Kenilworth: A Castle fit for a Queen?
- thedudleywomen
- Jul 9, 2024
- 8 min read
Updated: May 21
Kenilworth Castle (otherwise known as 'Killingworth' or 'Killinwoorth') in Warwickshire, was a 12th century stone castle, which had been significantly extended in the 14th century. It is located in the town of Kenilworth, five miles north of Warwick, and ninety miles north-west of London.
Having been under royal control since the victory of Henry VIII in 1485 at the Battle of Bosworth, Kenilworth's castle and its surrounding lands were granted in 1553 by Edward VI to his closest political advisor, John Dudley, 1st Duke of Northumberland, the Lord President of the king's Regency Council. However, following the Duke's conviction for treason and his subsequent execution in August 1553, all of his lands and property were confiscated following an Act of Attainder, and Kenilworth was returned to the crown. It remained as such until 1563, when Elizabeth I granted Kenilworth to her 'favourite' Sir Robert Dudley, the year before she granted him the Earldom of Leicester (Morris, 2006).
Whilst Northumberland had initially commenced renovations back in 1553, his son Robert Dudley, now 1st Earl of Leicester, steamed ahead with the modernisation and extension of the castle complex. Following visits by Elizabeth in 1566 and 1568 as part of her summer progresses, Robert Dudley embarked in the ambitious building project, for which the castle became well known. And for this, he employed former Somerset-based mason William Spicer as his primary surveyor.
William Spicer had likely been born in Somerset in c.1530; his father John Spicer died in Crewkerne, Somerset (c.1554), that same year William was described as a "yeoman of Nunney". Nunney is a village approximately three miles from Frome and eight miles from Sir John Thynne's original Longleat House, near Warminster, Wiltshire, located on the site of the former Longleat Priory, where Spicer was to be employed as a mason. The priory had come into the possession of the crown following the Dissolution of the Monasteries in 1530s, and had been purchased by Thynne in 1541 from Edward Seymour, then 1st Earl of Hertford, to whom Thynne was employed as his steward. Following this purchase, Thynne employed local tradesmen, including Spicer, to convert the former priory into a private residence, which included renovation of the existing structure and construction of new buildings. It would be a thirty-year project, initially delayed by Seymour's downfall and subsequent execution, which would also lead to Thynne's imprisonment in the Tower of London in 1549 and 1551, and initial confiscation of goods and properties. Thynne's building project was complicated even further following a significant fire in 1567, which destroyed most of the original priory buildings and initial extensions, leading to the construction of the ambitious new Longleat House which still stands today, the remains of the old house reportedly being evident in the cellars below.
Spicer was first mentioned in Sir John Thynne's accounts in October 1555, as 'WILLIEM SPYCER, freemason', and by 1559 had been given the contract to oversee the work for a new building. Spicer continued to make further career progression, becoming a bailiff and collector of rents for Sir John Thynne's nearby estate of Lullington, Somerset However, he left this role in 1563 following a series of disagreements with Thynne, along with unpaid rents (of £33, 19s, 1d) (Hubbard, 2018).
Despite the sour end to his employment with Sir John Thynne and Longleat,, William Spicer appears to have continued to have spent a few more years in Somerset, with his growing family: two more children are born and baptised after 1563, in addition to an earlier two whilst the family were still residing in Nunney. Around 1570, having come into the employ of the Earl of Leicester, Spicer had moved his family up to Warwickshire, living initially in the manor of Long Itchington (the manor house granted on a long lease from Leicester), before settling in the nearby village of Napton-on-the-Hill.
Together, Leicester and Spicer worked on a major rebuilding project to modernise a medieval castle into suitable accommodation for the queen and the royal court, as well as providing fortification and protection in the event of an attack.
A purpose-built addition to the castle, known as 'Leicester's Building' was constructed between 1571-2; this three-storey tower housed the queen's private chambers, with Leicester's rooms directly below her's, as well as rooms for her ladies/'Gentlewomen' and a long gallery to hold audiences. The queen's rooms faced east, and with tall glass windows, provided a view overlooking the chase, as well as the sunrise. Elizabeth I used the rooms for her visit during her summer progress in 1572, with further improvements being made in preparation for the grand visit in July 1575 (Morris, 2006).
'Leicester's Gatehouse' was also constructed around the same time (c.1571-2), appearing to replace a 12th century stone building, which had been described in 1563 as being "much in decay" (Morris, 2006, p. 15). This new gateway, which provided a new entrance for those travelling the six miles south-west from Coventry, set the tone for the renovations and modernisation inside the complex. This new entry provided an imposing but easier access from the castle to the Deer Park/chase to the west, which was also extended, as well as to the parish church of St Nicholas to the east, where it is reported that Elizabeth I attended twice, on two consecutive Sundays during her visit in July 1575. Elizabethan-style gardens were also landscaped outside the gatehouse with the intention for the queen and her court to enjoy during their stay; the garden, along with other outdoor locations within the castle ground, were also part of the setting of the entertainment during July 1575.
On the evening of 09 July 1575, as part of her summer progress, Elizabeth I arrived at Kenilworth Castle, after earlier dining at Leicester's manor of Long Itchington, where Spicer and his family remained in residence, although the queen dined in a tent pitched in the grounds (Folgerpedia, 2024). The queen and court's arrival at Kenilworth signalled the start of the "Kenilworth Festivities', otherwise known as the 'Princely Pleasures': a series of entertainments, which included hunting, bear-baiting, fireworks and pageants. The three-week festivities, funded by Leicester, were held with the reported intention of a last-attempt at persuading the queen to accept his hand in marriage, something that he had reportedly been vying for since the death of his first wife, Amy Robsart, in 1560. Whilst the visit to Kenilworth was overall deemed a success by many of the court who had been invited to the festivities, Elizabeth continued to refuse any offers of marriage, and this was the last time that she visited Kenilworth during her reign (Tallis, 2017).
It is known that Lettice Knollys, Countess of Essex, and her father Francis Knollys, Treasurer of the Royal Household, were amongst the guests present at Kenilworth during these three-week celebrations; her husband Walter Devereux, 1st Earl of Essex was serving the crown in Ireland. The Knollys family were close kin of Elizabeth I, through the marriage of her late cousin and former Chief Lady of the Bedchamber Catherine Carey to Francis, with their daughter Lettice having previously served as a Gentlewoman of Privy Chamber to the queen at the beginning of her reign. Following the events at Kenilworth, Lettice travelled north to Chartley Manor, Staffordshire, ahead of the court, where she hosted Elizabeth I as she continued on her summer progress; it was at this visit that Lettice reportedly introduced her children to Elizabeth for the first time, including her eldest son Robert, who would later become a favourite of the aging queen (Tallis, 2017).
Leicester's sister Mary Dudley and her husband Sir Henry Sidney were also invited to the festivities at her brother's estate. This was following a period of time where Lady Sidney had fallen out of the queen's favour, in part due to Mary's perceived dissatisfaction of Elizabeth's behaviour towards her, including a perceived lack of reciprocity, mostly due to the complex longstanding relationship that existed between Elizabeth and her brother. The death of the Sidneys's ten-year old daughter Ambrosia earlier in the year, and the invitation of their daughter Mary Sidney from the Welsh Marches and into the queen's household, who was also in attendance, appears to have softened the frosty relationship between the two women (Paul, 2022; Targoff 2024). It is also likely that Anne Russell, Countess of Warwick, and her husband Ambrose Dudley, 3rd Earl of Warwick were also present for significant periods during the Kenilworth festivities, given their respective close relationships to Elizabeth, with Anne serving as a long-standing 'Gentlewoman of the Privy Chamber', and Ambrose's close relationship to his younger brother Leicester. It is known that Elizabeth made a visit to Warwick Castle prior to her arrival at Kenilworth, with Paul (2022) noting that Warwick Castle was later used to house guests during the three-week festivities, given its proximity (five miles) to the town.
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