DURHAM PLACE

Former episcopal palace of the Bishop of Durham, located on the Strand, Westminster.
Place of residence of Thomas Wolsey (as Bishop of Durham) and Thomas Boleyn (and ?Anne Boleyn), prior to being granted to Henry VIII in 1536.

Granted to John Dudley in 1553 by Edward VI.
Location of Jane Grey and Guildford Dudley's wedding ceremony in May 1553, as well as those of Katherine Grey and Katherine Dudley the same day.

Panorama of London as seen from Southwark: Westminster

Artist: Anthonis van den Wijngaerde (c. 1525-1571)
Year: 1554

© Ashmolean Museum, University of Oxford

KEY EVENTS

1523-1529 - Thomas Wolsey appointed as Bishop of Durham; known to have resided at Durham Place.

26 Jun 1525 - Henry Fitzroy leaves Durham Place and heads to Bridewell Palace, where he is elevated to Duke of Richmond and Somerset.

Summer 1529-1536 - Residence of Thomas Boleyn; Anne Boleyn known to have resided her prior to her marriage to Henry VIII,

July 1536 -Durham Place ""all that his capytall messuage … comenly called Durham Place, wyth all Houses, Buyldyngs, Gardeyns, Orcheards, Pooles, fysshyngs, stables and all other commodytes … late in the occupacyon of the Right Honourable Thomas, Erle of Wyltshyre; and also all … other his messuages … wythin the Towne of Westminster," granted to Henry VIII by Bishop of Durham.

March 1550 - Durham Place granted to ELIZABETH I by brother EDWARD VI in accordance with their father's will.

Early 1553 - Durham Place granted to JOHN DUDLEY by EDWARD VI.

25 May 1553 - Three 'wedding ceremonies'/betrothals held at Durham Place - JANE GREY and GUILDFORD DUDLEY; KATHERINE GREY and Henry Herbert; KATHERINE DUDLEY and Henry Hastings.

May-Jun 1553 - JANE GREY residing at Durham Place, along with GUILDFORD DUDLEY and JANE GUILDFORD; requested to move to Chelsea Manor to recuperate from 'illness'.

22 Aug 1553 - Execution of JOHN DUDLEY following conviction of treason; titles and property confiscated including Durham Place.

Late 1553 - Durham Place restored to the Bishop of Durham by MARY I.

Summer 1573 - WALTER DEVEREUX known to have resided at Durham Place during this summer; family known to have remained at Chartley Manor, Staffordshire.

'Coat of Arms of Ambrose Dudley (c. 1528 - 1590) and His Wife, Lady Anne Russell (1548 - 1603), Earl and Countess of Warwick' Year: 1578 © Philadelphia Museum of Art

The Marriage of Anne Russell and Ambrose Dudley - 11 November 1565

On 11 November 1565, Ambrose Dudley, 3rd Earl of Warwick, the elder brother of Robert Dudley, 1st Earl of Leicester, was married for the third, and what would be his final time. For the twice-widowed Warwick, now in his mid-thirties, his new bride was the eldest daughter of Francis Russell, 2nd Earl of Bedford, and member of Elizabeth I's household: 15-year-old Lady Anne Russell.

Nov 1111 min read

Detail from 'Bird's-eye plan of the west central district of London'. Wenceslaus Hollar, c.1660 © Folger Shakespeare Library

Leicester House, The Strand, Westminster

With the lease for Durham Place being taken over by Sidney, it became essential for Leicester to identify another local property that would meet his needs, and by June 1569, he had found one: Paget Place. After taking possession of the house, the property was eponymously renamed 'Leicester House', thus becoming the Earl's official residence within the capital, with Jenkins (1972, p.186) describing the house as becoming "the centre of his social and political existence".

Oct 2711 min read

Henry Fitzroy, Duke of Richmond and Somerset

In mid-June 1519, a baby boy was born to a young unmarried woman who, for the past few months, had been residing at the Prior's House of St Lawrence's Priory in Blackmore, Essex. This baby, whilst illegitimate, would take the name of his acknowledged father, the king of England: Henry Fitzroy.

Jul 2312 min read

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USEFUL LINKS

Durham House - 25 May 1553 [LADY JANE GREY REFERENCE GUIDE]