The Death of John Dudley, 2nd Earl of Warwick - 21 October 1554
thedudleywomen
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As the first year of Mary I's reign as Queen of England came to a close in the summer of 1554, John Dudley, 2nd Earl of Warwick, remained imprisoned within the Tower of London. Despite having been convicted on charges of high treason, and subsequently condemned to death alongside his father John Dudley, 1st Duke of Northumberland in August 1553, Warwick did not accompany his father to the scaffold. Instead, along with his younger brothers, he remained a prisoner indefinitely, at the mercy of the very woman his family had risked everything for, in their efforts to prevent her from the ascending to the throne.
At the time of his arrest and subsequent imprisonment in July 1553, Warwick was the eldest surviving son of Northumberland his wife, Jane Guildford. As his father's heir, he had adopted the ancestral title of 'Viscount Lisle' in 1547, and in October 1551, following his father's elevation to the Dukedom of Northumberland, assumed the title of '2nd Earl of Warwick'. Following in his father's footsteps, the young Warwick ingratiated himself within the royal household, being rewarded with a number of political appointments: he was appointed as Edward VI's Master of Horse in April 1552, was admitted to Parliament's House of Lords, and was dispatched to France on a diplomatic mission on behalf of the crown. Crucially, Warwick was one of the men who signed letters patent issued by Edward VI in June 1553, supporting the dying king's intent to pass his 'Devise for the Succession' through Parliament and into law (Hartweg, 2012; Paul, 2022).
Warwick subsequently supported his father in the endorsement of his sister-in-law Jane Grey as Edward VI's choice as successor. Having accompanied Northumberland to Cambridge in pursuit of the elusive Mary Tudor following the death of her younger half-brother Edward, and the declaration of 'Quene Jane', Warwick was arrested on 20 July 1553, the day after the Privy Council abandoned their support for Jane and had proclaimed Mary Queen of England. Along with his father and younger brothers, Ambrose and Henry (known as 'Harry'), the men were transported back to the city to await their fate (Paul, 2022).
Wilson (1981, p.50) identifies that "at no time in its history were the prison quarters of the Tower so full as they were in Mary Tudor's reign". Northumberland and his three sons arrived at the Tower of London on 25 July; they joined the previously-detained Guildford, Northumberland's remaining son Robert arriving four days later, having been arrested separately in Norfolk. The men were initially held separately in the Tower; the 'Wicked Duke' was held in St Thomas's Tower, Warwick in the Beauchamp Tower, Ambrose and Harry in the Coldharbour Tower, and Robert and Guildford in the Bell Tower. However, as more prisoners filled the Tower, the brothers were reunited, held together in the Beauchamp Tower: a 13th century tower, part of the inner curtain wall, and named after its most famous prisoner, Thomas Beauchamp, 12th Earl of Warwick - the brothers' direct ancestor. It was whilst imprisoned in the Beauchamp Tower that the famous graffito was completed: an intricate design carved into the stone, bearing Warwick's name (as 'IOHN DVDLI'), above which his adopted emblems of the bear with the ragged staff and lion rampant are portrayed. Despite the brothers' imprisonment, Warwick was clearly displaying his unfortunate position, as head of the family. His younger brothers are also represented in this carving, in the flora surrounding the central design: roses for Ambrose, oak leaves ('robur' in Latin) and acorns for Robert, gillyflowers for Guildford, and honeysuckle for Harry (Wilson, 1981; Historic Royal Palaces, 2026).
Warwick had accompanied Northumberland to Westminster Hall on 18 August 1553, where the pair were faced charges of high treason; having pleaded guilty to these charges, admitting his allegiance to his father, Warwick was subsequently sentenced to a traitor's death. However, unlike Northumberland, who was executed on Tower Hill four days later, his eldest son remained imprisoned within the Tower. Over the next few months, all of Warwick's younger brothers would undergo their own treason trials, all being found guilty and condemned to death; however, only Guildford would lose his life in February 1554 (Hartweg, 2012; Paul, 2022).
See THE DUDLEY WOMEN posts: The Trial at the Guildhall - 13 November 1553 and
The Executions of Jane Grey and Guildford Dudley - 12 February 1554.
Jane Guildford, Dowager Duchess of Northumberland. Initially arrested and held in the Tower in July 1553, she was quickly released, and immediately set about petitioning for the freedom and pardon of her male relatives. Jane enlisted the support of her son-in-law Sir Henry Sidney, husband of her daughter Mary, and one of the late Edward VI's closest companions. Despite his close relationship with his in-laws, Sidney eluded punishment, and found himself being an asset to the new Marion court. His language skills being recognised, Sidney was chosen to accompany Privy Councillor John Russell, 1st Earl of Bedford, to Spain to formalise marriage negotiations with King Philip II. Following his marriage to Mary in July 1554, and his move to England, Sidney found himself in favour with the Spanish king and his attendants; it is believed that this relationship led to the eventual release, pardon and restoration of Sidney's brothers-in-law, Philip being eager to impress members of the English aristocracy (Wilson, 1981; Stewart, 2000; Gristwood, 2007).
It was in the summer of 1554 that Warwick's health began to decline; Wilson (2005) speculates that this is likely due to the unsanitary living conditions faced by those imprisoned within the Tower. Whilst the earl and his brothers had initially been granted more freedoms than other prisoners of lower social status, referred to as the 'liberty of the Tower', the standards of living for the Dudley brothers remained poor. Modern research of Tudor coroner's inquests have revealed details of harsh conditions faced by prisoners, which is known to have contributed to a higher death-rate than the general population. The cold and damp environment, combined with a lack of adequate clothing, led to a spread of disease, with prisoners contracting illnesses including dysentery, dropsy and pleurisy, which without modern treatments including antibiotics, could be fatal. The psychological impact of imprisonment also needs to be acknowledged; monotony, isolation and boredom would have negative impacts on prisoners' mental health and wellbeing, in particular those convicted traitors living under the ever constant threat of execution (Historic Royal Palaces, 2026; University of Oxford, 2026).
Hartweg (2012) refers to comments made by Warwick's parents in his the years prior to his imprisonment; that his mother wished him "health daily", whilst in 1552, his father prayed that God would "restore you to perfect health". Whilst these statements are not proof of a chronic illness, given that Warwick continued to remain active, including in his role as Master of Horse and participation in jousts, they may suggest a potential vulnerability to sickness and disease.
His health continuing to significantly decline, Warwick was granted royal clemency, and released from the Tower in October 1554, after almost fifteen months imprisonment. Differing dates of his release, and those of his brothers Robert and Harry, have been given: 11th and 18th October. Ambrose initially remained imprisoned, not being released from the Tower until the following month; this is likely reflective of Warwick's physical condition on his release; with Warwick's death, Ambrose as the next eldest brother, would become the head of the Dudley family (Stephen, 1888; Gristwood, 2007).
Arrangements were made for Warwick to leave London, and to head to his brother-in-law Sidney's primary residence: Penshurst Place, Kent. Penshurst, located thirty miles south of the capital, and less than six miles east of Hever Castle, had been granted to Sir William Sidney, Edward VI's Lord Chamberlain, in 1552. The fortified 14th century manor house subsequently became the family seat of the Sidney family, and was inherited by Henry Sidney on the death of his father in February 1554. Penshurst became the primary residence of the Sidney and Mary, and where the young couple chose to start a family (Wilson, 2005; Targoff, 2024).
Warwick's younger sister Mary was known to be in residence at Penshurst when her brother arrived. She was heavily pregnant at the time, and had likely withdrawn from court and the capital to given birth, very few women of the time remaining at court during this time. Women were to enter confinement for the last four weeks of their pregnancy,and not emerge until after delivery. A warm and intimate environment would be created in the chosen rooms, with the hanging of heavy tapestries and materials, covering the walls and windows. Preparations needed to be made prior to the pregnant woman starting her confinement, which is likely to have coincided with Warwick's arrival. However, Mary is unlikely to have had close contact with her brother, pregnant women being encouraged to prioritise the health of the unborn child, remaining healthy in body and mind, and avoiding anything untoward or distressing, which could bring harm to their unborn child (Norton, 2009; McElroy, 2024).
Warwick's death was one of many recorded by London tailor and cloth merchant Henry Machyn in his personal diary (Nichols, 1848, p.72):
"The xxj day of October ded the yerle of Warwyke, the eldest sune of the duke of Northumberland that was heddyd, at ser Sydnay plasse at Penthurst at mydnyght he ded".
As a resident of the city of London, Machyn documented many important events from 1550, until his death in 1563. Machyn also took an interest in, and was commissioned to provide cloth furnishings, including standards, banner rolls and banners of arms, for the funerals of members of the aristocracy; he gives detailed information of the materials used in the funeral of Sir William Sidney only nine months earlier (Nichols, 1848).
![St John the Baptist Church, Penshurst 📷©Carol Kelly [Facebook]](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/ed9b82_6ea99d5994844db7a739a714e34f6ef0~mv2.jpg/v1/fill/w_980,h_1225,al_c,q_85,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,enc_avif,quality_auto/ed9b82_6ea99d5994844db7a739a714e34f6ef0~mv2.jpg)
Warwick is said to have been buried at Penshurst, likely in the eponymous Sidney Chapel, built within the parish church dedicated to St John the Baptist. It was within this chapel that following their own deaths in 1586, only three months apart, that Sidney and wife Mary were both laid to rest. However, no contemporary records of Warwick's funeral service or burial survives; in the absence of this information, in addition to the lack of a grave marker within the church, potentially lost during renovations over the subsequent centuries, Warwick's final burial place cannot be confirmed (REF; Targoff, 2024).
Only six weeks after the death of her brother, on Friday 30 November 1554, St Andrew's Day, Mary gave birth to her first child - a son, Philip. Her child was named for one of his godfathers, the man who had played such a pivotal role in the release of her brothers,and to whom they would look to restore their fortunes: King Philip of Spain. The Sidney's eldest son would go on to become one of the most celebrated poets, writers and translators within the Elizabethan court, until his premature death following the Battle of Zutphen in October 1586 (Stewart, 2000).
See THE DUDLEY WOMEN post: The Funeral of Sir Philip Sidney - 16 February 1587
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