Today in 1608 Bess of Hardwick was laid to rest.
She is one of the most inspirational Tudor women to me – she was born into minor gentry, and rose to become the second wealthiest woman in England, second only to the Queen. She also was highly involved in the politics of the time – her final husband was the jailer of Mary Queen of Scots, which put enormous strain on their marriage.
She also worked to set up a dynasty through her granddaughter Arbella Stuart, who had a very good claim to the English throne upon Elizabeth’s death.
She was buried at All Saints’ parish church (now Cathedral) in Derby beneath a monument designed by Robert Smythson.
That’s your Tudor Minute for today. Remember you can dive deeper into life in 16th century England through the Renaissance English History Podcast at englandcast.com where we have several episodes on Bess of Hardwick.
Suggested links:
Episode 064: Bess of Hardwick
Episode 32: Bess of Hardwick
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Heather Teysko is the creator, writer, and producer of The Renaissance English History Podcast, one of the longest running indie history podcasts, going since 2009. She's been writing about history online for over 25 years, since her first site on Colonial American history became number one in history on Yahoo in 1998. She writes books, created the original Tudor Planner (a yearly diary filled with Tudor history) and in 2019 created the world's first Tudorcon (you can "attend" online this year!). She has been passionate about Tudor England since she first read Alison Weir's The Six Wives of Henry VIII 20 years ago, and subsequently moved to London after college to spend her time immersed in Tudor history.