Jewels belonging to Arbella Stuart were noted in several lists. They include jewels which she inherited from her grandmother, Margaret Douglas, Countess of Lennox, which were taken to Scotland by her mother's executor.
Jewels belonging to Arbella Stuart were noted in several lists. They include jewels which she inherited from her grandmother, Margaret Douglas, Countess of Lennox, which were taken to Scotland by her mother's executor.
Margaret Douglas, Countess of Lennox left her jewels to Arbella Stuart in her will of December 1577. [1] Some of her jewels had been gifts from Mary I of England. On 19 September 1579, Mary, Queen of Scots, the niece of the Countess of Lennox, made out a warrant at Sheffield Manor authorising and instructing the countess' executor Thomas Fowler to deliver the jewels to Bess of Hardwick, Arbella's other grandmother. [2] [3] [4] If Arbella were to die the jewels were to be given to James VI of Scotland. Despite the Scottish queen's instruction, Fowler retained some of the jewels himself. [5]
A list of 21 jewels in a casket bequeathed to Arbella by the Countess of Lennox, and kept by her executor Thomas Fowler was made in April 1590. It includes an "H" of gold set with a rock ruby, and a gold sable head set with diamonds for a zibellino. [6]
Thomas Fowler took jewels which were Arbella's inheritance to Scotland, where he attached himself to the court. [8] After his death in Edinburgh, the jewels were obtained by the Earl of Bothwell in 1590. [9] The Countess of Shrewsbury wrote to William Cecil for help recovering Arbella's jewels. [10] The jewels included a diamond cross; a tablet with a diamond, a ruby and an emerald; a tablet with an agate on either side, and a diamond ring. [11]
Philip III of Spain decided to give Arbella a jewel of considerable value at the time of the signing of the Treaty of London in 1604. The gift would be given in the name of the Duchess of Frias. [12] The gift of jewels to Arbella was recommended to Juan Fernández de Velasco y Tovar, 5th Duke of Frías, known as the Constable of Castile, by the ambassador, Juan de Tassis, 1st Count of Villamediana, and they bought 72 or 76 gold buttons set with diamonds, [13] worth 4,752 ducats. [14] In 1607, the Spanish diplomat Pedro de Zúñiga noted that Arbella's jewels were not of great value. [15]
Bess of Hardwick's jewellery inventories mention a pearl embroidered piece of lace for a veil (a cornet) given to Arbella. [16] Bess eventually cancelled a bequest in her will which left her own jewels and two gold sable heads set with precious stones to her granddaughter Arbella. [17] [18]
The Earl of Bothwell gave Arbella's jewels to James VI and he seems (eventually) to have returned them to the family. They may appear in a list of jewels delivered to Arbella at Hardwick Hall by Lord Cavendish after the death of Bess of Hardwick on 22 February 1607/8. This schedule, now held by Derbyshire Record Office, signed by Arbella, presumably represents jewels formerly in the custody of Bess of Hardwick for Arbella, and includes:
It is unclear if Arbella ever inherited any jewels that had belonged to Mary, Queen of Scots. Before her failed attempt to escape custody, Arbella sold a collection of embroideries worked by Mary to her aunt Mary Talbot, Countess of Shrewsbury for £850. [21] When Arbella was arrested in 1611, she listed a number of jewels which seemed to have been taken from her, including; [22]
When Arbella Stuart was a prisoner in the Tower of London in 1613, she expected to be released to attend the marriage of Princess Elizabeth on 14 February and bought pearls and a gown embroidered with pearls to wear from Abraham der Kinderen. [24] Arbella was not invited and pawned and sold most of the pearls for funds a few months later. Abraham der Kinderen petitioned for the return of the pearl embroidered gown after her death. [25]
In May 1613 Wiliam Waad was removed from his position as lieutenant of the Tower of London. Complaints against him included the embezzlement of valuable jewels and gold from Arbella Stuart. His wife and daughter were said to be implicated. [26]
Elizabeth Cavendish, later Elizabeth Talbot, Countess of Shrewsbury, known as Bess of Hardwick, of Hardwick Hall, Derbyshire, was a notable figure of Elizabethan English society. By a series of well-made marriages, she rose to the highest levels of English nobility and became enormously wealthy. Bess was reportedly a shrewd businesswoman, increasing her assets with business interests including mines and glass-making workshops.
Lady Arbella Stuart was an English noblewoman who was considered a possible successor to Queen Elizabeth I of England. During the reign of King James VI and I, she married William Seymour, 2nd Duke of Somerset, another claimant to the English throne, in secret. King James imprisoned William Seymour and placed her under house arrest. When she and her husband tried to escape England, she was captured and imprisoned in the Tower of London, where she died at age 39.
Elizabeth Stuart, Countess of Lennox née Cavendish was an English noblewoman and the wife of Charles Stuart, 1st Earl of Lennox. She was the mother of Arbella Stuart, a close relation to the English and Scottish thrones.
Mary Talbot, Countess of Shrewsbury (1556–1632) was the wife of Gilbert Talbot, 7th Earl of Shrewsbury.
Margaret Stuart, Scottish aristocrat and courtier in England. She served as lady-in-waiting to the queen consort of England, Anne of Denmark. She was the daughter of James Stewart, 2nd Earl of Moray, and Elizabeth Stuart, 2nd Countess of Moray. The sailor and patron of Ben Jonson, Sir Frances Stuart was her brother.
A zibellino, flea-fur or fur tippet is a women's fashion accessory popular in the later 15th and 16th centuries. A zibellino, from the Italian word for "sable", is the pelt of a sable or marten worn draped at the neck or hanging at the waist, or carried in the hand. The plural is zibellini. Some zibellini were fitted with faces and paws of goldsmith's work with jeweled eyes and pearl earrings, while unadorned furs were also fashionable.
Sir John Spilman was a Lindau, German-born entrepreneur who founded the first commercially successful paper-mill in England, establishing a factory on the River Darenth in Dartford, Kent in 1588. Spilman was also jeweller to Queen Elizabeth I, and was knighted by King James I.
Thomas Fowler was an English lawyer, diplomat, courtier, spy, servant of the Countess of Lennox, broker of the marriage of Mary, Queen of Scots and Lord Darnley, steward of the Earl of Leicester, advisor to James VI of Scotland and the Scottish ambassador in London, Archibald Douglas.
Costume and gold and silver plate belonging to Elizabeth I were recorded in several inventories, and other documents including rolls of New Year's Day gifts. Arthur Jefferies Collins published the Jewels and Plate of Queen Elizabeth I: The Inventory of 1574 from manuscripts in 1955. The published inventory describes jewels and silver-plate belonging to Elizabeth with detailed references to other source material. Two inventories of Elizabeth's costume and some of her jewellery were published by Janet Arnold in Queen Elizabeth's Wardrobe Unlocke'd.
Anne Livingstone, Countess of Eglinton was a Scottish courtier and aristocrat, and lady-in-waiting to Princess Elizabeth and Anne of Denmark.
The Great 'H' of Scotland was a jewel belonging to Mary, Queen of Scots comprising a large diamond, a ruby, and a gold chain. Also known as the Great Harry, it was broken up in 1604 and made into the Mirror of Great Britain for James VI and I.
Mary Radcliffe or Ratcliffe (1550-1617) was a courtier of Queen Elizabeth I of England.
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Sir Charles Cavendish was an English landowner. He was a son of Bess of Hardwick and William Cavendish (1505–1557).
The jewels of Anne of Denmark (1574–1619), wife of James VI and I and queen consort of Scotland and England, are known from accounts and inventories, and their depiction in portraits by artists including Paul van Somer. A few pieces survive. Some modern historians prefer the name "Anna" to "Anne", following the spelling of numerous examples of her signature.
Gilbert Curle or Curll was a Scottish secretary who served Mary, Queen of Scots during her captivity in England. He married Barbara Mowbray, one of three sisters serving Mary.
The jewellery and jewels owned by James V of Scotland are mainly known from the royal treasurer's accounts and inventories. James V reinforced his authority by lavish display.
An inventory of the jewels of Mary I of England, known as Princess Mary or the Lady Mary in the years 1542 to 1546, was kept by her lady in waiting Mary Finch. The manuscript is now held by the British Library. It was published by Frederic Madden in 1831. Some pieces are listed twice. The British Library also has an inventory of the jewels she inherited on coming to the throne in 1553.
Several documents list the jewels of Margaret Tudor, daughter of Henry VII of England and Elizabeth of York. Margaret married James IV of Scotland in 1503.
Oldcotes House was a mansion in Derbyshire built by Bess of Hardwick. The building has been completely demolished.