The old hall at hardwick survives only as a shell, with remnants of its plaster decoration. Durant is a lecturer and broadcaster and has contributed to many journals and magazines, including history today and country life. After the earl died in 1590, bess put all her energies into building and furnishing a new country house hardwick hall. Her four marriages led to her becoming the countess of shrewsbury and one of. This book will take its place rightly as the definitive biography of bess of hardwick roy strong, country life part biography and part building history, considering along the way the erection of elizabethan prodigy houses, such as longleat, theobalds. So the book was not just an entertaining biography, but intellectually stimulating as well. Mary lovell charts the rise and rise of bess hardwick, who outlived. It was built between 1587 and 1596 by bess of hardwick, who was among the richest and bestconnected women of the elizabethan age. Hardwick hall was built by the indomitable bess of hardwick, just metres from the original hardwick hall where she was born. Devices and desires explores the life of bess of hardwick and of her great building projects, especially the stillextant hardwick hall. A brief biography of bess of hardwick local histories. Bess of hardwick, a formidable and talented woman, was responsible for the creation of both hardwick hall and chatsworth house.
History of hardwick old hall hardwick old hall is one of the most innovative houses of the tudor period. Bess of hardwick is one of my favourite nonroyal women to read about from the tudor period of english history. The definitive biography roy strong the remarkable story of bess of hardwick, her ascent through elizabethan society and the houses she built that shaped british architectural history. In the books, malfoy manor is said to be in wiltshire, england, which is a 3 hour drive south of the derbyshire mansion that is hardwick hall. Large glazed windows adorn the hall and inside the three floors take you on something of a magical mystery tour, with elaborate rooms designed to wow.
Nov 01, 2018 this book will take its place rightly as the definitive biography of bess of hardwick roy strong, country life part biography and part building history, considering along the way the erection of elizabethan prodigy houses, such as longleat, theobalds, wollaton, and, above all, besss hardwick new hall. Robert barlow sir william cavendish sir william st loe. In north nottinghamshire are the estates of thoresby park, rufford abbey, worksop manor, welbeck abbey. The song hardwick s lofty towers by sarah mcquaid is from the perspective of bess. The letters of bess of hardwick all items from the exhibit will be on loan to the national archives, kew, london, november 2012 february 20, and will then return to hardwick hall, derbyshire, for future use as required.
Elizabeth, countess of shrewsbury c15221608, known as bess of hardwick, is one of elizabethan englands most famous figures. A novel of bess of hardwick reprint by bagwell, gillian isbn. She is renowned as a matriarch and dynast and perhaps best known as the builder of hardwick hall and chatsworth house. Bess hardwick, the fifth daughter of an impoverished derbyshire nobleman, did not have. Bess of hardwick came from a humble origin but she later became one of the most powerful people next to queen elizabeth i. Detail from besss tomb bess of hardwicks magnificent tomb in derby cathedral the family tree of bess of hardwick 15271608 introduction to most people who have heard of the woman who was born elizabeth hardwick in 1527, she is known simply as bess of hardwick and forever coupled to the jingle, hardwick hall, more glass than. Built towards the end of elizabeth is reign by another formidable bess, hardwick hall stands tall in the heart of derbyshire. This series will tell you all you need to know about the hall, its. Born on the site of hardwick old hall bess rose to a position of great power within elizabethan society. Hardwick hall by david adshead, david taylor, nicholas cooper. Portrait of an elizabethan dynast new ed of 2 revised ed by david n. This book gives the reader a very in depth look at bess of hardwick. They owned land in and around hardwick and a modest manor house on the site of hardwick old hall.
New hardwick hall, designed by robert smython and commissioned by bess of hardwick. This in itself was pretty radical but the building design was also a bold step exploring new ideas of the time. This splendid publication is the definitive source of scholarship on the remarkably wellpreserved exemplar of lateelizabethan style. Bess did not abandon the old hall in favour of her new hall, which was mostly complete by1597. Unfortunately, the surviving historical records offer sparse documentation for this. The 1601 inventories of bess of hardwick the national trust, 2001, p. Elizabeth shrewsbury, colloquially known as bess of hardwick, wielded power in an age when women did. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn about bess. Elizabeth, duchess of shrewsbury, carved her initials at the top of the house to leave no doubts as to whose legacy the house stood for.
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. Contemporary accounts describe hardwick hall as being more glass than wall. 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. Jan 19, 2018 after the earl died in 1590, bess put all her energies into building and furnishing a new country house hardwick hall. Most are monuments to the men of british history the good ones and the bad ones.
To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up. Bess lived at hardwick hall with her son william 1st earl of devonshire and his family as well as her young orphaned granddaughter arbella stuart. In 1574 bess arranged a marriage between one of her daughters and the son of the countess of lennox. Born in 1521, bess of hardwick, businesswoman, moneylender and property tycoon, lived an astonishing eightyseven years. Bess of hardwick knew that her hilltop mansion, its tall turrets supporting her stonecarved initials and its facade glittering with thousands of panes of costly glass, would be the. If you walked straight into hardwick hall those credentials are visual today, rich tapestries, plaster friezes, alabaster fireplaces which colour the rooms, to the hauntingly atmospheric long gallery. Here, in an extract from the book, musgrove visits hardwick hall in derbyshire, which was built by the fantastically wealthy bess of hardwick. The freelance history writer is scheduled to go to the united kingdom. It appears on her 2012 album the plum tree and the rose. 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. Bess of hardwick full of shrewdness, she became one of the richest and most remarkable women of elizabethan england, and this biography outlines her many roads and buildings to success. Originally constructed in the late 16th century for the notorious bess of hardwick, countess of shrewsbury, hardwick hall is now among the national trusts greatest architectural landmarks, with much of its original interior and ornamentation still intact.
Hardwick hall is a monument to a woman and a very formidable woman at that. Indeed, all marys work later became part of besss historical collection at hardwick hall. This is the question bbc history magazines david musgrove put to british historians while researching his book 100 places that made britain 2011. 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.
Bess of hardwicks letters the complete correspondence. She rose from being the daughter of a country squire to the second wealthiest women in the land after elizabeth i. Starting to like the elizabethan wall tapestries more and more. Bess of hardwick was a very rich woman in 16th century england. Credits, acknowledgements, outputs bess of hardwick. This wonderfully researched book is an intimate portrait of besss life and a vivid insight into. The hall is a remarkable statement of female authority, says historian hannah greig. If bess was alive now, the daily mail would have a field day. 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. Bess of hardwick, was the daughter of john hardwick, of derbyshire and elizabeth leeke, daughter of thomas leeke and margaret fox. Hardwicks history is closely associated with the lady who built it, elizabeth, countess of shrewsbury, known to many simply as bess of hardwick. This guide book tells the story of hardwick hall, an elizabethan architectural gem, designed and built to proclaim the wealth and status of an extraordinary woman. Praise for venus in winter 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 born elizabeth hardwick in the autumn of 1527 the exact date is not known in the village of hardwick in derbyshire. Hardwick hall by david adshead, david taylor, nicholas. 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. 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. She was married four times, gaining more power after each marriage. Engagingly traces bess of hardwicks astonishing rise, her sometimes fraught experience amid tudor power struggles, and her legacy as a patron of architecture and the decorative arts. The building probably incorporates the manor house begun by james hardwick 15251580, to which his sister bess made radical alterations in the 1580s.
Canny, witty and ambitious, bess was born into genteel poverty, and managed to raise herself to the heights of elizabethan society and privilege by the time of her death of extreme old age. Sep 12, 2018 she would stay in there custody for over 15 years. 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. The contents of jane leach knivetons various bedchambers at chatsworth house, hardwick old hall and new hardwick hall are listed in santina m. Hardwick hall is a essential case study for gcse history on the aqa specification. Elizabeth cavendish, later elizabeth talbot, countess of shrewsbury c. Here, in an extract from the book, musgrove visits hardwick hall in derbyshire, which was built by the.
S set on the battlements of hardwick hall against the derbyshire skyline awe the visitor with magnificent selfassertion today. Hardwick halls history and story hardwick hall, the great manor house known for its beautiful work of english tudor style architecture is located at doe lea, chesterfield, derbyshire united kingdom, on the hill in. She was the daughter of a modest country squire but ended up being the richest woman in england only second to queen elizabeth i. The earl died in 1590 when bess was 63, estranged from his wife. They had a london home and built chatsworth house in derbyshire. Bess of hardwick, as she became known, built hardwick hall between 1590 and this was after her fourth husbands death, when she had become one of the richest people in the country. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. Its associated with bess of hardwick, who was fantastically wealthy in the 16th century. Bess of hardwick and the building of elizabethan england in new york journal of books. Mary lovells book on bess of hardwick is no exception. Bess of hardwick emerges from devices and desires as a fascinating and influential woman well deserving of many historians attention. 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. Bess of hardwick her manipulative charm attracted passionate supporters, she built and furnished beautiful houses, including the first chatsworth. Bess would become one of marys companions, working with her on embroidery and textile projects.
An amazing true story of a woman in the elizabethan era who was able to survive the economic and political minefields of the times, when many men went under. She didnt marry again, but instead she took all of her great wealth and began her largest building project hardwick hall near her childhood home. Hardwick hall is unique among national trust properties. 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. Mar 21, 2014 bess hardwick first lady of chatsworth wgbhforum. In fact, all of marys work later became part of besss historical collection at hardwick hall. 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. Details such as these stop the book from being just a great history lesson. 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. The novel venus in winter does justice to the extraordinary, powerful, and dangerous bess of hardwick. Childrens books, bess of hardwick, k12, english history, 16th century, childrens books, united kingdom and ireland, history. He spent a great deal of time researching this book in the archives of hardwick hall and chatsworth house and in the folger shakespeare library, washington. 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.
On her twelfth birthday, bess of hardwick receives the news that she is to be a waiting gentlewoman in the household of lady zouche. Undoubtedly bess would have been the ceo of some humongous corporation these days, but in her own time she was. The letters of bess of hardwick all items from the exhibit will be on loan to the national archives, kew, london, november 2012 february 20, and will then return to hardwick hall, derbyshire, for. Bess enlisted the help of robert smythson to design hardwick hall. After she married sir william cavendish, she convinced him to move back to her home county.
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