Bess of hardwick book

Bess of hardwicks letters brings together, for the first time, the remarkable letters written to and from bess of hardwick. Built between 1590 and 1597 for the formidable bess of hardwick, it was designed by the architect robert smythson, an exponent of the renaissance style of architecture. She fought for her rights, managed her own finances, and she took the money she inherited through her marriages and invested it. Bess of hardwick was a very rich woman in 16th century england. The remarkable story of bess of hardwick, her ascent through elizabethan society and the houses she built that shaped british architectural history. Most are monuments to the men of british history the good ones and the bad ones. Arabella stuart and bess of hardwick tales from the. This is the question bbc history magazines david musgrove put to british historians while researching his book 100 places that made britain 2011. This book gives the reader a very in depth look at bess of hardwick. Bess of hardwick s letters brings together, for the first time, the remarkable letters written to and from bess of hardwick. This book tells the story of bess of hardwick in the time of henry viii through to the death of elizabeth tudor. Bess of hardwicks letters is the first book length study of the c.

Sunday times london from the author of the sisters, a chronicle of the most brutal, turbulent, and exuberant period of englands history. First lady of chatsworth was a separate book, perhaps about a later or earlier period in bess life. The only complaint i have is that i mistakenly thought this title was one book on bess of hardwick, and that bess of hardwick. Lovell is a very detailed biography of englands most influential and richest woman second to the queen of the 16th century. Lovell the mitford girls presents besss life as a study in how education, connections, marriage and property management shaped the life of women in the 16th century. May 02, 2019 by the time that she moved into hardwick new hall, elizabeth bess, countess of shrewsbury, was 70 years old and the richest woman in england after the queen. Born into the minor nobility, bess of hardwick rose to become one of the wealthiest and most powerful women in england, second only to queen elizabeth i. Hardwick hall is one of the earliest examples of the. A vast panorama of tudor history, from the viewpoint of a legendary woman who loomed large in itthe redoubtable, fabulously wealthy, muchmarried bess of hardwick. She was married four times, firstly to robert barlow, who died in his teens. The best account yet available of this shrewd, enigmatic and remarkable woman. She is renowned for her reputation as a dynast and indomitable matriarch and perhaps best known as the builder of great stately. Jun 25, 2006 bess was, in lovells words, born to shop, and her meticulously kept expense accounts richly evoke the texture of tudor life.

Lovell the mitford girls presents bess s life as a study in how education, connections, marriage and property management shaped the life of women in the 16th century. Bess was born in the original house in 1527, but it is shown here after bess had remodelled it half a century later. Bess moved into her new house in 1597 and four years later compiled an inventory, a list of the contents of the house that emphasises the richness and quality of the interior furnishings of hardwick. On her twelfth birthday, bess of hardwick receives the news that she is to be a waiting gentlewoman in the household of lady zouche. A thoroughly researched and welldocumented biography of bess of hardwick, a woman way ahead of her time. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn about bess. Hardwick hall grid reference, in derbyshire, is an architecturally significant elizabethan country house in england, a leading example of the elizabethan prodigy house. By surveying the complete correspondence, author alison wiggins uncovers the wide range of uses to which bess put letters. Hardwick hall is a monument to a woman and a very formidable woman at that. It surprised me that there is so much information available about her considering the times but that is just one of many things that will surprise you about bess. Robert barlow sir william cavendish sir william st loe. Lovell posted on august 20, 2014 by susan abernethy the freelance history writer is scheduled to go to the united kingdom later this year on a tour following in the footsteps of mary queen of scots.

Lovell, 9780349115894, available at book depository with free delivery worldwide. A book purported to be about bess of hardwick, i looked forward to exploring the life of such an important figure in female history during the elizabethan age. Through four marriages, bess managed to build a legacy of considerable wealth and property for her descendants, many of whom still occupy prominent places in the british aristocracy. February, 1608 derbyshire, england english landowner. She lived in the old hall with sir william and his wife, but spent many hours overseeing the works, and checking the details of the weekly accounts. By the time that she moved into hardwick new hall, elizabeth bess, countess of shrewsbury, was 70 years old and the richest woman in england after the queen. With hilary mason, gary watson, anna cropper, preston lockwood. It appears on her 2012 album the plum tree and the rose. Pdf bess of hardwick download full pdf book download.

Plowden wrote a tiein book, also called mistress of hardwick, which was published by the bbc in april 1972. She fought for her rights, managed her own finances, and she took the money she inherited through her marriages and invested it wisely. Hardwick hall is unique among national trust properties. Selective tree showing the heirs of henry vii notes bibliography acknowledgements the earliest known portrait of bess c. Bess of hardwick was born the daughter of a gentlemen squire, that is, a sort of farmer with a few servents, but an ancestry that allowed him and his wife to be part of the gentry in the age of king henry viii. Thus the book is more substantial than the two earlier 20thcentury studies rawsons bess of hardwick and her circle, 1910, and f. As lovell tells us in the introduction, bess is best known as the builder of some great houses in england such as hardwick hall and chatsworth.

Lovell tells the story of bess of hardwick, one of the most remarkable women of the tudor era. Sep 12, 2018 bess of hardwick was born around 1527 to john hardwick of derbyshire and his wife elizabeth leeke. This book has clearly been well maintained and looked after thus far. She married four times, each time carefully moving further up the social scale and acquiring more land and property. They owned land in and around hardwick and a modest manor house on the site of hardwick old hall. Built just a stones throw from the site of her childhood home, the house was a deliberate and typically unsubtle statement of her wealth and power. This author is excellent for the way she can turn her thoroughly researched subjects into highly readable and fascinating books. Bess was born into a family of respectable but impoverished derbyshire landowners. Elizabeth shrewsbury, colloquially known as bess of hardwick, wielded power in an age when women did. Bess was, in lovells words, born to shop, and her meticulously kept expense accounts richly evoke the texture of tudor life. Reliable information about the coronavirus covid19 is available from the world health organization current situation, international travel. From what ive gleaned from wikipedia and other research sources, i knew her to come from rough beginning to rise as one of the wealthiest women of her era, ancestress of throne claimants.

My first encounter with bess of hardwick was in the novel a woman of. Elizabeth hardwick, known as bess of hardwick, rose from modest origins to become the wealthiest woman in elizabethan england after the queen herself. Grandmother to lady arbella stuart who was for some time considered a possible successor to elizabeth i, creative matchmaking issued in six ducal dynasties, three earldoms and a barony. The lady of hardwick was the one moving the pieces across the chessboard and not the other way around. The cover may have some limited signs of wear but the pages are clean, intact and the spine remains undamaged. Aug 03, 2006 bess of hardwick her manipulative charm attracted passionate supporters, she built and furnished beautiful houses, including the first chatsworth. The song hardwick s lofty towers by sarah mcquaid is from the perspective of bess. Bess is a character in the short story antickes and frets by susanna clarke, in her 2006 collection the ladies of grace adieu and other stories. Dec 20, 2018 this is the question bbc history magazines david musgrove put to british historians while researching his book 100 places that made britain 2011. Mary lovells book on bess of hardwick is no exception. The stone, the timber, the iron and the marble all came from her estates, and she even set up.

Gentlyborn in reduced circumstances, she was married at 15 and when she was widowed at 16, she was still a virgin. Bess of hardwicks letters the complete correspondence. A wonderfully researched sunday express biography of bess of hartwick, the most powerful woman in england next to queen elizabeth. John hardwick died at the age of 40 and besss mother remarried. The book is gossipy and intimate and in following the vicissitudes of bess of hardwicks life, we learn about what affluent people wore, what they ate and what they said to each other, where they slept and who they slept with. This wonderfully researched book is an intimate portrait of besss life and. Here, in an extract from the book, musgrove visits hardwick hall in derbyshire, which was built by the. Mary lovell charts the rise and rise of bess hardwick, who outlived four husbands to build an empire in tudor england. The stone, the timber, the iron and the marble all came from her estates, and she even set up a glass making plant on site. The novel venus in winter does justice to the extraordinary, powerful, and dangerous bess of hardwick. Bess of hardwick is the narrator of petticoat king, a 1929 novel by miriam michelson. It tells of her four marriages to four different men and shows through her eyes the upheavals of all the events until the death of the queen in 1603. In 1608, in her mid80s bess died at hardwick and was buried in a tomb in derby cathedral.

Bess left home at the age of 12 to serve at nearby codnor castle, and by the age of 15 she had married robert barlow, heir to a neighbouring gentry family. Aug 03, 2006 bess of hardwick, was the daughter of john hardwick, of derbyshire and elizabeth leeke, daughter of thomas leeke and margaret fox. By surveying the complete correspondence, author alison wiggins uncovers the wide range of uses to which b. Bess of hardwick rose from obscurity to be one of the richest women in england and a friend of elizabeth i. Bess of hardwick brought home to me how much i miss history with its fascinating portrait of a woman who proved her worth over and over again. In this book, lovell sets out to correct earlier biographies mistaken accounts of bess and to reveal the highly intelligent, personable and politically savvy woman she was. A wonderfully researched sunday express biography of bess of hartwick, the most powerful woman in england next to queen elizabeth bringing the tudor age to exuberant life hugh massingberd, mail on sunday, mary s. Undoubtedly bess would have been the ceo of some humongous corporation these days, but in her own time she was a clever, enchanting woman who made her money work for her, loved her husbands and children. Minor but rewarding for both researchers and amateurs of tudor life. She was born elizabeth hardwick in the autumn of 1527 the exact date is not known in the village of hardwick in derbyshire. The author of the september queen explores tudor england with the tale of bess of hardwickthe formidable fourtime widowed tudor dynast who became one of the most powerful women in the history of england. From the author of the sisters, a chronicle of the most brutal, t.

Bess of hardwick started out life in a pretty nondescript sort of way, but when she died she was the second wealthiest woman in england, coming in only after the queen herself. She is renowned for her reputation as a dynast and indomitable matriarch and perhaps best known as the builder of great stately homes like the magnificent hardwick hall and. Bess of hardwick was born around 1527 to john hardwick of derbyshire and his wife elizabeth leeke. The detail describing the difficulties of daily living, running a household and travelling even short distances help to put the. Bess of hardwick the pierrepont lions and cavendish stags bess of hardwick was probably the most powerful woman in elizabethan england after the queen herself and after the marriage of frances, bess married her children off to grander and grander people. Bess hardwick 15271608 started out respectably enough, but would have gotten lost among the numerous progeny of her wellborn but improvident family of gentlemen farmers had she not been married off brilliantly at age 15, only to be widowed two years later by her even younger husband. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. Bringing the tudor age to exuberant life hugh massingberd, mail on sunday, mary s. Sunday times londonfrom the author of the sisters, a chronicle of the most. Portrait of an elizabethan dynast this book is in very good condition and will be shipped within 24 hours of ordering.

Her recent publications include the romance of the middle ages 2012 bodleian library, coauthored with nicholas perkins. Here, in an extract from the book, musgrove visits hardwick hall in derbyshire, which was built by the fantastically wealthy bess of hardwick in the 16th century. Elizabeth cavendish, later elizabeth talbot, countess of shrewsbury c. Venus in winter a novel of bess of hardwick by gillian.

Her father was john hardwick a moderately prosperous landowner and her mother was also called elizabeth. Reading and writing renaissance letters was published by ashgate in 20. Bess of hardwick organised her own life very effectively, as well as those of her extended family, whether they liked it or not. The hardwicks did not hold prestigious offices and the highest office that they ever achieved was esquire. A biography of one of the most remarkable women of the tudor era next to queen elizabeth the most powerful woman in england. Numerous and frequentlyupdated resource results are available from this search. Oclcs webjunction has pulled together information and resources to assist library staff as they consider how to handle coronavirus.