Chapter XVI: The Lady Jane Is Proclaimed Queen

No sooner had King Edward VI given up the ghost, than Northumberland devised a cunning attempt to obtain possession of the person of Princess Mary, then at Hunsdon. The Duke persuaded the Council to address a treacherous letter to her, after Edward was actually dead, but before his decease was divulged to the public, in which they gave no hint that her brother was dead, and informed her he was only very ill, and “prayed her to come to him, as he earnestly desired the comfort of her presence.” Touched by this exhibition of brotherly affection, Mary fell into the trap, and, returning a loving answer, started immediately for London; but a timely warning prevented the whole course of our history being changed. The plot was to seize her on the high road near the metropolis, and convey her a prisoner to the Tower.

A young brother of Sir Nicholas Throckmorton, however, who was in Northumberland’s service, and in attendance upon him at Greenwich Palace, was surprised to see Sir John Gates come, on the morning after the King’s death, to the Duke’s chamber before he was dressed. They discussed the movements of the Princess, and young Throckmorton overheard Gates exclaim angrily, “What sir! will you let the Lady Mary escape, and not secure her person?” Acting upon this hint, he forthwith galloped to Throckmorton House, where he found his father and his brothers, together with Sir Nicholas, who had just come to inform them of the King’s death, of which he had been a witness, and also of Northumberland’s schemes concerning the proclamation of Lady Jane. On this the youth related what he had overheard that morning in Northumberland’s bedroom; and Sir Nicholas, who, although a Reformer, was none the less loyal to Mary, instantly dispatched her goldsmith, a trusty servant, who met her at Hoddesden, and informed her both of her brother’s death and of the danger in which she stood. Even yet she doubted the genuineness of the warning, and remarked to the goldsmith that “If Robert[217] had been at Greenwich, she would have hazarded all things, and gaged her life on the leap.” Sir Robert Throckmorton,[218] however, arriving on 7th July, confirmed the goldsmith’s message, and Mary and her retinue, in consequence, left the London road and struck off into Suffolk, reaching her manor of Kenninghall after a two days’ hard gallop. Almost as soon as she arrived there, she addressed the Council a comparatively mild remonstrance, and at the same time confirmed her claim to the throne. Mary prized the fidelity of the Throckmortons so highly as to bestow upon the chief of that ancient house the position of chief-justice of Chester, which act of kindness he repaid in after times, when Mary was long dead, by praying for her soul whenever he said his mealtime grace.

Lady Jane Grey meanwhile remained at Chelsea until she was sent for: “There came unto me,” she continues in her letter to Queen Mary, “the Lady Sidney, the daughter of the Duke of Northumberland, who told me she was sent by the Council to call me before them, and she informed me that I must be that night at Sion House, where they were assembled, to receive that which was ordained for me by the King.”

The two young ladies went that afternoon (9th July 1553) by river from Chelsea to Sion House, which they reached towards nightfall:--

“On arriving at Sion,” writes Lady Jane, “I found no one there. But
presently came the Marquis of Northampton, the Earls of Arundel,
Huntingdon, and Pembroke, who began to make me complimentary
speeches, bending the knee before me, their example being followed
by several noble ladies, all of which ceremony made me blush. My
distress was still further increased when my mother (the Lady
Frances), and my mother-in-law (the Duchess of Northumberland),
entered and paid me the same homage. Then came the Duke of
Northumberland himself, who, as President of the Council, declared
to me the death of the King, and informed me that every one had
good reason to rejoice in the virtuous life he had led, and the
good death he had. He drew great comfort from the fact that, at
the end of his life, he took great care of his kingdom, praying
to our Lord God to defend it from all doctrine contrary to His,
and to free it from the evil of his sisters. He signified to the
Duke of Northumberland ‘that he (the said Majesty of Edward VI),
had well considered the Act of Parliament, in which it had been
already ordained that, whoever shall recognise Mary, or Elizabeth
her sister, as heir to the Crown, were to be considered traitors,
seeing that Mary had disobeyed the King, her father, and her
brother (Edward VI) and was, moreover, a chief enemy to the Word of
God, and that both were illegitimate. Therefore he would not that
she and her sister be his heirs, but rather thought he ought in
every way to disinherit them.’ And before his death, he ‘commanded
his Council, and adjured them by the honour they owed him, by the
love they bore their country, and by the duty they owe to God,
that they should obey his will and carry it into effect.’ The Duke
of Northumberland then added that I was the heir nominated by His
Majesty, and that my sisters, the Lady Katherine and the Lady
Mary Grey, were to succeed me, in case I had no issue legitimately
born, at which words all the lords of the Council knelt before
me, exclaiming, ‘that they rendered me that homage because it
pertained to me, being of the right line,’ and they added, that in
all particulars they would observe what they promised which was, by
their souls they swore, to shed their blood and lose their lives
to maintain the same. On hearing all this, I remained stunned and
out of myself, I call on those present to bear witness, who saw
me fall to the ground weeping piteously, and dolefully lamenting,
not only mine insufficiency, but the death of the King. I swooned
indeed, and lay as dead, but when brought to myself I raised myself
on my knees, and prayed to God ‘that if to succeed to the Throne
was indeed my duty and my right, that He would aid me to govern the
Realm to His glory.’ The following day, as every one knows, I was
conducted to the Tower.”

Lady Jane’s own version as given above differs materially from the one of this famous scene of the recognition of Jane as Queen edited by Foxe; the two are, however, identical in the main facts, but the bombastic speech put into the mouth of his heroine by the author of the _Book of Martyrs_ is much less natural than Pollino’s version. _The Grey Friars’ Chronicle_ corroborates in every particular both narratives, and adds that, “on 10th July, the Lady Jane came from Richmond to Westminster by water,[219] whither she came to robe herself before proceeding to the Tower.” On her way from Westminster, she stopped at Durham House, her father-in-law’s palace on the Thames, where she dined. Lady Jane afterwards proceeded by the State barge to the Tower, where she landed about three o’clock in the afternoon, the weather being exceedingly fine.

In the Genoese Archives there is a letter from a member of the Spinola family,[220] who was then in London, giving details of that day’s doings:--

“To-day [the date is not given, but possibly it figured on
the cover, now lost: it was, of course, 10th July 1553] I saw
Donna Jana Groia [an Italianisation of Grey] walking in a grand
procession to the Tower. She is now called Queen, but is not
popular, for the hearts of the people are with Mary, the Spanish
Queen’s daughter. This Jane is very short and thin, but prettily
shaped and graceful. She has small features and a well-made nose
(_ben fatta ha il naso_), the mouth flexible and the lips red. The
eyebrows are arched and darker than her hair, which is nearly red.
Her eyes are sparkling and red (_rossi_--a sort of light hazel
often noticed with red hair). I stood so long near Her Grace, that
I noticed her colour was good, but freckled. When she smiled she
showed her teeth, which are white and sharp. In all, a _graziosa
persona_ and _animata_ [animated]. She wore a dress of green
velvet stamped with gold, with large sleeves. Her headdress was a
white coif with many jewels. She walked under a canopy, her mother
carrying her long train, and her husband Guilfo [Guildford] walking
by her, dressed all in white and gold, a very tall strong boy with
light hair, who paid her much attention. The new Queen was mounted
on very high _chopines_ [clogs] to make her look much taller, which
were concealed by her robes, as she is very small and short. Many
ladies followed, with noblemen, but this lady is very _heretica_
and has never heard Mass, and some great people did not come into
the procession for that reason.”

Queen Jane was received by Sir John Brydges, Lieutenant of the Tower, and his brother, Mr. Thomas Brydges, Deputy-Lieutenant, and walked in procession from the landing-place to the Great Hall, a crowd of spectators lining the way, all kneeling as the new Queen passed. The Lady Frances, Duchess of Suffolk, to the surprise of every one, carried her daughter’s train. Pollino informs us that universal indignation was expressed by the onlookers when they beheld the Duchess-mother, who was rightful heiress, playing the part of train-bearer to her daughter, and describes as theatrical in the extreme the obsequious manner in which the Duke of Suffolk and his consort treated their own child, kneeling to her and walking backwards before her, “the which was a most despicable and humiliating sight.”

* * * * *

NOTE.--The following is the full text of the celebrated “Devise,” drawn up by Northumberland and approved by Edward VI.

_Deuise for the succession._

1. For lakke of issu (masle _inserted above the line, but
afterwards erased_) of my body (to the issu (masle _above
the line_) cumming of thissu femal, as i haue after declared
(_inserted, but erased_). To the L. Fraūceses heires masles (For
lakke of _erased_) (if she have any _inserted_) such issu (befor
my death _inserted_) to the L’Janes (and her _inserted_) heires
masles, To the L. Katerins heires masles, To the L Maries heires
masles, To the heires masles of the daughters wich she shal haue
hereafter. Then to the L Margets heires masles. For lakke of such
issu, To th’eires masles of the L Janes daughters. To th’eires
masles of the L Katerins daughters, and so forth til yow come to
the L Margets (daughters _inserted_) heires masles.

2. If after my death theire masle be entred into 18 yere old, then
he to have the hole rule and gouernaūce therof.

3. But if he be under 18, then his mother to be gouuernres til he
entre 18 yere old, But to doe nothing w^tout th’auise (and agremēt
_inserted_) of 6 parcel of a counsel to be pointed by my last will
to the nombre of 20.

4. If the mother die befor th’eire entre into 18 the realme to be
gouuerned by the coūsel Prouided that after he be 14 yere al great
matters of importaunce be opened to him.

5. If i died w^tout issu, and there were none heire masle, then the
L Fraunces to be (regēt _altered to_) gouuernres. For lakke of her,
the her eldest daughters, and for lakke of them the L Marget to be
gouuernres after as is aforsaid, til sume heire masle be borne, and
then the mother of that child to be gouuernres.

6. And if during the rule of the gouuernres ther die 4 of us doo
assent to take, use, and repute hym for a breaker of the common
concord, peax, and unite of this realme, and to doo our uttermost
to see hym or them so varying or swarving punisshed with most
sharpe punisshmentes according to their desertes.

T. CANT T. ELY, CANC WINCHESTER NORTHUBRLAND
J. REDFORD H. SUFFOLK
W. NORTHT
F. SHREWESBURY F. HUNTYNGDON
(PEMBROKE.
E. CLYNTON T. DARCY G. COBHAM
R. RYCHE T. CHEYNE
JOH’N GATE WILL’M PETRE
(JOAN.’ CHEEK
W. CECILL EDWARD MOUNTAGU.
JOHN BAKERE
EDWARD GRYFFYN JOHN LUCAS
JOHN GOSNOLD