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There was likely a rather basic castle at Kenilworth in Saxon times but it became prominent after the Norman Conquest. Henry II ‘nationalised’ it in the 1180s and then built it into a major fortress. The castle was made more palatial in the 1360s.
In 1563 Elizabeth I gifted it to Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester, her favourite. Elizabeth’s famous visit of 1575 almost ruined Dudley. She was accompanied by several hundred hangers-on and no expense was spared for the 19 days of feasting and entertainments. This was above the cost of preparing sumptuous queenly chambers.
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Source: Scan of original.
Image: P...
Date: 15th November 1950.
Repository: Local Studies at Swindon Central Library.
With the recent floods, the Kenilworth mere, which formed part of the castle defences lake is back.
Kenilworth Castle is located in the town of the same name in Warwickshire, England. Constructed from Norman through to Tudor times, the castle has been described by architectural historian Anthony Emery as "the finest surviving example of a semi-royal palace of the later middle ages, significant for its scale, form and quality of workmanship".[1] Kenilworth has also played an important historical role. The castle was the subject of the six-month long Siege of Kenilworth in 1266, believed to be the longest siege in English history, and formed a base for Lancastrian operations in the Wars of the Roses. Kenilworth was also the scene of the removal of Edward II from the English throne, the French insult to Henry V in 1414 (said by John Strecche to have encouraged the Agincourt campaign), and the Earl of Leicester's lavish reception of Elizabeth I in 1575.
The castle was built over several centuries. Founded in the 1120s around a powerful Norman great tower, the castle was significantly enlarged by King John at the beginning of the 13th century. Huge water defences were created by damming the local streams and the resulting fortifications proved able to withstand assaults by land and water in 1266. John of Gaunt spent lavishly in the late 14th century, turning the medieval castle into a palace fortress designed in the latest perpendicular style. The Earl of Leicester then expanded the castle once again, constructing new Tudor buildings and exploiting the medieval heritage of Kenilworth to produce a fashionable Renaissance palace.
Kenilworth was partly destroyed by Parliamentary forces in 1649 to prevent it being used as a military stronghold. Ruined, only two of its buildings remain habitable today. The castle became a tourist destination from the 18th century onwards, becoming famous in the Victorian period following the publishing of Sir Walter Scott's novel Kenilworth in 1826. English Heritage has managed the castle since 1984. The castle is classed as a Grade I listed building and as a Scheduled Monument, and is open to the public.
St Catherine's Island a small tidal island linked to Tenby by Castle beach at low tide. The island, which is known colloquially as St Catherine's Rock, is the location of a castle named St Catherine's Fort. In Tenby, Pembrokeshire, South Wales.
During the reign of Elizabeth I, the Earl of Pembroke was the owner of St Catherine’s Island. Later, the ownership passed to the Corporation of Tenby, which took possession of several crown lands. It is recorded in 1856 that a few sheep inhabited the island. An observer described them as “half wild sure-footed creatures that run, turn and look, run again and leap from crag to crag almost with the agility of the Alpine Chamois”.
For many centuries, a tiny church was the only building on the Island. The remains of the church were demolished when St Catherine's Fort was constructed in 1867. It served as a zoo for several years.
The island is formed from an outcrop of limestone, on average 25m high, the island is riddled with tidal caves. The island is approximately 200 metres (660 ft) long and 60 metres (200 ft) wide. The area below the high waterline at St Catherine's Island is a Site of Special Scientific Interest. The stretch directly in front of the island is known as the Catterns.
In 2014 the island was opened to the public for the first time since 1979 but closed a few years later. The Final Problem, the third and last episode of the fourth series of the BBC TV series Sherlock was filmed on the island, with it standing in as a maximum-security prison.
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End of an era… The Bullied ‘Pacific’ No. 70 ‘Elizabeth II’ in Royal purple livery before it reverts to its BR lined green No. 34027 ‘Taw Valley’. The repainting of this heritage locomotive into purple for the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee in June delighted thousands of members of the public since its first appearance in May. The loco is seen approaching Hampton Loade station with a service from Kidderminster to Bridgnorth during the Severn Valley Railway’s autumn steam gala on 15th September 2022.
From the film 'The Golden Age'.
Join my Group which celebrates 'Queen Elizabeth I' and all she represents at:
Elizabeth I – The Virgin Queen (1533-1603) - Part of the Regal Twelve series.
http://alexiasinclair.com/the-regal-twelve
The daughter of King Henry VIII, Elizabeth was born into royalty at Greenwich Palace near London. Henry, hoping for a male heir, declared Elizabeth illegitimate, accused her mother of adultery and had her beheaded. Succeeding her sister to the throne, Elizabeth ruled with the knowledge that effective rule depended upon popular support. Advisors urged the queen to marry to strengthen ties with allies and to produce heirs to the throne, yet Elizabeth chose instead to marry England. Strategically aligning herself with the catholic figure the Virgin Mary, Elizabeth secured a shift of power through her embodiment of symbolic virginity. Purified, she was transformed from an illegitimate protestant woman to ‘the virgin queen’. Her purification began with a physical transformation by cutting off her hair, whitening her skin and adorning herself in pearls; symbols of purity and wealth.
Photographer: Alexia Sinclair.
Hair: Illustrated
MUA: Leeby Sotherine & Sahra Bull
Lighting: Softbox left (key) softbox right (fill) 1 stop difference between the two.
Model: Louise Van de Vorst, Chadwick Models
Retoucher/Post: Alexia Sinclair
Rings, Orb, Sceptre, Pearls and Crown & Chess set all composites.
© Alexia Sinclair
1581, 4th April, Deptford, London. Queen Elizabeth I boards a docked Golden Hinde and Knights Francis Drake.
Sir Francis Drake had arrived back at Plymouth, England towards the end of 1580 following three years at sea circumnavigating the globe, amongst other enterprises. For his trouble he is knighted by Elizabeth I.
This film was visually stunning.
Join my Group which celebrates 'Queen Elizabeth I' and all she represents at:
Queen Elizabeth I visited Robert Dudley at Kenilworth Castle in 1566 and again in 1568. However it was her final stay in 1575, complete with an entourage of several hundred, that has passed into legend.
No expense was spared for the July visit which lasted for 19 days and is reputed to have cost Dudley £1000 per day, an amount that almost bankrupted him. Elizabeth brought an entourage of thirty-one barons and four hundred staff, and twenty horsemen a day arrived at the castle to communicate royal messages.
The splendour of the pageantry eclipsed anything that had ever been seen in England before. Apart from dancing, music, and hunting everyday in Dudley's new deer park, reached by his new gatehouse and bridge over an arm of the mere, Elizabeth was entertained with lavish displays and mock battles on the mere, upon which had been built a mock floating island complete with the legendary Lady of the Lake attended by nymphs, and a firework display that could be heard from twenty miles away. The festivities are said to have been the inspiration for Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and it is possible that an impressionable eleven year old Shakespeare could have been in the huge crowds that gathered around the castle.
A lovely little Elizabethan house/manor, even more interesting as it's only partly restored/refurbished
Metro London newspaper. July 2001:
News feature about the refurbishment and opening of the main Walkway to the Tower of London; lined with reproducytions of a series of 30 paintings that Stephen B Whatley was commissioned to paint for the Tower of London in 2000.
Many of the original paintings can be viewed on this site.
From the archives... artist Stephen B Whatley's work which has since 1982 been the subject of features in newspapers & magazines including The Guardian, Guardian Weekend magazine, HELLO! magazine, MAJESTY magazine, Metro London Newspaper, The New York Times, The Sunday Express, The Daily Telegraph, The London Times newspaper, TIME magazine and USA TODAY.
Odd, but I overlooked posting this shot taken at the Renaissance Pleasure Faire 2009... odd, because it is one of my favorites, depicting Elizabeth I, Queen of the Renaissance Pleasure Faire.
Hatfield House is a sumptuous Jacobean house with gardens, where Queen Elizabeth I grew up.
It is located in a large estate, the Great Park, near the town of Hatfield in Hertfordshire, England.
Hatfield House est une somptueuse demeure jacobéenne agrémentée de jardins, où a grandi la reine Elizabeth I.
Elle est située dans un grand domaine, le Great Park, à proximité de la ville de Hatfield dans le Hertfordshire, en Angleterre.
The remains of Kenilworth Castle in Kenilworth, Warwickshire. It was first constructed in Norman times and updated through to Tudor times, the castle has been described by architectural historian Anthony Emery as "the finest surviving example of a semi-royal palace of the later middle ages, significant for its scale, form and quality of workmanship".
Kenilworth has also played an important historical role. The castle was the subject of the six-month long Siege of Kenilworth in 1266, believed to be the longest siege in English history, and formed a base for Lancastrian operations in the War of the Roses. Kenilworth was also the scene of the removal of Edward II from the English throne, the French insult to Henry V in 1414 (said by John Strecche to have encouraged the Agincourt campaign), and the Earl of Leicester's lavish reception of Elizabeth I in 1575.
The castle was built over several centuries. Founded in the 1120s around a powerful Norman great tower, the castle was significantly enlarged by King John at the beginning of the 13th century. Huge water defences were created by damming the local streams and the resulting fortifications proved able to withstand assaults by land and water in 1266. John of Gaunt spent lavishly in the late 14th century, turning the medieval castle into a palace fortress designed in the latest perpendicular style. The Earl of Leicester then expanded the castle once again, constructing new Tudor buildings and exploiting the medieval heritage of Kenilworth to produce a fashionable Renaissance palace.
Kenilworth was partly destroyed by Parliamentary forces in 1649 to prevent it being used as a military stronghold. Ruined, only two of its buildings remain habitable today. The castle became a tourist destination from the 18th century onwards, becoming famous in the Victorian period following the publishing of Sir Walter Scott's novel Kenilworth in 1826. English Heritage has managed the castle since 1984. The castle is classed as a Grade I listed building and as a Scheduled Monument, and is open to the public.
Hardwick Old Hall is one of the most innovative houses of the Tudor period. It was built between 1587 and 1596 by Bess of Hardwick, who was among the richest and best-connected women of the Elizabethan age. A radical modern mansion, it drew on the latest Italian innovations in house design. Although the Old Hall is now a magnificent shell, it remains a glittering reflection of Bess’s status and aspirations.
This is the Elizabethan Garden, recreated in 2009, based on a letter written by Robert Langham on 'The Magnificent Pageants presented before Queen Elizabeth at Kenilworth Castle in 1575'. Fortunately, his description is very detailed, and along with other research made recreation possible. Now over 20 years old, it's looking pretty established.
At the far end is the aviary in Italianate style, which has birds. In front is a marble fountain with two 'Athlants' or Atlas figures holding the world on their shoulders, with water spouts. The water falls into the bowl of the fountain with an eight-sided base with classical scenes of Neptune and other watery characters.
Viewed from a footpath that skirts the site of the great lake (often called the mere) that was created in the early 13th century by King John, making Kenilworth one of the most formidable fortresses in the kingdom.
The Cross of St George, the English Flag, fluttering from the mast of the 1973 reconstruction of the Golden Hinde, at Bankside, Southwark, London.
The original Golden Hinde, captained by the privateer Francis Drake, circumnavigated the globe between 1577 and 1580, returning with enough treasure to pay off the national debt. The endeavor earned Drake his knighthood and netted Queen Elizabeth I and other investors a 4700% return on investment! This full size replica was constructed in Appledore, North Devon using traditional methods, and launched in 1973. It has also circumnavigated the globe, and in total has travelled 140,000 mi (230,000 km), equivalent to more than five times around the globe. Since 1996 she has been berthed at St Mary Overie Dock on Cathedral Street, in Bankside, Southwark, London, between Southwark Cathedral and Clink Street.
Shot with a Nikon D40, fitted with a Tamron 70-300mm F4/5.6 DI LD (Nikon AFS) lens and processed in GIMP and Photoscape.
St Catherine's Island a small tidal island linked to Tenby by Castle beach at low tide. The island, which is known colloquially as St Catherine's Rock, is the location of a castle named St Catherine's Fort. In Tenby, Pembrokeshire, South Wales.
During the reign of Elizabeth I, the Earl of Pembroke was the owner of St Catherine’s Island. Later, the ownership passed to the Corporation of Tenby, which took possession of a number of crown lands. It is recorded in 1856 that a few sheep inhabited the island. An observer described them as “half wild sure footed creatures that run, turn and look, run again and leap from crag to crag almost with the agility of the Alpine Chamois”.
For many centuries a tiny church was the only building on the Island. The remains of the church were demolished when St Catherine's Fort was constructed in 1867. It served as a zoo for a number of years.
The island is formed from an outcrop of limestone, on average 25m high, the island is riddled with tidal caves. The island is approximately 200 metres (660 ft) long and 60 metres (200 ft) wide. The area below the high waterline at St Catherine's Island is a Site of Special Scientific Interest. The stretch directly in front of the island is known as the Catterns.
In April 2014 the island was opened to the public for the first time since 1979 but closed a few years later. In 2016 The Final Problem, the third and last episode of the fourth series of the BBC TV series Sherlock was filmed on the island, with it standing in as a maximum security prison.
This is the Elizabethan Garden, recreated in 2009, based on a letter written by Robert Langham on 'The Magnificent Pageants presented before Queen Elizabeth at Kenilworth Castle in 1575'. Fortunately, his description is very detailed, and along with other research made recreation possible. Now over 20 years old, it's looking pretty established.
The whole pageant (which lasted 19 days) was intended to persuade the Queen to marry Robert Dudley and in addition to the garden he had also lavished money on what is now known as Leicester's Gatehouse, exclusively for her use. She could be very demanding, however, and having admired the new gardens, regretted that they could not be seen from her quarters in the gatehouse. So keen was Dudley to appease her that he had new flowerbeds created overnight.
St Catherine's Island a small tidal island linked to Tenby by Castle beach at low tide. The island, which is known colloquially as St Catherine's Rock, is the location of a castle named St Catherine's Fort. In Tenby, Pembrokeshire, South Wales.
During the reign of Elizabeth I, the Earl of Pembroke was the owner of St Catherine’s Island. Later, the ownership passed to the Corporation of Tenby, which took possession of several crown lands. It is recorded in 1856 that a few sheep inhabited the island. An observer described them as “half wild sure-footed creatures that run, turn and look, run again and leap from crag to crag almost with the agility of the Alpine Chamois”.
For many centuries, a tiny church was the only building on the Island. The remains of the church were demolished when St Catherine's Fort was constructed in 1867. It served as a zoo for several years.
The island is formed from an outcrop of limestone, on average 25m high, the island is riddled with tidal caves. The island is approximately 200 metres (660 ft) long and 60 metres (200 ft) wide. The area below the high waterline at St Catherine's Island is a Site of Special Scientific Interest. The stretch directly in front of the island is known as the Catterns.
In 2014 the island was opened to the public for the first time since 1979 but closed a few years later. The Final Problem, the third and last episode of the fourth series of the BBC TV series Sherlock was filmed on the island, with it standing in as a maximum-security prison.
Information Source:
This is the Elizabethan Garden, recreated in 2009, based on a letter written by Robert Langham on 'The Magnificent Pageants presented before Queen Elizabeth at Kenilworth Castle in 1575'. Fortunately, his description is very detailed, and along with other research made recreation possible. Now over 20 years old, it's looking pretty established.
This is one of a pair of loggias at either end of the high terrace above the Elizabethan Garden.
St Catherine's Island a small tidal island linked to Tenby by Castle beach at low tide. The island, which is known colloquially as St Catherine's Rock, is the location of a castle named St Catherine's Fort. In Tenby, Pembrokeshire, South Wales.
During the reign of Elizabeth I, the Earl of Pembroke was the owner of St Catherine’s Island. Later, the ownership passed to the Corporation of Tenby, which took possession of several crown lands. It is recorded in 1856 that a few sheep inhabited the island. An observer described them as “half wild sure-footed creatures that run, turn and look, run again and leap from crag to crag almost with the agility of the Alpine Chamois”.
For many centuries, a tiny church was the only building on the Island. The remains of the church were demolished when St Catherine's Fort was constructed in 1867. It served as a zoo for several years.
The island is formed from an outcrop of limestone, on average 25m high, the island is riddled with tidal caves. The island is approximately 200 metres (660 ft) long and 60 metres (200 ft) wide. The area below the high waterline at St Catherine's Island is a Site of Special Scientific Interest. The stretch directly in front of the island is known as the Catterns.
In 2014 the island was opened to the public for the first time since 1979 but closed a few years later. The Final Problem, the third and last episode of the fourth series of the BBC TV series Sherlock was filmed on the island, with it standing in as a maximum-security prison.
Information Source:
Explored 14-08-2018. Highest position #361
Hatfield House
The home of the 7th Marquess and Marchioness of Salisbury and their family.
The Estate has been in the Cecil family for 400 years.
In 1611, Robert Cecil, 1st Earl of Salisbury, and the son of Lord Burghley, the chief minister of Elizabeth I built this fine Jacobean House adjoining the site of the Old Palace of Hatfield.
The deer park surrounding the house, and the older building of the Old Palace, had been owned Henry VIII who had used it as a home for his children, Edward, Elizabeth and Mary. It was while she was living in the Old Palace, in 1558, that Elizabeth learned of her accession to the throne.
The House was splendidly decorated for entertaining the Royal Court, with State Rooms rich in paintings, fine furniture and tapestries.
Superb examples of Jacobean craftsmanship, such as the Grand Staircase with its fine carving, and the rare stained glass window in the private chapel can be seen throughout the house .
www.hatfield-house.co.uk/house-park-garden/history
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hatfield_House
The Library
The Library houses an extensive collection of more than 10,000 volumes, dating from the 16th century to the present day.
The room occupies the site of the original Great and Withdrawing Chambers on the west side of the House. In contrast, the rooms on the east side were reserved for the King.
The Library was formed in about 1782, when the dividing wall between the two rooms was removed. The rebuilt chimneypiece incorporates a remarkable mosaic portrait of Robert Cecil which was made in Venice and presented as a gift to him in 1608.
Most of the chairs were made for the room in 1782 and have only recently been recovered in Nigerian goatskin to match the original crimson leather.
The windows overlook the West Garden and the Old Palace. The cast-iron rails of the balcony were supplied from Paris in 1875.
www.hatfield-house.co.uk/house-park-garden/the-house/the-...
Phillip Mould:
Elizabeth I understood the power of portraiture better than almost any other English monarch. Like all the Tudors, she knew well the value of making her subjects aware of her identity. Her grandfather, Henry VII, was the first monarch to put his own accurate portrait on the English coinage, while her father, Henry VIII, seized on Holbein’s ability to present himself as a strong and majestic ruler in numerous official portraits. So Elizabeth too mobilised her own image, emboldened and reinforced with expensive costumes and sumptuous jewels, as a symbol of royal authority. Above all, such portraits were a demonstration that, despite being a woman, Elizabeth was the natural and legitimate ruler of England.
The flamboyant image of Elizabeth seen here has become one of the most successful sovereign statements in English history. The contrast with Elizabeth’s earlier portraiture is striking. In the first portrait of her as Queen, the ‘Clopton’ portrait of 1558 [Private Collection, formerly Philip Mould Ltd], Elizabeth is shown with conspicuous piety. She wears a relatively simple black dress, and holds a religious book in her hand. This portrayal accords well with what we know to be Elizabeth’s virtuous, even frugal youthful character.
But as her reign progressed Elizabeth’s portraiture became increasingly outré. Each portrait outdid the last with ever more elaborate changes in costume, pose, composition and jewelry, a progression matched by Elizabeth’s increasing addiction to expensive jewels. The process culminates in the over-indulgent, oversized, almost absurd example of the ‘Ditchley’ portrait [National Portrait Gallery], in which Elizabeth is shown full length, bestriding the earth, as bolts of lighting strike dramatically through the sky behind her. Her face is small, aged, even ugly, and overwhelmed by the rest of the painting. Elizabeth the person is subsumed by Elizabeth the icon.
And this was precisely the intention. They key to understanding Elizabeth’s portraiture lies in a recognition of her political vulnerability. Female monarchs in the sixteenth century were rare enough. Unmarried female monarchs were unheard of. Her image, therefore, could not stress traditional female charms; beauty, grace, fertility. In fact, it had to stress the opposite. From the late 1570s onwards, when it became clear that she would not marry, Elizabeth was effectively de-sexed. She was portrayed as a virtuous emblem of state, the Virgin Queen forsaking marriage for the good of the kingdom. It was therefore not enough for Elizabeth to rely on likeness alone in her portraiture. She certainly could not be portrayed in the demur, usually seated, manner of her sister Mary, supported as she was by her marriage to Philip of Spain. And, of course, Elizabeth was unable to rely on sheer physical presence in her portraits, as her father done. Thus her portraits came to rely on bejewelled and bulky costumes – ‘Gloriana’ – for the projection of majesty.
This portrait is one of the best known images of the Queen. Commonly called the ‘Armada’ type, it is one of four versions, most likely painted in the late 1580s and early 1590s. The three related pictures are at; Woburn Abbey, the National Portrait Gallery, and in the possession of the descendants of Sir Francis Drake. They celebrate the apogaic defeat of the Spanish fleet in 1588 by the inclusion of a naval battle in the background.
What is considered the ‘prime’ Armada type, that at Woburn, has been attributed to George Gower. Gower produced a large number of portraits of Elizabeth in his capacity as the Queen’s Serjeant painter, and thus would have had an extensive workshop to help meet the high demand. This portrait was most probably painted by an artist familiar with his practices.
The production of Elizabeth’s portraits followed well established practices. A standardized face ‘mask’ was used, as has been the case in this example. Face masks not only saved time, but made up for the impossibility of painting the Queen from life for each new commission. Masks were also used to adhere to the fairly stringent, if unofficial, rules surrounding the production of the Queen’s image. She preferred, for example, to have no shadows across her face, and hence the stark, bright appearance of her features. The pose and costume would then have been painted with greater artistic freedom. Subtle changes would have been introduced in each portrait, usually in the accessories such as the fan in this example, so that the dependence on standard facial types did not give rise to identical portraits of the Queen. It appears to have been accepted that no two portraits of the Queen should be identical.
There has been some debate about the precise date of this portrait. When recently sold at Christies, London, it was dated to between1600 and1620, principally due to the use of canvas. However, it is possible that the portrait can be dated to within Elizabeth’s lifetime. An imposition of a terminus post quem of 1600 on the present portrait, simply because canvas was most commonly a seventeenth century medium, is unjustified.
Although canvas is thought to have been introduced mainly at the turn of the seventeenth century, there are many examples of canvas portraits in the sixteenth century, particularly for larger works where the use of oak might have been prohibitively expensive. In Europe canvas was used throughout the sixteenth century, while in England it can be found in early Tudor royal portraits, such as the group of Henry VIII and his family [Royal Collection] and a portrait of Edward VI [Lord Egremont]. There are also examples of contemporary portraits of Elizabeth on canvas, such as; Quentin Metsys the Younger’s ‘Sieve’ portrait of 1583, Marcus Gheeraerdts’ ‘Ditchley’ portrait of c.1592 [NPG]; John Bettes the Younger’s portrait of c.1590 [on loan to Pollok House, Glasgow]; and the anonymous ‘Elizabeth I with a Crescent-moon Jewel’ [Duke of Buccleuch and Queensbury]. Significantly, two portraits that use the same face-mask as the Armada present portrait are also on canvas, one dated c.1590 at Toledo Museum of Art, and another, a full-length, also c.1590, at Trinity College Cambridge [check]. The present work is painted on a particularly coarse weave, as seen in very early English canvas paintings.
If the present work was painted after Elizabeth’s death, then it must have been a copied from an earlier work, namely, one of the other three Armada versions. What is evident from even the cursory comparison of the facial features however, is that the sensitive modelling and cadaverous characterisation are both manifestly early in handling and of notable high quality, particularly when set aside other versions. It would seem untenable that this could have been completed by any artist who did not have experience of contemporaneous workshop practices. Paint analysis has confirmed a possible date from the late sixteenth century, and reveals the use of azurite, a pigment regularly used in the sixteenth century. And, finally, and indicatively there are numerous differences between the present painting and the other three Armada types.
The most obvious difference is the lack of an Armada scene. It would make little sense for a posthumous copy of an Armada portrait not to include any reference to the greatest event of her reign, particularly when such a copy must have been commissioned with a degree of retrospective gloire. For all its later acclaim, the Armada portrait type was in fact a relatively short lived phenomenon. It seems improbable that an artist charged with making a copy in James I’s reign would chose a work of relative rarity, and which cannot by then have been easily accessible.
There are also significant differences in the jewelry between the present painting and the three other versions. In the present work the Queen wears a double chain of pearls across her bodice. A similar arrangement can be seen in Gower type portraits of the 1580s, the ‘Darnley’ portrait c.1575, Marcus Gheerearts the Elder’s c.1585 full length, and most strikingly in Quentin Metys the Younger’s ‘Sieve’ portrait of 1583. However, in the other three Armada portraits the Queen is shown wearing a far larger arrangement of pearls. These were almost certainly those bequeathed by the Earl of Leicester to Elizabeth, his “most dear and gracious Sovereign whose creature under God I have been”, in 1588. Elizabeth, who locked herself in her room on hearing Leicester’s demise, is shown wearing this gift in most of her later portraits. It would be extremely unusual for an artist to copy an Armada portrait, and then, in addition to making numerous changes in the pose and costume, revert to a formula of jewelry used before 1588.
Similarly, in the present portrait Elizabeth is shown holding a distinctive jewel of a large diamond, flanked by two figures, with a large pendant pearl. This same jewel can be seen clearly in the Metsys’ sieve portrait. It makes further appearances, in a more generalized form, in only a handful of portraits dated to the 1580s, such as that attributed by Roy Strong to John Bettes the Younger [Private Collection, Gloriana p.118, and in the little-known portrait of Elizabeth seated on a throne [Lord Tollemache]. It does not appear in portraits of the Queen post 1590. Its presence in the present portrait could be explained by an artist conversant in Elizabethan iconography and fashion – and that means a contemporary workshop.
We must also consider the likely circumstances in which the portrait would have been commissioned. Royal portraits of this size and scale were usually commissioned as a means of displaying loyalty to the regime, perhaps by a leading courtier, nobleman, or gentry family. In this context a late copy of Elizabeth on the scale and quality seen here would have had no political value in the reign of the new Stuart king, James I. Posthumous copies of Elizabeth tend to be confined to smaller corridor portraits, or include obvious references to her age and death, such as the example at Corsham Court, in which a weary Queen is overshadowed by the figure of Death.
Phillip Mould:
This painting of the young Queen dating to c.1558 is ‘undoubtedly the earliest portrait of the Queen after her accession’1. It is remarkable in the simplicity of its conception, and offers a surprising and refreshing alternative glimpse of Elizabeth the woman in comparison with the more familiar, later portraits, in which the individual is obscured and then entirely overwhelmed in a profusion of emblematic and allegorical representation. In the assessment of Malcolm Rogers ‘it is by far the most ambitious and the only one at three-quarter length and showing her hands (which were much admired by contemporaries).’2 Rogers also notes the painting’s superb condition, and the ‘considerable refinement and delicacy of touch’3 evident in the execution. Sir Roy Strong agrees that ‘this very early image, the Clopton portrait is by far the largest and most complete.’4
Survivals of this early pattern are rare, and the present example is unique in showing the Queen at three-quarter length. The few other examples, such as that in the collection of the National Portrait Gallery (NPG 4449), formerly at Northwick Park, show the Queen only at bust-length, and are noticeably more wooden in execution. NPG 4449 reduces the composition to a mere head emerging from an ermine collar, and the Queen’s jewellery is treated in a cursory and schematic manner. Considering the NPG portrait it is easy to understand why Elizabeth was forced in 1563 to issue a proclamation banning the further reproduction of her portrait until she had sat for a new model.
The authority of the Clopton portrait is apparent in the meticulous painting of the Queen’s ruff and cuffs, and the highly realistic depiction of her ermine collar. The painting of the face is in the tradition of English mid-sixteenth portraiture with its hard, delicate rendition of eyes, nose and mouth, but the painter has modelled the face to suggest real presence and animation which elevate it above the ranks of the increasingly mechanical and mask-like reproductions. Perhaps the most telling detail, however, which confirms the status of this portrait is the drawing of the large, square-cut jewel that the Queen wears from the double chain around her neck. This is simplified to its bare outline in NPG 4449, and the male and female figures that flank the cartouche have been misunderstood as mannerist curlicues. Throughout her reign, as her portraiture amply demonstrates, Queen Elizabeth’s jewellery was a vastly important facet of her magnificence. Numerous pieces of emblematic jewellery were worn by her, and given and exchanged between her and favourite courtiers, some of which, such as ‘The Ship Jewel’ in the Victoria and Albert Museum, survive to give a taste of their luxury. Little survives, as it was swiftly dispersed by her successors, James I and Charles I. The Clopton portrait is an important record of what must have been one of the Queen’s favourite and oldest jewels, the jewel known as ‘The Mirror of France’ which had belonged to King Henry VIII her father. The large pendant is represented so exactly that it can be recognised in at least three later portraits. She wears it from a chain around her neck in an anonymous panel portrait dated by Strong to c.1568 and again in the later Portrait of Queen Elizabeth in Robes of State c.1585 – 90 (collection of Lord Tollemache, Helmingham Hall). It is also recognisable in the famous ‘Sieve portrait’ (Marquess of Salisbury, Hatfield House).
This portrait was in the collection of the Rev F. H. Hodgson at Clopton House in Warwickshire, where it hung with portraits of the Clopton family, remaining after the sale of Clopton House in 1930 with Hodgson’s heirs until the 1980s. The Cloptons had been a family of considerable importance in Stratford on Avon, and members of the family had been benefactors and chief citizens of the town since the early middle ages. During the reign of Elizabeth they lived both at Clopton House just outside the town and at New Place, a large gabled building set around three courtyards next to the Guild Chapel built by their ancestor Sir Hugh Clopton, Lord Mayor of London in 1492. This house, where the present portrait may well have hung during their occupancy, was sold to another of Stratford’s prominent citizens in 1597, William Shakespeare, for the considerable sum of £120. Shakespeare would have had frequent dealings with the Cloptons, since he and they were the town’s richest inhabitants and chief landowners in the country nearby. The history of the Cloptons even influenced one of Shakespeare’s plays, since the story of Charlotte Clopton who was hastily interred alive in the Clopton vault during a sixteenth century outbreak of plague, is considered to be the source of the death of Juliet in Romeo and Juliet.
1. Private correspondence with Malcolm Rogers, then Deputy Director of the National Portrait Gallery London August 3rd 1992
2. ibid.
3. ibid.
4. Private correspondence with Sir Roy Strong July 27th 1991
Phillip Mould: "This portrait, previously unknown, is one of only a handful of images that show Elizabeth I at the outset of her reign in 1558. She is shown in a simple black costume with an ermine trim, and holds a pair of gloves in one hand and a prayer book in the other. The portrait is surprisingly un-regal, and were it not for the well established dating of this portrait type, one might find it hard to believe that this austere looking young woman had just acceded to the throne of England. After all, the best known portraits of Elizabeth present her as the ‘Gloriana’ figure so well known to history; an ageless symbol of a nation, immersed in jewels and rich costume.
However, despite its austerity, the present portrait would have had a clearly defined purpose at the time of its commission. We cannot be entirely certain as to what exactly this was, but it must, given the ‘props’ seen in the picture, have centered on religion. Under Elizabeth’s sister Mary, England had undergone a forced programme of religious change designed to return the country to the Catholic fold after the Reformation introduced by Henry VIII and continued Edward VI. The key question at Elizabeth’s accession in 1558 was which religious direction she would chose to take the country towards. It has been argued, therefore, that these early portraits of Elizabeth attempted to portray the new Queen as committed to spreading the English vernacular, and thus continuing the work of Henry and Edward. In this case, the royal coat of arms on the book in the present portrait could allude to the Book of Common Prayer first made available in English under Edward in 1549.
One could equally argue that the picture’s message is one of religious conviction in general, and simply attests to Elizabeth’s seriousness of purpose. There was also the question of Elizabeth’s sex to address, for Mary had unfortunately set a bad precedent as England’s first queen regnant, and 1558 saw the publication of John Knox’s infamous 'First Blast of the Trumpet Against The Monstrous Regiment of Women’.
Elizabeth, therefore, had little choice but to present herself as a pious, solemn monarch. It would have been entirely appropriate that the first images of Elizabeth as Queen presented her as solemnly dressed and holding a religious book
in an obvious display of her piety. But this could be the limit of any religious interpretation. There was little appetite for the extreme religious changes Edward or Mary had tried to introduce, and the prospect of the religious pendulum again swinging violently from one extreme to the other was widely feared. Elizabeth’s religious settlement in 1558-9 was swift but relatively conservative.
In any case, it is clear even in these early images that Elizabeth understood the power of portraiture. Like all the Tudors, she knew well the value of making her subjects aware of her identity, and the context in which it was projected. Her grandfather, Henry VII, was the first monarch to put his own accurate portrait on the English coinage, while her father, Henry VIII, seized on Holbein’s ability to present himself as a strong and majestic ruler in numerous official portraits. As can be seen throughout her reign, Elizabeth repeatedly mobilised her own image as a symbol of royal authority in a conscious demonstration that, despite being a woman, she was the natural and legitimate ruler of England. Perhaps the most interesting aspect of these early portraits, however, is their presentation of Elizabeth the woman, rather than Elizabeth the symbol.
The present portrait is one of only a handful of certainly known versions of this likeness. This portrait type has come to be known as the ‘Clopton’ type, after the previous location at Clopton Hall of the largest of the four examples. The other versions are a small head in the National Portrait Gallery, the present version, and two other similar, though not certainly dated, examples; one sold at Sotheby’s in 1996, and another at the Guildhall, Thetford. Dendrochronoligical analysis of the present example gives an earliest possible felling date for the oak panels as 1535, and a most plausible creation date of 1552 upwards.
Recent further analysis and conservation suggests strongly that this is the earliest example of its type, and occupies a key place in the genesis of these early Elizabethan images. X-ray and infra-red examination has revealed another complete portrait of Elizabeth underneath the present picture, in which she is seen looking directly at the viewer. The costume appears to be more flamboyant, with a larger ruff and elaborate sleeves. Elizabeth’s hands are differently placed,
and there is no book. The picture bears a close resemblance to what must now be considered an earlier likeness of Elizabeth, probably painted before she became Queen, an example of which can be found at Hever Castle in Kent. Another, more flattering example of this ‘face-on’ type can be seen in the ‘Coronation Portrait’ of Elizabeth in the National Portrait Gallery, a picture thought to be a later copy c.1600 of a lost original, but which, in the opinion of the present author, may well be a contemporary portrait, albeit much over-painted.
For whatever reason, the earlier ‘face-on’ portrait type may have been judged improper shortly after Elizabeth’s accession, and a desire must have been expressed for a more formal and becoming image of the new Queen in keeping with the new religious settlement. The result is an early example of a political makeover; the prayer book was added, and the costume reduced. (The process was not new; in Mary’s reign precisely the opposite process had been applied to a portrait of Henry VIII in which an English Bible had been over-painted, on Bishop Gardiner’s orders, with a pair of gloves.) The other versions were therefore possibly worked up from the present example. The change in the angle of Elizabeth’s face is also interesting, and implies an aesthetic alteration. Almost all Elizabeth’s portraits after this date show Elizabeth’s face at a slight angle away from the viewer. Was the initial, face-on portrait, of the type begun by Henry VIII and Holbein, deemed too unflattering for, or by the Queen?"
Abd el-Ouahed ben Messaoud ben Mohammed Anoun (1558-?) was principal secretary to the Moroccan ruler "Muly Hamet" (Mulai Ahmad al-Mansur), and ambassador to the court of Queen Elizabeth I of England in 1600, to promote the establishment of an Anglo-Moroccan alliance.
The visit of Abd el-Ouahed ben Messaoud followed the sailing of The Lion in 1551, and the 1585 establishment of the English Barbary Company, which had the objective of developing trade between England and Morocco.Vaughan, p.57 Diplomatic relations and an alliance were established between Elizabeth and the Barbary states.
The last years of the 16th century saw major English successes against Spain, with the English victory against the Spanish Armada in 1588, and the Capture of Cadiz by the Earl of Essex in 1597, and also Moroccan successes against Spain at the Battle of Alcazar in 1578. Emboldened by these successes, Muly Hamet decided to send an embassy to propose a joint invasion of Spain. Abd el-Ouahed ben Messaoud was accompanied by al Hage Messa and al Hage Bahanet, as well as an interpreter named Abd el-Dodar, an Andalusian by birth, under cover of a trade mission to Aleppo with a stopover in London.Nicoll, p.91 Altogether, the embassy numbered 16 (including some prisoners being returned to England), and sailed onboard The Eagle under Robert Kitchen. He reached Dover on 8 August, 1600.
Abd el-Ouahed ben Messaoud spent 6 months at the court of Elizabeth, at the age of 42, in order to negotiate an alliance against Spain. Abd el-Ouahed ben Messaoud spoke some Spanish, but he communicated to the queen through his interpreter who spoke in Italian. They met with the queen on August 19,Nicoll, p92 and again on September 10.
The Moroccan ruler wanted the help of an English fleet to invade Spain, Elizabeth refused, but welcomed the embassy as a sign of insurance, and instead accepted to establish commercial agreements.Vaughan, p.57 Queen Elizabeth and King Hamet continued to discuss various plans for combined military operations, with Elizabeth requesting a payment of 100,000 pounds in advance to King Hamet for the supply of a fleet, and Hamet asking for a tall ship to be sent to get the money. Discussions however remained inconclusive, and both rulers died within two years of the embassy.
The painting of Abd el-Ouahed ben Messaoud is visible at the Shakespeare Institute at Stratford-upon-Avon.
It has been suggested that the figure of Abd el-Ouahed ben Messaoud may have inspired the character of Shakespeare's Moorish hero Othello.
The sitter may be Elizabeth I's maid of honour, Helena Snakenborg, who became a powerful figure at court. In 1565 she had visited England with the Swedish princess Cecilia, remaining there as the fiancée of the elderly Marquis of Northampton, whom she was to marry in 1571. The carnation behind her ear may be a symbol of her betrothal. The Marquis was the elderly brother of Queen Katherine Parr. Helena was his third and final wife.
Elizabeth Wriothesley (née Vernon), Countess of Southampton 11 January 1572 – 23 November 1655) was the chief lady-in-waiting to Elizabeth I of England.
She was born in Hodnet, Shropshire, England to John Vernon of Hodnet and Elizabeth Devereux. By her mother, Elizabeth was the great-granddaughter of Henry Stafford, 2nd Duke of Buckingham, and also of Walter Devereux, 1st Viscount Hereford, and a great-great-granddaughter of Thomas Grey, 1st Marquess of Dorset and his wife Cecily Bonville. By her father, Elizabeth was the descendant of John Talbot, 1st Earl of Shrewsbury, William de Ros, 7th Baron de Ros, and the Barons Touchet.
On August 30, 1597 Elizabeth married Henry Wriothesley, 3rd Earl of Southampton. The marriage occurred after Elizabeth discovered she was pregnant. Upon discovering this, the Queen had both Elizabeth and her husband locked in Fleet Prison and, after their release, were never again received into her favour.
Elizabeth and Henry had several children, including:
1. Lady Penelope Wriothesley (November 18, 1598 – July 16, 1667) who married William Spencer, 2nd Baron Spencer.
2. Lady Anne Wriothesley 1600 who married Robert Wallop of Farley Wallop.
3. Thomas Wriothesley (March 10, 1607 – May 16, 1667) who became the 4th Earl of Southampton and married Rachel de Massue, daughter of Daniel de Massue, Seigneur de Ruvigny
Lady Mary FitzAlan, Duchess of Norfolk, was the daughter of Henry FitzAlan, 19th Earl of Arundel and his first wife Lady Catherine Grey. Because her only brother had predeceased her, she was the heir to the earldom of her father.
She was the first wife of Thomas Howard, 4th Duke of Norfolk, whom she married in 1556. They had one son, Philip Howard, 20th Earl of Arundel, born the following year. Mary died eight weeks after the birth of Philip, and she was buried in Fitzalan Chapel in Arundel. Upon the death of her father in 1580, the earldom of Arundel passed to his grandson Philip.
This newly identified portrait is thoroughly discussed at www.somegreymatter.com/haringtonportrait.htm.
In 1563 Elizabeth I granted Kenilworth to her childhood friend, and probably her one true love, Robert Dudley, soon to be Earl of Leicester. When he died in 1588 she wrote "His last letter" on his final message to her and kept it in a treasure box next to her bed until she herself died 14 years later.
The Queen made four royal 'progresses' to Kenilworth, and Dudley spared no expense in attempting to impress and woo her.
The Queen's Privy Garden, intended for her use only, was created for her last and most famous visit of 1575 when she stayed for an unprecedented 19 days of lavish festivities.
Long lost, it was recreated in 2009, partly from archaeological evidence, but mostly from a remarkably detailed eye-witness account of its appearance, written by Robert Langham, an official who had sneaked into the garden one day while the queen was hunting.
The garden was only part of the changes Dudley made to Kenilworth to impress the Queen during her visits.
Beyond is the square bulk of Leicester's new gatehouse of 1571. It created a new entrance to the castle which gave access to his newly enclosed hunting park of some 800 acres that was reached via an impressive 600 ft (183 metres) bridge over a branch of the lake. He embellished the park with more walkways, arbours, seats and bowers, but most impressive of all, built what became known as Leicester's Building, a lavish 'state of the art' small country house, built as a wing of the castle in the latest Tudor style purely for the use of the Queen.
A brief history of Levens Hall
The first dwelling at Levens was a medieval pele tower, built by the de Redman family of Yealand Redmayne. The Bellingham family, who were wealthy landowners, chose Levens as their main residence in the 1590s and incorporated the fortified tower into a gentleman’s residence. They employed local craftsmen to carve the oak panelling, incorporated elaborate Italian plasterwork, including Elizabeth the First’s coat of arms and stained glass - all of which can be seen today.
The historic house became the property of Colonel James Grahme in 1688 after his career at Court in the service of King James II. He brought with him a young French gardener, Guillaume Beaumont, a pupil of le Notre at Versailles, to plan a fashionable garden at Levens. This family home contains fine furniture, paintings, one of the best examples in Europe of Spanish leather wall coverings, the earliest English patchwork, Wellingtoniana, clocks and miniatures, and has become one of the finest stately homes in south Cumbria.