This is a follow up article to ‘Lady Jane Grey’s Death and Burial’ which was published in the February 2015 edition of ‘Tudor Life Magazine.’
Richard Davey and the Wedding of Lady Jane Grey
Jane and Guildford on their wedding day in the film Lady Jane (c) Paramount Pictures
The year started off with Lady Jane getting a mention in the January issue of BBC History Magazine. Part 2 of ‘The Tudors in 50 Moments’ by Tracy Borman, briefly mentioned Jane’s reign and execution. The paperback of Elizabeth Fremantle’s ‘Sisters of Treason’ was published at the end of the month.
12th February saw the 461st anniversary of Jane’s execution and also the publication of ‘A Queen of a New Invention: Portraits of Lady Jane Grey Dudley, ‘England’s Nine Days Queen’ by Stephan Edwards. The book features in depth analysis of twenty nine portraits and also discusses some missing paintings. Stephan answered my questions in an interview.
The February edition of ‘Tudor Life’ from the Tudor Society was a Lady Jane special. I was very pleased to have my article, ‘Lady Jane Grey’s Death and Burial,’ included in the magazine.
The Real Tudors exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery closed on 1st March. However, this was not the last chance to see the ‘Lady Jayne’ Streatham portrait. During #Museumweek, the National Portrait Gallery (@NPGLondon) posted a photo of the portrait being reframed.
(c) NPG
‘Henry VIII’s Last Love: The Extraordinary Life of Katherine Willoughby, Lady in Waiting to the Tudors’ by David Baldwin was published. The book about Jane’s step-grandmother includes a chapter on the events of July 1553. Jane was also mentioned in David Baldwin’s BBC History Magazine article, ‘A Seventh Wife for Henry VIII?’ David answered my questions in an interview. Also published this month, Jane and her sisters featured in ‘Elizabeth I and Her Circle’ by Susan Doran.
Susan Doran’s article in the April edition of BBC History Magazine mentioned Katherine and Mary Grey. Two months after the publication of his book, Stephan Edwards announced that he had discovered another possible portrait of Jane, the South Carolina portrait.
The ‘Lady Jayne’ Streatham portrait went back on display in Room 2 at Montacute House, in Somerset in late spring. See ‘A look at how the Streatham portrait has been displayed over the years…’
Room 2 – The Court of Henry VIII, Montacute House
Lady Jane was a main character in Suzannah Dunn’s ‘The Lady of Misrule’ which was published in May. Suzannah answered my questions in an interview.
(c) Little Brown
An archaeological dig at Bradgate Park began this month. You can read about their findings at their Facebook page –Bradgate Park Fieldschool. Elizabeth Fremantle’s Tudor trilogy was completed in June, with the publication of ‘Watch the Lady.’ Elizabeth answered my questions in an interview. BBC History Magazine published their History Hot 100. Lady Jane was number 45. Jane also featured in Tracy Borman’s ‘The Story of the Tower of London.’
Framlingham Castle (where Mary Tudor raised her standard against Queen Jane) featured in ‘Exploring English Castles: Evocative, Romantic, and Mysterious True Tales of the Kings and Queens of the British Isles’ by Edd Morris. I asked him in an interview why he had chosen Framlingham as one of the nine castles featured.
Also published in July, was the last part of the Boleyn Trilogy by Laura Andersen. After non speaking appearances in the two previous books, Jane had a larger role in ‘The Boleyn Reckoning.’ Laura answered my questions in an interview.
(c) Edbury Press
Leanda de Lisle’s article about Lady Jane appeared in BBC History Magazine’s ‘Royal Women’ collector’s edition in August. The publication featured previous articles from BBC History Magazine and Leanda’s article had also appeared in the March 2010 edition and as ‘Slaughter of the Innocent’ in the collector’s edition, ‘The Story of the Tudors: The Rise and Fall of a Dynasty, from Henry VII to Elizabeth I’, which was published in July 2014.
(c) BBC History Magazine
In August, Lady Jane had a small role in Philippa Gregory’s ‘The Taming of the Queen’ and there was news of a forthcoming biography about Jane, called ‘Crown of Blood’ that is currently being written by historian, Nicola Tallis.
On 9th September, Her Majesty the Queen, became our longest reigning monarch. Lady Jane was featured in the souvenir cover of The Times, which listed monarchs by length of reign. There was also an article about Jane in the magazine ‘Book of the Tudors.’
The 25th September marked the 400th anniversary of the death of Arbella Stuart in the Tower of London. Arbella, who had a claim to the throne through her grandmother, Margaret Douglas, had married William Seymour (grandson of Katherine Grey) without permission. In the summer I had visited Hardwick Hall and viewed the Arbella exhibition. See ‘Arbella Stuart and the Greys’ for more details.
In October, this website took part in the ‘Middle Ages Unlocked’ blog tour. The authors, Gillian Polack and Katrin Kania wrote an article for this site entitled, ‘Why we wrote the book’.
(c) Amberley Publishing
November saw two books published that featured Jane and both authors gave interviews to this website. The first was,‘The King is Dead: The Last Will and Testament of Henry VIII’ by Suzannah Lipscomb and Jane also featured in an article that Suzannah wrote for the November issue of BBC History Magazine. The second book was,‘The Temptation of Elizabeth Tudor’ by Elizabeth Norton. My interview with Elizabeth was featured on the Head of Zeus website.
(c) Head of Zeus
(c) Head of Zeus
The year ended with Lady Jane Grey being one of the answers in ‘The Great History Quiz: The Tudors’ which was broadcast on BBC2 on Christmas Eve. I am pleased to say that I got that answer and other answers correct!
Books published in 2015 that featured Jane included: ‘A Queen of a New Invention: Portraits of Lady Jane Grey Dudley, England’s ‘Nine Days Queen’ by Stephan Edwards, ‘Sisters of Treason’ (paperback) by Elizabeth Fremantle, ‘The Other Tudor Princess: Margaret Douglas, Henry VIII’s Niece’ by Mary McGrigor, ‘Henry VIII’s Last Love: The Extraordinary Life of Katherine Willoughby, Lady in Waiting to the Tudors’ by David Baldwin, ‘Elizabeth I and Her Circle’ by Susan Doran, ‘Exploring English Castles: Evocative, Romantic, and Mysterious True Tales of the Kings and Queens of the British Isles’ by Edd Morris, ‘The Story of the Tower of London’ by Tracy Borman, ‘The Boleyn Reckoning’ by Laura Andersen, ‘The Taming of the Queen’ by Philippa Gregory, ‘The Lost Tudor Princess: A Life of Margaret Douglas, Countess of Lennox’ by Alison Weir, ‘Charles Brandon: Henry Viii’s Closest Friend’ by Steven Gunn, ‘The Temptation of Elizabeth Tudor’ by Elizabeth Norton and ‘The King is Dead: The Last Will and Testament of Henry VIII’ by Suzannah Lipscomb.
(c) Micaela Cianci
(c) Head of Zeus
(c) Harper Collins
A look at how the Streatham portrait has been displayed over the years…
March 2013-May 2014 -Room 2 – The Court of Henry VIII
Montacute House
Jane is given permission to walk in the Queen’s garden at the Tower
‘The fortress would become in rapid succession her palace, her prison, her scaffold – and her tomb.’ (p.299, Jones)
On the 17th of December 1553, the Privy Council granted Lady Jane Dudley permission to walk in the Queen’s garden at the Tower of London.
Eric Ives writes that ‘not until 17/18 December was she given ‘the liberty of the Tower’ so that she could walk in the queen’s garden.’ (p.214, Ives)
Leanda de Lisle describes how, ‘It was bliss for Jane to walk in the crisp winter air after months spent in her dark rooms in the Tower. From 18th December she had the freedom to walk in the Queen’s garden.’ ( p. 138, de Lisle)
See Location
From the Acts of the Privy Council:
At Westminster, the xvij of December, 1553
‘A letter to the Lieutenant of the Towre, willing hym at convenient tymes by his discreation to suffer the late Duke of Northumbreland’s children to have the libertie of walke within the gardeyn of the Tower, and also to minister the like favour to the Ladye Jane and Doctour Cranmer, upon suggestion that diverse of them be and have byn evill at ease in their bodyes for want of ayre.’ (p. 379, Acts of the Privy Council)
The author of ‘The Chronicle of Queen Jane and of Two Years of Queen Mary, and Especially of the Rebellion of Sir Thomas Wyat’ wrote:
‘The xviijth day, the lady Jane had the libertie of the Tower, so she might walk in the queens garden and on the hille; and the lorde Robert and lorde Gilford the liberty of the leds in the Bell Tower…’ (p.3, Gough)
Location
The Tower of London is in central London on the north bank of the Thames.
From The Anne Boleyn Files
h marks the Queen’s Gallery and Garden.
Some Key Dates in the Tudor History of the Tower of London
‘1503 – 11 February – Queen Elizabeth of York dies just over a week after giving birth.
1509 – 21 June – King Henry VIII arrives at the Tower to prepare for his coronation.
1536 – 19 May – Anne Boleyn is executed.
1542 – 13 February – Katherine Howard and Lady Jane Rochford are executed.
1547 – 19 February – King Edward VI leaves for his coronation procession.
1553 – 10 July – Queen Jane takes possession of the Tower.
1553 – 19 July – Queen Jane’s reign ends at the Tower.
1553 – 3 August – Queen Mary I takes possession of the Tower.
1553 – 22 August – John Dudley, Duke of Northumberland is executed.
1553 – 29 August – The author of the ‘Chronicle of Queen Jane etc’ dines with Lady Jane at Nathaniel Partridge’s house.
1553 – 17/18 December – Lady Jane is granted permission to walk in the Queen’s garden.
1554 – 12 February – Lady Jane and Lord Guildford Dudley are executed.
1554 – 23 February – Henry Grey, Duke of Suffolk is executed.
1558 – 12 January – Elizabeth I arrives to prepare for her coronation.’
From ‘On This Day in Tudor History by Claire Ridgway.’
The Tower of London Today
Tower of London
Sources
Dasent, J.R (ed) (1892) Acts of the Privy Council of England volume 4 – 1552-1554, pp. 379. URL: http://www.british-history.ac.uk/source.aspx?pubid=1179&sp=3&pg=379 Date accessed: 17 December 2013
De Lisle, L. (2010) The Sisters Who Would Be Queen: The Tragedy of Mary, Katherine and Lady Jane Grey, HarperPress.
Ives, E. (2009) Lady Jane Grey: A Tudor Mystery, Wiley-Blackwell.
Jones, N. (2011) Tower: An Epic History of the Tower of London, Windmill Books
Nichols, J. G (ed) (1850) The Chronicle of Queen Jane and of Two Years of Queen Mary and Especially of the Rebellion of Sir Thomas Wyatt, Written by a Resident in the Tower of London, Llanerch Publishers
Ridgway, C. (2012) On This Day in Tudor History, Made Global Publishing.
Professor Eric Ives writes that, ‘Additional items from Jane’s imprisonment came to light early in Elizabeth’s reign. The first (1563) edition of the Acts and Monuments includes ‘A certain prayer of the lady Jane in the time of her trouble.’ (p.23, Ives).
He also suggests that the prayer was not written just before Jane’s execution but in late 1553.
‘The prayer she wrote in the Tower is in marked contrast’ (to the writings she prepared for circulation). Here we have evidence of Jane’s state of mind during her imprisonment…Some scholars date the prayer shortly before the final catastrophe, but against this is the phrase ‘assuredly knowing that as thou canst, so thou wilt deliver me, when it shall please thee’; Jane had not abandoned the possibility of release. On the other hand, she also wrote that without divine ‘mercy and help…so little hope of deliverance is left, that I may utterly despair of any liberty.’ Taken together, the sentiments suggest that the prayer was composed in the aftermath of her trial but before the conditions of her imprisonment were relaxed in December.’ (p. 259, Ives)
‘Oh Lord, thou God and father of my life! hear me, poor and desolate women, which flyeth unto three only, in all troubles and miseries. Thou, O Lord, art the only defender and deliverer of those that put their trust in thee, and, therefore, I, being defiled with sin, encumbered with affliction, unquieted with troubles, wrapped in cares, overwhelmed with miseries, vexed with temptations, and grievously tormented with the long imprisonment of this vile mass of clay, my sinful body, do come unto three, O merciful Saviour, craving they mercy and help, without the which so little hope of deliverance is left, that I may utterly despair of my liberty. Albeit, it is expedient, that seeing our life standeth upon trying, we should be visited some time with some adversity, whereby we might both be tried whether we be of thy flock or no; and also know thee and ourselves the better; yet thou that saidst thou wouldst not suffer us to be tempted above our power, be merciful unto me, now a miserable wretch, I beseech thee; which, with Solomon, do cry unto thee, humbly desiring thee, that I may neither be too much puffed up with prosperity, neither too much depressed with adversity; lest I, being too full, should deny thee, my God; or being too low brought, should despair and blaspheme thee, my Lord and Saviour. O merciful God, consider my misery, best known unto thee; and be thou now unto me a strong tower of defence, I humbly require thee. Suffer me not to be tempted above my power, but either be thou a deliverer unto me out of this great misery, or else give me grace patiently to bear thy heavy hand and sharp correction. It was thy right hand that delivered the people of Israel out of the hands of Pharoah, which for the space of four hundred years did oppress them, and keep them in bondage; let it therefore likewise seem good to thy fatherly goodness, to deliver me, sorrowful wretch, for whom thy son Christ shed his precious blood on the cross, out of this miserable captivity and bondage, wherein I am now. How long wilt thou be absent – for ever? Oh, Lord! hast thou forgotten to be gracious, and hast thou shut up thy loving kindness in displeasure? wilt thou be no more entreated? Is thy mercy clear gone for ever, and thy promise come utterly to an end for everyone? why dost thou make so long tarrying? shall I despair of thy mercy? Oh God! far be that from me; I am thy workmanship, created in Christ Jesus; give me grace therefore to tarry thy leisure, and patiently to bear thy works, assuredly knowing, that as thou canst, so thou wilt deliver me, when it shall please thee, nothing doubting or mistrusting thy goodness towards me; for thou knowest better what is good for me than I do; therefore do with me in all things what thou wilt, and plague me what way thou wilt. Only in the mean time, arm me, I beseech thee, with they armour, that I may stand fast, my loins being girded about with verity, having on the breast-plate of righteousness, and shod with the shoes prepared by the gospel of peace; above all things, taking to me the shield of faith, wherewith I may be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked; and taking the helmet of salvation, and the sword of thy spirit, which is thy most holy word; praying always, with all manner of prayer and supplication, that I may refer myself wholly to thy will, abiding thy pleasure, and comforting myself in those troubles that it shall please thee to send me; seeing such troubles be profitable for me, and seeing I am assuredly persuaded that it cannot but be well all thou doest. Hear me, O merciful Father, for his sake, whom thou wouldest should be a sacrifice for my sins; to whom with thee and the Holy Ghost, be all honour and glory. Amen!’ (p. 49-51, Nicolas)
Sources
Ives, E. (2009) Lady Jane Grey: A Tudor Mystery, Wiley-Blackwell.
Nicolas, N.H Harding, The Literary Remains of Lady Jane Grey: With a Memoir of Her Life, Triphook & Lepard.
