top of page



Traitors in the Tower Liberties: Executions at Tower Hill and the Tower of London
In medieval London, there were multiple public places of execution, places where death sentences which had been given to prisoners convicted of serious crimes against the monarch or the state, including treason and heresy, were carried out. These locations included Tyburn (the location of the city's primary public gallows), Smithfield marketplace and the churchyard of St-Giles-in-the-Field. In 1464, another site was established on a raised plot of land, overlooking the Tower
thedudleywomen
Jan 310 min read


The Trial at the Guildhall - 13 November 1553
On 13 November 1553, the trial of five prisoners accused of high treason was held at the City of London's Guildhall; Jane Grey, brothers Ambrose, Guildford and Henry ('Harry') Dudley, and Thomas Cranmer, former Archbishop of Canterbury. Their charges related to the failed coup earlier that summer, when, following the death of Edward VI in July 1553, active attempts were made to place the teenage Jane on the English throne.
thedudleywomen
Nov 13, 20259 min read


Sorrow at Sudeley: The Death of Katherine Parr - September 1548
On 13 June 1548, after months of preparation, Katherine and Seymour moved their households to Sudeley Castle in the Gloucestershire countryside, leaving behind the controversy and a disease-filled London.
thedudleywomen
Sep 5, 202510 min read


'Jane the Quene': the proclamation of Lady Jane Grey, 10 July 1553
On This Day (10 July) in 1553, Jane Grey, eldest daughter of Frances Brandon, Duchess of Suffolk, the niece of Henry VIII, and her husband Henry Grey, 1st Duke of Suffolk, was publicly proclaimed Queen of England.
thedudleywomen
Jul 10, 20256 min read


The Death of Edward VI - 06 July 1553
At around eight o'clock in the evening, on 06 July 1553, after over a year of ill-health, the fifteen-year-old Edward VI took his final breaths, dying at Greenwich Palace, a favoured residence and birthplace of his father, Henry VIII.
thedudleywomen
Jul 6, 20257 min read


The Durham Place Marriages - 25 May 1553
On 25 May 1553, numerous guests including members of the Privy Council and foreign ambassadors, gathered at Durham Place, the Westminster residence of John Dudley, 1st Duke of Northumberland to witness a triple wedding celebration: the three young brides were Northumberland's youngest daughter Katherine Dudley, and sisters Jane and Katherine Grey, eldest daughters of Henry Grey, 1st Duke of Suffolk.
thedudleywomen
May 25, 202513 min read


The Death and Funeral of John Russell, 1st Earl of Bedford - March 1555
On 13 March 1555, John Russell, 1st Earl of Bedford, Lord Privy Seal, died at his Westminster home, 'Russell House'.
thedudleywomen
Mar 14, 20256 min read


ON THIS DAY - 12 February 1554
On This Day (12 February) in 1554, Lady Jane Grey and her husband, Guildford Dudley, were executed.
thedudleywomen
Feb 12, 20252 min read


Thomas Seymour's Arrest - 17 January 1549
On 17 January 1549, Thomas Seymour, 1st Baron Seymour of Sudeley, and Lord High Admiral, was arrested at his London home of Seymour Place, on The Strand, on charges of treason.
thedudleywomen
Jan 17, 20255 min read


The Marriage of Katherine Grey and Edward Seymour - Christmas 1560
Around Christmas Time 1560, Katherine Grey, the younger sister of the ill-fated 'Thirteen Day Queen' Lady Jane Grey...
thedudleywomen
Dec 23, 202410 min read


Margaret Audley, Duchess of Norfolk: Another 'Dudley Woman'
Introducing Margaret Audley, Duchess of Norfolk, wife of Lord Henry Dudley, (known throughout his short life as 'Harry Dudley').
thedudleywomen
Nov 30, 20243 min read


The Death of Frances Brandon, Duchess of Suffolk - 21 Nov 1559
Frances Brandon, Duchess of Suffolk, had survived the events of Jul 1553, those being the attempts to place Lady Jane Grey on the throne...
thedudleywomen
Nov 21, 20248 min read


ON THIS DAY - 13 November 1553
On This Day (13 Nov) in 1553, a trial was held at in the Great Hall, in the City of London Guildhall; the trial of Lady Jane Grey...
thedudleywomen
Nov 13, 20243 min read


ON THIS DAY - 21 October 1554
On This Day (21 Oct) in 1554, John Dudley, 2nd Earl of Warwick, son of John Dudley, Duke of Northumberland, died at Penshurst Place, Kent.
thedudleywomen
Oct 21, 20243 min read


ON THIS DAY - 01 October 1553
On This Day (01 Oct) 1553, Mary I was crowned Queen of England at Westminster Abbey; the first coronation of a queen regnant in England.
thedudleywomen
Oct 1, 20242 min read


ON THIS DAY - 05 September 1548
On This Day (05 Sep) in 1548, Katherine Parr died at Sudeley Castle, a week after giving birth to her only daughter Mary.
thedudleywomen
Sep 4, 20241 min read


ON THIS DAY - 25 August 1540
On This Day (25 Aug) in 1540, Katherine Grey was born at Bradgate House, Leicestershire; the second daughter of Henry Grey.
thedudleywomen
Aug 24, 20241 min read


The Wedding of Elizabeth Hardwick and William Cavendish - 20 Aug 1547
Elizabeth Hardwick (better known to history as 'Bess of Hardwick') was born in the 1520s (estimated dates range from 1520-21 to 1527).
thedudleywomen
Aug 20, 20246 min read


Lady Jane Grey: Recommended Reading
Jane Grey, eldest daughter of Henry Grey, Marques of Dorset and later Duke of Suffolk and his wife Frances Brandon.
thedudleywomen
Jul 27, 20248 min read


ON THIS DAY - 19 July 1553
On This day (19 Jul) in 1553, the Lady Mary was proclaimed Mary I, Queen of England, 9 days after her kinswoman Lady Jane Grey had been.
thedudleywomen
Jul 18, 20241 min read
bottom of page