£26 135. 4d.

45.

60s.

55.

45.

design upon her life he would have placed her in a house only a few miles from the Hydes, her most intimate friends. Cumnor was a large building, quadrangular, and of ecclesiastical style, having formerly belonged to the dissolved monastery of Abingdon. It was not lonely, for it was close to a large village, within an easy walk of Oxford, and there were sev8s. eral persons staying in it; Mrs. Owen (wife of William Owen, the owner), Mr. Forster and his wife (tenants), Mrs. 225. Odingsell, a widow, sister of Mr. Hyde, living with the Forsters. It is not unlikely, from two sets of servants being spoken of, one under Amye's control, that the house was divided, one part being appropriated to her. Mr. Forster purchased the house from Owen after Amye's death, and curiously enough, by his will in 1572, he bequeathed it to Dudley on condition of his paying 1,200l. to the widow Forster. Dudley (then Earl of Leicester) did so; and it is entered as his property in a schedule of his estates. One would have thought that if he had ever been a party to the murder of his wife there, he would have been content to have nothing to do with it, and rather never hear of it again.

1559. For a looking glass sent to
my lady by Mr. Forster
To Smyth the mercer for 6 yards
of velvet at 43s. a yard: and 4
yards to the Spanish taylor for
your Lordship's doublet: and 2
yards for garding my lady's cloak 112s. 6d.
The following items, under the head of
"Play money," show that Lord Robert
was frequently visiting at Mr. Hyde's:
To Mr. Hide which he lent your
Lordship at play at his own
house

40s.

675.

. s. d.

One of the very few documents at Longleat, connected with her actual residence at Cumnor, is a dressmaker's, or, more correctly, a woman-tailor's bill, from one William Edney, of Tower Royal, in London, sent in by him to Lord Robert Dudley for articles supplied to his wife. Inside this bill was found (as before mentioned) a letter from Amye to the tailor, which he had preserved as a voucher for some particular gown ordered by her.

Delivered to your Lordship at Mr. Hide's at sundry times; by my hands 20s. by Hugans 11s. and by Mr. Aldersey 285, &c. Total The other account-book (Richard Ellys's) refers to 1560, the last year of her life, but there are in it only one or two items, and these refer to the expense of her funeral. There is, however, a mercer's bill (six months before her death): — 1560. March. Delyvered a velvet hatt imbroidered for my Ladye 3 6 8 Pair of velvet shoes for my Ladye 300 In the account-books the dates of month and day are not always given, so that it is not easy to distinguish exactly which of them refer to her whilst she was lodging with the Hyde family at Denchworth, and which to her later residence at Cumnor. But it is evident that she was under no restraint, for we find her journeying about, to Lincolnshire, London, Suffolk, rosset taffyta gowne you sente my last & I will Christchurch in Hampshire, and Camber-se you dyscharged for all I pray you let it be well, twelve horses being at her command.

CUMNOR.

IT cannot have been much before the very last year of her life that she removed from Mr. Hyde's, at Denchworth, to Cumnor Place, about eleven miles off. It is quite intelligible that she might have found it more convenient to have a house in which she would be more of the mistress than would be the case whilst staying at a friend's; and it seems unreasonable to suppose that if her husband had any evil

Amye Lady Dudley's Letter to her Tailor. edney wt my harty comendations thesse shalbe to desier you to take ye paynes for me As to make this gowne of vellet whiche I sende you wt suche A collare as you made my

me

done wt as muche speade as you can & sente by this bearar frewen the carryar of oxforde | & & thus I bed you most hartely fare well from comnare this xxiiij of avguste

Your assured frind
AMYE DUDDLEY.

Chaucer has velloute. Ben Jonson vellute, probably * Vellet, in the letter, is used by Spenser, for velvet. from the Latin villosus, hairy or woolly.

+ Tower Royal, near Bucklersbury and the Mansion

letters preserved (in transcript) in the Pepysian Library at Cambridge, and printed in Craik's “Romance of the Peerage," Lord Braybrooke's "Diary of Pepys," Mr. Pettigrew's pamphlet, and Adler's "Amye Robsart."

Among other items in the bill of this | of England to select for a husband a man poor lady's wardrobe were "a loose gown who had caused his wife to be murdered. of satten byassed with lace over the The last thing, therefore, that Dudley garde," "a round kirtle of russet wrought- would wish to hear among all these unvelvet with a fringe; 99 66 a Spanish gown toward rumors, would be that his wife had of damask, laced all thick athwart the met with a violent death. This appears guard; ""a Spanish gown of russet dam- from what took place when that news ask; ""a loose gown of rosset taffata" | actually reached him as described in some (the pattern alluded to in the letter); also lace, fringes of black silk and gold, ruffs, collars, and the like. These little matters are mentioned merely to show that, as to dress, she appears to have been liberally supplied. One of the last items was incurred after her death, viz., "a mantle of cloth for the chief mourner." While she was living at Cumnor during the last year of her life, perfectly free from restraint, so far as appears from the documents before us, the court, and in deed the whole country, began to be filled with various rumors about Robert Dudley and the queen. All these arose from the queen being a young unmarried lady, and from the anxiety which her counsellors, It has been said that Dudley had prethe nation, and foreign nations, too, felt viously heard something that alarmed upon this question, viz.: who, in case of him, which induced him to send Blount her death, was to be the successor to the off. But no evidence of this has been throne. There were schemes and in-produced. Blount had not gone very far trigues that were going on all around the queen. There were princes abroad, and noblemen at home, ready to be promoted. Dudley was known to be in high favor: the queen was believed to be really attached to him.

Rumors of the worst kind were "bruited about" in London. It was said that Amye was very ill, that she had a cancer, that she was to be divorced, that she was to be poisoned, that Dudley had actually given instructions for her quiet disappearance. The Spanish ambassador, De Cuadra, reported all these to his master, and that the affair was coming off immediately. Dudley himself knew of these evii reports. He also knew that for his wife to die just then in any way would be damaging to his character, and to any hopes that he might be entertaining they would only be most damaging, because, though the queen had declared rather pettishly to her ministers that "she was not going to marry a subject, or allow any one beneath her to be called My Lord's Grace," still, should she change her mind, public opinion would hardly allow a queen

From these it appears that Amye's death took place on Sunday, the 8th of September, 1560. The news was carried by one Bowes, a Cumnor servant, to Lord Robert, then at Windsor, and reached him the next morning, Monday. A little while before this message reached Windsor Sir Thomas Blount, one of Dudley's household officers, had set off towards Oxfordshire.

on his road when he met Bowes coming, who told him all he knew, viz., that the day before, Sunday, being Abingdon Fair day, Lady Dudley had herself given the strange order for all belonging to her to go to the fair, and would suffer none to tarry at home; that Mrs. Odingsell remonstrated with her, saying it was not a proper day for gentlewomen to go, but that she would go next day. Whereupon Lady Dudley grew very angry, and said Mrs. Odingsell might do as she pleased, but all hers should go, and that Mrs. Owen should dine with her. Her people, accordingly, all went to the fair, leaving in the house, so far as appears, three ladies, Mrs. Owen, Mrs. Forster, and Mrs. Odingsell, besides the Forster servants. Of Forster himself or of Varney there is no mention at all. On their return from the fair Lady Dudley was dead, found lying on the floor of the hall, at the foot of the staircase. Bowes could tell Sir Thomas nothing more, as he had been among the rest away at the fair. Sir Thomas, having heard this, continued his ride, and stopped for the night at Abingdon, about four miles from Cumnor, and, wanting to hear what was said about the matter, sends for the landlord, and pretending that he was on his way to Gloucestershire, asked, "What news in these parts ? "

The landlord replied, "There was fallen | that you will use all devises & meanes you can a great misfortune within three or four possible for the learning of the truth; wherein miles of the town. My Lord Robert | have no respect to any living person: & as by Dudley's wife was dead."

if it appear villainy (as God forbid so mischievous or wicked body should live) then to find it so, and God willing, I shall never feare the due prosecution accordingly, what person

I presume, thought of suicide). "No, good Mr. Blount," said the maid, " do not so judge of my words. If you should so gather, I am sorry I said so much." On Wednesday, 11th, Blount at Cum-soever it may appear any way to touch: as well

nor replied to Dudley's letter. He reports all that Bowes had told him on the road (which would be the same as Bowes told Dudley), and also all that he had heard and seen, as above given; adding that a coroner's jury was already assem bling before he had reached Cumnor, and that since he had been there he had heard several strange things which led him to think that Lady Dudley had been some what disordered in her mind.

for the just punishment of the act as for myne sorry in my heart any such evil should be comown trewe justification: for as I would be mitted, so shall it well appear to the world my innocency.

Here, before proceeding, two or three remarks.

I. If he had really in any way encouraged, or connived at, a violent death, it is next to impossible that he could have faced the ordeal of inquiry in such a tone as this.

It has been alleged against Dudley that he showed great indifference by not going 2. These letters, which passed between down immediately himself. But one may Dudley and Blount at the very moment, look at his conduct in another light. He annihilate some of the common false knew well enough that he would be im- hoods. For example (1) Verney and mediately suspected of having in some Forster (neither of whom is mentioned in way led to the violent death. If he had the letters as being near the place) are gone down in person, his presence might said in the slanderous narrative (" Leicesprobably have overawed a country jury, ter's Commonwealth ") to have sent away and hindered them from speaking out and all the servants. It was Lady Dudley's asking questions freely; or it might be own doing, and a very strange thing insaid that he had bribed them not to be deed for her to do. (2) The narrative says too inquisitive. He therefore wisely that the body was hastily buried, and that stayed away; but he urged, in the very her father, Sir John Robsart, ordered it to strongest terms, that no pains should be be exhumed for the coroner. Amye's spared to find out if it were done by vil-body was not buried, for the inquest was lany, and the guilty parties to be declared. Also that all his wife's own relatives should be sent for: thus giving to her family every opportunity of fair play. The chief of these were Mr. Appleyard, her half-brother, and Arthur Robsart, her illegitimate brother. Appleyard was Norfolk man, high sheriff of that county the next year. Mr. Norris and Sir Richard Blount, both of well-known Berkshire families, were also there. The jurymen were all strangers to Dudley; but such was the jealousy towards court favorites, that there were some among them who would have been glad to connect him with the death if they could. Yet the answer sent to him was that after the most searching inquiry they could make, they could find no presumption of evil dealing. Sir Thomas Blount himself asked in every direction, and declared he could not find or hear of anything to make him suspect that violence had been used by any per

son.

already sitting when Sir Thomas Blount arrived at Cumnor; and instead of the matter being hastily smuggled through, it was most closely inquired into, in the presence of all the lady's own friends and relatives that could be got together, unader no restraint from the presence of Dudley himself. Nor could her father Sir John Robsart have given any order, for he had himself died several years before, viz. in A.D. 1553.

Lord Robert then writes to desire that a second jury of substantial honest men should be summoned; and to them he sent this message:

To deal earnestly, carefully, and truly, and to find as they shall see it fall out. And if it fall out a chance or misfortune, so to find, and

3. Though (as observed in the earlier part of this paper) the evidence found at Longleat does not clear up the whole mystery, still its tendency is to give a new complexion to many of the circumstances. It certainly does not present any traces of estrangement between Dudley and his wife, or of dark arrangements for putting her out of the way.

Mrs. Pinto, the lady's maid, was satisfied that the death of her mistress was a pure accident, "neither done by man nor herself." The jury "could find no presumption of evil dealing." The late Mr. Pettigrew, who wrote very carefully upon the subject, accepted the verdict of the jury, but adds: "There are at the same time some circumstances that lead to a suspicion that it might have been her own

Another feature in this case favorable to Dudley is, that distinguished men of the day who were familiar with him harbored no suspicion of unkind feelings on H. HUNTYNGDON. his part towards the wife of his youth: As I ended my Letter, I understood by Letters among them particularly, Sir Nicholas the death of my Lady your wyfe. I doute not Throckmorton, ambassador at Paris, of a but long before this tyme you have considered party wholly opposed to Dudley in reli- what a happy hour it is, which bringeth man gion, being a Roman Catholic; also Sir from sorrow to joy, from mortality to immorHenry Sydney, father of the famous tality, from care and trouble to rest and quietPhilip. Sir Henry told the Spanish am-ness: & that the Lord above worketh all for the bassador that the death "he was quite best to them that love him well. I will leave sure was accidental. He had examined babbling, & bid the buzzard cease to teach the into the circumstances with the greatest falcon to fly: & so end my rude postscrip. To my very good Lord & Brother, the Lord scruple, and could discover nothing like Robert Dudley. foul play, however the public mind was possessed with the opposite opinion." This evidence comes from official Elizabethan correspondence, discovered among