Amy Robsart's death and the Catherine Grey Conspiracy: Amy Robsarts death and an Entertainment @ Bisham: Sunday 8 September 1560. Some questions.
Was Amys death in any way connected with the Hobys entertainment at Bisham Sunday 8 September 1560, where a marriage between Lady Catherine Grey and Edward Seymour was arranged that very same day?
The Hobys entertained some rather important guests at Bisham Abbey on 8 September 1560, which was the day after the Queens birthday and also the day Amy Robsart died. The guests included the Lord Marquess of Northampton, the Earls of Arundell and Hertford (Edward Seymour (22 May 1539 1621: the second surviving son of Edward Seymour, 1st Duke of Somerset and Anne Stanhope), the Lord Cobham, the Lord Henry Seimer (Seymour: a younger son of Edward Seymour, 1st Duke of Somerset and Anne Stanhope), Sir Roger North, Lady Katherine Grey (the younger sister of Lady Jane Grey), Lady Jane Seymour (15411561), daughter of Edward Seymour, 1st Duke of Somerset and Anne Stanhope), the Lady Cecil (Mildred Cooke); Mrs Blanche Parry and Mrs Mansfield. A most interesting melange, congregated together the day after Queen Elizabeths birthday, when one would have perhaps expected Blanche Parry to be in attendance at Court.
It is said that, during the entertainment at Bisham in September 1560, Lady Jane negotiated the ill-fated wedding of Katherine Grey to her brother, Henry Seymour, Earl of Hertford.
It is a little difficult to imagine that these negotiations were wholly unknown to those present, including Cecils wife, Mildred, or to Elizabeths long-term companion, Blanche Parry. Both escaped unscathed from the fall-out.
And on the same day, Amy Robsart was found dead @ Cumnor. Her death ensured that Robert Dudley would never become Elizabeths consort.
4 comments:
Out of curiosity, what is your source for the party at the Hoby's?
Was the party on 8 September 1560 was in any way connected to Amy's death on the same day? I can't see why they should: first of all, the most likely death cause was an accident, and also, the earliest date some people at the court heard of Amy's death was 9 September. I don't think there is any evidence that Elizabeth celebrated her birthday, certainly not in 1560; this would have been an unusual thing to do at the time.
Amy Robsart had advanced cancer of the breast, she most likely left her bed suffered a spontaneous fracture to her femur from metatastic disease of the bone, while decrnding the stairs, when her leg literally gave out from under her, she fell and consequently broke her neck in doing so. Her servents had all been given the day off to attend the market faire and she had been left safely tucked in bed. Someone that ill should never have been left alone and so the fault lies with her caretakers and not Robert or Elizabeth. Court gossips being what they were and actually still are bandied about the rumor that the death was arranged so Robert would be free to marry Elizabeth. Amy's death would have been only the first of many obsticles Robert would have had to overcome to marry the queen. The whole supposition of their involvement has been disproven by modern medical science as it was by a court of inquiry when the incident occured
I discuss the Hoby party with source notes in The Sisters Who Would be Queen, Chapter 17.
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