On this day in Tudor history, 22nd September 1560, Amy Dudley (née Robsart), wife of Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester, was buried in the chancel of the University Church of St Mary the Virgin, Oxford.
Amy had been found dead at the foot of the stairs of her home and the subsequent inquest had ruled her death as caused by "misfortune". She was buried in a lavish ceremony which cost her widower over £2,000.
Find out more about her burial, and who attended, in today's talk.
Book recommendation: “Amy Robsart: A Life and Its End” by Christine Hartweg
Find out more about Amy's death and the theories regarding it in my video on her death:
This day in Tudor history, 22nd September 1515, is the traditional birthdate of Anne of Cleves, a woman who would become King Henry VIII's fourth wife and queen consort, but only for six months! She may have only been queen for a short time, but Anne of Cleves outlived Henry and all of his wives, and seems to have had a very good life. Find out more about her and how she came to be Henry VIII's queen in last year’s video:
Also on this day in history:
- 1544 – Death of James Nedeham, architect, while accompanying King Henry VIII to Boulogne. He was buried in Boulogne at the church of Our Lady, and a monument was erected to him at the church in Little Wymondley, Hertfordshire. Nedeham worked for Cardinal Wolsey on York Place, and then for the King on Hampton Court Palace, the Jewel House at the Tower of London and St Augustine's in Canterbury.
- 1557 – Death of Robert Steward, Prior and Dean of Ely, at Ely. He was buried in Ely Cathedral.
- 1557 – Death of Robert Warton, Bishop of Hereford. He was buried in Hereford Cathedral, in the north-east transept.
- 1610 – Burial of Puritan politician and author Sir Francis Hastings at North Cadbury Church in Somerset, next to his wife. Hastings was a member of Parliament and Sheriff in Leicestershire during Elizabeth I's reign, and is known for his Puritan pamphlets, which included “A Watch-Word to All Religious, and True Hearted English-Men”.
Transcript:
On this day in Tudor history, 22nd September 1560, Amy Dudley (née Robsart), wife of Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester, was buried in the chancel of the University Church of St Mary the Virgin, Oxford.
Amy had been found dead at the foot of the stairs of her home at Cumnor in Oxfordshire on 8th September 1560. At the subsequent inquest into her death, the coroner had ruled it death by misfortune, stating that Amy had fallen down the stairs by accident. I’ll give you a link to my talk on Amy’s death and the theories regarding it.
Following the inquest, Amy’s remains were embalmed and placed in a coffin and then taken to Gloucester College, Oxford, which was hanged with black cloth and Leicester’s arms. The church was then prepared, also being hung with black cloth and “garnished with scutcheons”, that is to say Leicester’s arms, and a hearse was made in the middle aisle. The Dugdale Manuscript in the Ashmolean Collection records that the hearse was covered with black cloth and decorated with “scutcheons of arms” wrought in metal and a valance of black sarsenet “written with letters of gold and fringed with a fringe of black silk. Rails surrounding the hearse were covered with black cloth and garnished with more scutcheons, and the quire was hanged and decorated in the same way.
On this day in 1560, Amy’s coffin was processed from Gloucester Hall to the west door of the church. The manuscript states that two conductors with black staves led the way, followed by 80 poor men and women, then the university and officers followed by the choir singing, then several royal heralds with banners of arms, and John Appleyard, Amy’s half-brother, and then Amy’s coffin, carried by “8 tall yeomen” and 4 assistants, two on each side of the coffin dressed in long gowns and hoods. On each corner of the coffin, a hooded and gowned gentleman carried a bannerol.
Behind the coffin, walked the chief mourner, Lady Margery Norris, her train being carried by Mrs Butler, assisted by Sir Richard Blount. Then came six ladies from Cumnor, walking in pairs: Mrs Wayneman and Lady Pollard, Mrs Doylly and Mrs Butler the Elder, and Mrs Blount and Mrs Mutlowe. They were followed by 3 yeomen, other gentlewomen, more yeomen, and the mayor of Oxford and his men.
The procession took Amy’s coffin into the church and placed it on the hearse, surrounded by gentlemen holding the bannerols and the mourners, and then the funeral service began. It opened with prayers, followed by the Ten Commandments, the epistle and gospel, and then the offering. Then it was time for the sermon, which was preached by Dr Francis Babington, Doctor of Divinity and Master of Baliol College.
This lavish funeral cost Amy’s widower, Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester, over £2,000 and he didn’t even attend, but then widows and widowers did not usually attend their spouse’s funeral.
Unfortunately, Amy’s resting place, has been lost over the centuries, but she is remembered now by a memorial tile reading: “In a vault of brick at the upper end of this quire, was buried Amy Robsart, wife of Lord Robert Dudley, Knight of the Garter, on Sunday 22nd September AD.1560”
Hers is a sad story. You can find out more about it in my video about her death. And I’d also recommend Christine Hartweg’s book “Amy Robsart: A Life and Its End”.
Leave a Reply