Elizabeth Hardwick, Countess of Shrewsbury, 'Bess of Hardwick' (1520-1608) – © Hans Eworth
Nestled amongst the idyllic Derbyshire countryside and acres of lush woodland is a grand, country home. The architecture represents the beauty of a bygone era; the Elizabethans. Its name is Hardwick Hall and thousands of visitors flock to it every year, to admire the rich furnishings and tapestries that adorn the hall and the stunning estate that surrounds it. Its builder was a countess, a powerful woman who rose from humble beginnings to become one of the most influential women in Tudor history and the second richest woman under the reign of Elizabeth I. Let us explore the fascinating life of Bess of Hardwick.
Elizabeth “Bess” Hardwick was born in 1527 into a humble and modest family; respectable yet impoverished landowners in Derbyshire. This was a tumultuous time to be born, right at the beginning of Henry VIII’s desperation to annul his marriage to Catherine of Aragon and the start of his infatuation with Anne Boleyn. Bess was one of five children and sadly, their father John Hardwick passed away a year after Bess was born. A large size of his estate in Hardwick was seized by the crown after he passed and would be administered and held until his eldest son would come of age and become the next heir to his estate. This left the family in a state of poverty and struggle.
Bess’s mother was destitute. There was no other option for Bess, and it was a choice that not only hundreds of sixteenth century women would have had to of made, but countless women throughout history. Bess would have to marry rich.
Unfortunately, Bess’s father left her a poor dowry, 40 marks or £33 in today’s money. This meant her marriage options were slim, and Bess could not afford to be picky.
Bess was fifteen years old when she married the thirteen-year-old Robert Barlow, the heir to a neighboring gentry family. This was to be a short-lived marriage however, as in the following year of 1544, Robert passed away. As his widow, Bess was expecting to receive a third of Robert’s estate, but this wasn’t the case. Cruelly, his family disavowed the marriage and refused her entitlement; even the court got involved, as Robert had not yet come of age and reached twenty-one. In a time where women had little to no rights, Bess stood up for herself and fought determinedly for her share of Robert’s estate. Although the case took years and Bess did not win a large amount, she managed to bring the Barlow family to court and eventually win her case. This is an extraordinary achievement for a sixteenth-century woman from a low background and having hardly any protection. She fought strongly for her herself and did not take no for an answer.
The teenage Bess found herself as a lady-in-waiting to Frances Grey, mother of Lady Jane Grey. This would have moved Bess further up the Tudor hierarchy and placed her in a noble and lavish court. Whilst serving and attending to her mistress, Bess caught the eye of Sir William Cavendish, a twice-widowed rich nobleman, who was twenty years older than Bess. William was the treasurer of Henry VIII’s bedchamber and was a previous right-hand man of Thomas Cromwell; this was a man of great status. Bess and William married in 1547, placing her in a secure and wealthy partnership.
William had amassed a large amount of money from the Tudors and used to this to purchase Chatsworth Estate in Derbyshire, alongside Bess, in 1549. Chatsworth house was soon full to the brim with expensive and luxurious furnishings; Bess and William were part of a mass architectural project to rebuild Chatsworth and make it a home of grand splendour. This would be the beginning of Bess’s love for building projects, that would last a lifetime.
Throughout history, marriages between nobles were usually unhappy ones, couples were wed for money or status reasons instead of love but surprisingly, William and Bess were very happy together. Both individuals were ambitious and similar in character and what is exceedingly rare for this sixteenth-century partnership, is that William respected and honoured Bess and her opinions. Between the couple, they had eight children; three of them being sons that would carry on their bloodline. Bess must have been very happy in this healthy marriage of mutual respect and affection, but unfortunately, this did not last.
In 1557, Bess became widowed again at only thirty years old. Sir William Cavendish had passed away, not only leaving Bess in a state of grief, but also in debt of £5,000. Plenty of people would be in despair at this news, crumbling from the pressure or completely giving up, but not Bess.
Instead of simply marrying rich or selling her estates, Bess became acquainted once more with the very top of society. She began to mysteriously take trips between London, Hatfield and Brentford, and not by any coincidence. During this period, Mary I was ill and had named Elizabeth, her sister, as her successor, meaning that Elizabeth would soon be gathering a collection of courtiers and ladies to attend her. Bess’s devious trips were always to estates and areas nearby to Elizabeth, and her cunning plan worked. When Elizabeth was picking out her court, Bess was always there making her name and face known. In 1559, Bess became lady-in-waiting to Elizabeth I.
Bess was not done yet with her political and economic manoeuvring. She watched as Elizabeth awarded and gave titles to the courtiers amongst her. One in particular was Sir William St Loe, the captain of Elizabeth I’s guard and a descendant of a noble and ancient family. William had even been imprisoned in the Tower of London for rebelling against the previous Catholic queen Mary I, making this an honourable man in the Protestant Elizabeth I’s eyes. Now Chief Butler of England, Bess seized her chance at marrying this elderly, yet wealthy gentleman, who would help her with those nagging debts she had over her. By the end of 1559, the two were married. With the help of his influence, Bess was now lady of the privy chamber to Elizabeth I and the oldest member amongst her ladies-in-waiting, at thirty-one years old. However, Elizabeth’s court was soon to become one of scandal and deceit, with Bess of Hardwick right at the center.
“It is certain that there hath been great practices and purposes and… she [Bess] hath been most privy. It shall increase our indignation against her, if she will forbear to utter it”.
These were the words uttered by Elizabeth I, talking about Bess of Hardwick and her behaviour. But what had Bess done? Bess had become involved in a scandal, alongside Lady Katherine Grey, a Catholic and prolific woman who was not in Elizabeth I’s good books, due to her ways of worship and potential claim to the throne. Katherine was kept under a watchful eye in Elizabeth’s household, but Katherine did not comply. She married another potential blood claimant to the throne: Edward Seymour, the nephew of the late Jane Seymour. Katherine soon fell pregnant and spent many months concealing her belly from the queen.
One late evening, Katherine spilled her secrets to an angered Bess, who informed Katherine of her foolishness. Somehow weeks later, Katherine’s secret was out in court and Elizabeth was furious. She suspected Bess of conspiring against her and plotting to remove her from the throne; imprisoning both Bess and Katherine in the Tower of London. Bess was interrogated and held for several months, until the queen dismissed her from court and sent her shamefully back to Derbyshire.
In 1565, Bess’s husband Sir William passed away, leaving most of his large estate in her name. Bess married again for the fourth and final time, this time to George Talbot, 6th Earl of Shrewsbury and one of England’s wealthiest and powerful men. From this marriage, Bess was back again under the midst of Elizabeth I.
George was appointed keeper of the queen’s rival, Mary Queen of Scots, who was now held captive after arriving on English soil. Bess had somehow earned the queen’s trust again, who still hadn’t forgiven her for the previous scandal, but perhaps admired Bess for her strong and intelligent mind and succeeding in such a patriarchal society. Bess also kept a close eye on Mary, who flitted from house to house under Shrewsbury’s name. Even a spy was placed in the household, who was used to report back on information across Bess, to the queen. But the harmony between Bess and Elizabeth, fell apart once more and again, involving blood claimants to the throne.
Bess arranged her daughter Elizabeth to marry a young man named Charles; the son of Margaret Douglas, who was niece to the former king Henry VIII and first cousin of the queen. This arrangement was conducted without the queen’s permission and when this news reached her, she reacted in a fit of rage. Margaret Douglas was thrown in the Tower of London and both Bess and her daughter were placed under armed guard in Nottinghamshire, facing interrogation. Elizabeth’s fury grew even stronger after finding out that Bess’s daughter was pregnant.
Meanwhile, Mary, Queen of Scots was concocting a plan of her own. She claimed and boasted in a letter that Bess shared nothing but contempt for Elizabeth I and respect for Mary: “that had I been her own queen she could not have done more for me”. This scandalous letter even stated that Bess had informed Mary of the queen’s false virginity and seductions with various men. The letter was written due to Mary’s resentment towards Bess, filled with lies and allegations to ruin Elizabeth’s relations with her. Bess’s plans to push her granddaughter closer to the throne, threatened Mary’s own plans to put her son James, onto the throne of England. As you can imagine, this letter did not go down very well with Elizabeth.
Bess’s husband was enraged at his wife’s behaviour and the queen’s resentment towards her. Their marriage was falling apart. Money and time were spent on Mary’s confinement and had drained their resources and patience. Shrewsbury was resentful of Bess’s love for building projects and the money she had spent on remodeling Chatsworth estate. Sadly, the couple spent long periods of time apart and even Elizabeth I tried her best to fix their marriage, as she was very fond of the earl. Her attempts only partially worked; the couple lived together at their estates, but in very separate ways. Shrewsbury declared that he would “neither bed with her nor board with her”.
This awful situation soon came to an end in 1587, when the couple separated permanently, and Bess was given Chatsworth estate and a large sum of Shrewsbury’s income. The earl continuously tried to dispute Bess’s ownership of the estate, but Bess had other ideas in mind.
This is where Bess’s grand building projects came to life. Bess had purchased her brother’s family manor, Hardwick Hall, and spent her time renovating it. Between 1585 and 1590, this medieval hall was transformed into a lavish and grand sixteenth-century home, capturing all of the latest and trendiest architectural designs and furnishings. Soon, Bess’s building projects would expand even more.
In 1590, Shrewsbury passed away, leaving Bess with an even greater income and in an extraordinary position. A widow four times, in her sixties and exceedingly rich; Bess had now begun her second building project, a house of splendour and luxury that would be built from scratch.
The new and improved Hardwick Hall was finally completed in 1599 and perhaps one of the greatest Elizabethan houses of the age, that still stands today. Each tower of the hall is decorated with Bess’s initials; a reminder of the fascinating and remarkable countess who created this magnificent home.
Hardwick Hall; History Hit
Bess’s fascinating life came to an end in 1608, when she died aged eighty. This was a woman who climbed her way up the Tudor social ladder, through political scheming and planning her marriages meticulously. Bess rose from a low background, to becoming friend of Elizabeth I and one of the richest and most powerful women in Elizabethan England. She was an ambitious woman who built the most splendid of houses, to represent her wealth and social achievements. For an age where men dominated perhaps all aspects of life, Bess stands out as a woman who broke the mold and expectations of her gender. She was completely ahead of her time.
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