...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:
2 comments:
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.
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.
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