The Marriage of Lettice Knollys, Countess of Leicester, and Sir Christopher Blount, c.July 1589
- thedudleywomen
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Lettice Knollys, Countess of Essex and Leicester, was widowed for a second time in September 1588 when her second husband Robert Dudley, 1st Earl of Leicester died suddenly at Rycote, Oxfordshire, on the couple's journey north to Buxton, Derbyshire, where the ailing Earl planned to take the natural waters for his deteriorating health.
The couple had incurred the wrath of Elizabeth I in 1579, when news of their secret relationship and subsequent marriage the previous year became public knowledge, with the couple being expelled from court. By the time of his death, Leicester had regained Elizabeth's favour and trust, having demonstrated his loyalty and devotion to a queen whom he had served for thirty years. Lettice, however remained exiled from court, despite the rising popularity and influence of her son Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex with the queen as well her father Sir Francis Knollys's military appointments and ongoing high position within the Queen's Household as Lord Treasurer. Elizabeth's outrage and indignation towards her younger, and (as many contemporaries commented) more-attractive kinswoman, continued past Leicester's death, despite multiple intervention attempts from family members and allies (Gristwood, 2009; Tallis, 2017).
Whilst Leicester had left provisions for his widow in his detailed and amended will, he also left significant debts to the crown on his death; Tallis (2017) estimates that he likely owed around £50,000 (approx £7.5 million in today's money), more than double of Leicester's own estimate recorded in his will,. Just as following the death of her first husband, Walter Devereux, 1st Earl of Essex, in 1576, Lettice entered widowhood with accompanying financial concerns. Elizabeth's ongoing fury towards her younger kinswoman meant that no debts were discharged, and payment was demanded, with some of the newly-bequeathed estates being seized (The National Archives, 2024).
![Depiction of Sir Christopher Blount on his parents' tomb, St Mary's Church, Kidderminster ©amthomson [Flickr]](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/ed9b82_f0c6b5a747254cd3bfacd90a23b23b5d~mv2.jpg/v1/fill/w_779,h_1118,al_c,q_85,enc_avif,quality_auto/ed9b82_f0c6b5a747254cd3bfacd90a23b23b5d~mv2.jpg)
Within a year of Leicester's death, Lettice had married for a third, and what would be her final time: to Sir Christopher Blount. Her groom was a surprising choice for a Dowager Countess, who despite her ongoing disfavour could continue to claim close kinship to the queen, as Blount was a younger man of a lower social rank. He was the second son of Thomas Blount, a Warwickshire lawyer who had been in the employ of the Dudley family since at least the early 1550s, initially being employed by John Dudley, 1st Duke of Northumberland, and following his downfall and execution, the employ of his surviving sons Ambrose and Robert. Thomas had been in the service of Robert Dudley in September 1560, when following the sudden and suspicious death of his first wife Amy Robsart, sent his 'Cousin Blount' to Oxfordshire to investigate the circumstances; his loyalty would later be rewarded when Robert Dudley later appointed him as Steward of Kenilworth Castle when it was granted to him in 1563 (Skidmore, 2010; Norton, 2019). Having continued his Catholic education on the continent, the younger Blount followed in his father's footsteps, and entered into Leicester's household on his return to England. Blount was subsequently appointed as Leicester's Gentleman/Master of Horse, a trusted and coveted position, likely influenced by the loyalty demonstrated previously by his father to his family, and had accompanied him to the Netherlands during his disastrous tenure as Governor General in 1584-87. Blount was also Catholic, him and his siblings having been raised in their mother's preferred religion, during a time of religious reform and subsequent decreased tolerance towards those who followed the 'Old' Papist religion (Tallis, 2017).
Exact details of their marriage are unconfirmed, but it is believed the couple were married around July 1589. A letter sent by Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex to his mother the following month, August 1589, makes reference to Blount: "I desire to be commended to...Sr Chr Blount". This letter also confirmed that Lettice continued to use her title of Countess of Leicester (Folger Shakespeare Library: Digital Collections, 2025). However, it was known that Essex initially objected to the marriage, likely on the grounds of religious and social differences, describing it as 'an unhappy choice'; however, Blount was unrelenting in his task to gain the favour and approval of his stepson, whose power and influence was continuing to rise in court circles (Tallis, 2017).
In the early years of their marriage, the couple appear to have resided between Wanstead Hall, Essex and Leicester House on The Strand, both previous residences of Leicester, having been bestowed on Lettice and her son Essex, as well as the manor home of Benington, Hertfordshire, the property which came into her possession following the death of her first husband. By 1593, Lettice appears to have relinquished ownership these properties to her son Essex, with the couple subsequently relocating to Drayton Bassett, Staffordshire, another property solely bequeathed to her, which would remain her primary residence, until her death over forty years later (Tallis, 2017; The National Archives, 2024).
Lettice appeared to settle in to 'retired' life in the Staffordshire countryside, during which time she hosted female family members, including her daughter Penelope Devereux, Lady Rich, and her recently widowed sister Katherine Knollys, There were documented visits down to the capital, where she stayed with family members, including at the newly-renamed Essex House, although attempts to reintroduce her back into court circles and into Elizabeth's favour proved unsuccessful. Blount meanwhile continued to benefit from his family's longstanding connections with the Dudley family and subsequently Lettice and her son; he was appointed as a Member of Parliament for Staffordshire, and accompanied Essex on his military expedition to Cadiz (Tallis, 2017; Norton, 2019).
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