Frances Brandon, Duchess of Suffolk, had survived the events of July 1553, those being the attempts to place Lady Jane Grey on the throne, in place of the Lady Mary, on the death of Edward VI. As a result of this failed coup, and subsequent rebellions, Frances had lost her eldest daughter Jane and her husband, Henry Grey, Duke of Suffolk, in the space of eleven days in February 1554, to the executioner's axe.
Frances was the daughter of Henry VIII's younger sister Princess Mary Tudor, and her husband Charles Brandon, Duke of Suffolk. As the niece of the King, there would have been an expectation for Frances to be included in the line of succession. However, she was purposely excluded from Henry VIII's will in December 1546, although her three daughters were included, likely due to the king's poor opinion of her husband, being aware that as a male, power would ultimately lie with him (Tallis, 2016). Despite this controversy, it was this family line that had led the young Edward VI to identify 'the L. Jane and her heires masles' in his Devise for the Succession (The Inner Temple Library, 2024). Regardless of Jane's execution, the ongoing discussion regarding the succession of the English throne remained, and Frances and the younger Grey siblings (and any potential children) were often at the centre of this (Tallis, 2016).
Frances's close relationship with her cousin and godmother Mary I, which likely developed during their childhoods, had ensured that she was not destitute following her husband's arrest and attainment. Some properties and lands, including the manors of Groby and Astley were granted on her, although their primary residence of Bradgate Park remaining confiscated (de Lisle, 2008; Tallis, 2016). The Suffolk's residence in the summer of 1553, the Charterhouse at Sheen, was a former Carthusian priory within the grounds of the royal manor of Richmond, close to Sion House, where Jane Grey had been offered the crown. It had been confiscated following Henry Grey's attainment, with the monastery re-established during Mary's reign; however, with her death came the dissolution of the restored monasteries, and after being restored to the Crown, Frances appears to have been granted the lease once more (British History Online, 2024).
On 09 March 1554, within a month of the deaths of her husband and daughter, Frances married for a second time. Her second husband was Adrian Stokes (or Stock), a member of her household, employed as her 'Master of Horse'. This marriage was initially kept secret, but when it became knowledge, it was welcomed by Mary; by marrying a commoner, Frances had effectively reduced the risk of her making a claim for the crown (de Lisle, 2008). As Stokes held no title, Frances continued to be styled 'Duchess of Suffolk', as demonstrated on her will in 1559 (The National Archives, 2024). Despite this, the marriage appears to have been a happy and successful one, with Adrian a caring and supportive stepfather, which continued past Frances's death. However, there was further tragedy, with Frances's and Adrian's daughter Elizabeth, born in 1555, dying within a year of her birth (Tallis, 2016). In contrast to previous accounts, modern historians cannot identify any evidence of maltreatment or a poor relationship between Frances and her younger daughters, although acknowledge that a different relationship between herself and her eldest daughter Jane, "the daughter in whom she had invested so many of her hopes and ambitions for future glory" (Tallis, 2016, p.xxiii)
At the end of her life, Frances was residing at the Charterhouse,, along with Adrian Stokes. Her health had been poor for many years, since at least the summer of 1552; she was described then to be suffering "a constant burning ague and stopping of the spleen" (de Lisle, 2008; p.194). Frances also appears to have been preoccupied with the romantic entanglements of her eldest surviving daughter, Katherine, now 19 years old. Immediately following Elizabeth's accession to the throne, there were discussions and speculation regarding who would succeed the throne if she were to die childless. It was felt by many that Katherine, and any males heirs, would have the strongest claims to the throne, referring back to Henry VIII's will, and so interest in her and any potential matches gained national and international attraction (Byrne, 2023).
Meanwhile, Katherine was rekindling a relationship with 20 year old Edward Seymour, 1st Earl of Hertford, the eldest surviving son of his namesake the Duke of Somerset, the former Lord Protector, and his second wife Anne Stanhope, who had also remarried a man of. a lower class. The couple appear to have first shared mutual affection during the summer of 1558, when Katherine was staying at Hanworth Manor, with one of her closest friends Lady Jane Seymour, the younger sister of the Earl. This relationship appears to have been encouraged by those around them, including the then Queen Mary I; however, following Mary's death and the regime change, the relationship stalled, until the following summer. It was when they were both at court, that love grew between the pair, with secret messages being passed between them, with the couple later sneaking out and meeting in secret (de Lisle, 2008; Byrne, 2023).
In October 1559, Hertford rode to Sheen, with the intention of seeking Frances's permission and agreement to marry Katherine; Frances was said to have been fond of the Earl, being the godson of her late father, Charles Brandon, Duke of Suffolk (de Lisle, 2008). It was said that Frances discussed Hertford's request with her husband, who agreed that the Earl would be a 'fitt husband', but advised Hertford to seek permission from the queen's privy councillors, prior to approaching Elizabeth herself. It was also planned for Frances herself to write to the queen to ask for her 'good will' and 'consent' for the proposed marriage; however, this did not materialise, as Frances died before this could be completed (Byrne, 2023).
Signs of Frances's failing health came at the beginning of November 1559; de Lisle (2008) identifies that in 03 November she petitioned the crown to sell some of her property, and on 09 November she drew up her will. Her beneficiaries were her daughters and husband, whom she identified as her executor, also requesting that he settle her debts following her death (The National Archives, 2024). Frances died at Sheen on either the 20 or 21 November 1559; the latter date was recorded at her PostMortem Inquisition in May 1560, whilst the earlier date was given by John Strype, a clergyman and biographer, writing in the early-18th century. Katherine was present at Sheen at the time of her death, having left absented herself from court with the intent of visiting her mother, to discuss the details of her proposed marriage. Frances's youngest surviving daughter Mary was also said to be at her deathbed, as at 14 years old, she was too young to be attending court, and still receiving her education at home, (de Lisle, 2008).
Frances's funeral took place at Westminster Abbey on 05 December 1559; her coffin was brought from Richmond in a procession, with her eldest surviving daughter, Katherine, acting as chief mourner, also accompanied by the younger Mary. Under normal circumstances, an immediate family member would not act as a chief mourner; however, there were limited options, as other minor female members of the royal family, including her niece Margaret Stanley (daughter of her sister Eleanor Brandon) and cousin Margaret Douglas (daughter of Margaret Tudor) were Catholic (de Lisle, 2008). Elizabeth I paid for her cousin's funeral, which was overseen by John Jewel, who would soon be appointed as the Bishop of Salisbury, with Frances being buried with full honours befitting a member of the House of Tudor (Byrne, 2023).
Following a service, which was undertaken in English, and sermons read from the 1559 Book of Common Prayer, Frances was interred in St Edmund's Chapel, on the south side of the quire, with the funeral party then returning to Sheen Chaterhouse, in 'their chariot' (de Lisle, 2008). Frances's tomb, complete with an effigy wearing ermine robes and coronet and holding a prayer book, was erected in 1563 on instruction by her widower Adrian Stokes; the sculpturer is not confirmed, although it is suspected to be the work of Cornelius Cure, who would later become the Master Mason of Elizabeth I and James I (Westminster Abbey, 2024). Frances's tomb is accompanied by the inscriptions (the latter in Latin):
Here lieth the ladie Francis, Duches of Southfolke, daughter to Charles Brandon, Duke of Southfolke, and Marie the Frenche Quene: first wife to Henrie Duke of Southfolke and after to Adrian Stock Esquier
Dirge for the most noble Lady Frances, onetime Duchess of Suffolk: naught avails glory or splendour, naught avail titles of kings; naught profits a magnificent abode, resplendent with wealth. All, all are passed away: the glory of virtue alone remained, impervious to the funeral pyres of Tartarus. She was married first to the Duke, and after was wife to Mr Stock, Esq. Now, in death, may you fare well, united to God.
Frances's last surviving daughter Mary died in 1578; she had been living under house arrest since 1565, when news of her secret marriage to the much older (and unsuitable) Thomas Keyes, Elizabeth's Serjeant Porter, became known. Dying in disgrace, Mary was buried with her mother in Westminster Abbey, although there are no contemporary markings to commemorate her life (Westminster Abbey, 2024).
In the 1850s, Richard Burchett, the Headmaster of the Government School of Design, was commissioned to decorate the Princes' Chamber of the House of Lords; with his students, Burchett produced a series of life-sized paintings of members of the House of Tudor, inspired by and compiled from contemporary portraits, to ensure accurate representations (UK Parliament, 2024).
As the daughter of Mary Tudor, and niece of Henry VIII, Frances Brandon was one of the figures chosen to be depicted, along with her daughter Jane Grey, and son-in-law Guildford Dudley, given their short tenure on the throne of England. In these series of portraits, Frances has labelled as the 'Marquesses of Dorset', the title that she initially held upon her marriage to Henry Grey (who is not one of the figures depicted); her father Charles Brandon is portrayed as 'Duke of Suffolk', and her mother as 'Princess Mary'.
The original portrait which appears to have been the inspiration for Burchett's likeness, currently hangs in the National Portrait Gallery, London. For many years, this portrait was believed to have been a depiction of Frances and her second husband Adrian Stokes, painted by Hans Eworth, c.1559. However, recent research, which included comparisons with other contemporary depictions, have confirmed that the female sitter is not Frances (and second husband Adrian Stokes), as it was believed to be for many years, but infact Mary Neville, Lady Dacre, accompanied by her son Gregory Fiennes, 10th Baron Dacre.
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Bibliography:
'House of Carthusian monks: Priory of Sheen'. British History Online [website], Available at: https://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/surrey/vol2/pp89-94 (Accessed 17 Nov 2024).
Byrne, C., (2023). Lady Katherine Grey: A Dynastic Tragedy. Cheltenham: The History Press.
'Edward VI's Devise for the Succession', The Inner Temple Library [website]. Available at: https://www.innertemplelibrary.org.uk/collections/manuscript-collection/edward-vis-devise-for-the-succession/, (Accessed 14 Nov 2024).
de Lisle, L., (2008). The Sisters who would be Queen: The Tragedy of Mary, Katherine and Lady Jane Grey. London: Harper Press.
'Will of Lady Frances, Duches Wife of Suffolk - 28 November 1559'. The National Archives [website].
Available at: https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/D947584 (Accessed 16 Nov 2024).
Tallis, N., (2016). Crown of Blood: The Deadly Inheritance of Lady Jane Grey. London: Michael O'Mara Books Ltd.
'Queens in Parliament'. UK Parliament [website]. Available at: https://heritagecollections.parliament.uk/stories/queens-in-parliament/ (Accessed 14 Nov 2024).
'Frances Brandon, Duchess of Suffolk & Family'. Westminster Abbey [website]. Available at: https://www.westminster-abbey.org/abbey-commemorations/commemorations/frances-brandon-duchess-of-suffolk/ {Accessed 14 Nov 2024).
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