Category Archives: errors & myths

Handkerchiefs and Tennis

Posted on March 15, 2019 by

On 31 March 1565, the English ambassador in Scotland reported to the former English ambassador in France an incident that had (probably) occurred at Hampton Court. He had heard it from the Earl of Atholl, a grandee at the court … Continue reading →

Posted in Elizabeth I, errors & myths, Robert Dudley, sources & historians | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments

Did Good Queen Bess Kill More People for Religion than Bloody Mary?

Posted on February 21, 2019 by

Did Mary I kill fewer people because of religion than Elizabeth I? – The short answer is no. I have seen many claims over the last few years on the internet that Mary I executed fewer people on grounds of … Continue reading →

Posted in Edward VI, Elizabeth I, errors & myths, religion | Tagged , | 2 Comments

Did Robert Dudley Have a Spy in Margaret Douglas’ Household?

Posted on April 8, 2018 by

Did Robert Dudley employ a spy in Margaret Douglas’ household at Temple Newsam in Yorkshire in the early 1560s? According to a number of Margaret’s and her son Darnley’s biographers, yes. The claim seems to rest on a single document. … Continue reading →

Posted in Elizabeth I, errors & myths, Robert Dudley, sources & historians, strange facts from popular books | Tagged , ,

Robert Dudley’s Noble Ancestors

Posted on March 25, 2018 by

According to the book Leicester’s Commonwealth (written in about 1584 by angry Catholic exiles), Robert Dudley had “but two ancestors”. Those being his father, John Dudley, and his grandfather, Edmund Dudley. John Dudley in turn became Viscount Lisle, Earl of … Continue reading →

Posted in Edmund Dudley, errors & myths, family & marriage, Jane Dudley, John Dudley, Robert Dudley | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

How Much Did Lettice Knollys Resemble Queen Elizabeth I?

Posted on March 3, 2018 by

It is often said that Lettice Knollys, Robert Dudley’s second wife, bore a remarkable resemblance to her first cousin once removed, Queen Elizabeth I. Because Robert Dudley risked his favoured position with Elizabeth when he married Lettice, biographers have sometimes … Continue reading →

Posted in Elizabeth I, errors & myths, Lettice Knollys, paintings | 4 Comments

In Luctu Terminantur or To End in Grief

Posted on April 14, 2017 by

William Cecil, Elizabeth I’s chief minister, had a habit of preparing memoranda for his own later use. He would make lists of things and arguments he found worth remembering. Two of these lists concern Robert Dudley and his role as … Continue reading →

Posted in Amy Robsart, Elizabeth I, errors & myths, Robert Dudley, sources & historians, strange facts from popular books | Tagged , | 3 Comments

What Did Elizabeth and Essex Shout At Each Other?

Posted on August 10, 2016 by

According to court gossip a famous scene occurred in 1598, when a handful of councillors met Queen Elizabeth I to discuss the appointment of a new Lord Deputy of Ireland. The Earl of Essex, the queen’s favourite and formerly the … Continue reading →

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A Grand Conspiracy in 1553? – Foreign Affairs

Posted on June 29, 2015 by

On 13 March 1553 the English privy council busied itself with granting a licence for the export of 200,000 pairs of old shoes.1 On 27 June 1553 the members of the same council swore themselves to secrecy about their forthcoming … Continue reading →

Posted in 1553, Andrew Dudley, errors & myths, John Dudley, sources & historians | Tagged , , , , , ,

A Grand Conspiracy in 1553? – Parliament

Posted on June 16, 2015 by

Historians have disagreed considerably on deciding when exactly the Duke of Northumberland’s plot to plant his son Guildford on the English throne – by marrying him to Lady Jane Grey – came into being. Traditionally this happened quite early, sometime … Continue reading →

Posted in 1553, Edward VI, errors & myths, John Dudley, sources & historians | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Smith and Stevenson or Dining With The Jurors

Posted on May 10, 2015 by

On 8 September 1560, the aforesaid Lady Amy … being alone in a certain chamber within the home of a certain Anthony Forster, in the aforesaid Cumnor, and intending to descend the aforesaid chamber by way of certain steps (in … Continue reading →

Posted in Amy Robsart, errors & myths, letters, Robert Dudley, sources & historians | Tagged ,