we learned about the role of the advanced crew of the Queen’s household, the “harbingers”. Likely beginning around August 2nd or 3rd, they had made most of the arrangements by the time of Cecil’s arrival. We learn the following details from the "Account of the sundry Places where the Court and the several Offices thereunto belonging were kept at Cambridge, during this the Queen's stay there:"

    1. The Choristers School was made the Buttery.

    2. The Pantry and Ewry were two Chambers in the Kings College.

    3. The open Kitchens and Skulleryes were raised against S. Austins wall.

    4. The Cellar, in the Provosts Buttery.

    5. The Councell Chamber, in the South Vestry.

    6. The Guard Chamber, was the Lower Hall of the Provost's Place.

    7. The Chamber of Presence, the Lodging over that.

    8. The Gallery and other Chambers served for the Queen's Lodging.[2]

    According to the accounts given in the Curiosa Desiderata, “the several Places where the Nobles, &c. were lodged at Cambridge during this the Queens stay there, were as follow:”

    1. The Earl of Warwick and the Lord Robert [Dudley] were lodged in Trinity College.

    2. The Duke [of Norfolk] at Mr. Ray's, Alderman.

    3. The Lord Chamberlayn and the Lord Clinton, at Trinity Hall.

    4. The Lord Hunsdon, at Clare Hall.

    5. The Earl of Sussex, at Katharine Hall.

    6. The Earl of Oxford, the Earl of Rutland, & the Secretary, at S. John's college.

    7. The cofferer, the masters & other officers of the houshold, at Queen's college.

    8. Mr. Doctor Haddon, the Lady Strange, & divers other ladies, in the fellows chamber King's college.

    9. The [“great company of”] maids of honor & the physitians, at Gunvil & Caius college.

    We may take further perspective by being informed that “The Earl of Sussex's servants, who exceeded 100 in number, were dispersed in the town, as Katharine Hall was too small to contain them.” There would seem to be no information available as to how many servants remained billeted in spaces near their respective Lords.

    “The v. of August being Saturday, about eight a clock,” we next learn,

    the said Sir William Cecyl sent for the vice-chancellor & all the heads and shewed them, that the Lord Robert, lord high steward of that university, had sent him word, that he would come that morning to the university, “to know if they would require anything of him to be done for the contentation of the prince.” And, upon his message, he willed them to be in readiness for his honor's reception.[3]

    Cecil and Dudley were not quite enemies but they weren’t far from it. Both had a claim to  being Elizabeth’s number one advisor. Dudley tended to leave Cecil to the boring part of any job and to show up to be the shining chivalric love-interest of the Queen heroically seeing to it that she was safe and spoiled.

    Nonetheless, Cecil knew the wisdom of being satisfied with the Queen’s awareness that he was the irreplaceable detail man. While her heart could not bear the loss of Dudley, her head could not think of the loss of Cecil. Both were entirely dedicated to her.

    Dudley, too, was met with the honor of an oration. Undoubtedly in Latin. As had been the case upon Cecil’s arrival “the university gave unto his honor two pair of gloves, a march-pain, & two sugar loaves.” While this was going on, the town records inform us, to officials of the town were preparing further treats for the day of the Queen’s arrival:

    Item, to ye Lord Robert Dudlye a marche pane & a suger lofe.

    Item, to the erle of Warwicke a marche pane & a suger lofe.

    Item, to the erle of Sussex for a marche pane & a suger lofe.

    Item, to ye Lorde Chamberlayne a marche pane & a suger lofe.

    Item, to ye lord admirall of England a marche pane & a suger lofe.

    Item, to ye Lorde of Hunsdon a marche pane & a suger lofe.

    Item, to ye Quenes principall secretarye chaunslor of the Universytie, a marche pane & a suger lofe.

    Item, to ye controuler of the Quenes houshould a marche pane & a suger lofe.[4]

    The price tag for these treats alone was 7l. 19s. 6d. — a lordly amount for the time.

    But now it is time to proceed to the details of the Queen’s arrival the following afternoon.



    [1] Peck, Francis. Curiosa Desiderata (1779). II.261.

    [2] Ibid. II.266-7

    [3] Ibid. II.261-2.

    [4] Cooper, Henry Charles. Annals of Cambridge (1843). II.205. 


    Also at Virtual Grub Street:

  • William Camden to Sir Robert Cotton. March 15, 1603 [1602 O.S.]. October 11, 2020. “Here their topic is the dying Queen Elizabeth. The Royal Court had developed a checklist of activities to be accomplished before a dying monarch should expire.”
  • A Most Curious Account of the Funeral of Queen Elizabeth I: April 28, 1603.  April 28, 2019.  “Once it was clear that James I would face no serious challenges, Cecil and the others could begin to give attention to the matter of the Queen’s funeral.”
  • Queen Elizabeth I’s Heart and the French Ambassador.  April 3, 2019.  “…the Queen of England, with the permission of her physicians, has been able to come out of her private chamber, she has permitted me… to see her…”
  • Lady Southwell on the Final Days of Queen Elizabeth I.  March 24, 2019.  “her majesty told [Lady Scrope] (commanding her to conceal the same ) that she saw, one night, in her bed, her body exceeding lean, and fearful in a light of fire.”
  • Check out the English Renaissance Article Index for many more articles and reviews about this fascinating time and about the Shakespeare Authorship Question.
  • Check out the English Renaissance Letter Index for many letters from this fascinating time, some related to the Shakespeare Authorship Question.
  • 2 comments:

    Adam said...

    Fascinating reading. I would be interested in your sources on this as I am looking at other factors of the University history. This almost reads as a Susannah Lipscomb documentary.

    Gilbert Wesley Purdy said...

    Sorry, Adam. I did not notice your comment until now. The footnotes show the sources I used. I've added the author's/editor's names to help you.