The Death of Walter Devereux, 1st Earl of Essex - 22 September 1576
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On 17 September 1558, in the final weeks of Mary I's life and reign, nineteen-year-old Walter Devereux inherited the Viscountcy of Hereford and Barony of Chartley on the death of his grandfather and namesake. Just over a year later, around New Year 1560, Now the head of one of England's most noble and ancient families, dating back to the Norman Conquest, Devereux married seventeen-year-old Lettice Knollys, one of Elizabeth I's kinswomen and Ladies of the Privy Chamber. Following their union, the couple retreated from the royal court, setting up home at the Devereux family seat of Chartley Manor, Staffordshire, where they raised their young family: daughters Penelope and Dorothy, and sons Robert and Walter (Varlow, 2009)
Lord Hereford, as he was then known, held no official post at court during the 1560s, although his young wife Lettice remained on the list of Elizabeth's ladies, as an unwaged Gentlewoman of the Privy Chamber - the queen eager to keep her Boleyn relatives close. Hereford's fortunes changed in September 1569, when, along with his cousin Henry Hastings, 3rd Earl of Huntingdon, he was tasked with travelling to nearby Tutbury Castle to support George Talbot, 6th Earl of Shrewsbury, in ensuring the safe custody of Mary, Queen of Scots, under whose custody she had recently been placed. Hereford was called on once again a few months later in order to support the queen's forces in successfully suppressing 'The Northern Rebellion': an attempted coup by Catholic nobles from the north of England - led by Charles Neville, 6th Earl of Westmorland and Thomas Percy, 7th Earl of Northumberland - to remove Elizabeth from the English throne, and replace her with Mary. Appointed to the coveted position of Lord Lieutenant of Staffordshire, Hereford became responsible for raising local troops at Lichfield to support the crown against the northern rebels (Varlow, 2009; Tallis, 2017).
![Detail from 'The rebellion of the Earles of Northumber[land] and Westmoreland'. G. Carleton, 1627 ©The Trustees of the British Museum](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/ed9b82_cddadfd16cb34e08b449983e77e6a5fb~mv2.jpg/v1/fill/w_980,h_667,al_c,q_85,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,enc_avif,quality_auto/ed9b82_cddadfd16cb34e08b449983e77e6a5fb~mv2.jpg)
Hereford's actions in 1569, including his attitude towards the deposed Scottish queen, demonstrated his loyalty to Elizabeth and to the English throne, subsequently becoming a courtier on whom the monarch began to depend. Ambrose Dudley, 3rd Earl of Warwick, Lord Lieutenant of Warwickshire, and Master of Ordnance, described gave his opinion of Hereford to the Privy Council: "I never saw nobleman in all my life more willing to serve his prince and country" (Varlow, 2009, p.39). Hereford came to be held in the queen's high regard, and was amply rewarded; on 04 May 1572, he was created 1st Earl of Essex (the title having been made extinct following the death of William Parr, Marquess of Northampton the previous October), and was later appointed to the Most Noble Order of the Garter - the most senior chivalric honour - on 17 June 1572 (Tallis, 2017).
In August 1573, Essex departed England for Ulster, in the north of Ireland, leaving his family behind at Chartley. Elizabeth had been eager to 'subdue' and 'colonise' the country, by encouraging the settlment of Englishmen. Essex put himself forward as the man who could achieve this, mortgaging his properties to raise the £10,000 needed for this ambitious campaign; in return he was granted the rights of County Antrim, located at the north-east tip of the island. The earl's attempts to colonise Ulster was ultimately unsuccessful: the English faced harsh conditions, resistance from Irish 'rebels', and a reluctance from the Englishmen, who had accompanied him, to remain in the country. As acknowledged by Varlow (2009, p.42), during his time in Ireland, Essex is known to have "committed appalling atrocities...repulsive acts of butchery that breached every code of decency" in response to the perceived 'barbaric' actions of the Catholic locals, including a massacre of several hundred, predominately women and children at Ruthlin Island; it was said that instead of condeming his actions, Elizabeth "regarded the success of the operation with special gratification", viewing Essex's horrific actions as another demonstration of his loyalty to the crown (Devereux, 1853; Leslie, 1888, p.446).
In April 1575, Elizabeth definitively decided on "the dissolution of the enterprise of Ulster"; Essex subsequently left Ireland in November 1575, and after making a treacherous journey to Wales, arrived at Windsor, where the royal court were in residence. From early December 1575, rumours widely spread alleging "a great enemity" had formed between Essex and Robert Dudley, 1st Earl of Leicester, specifically relating to an alleged relationship between Leicester and Essex's wife, Lettice. It has not been possible to precisely date the exact start of their relationship, although it is believed to have commenced whilst Essex was in Ireland, with unsubstantiated rumours that Lettice had given birth to two of Leicester's children, during her husband's tenure in Ireland (Tallis, 2017; Folgerpedia, 2026).
See THE DUDLEY WOMEN post: 'The Marriage of Lettice Knollys and Robert Dudley - 21 September 1578'.
Faced with significant financial stressors as a result of the failed Ulster campaign, with debts exceeding £35,000, Essex kept a low profile during Christmas and into the New Year; he reflected "I thought it a most convenient season for me to withdraw myself...to think upon mine own estate...I find how heavy mine Ireland service hath been to me" (Varlow, 2009, p.46). Intending to "live henceforth an untroubled life", Essex spent the winter at Durham House, Westminster, before retreating once again to Chartley. Months later however, Elizabeth bestowed on the 36-year-old earl the position of Earl Marshal of Ireland, and arrangements were made for him to return once again to the country (Devereux, 1853, p.121; Tallis, 2017).
Whilst still of the relatively young age of thirty-six, Essex's health had declined during his initial tenure in Ireland; stress, fighting and harsh conditions, coupled with a 'severe illness' in Autumn 1575, had weakened his previous 'lusty' and 'strong' physical health constitution. Before leaving for Ireland, Essex made preparations in the event of his premature death; he arranged the sale of property in an attempt to cover his debts, and made amendments to his will prior to leaving for Ireland for the final time, signing it on 14 June 1576. Reflective of his relationship with Lettice, less-generous provisions were made for his wife, in comparison to his will of two years previously, with increased sums set aside for his daughters Penelope and Dorothy (Devereux, 1853; Varlow 2009, Tallis, 2017).
Departing from Holyhead, on the north-west tip of Anglesey on 22 July 1576, Essex arrived at Dublin Castle five days later. Within a month of his arrival, Essex received "some letters out of England the 29th of August" and thereby "purposed to take shippinge with speede to repare thither". Whilst his reasons for his intended swift return to court remains unknown, gossip spread of his intent to confront Leicester in relation to his ongoing intimacy with Lettice. Essex was unable to make this journey however, writing on 13 September that "the last daye of the same moneth [31 August 1576] a disease tooke me and Hunninges my boye and a third person to whom I dranck, which maketh me suspect of some evill receaved in my drincke, for ever sins I have bene greatlie troubled with a flux and vomittes...I from ill to worse for ought that I yet feele in myself" (Owen, 1904, p.247). Essex became unwell after "having dined and supped at his own house" the previous day, Thursday 30 August; for the first few days, Essex reportedly ate normally, although complaining of "grief in his belly", before beginning to experience more intense symptoms (Devereux, 1853, p.136). Nevertheless, the earl continued with his plans to travel to his home at Lanmphey, Pembrokeshire, where he had "directed Doctor Peny to come to me with all speed" (Owen, 1904, p.247).
Essex appears to have been presenting with symptoms of dysentery, then known as the 'Bloody Flux': a gastroenterological infection, which causes bloody diarrhoea, fever, abdominal pain and cramps. Contracted by either consuming food and drink handled by an infected person, or drinking unclean water, dysentery can now be easily treated with antibiotics and rehydration solutions (NHS, 2026). Essex's personal secretary Edward Waterhouse wrote to 'Doctor Peny' (or 'Parry/Perry') the same day, providing further insight into the earl's health; he confirmed that over the past two weeks, Essex continued to experience "20 or 30 stooles every daye, and is alredie many tymes bluddie and the rest of his stoles black burnt color", describing him as being "in extreme weakness...extremelie ill and taketh litle sustenaunce or non". Waterhouse wrote that Essex had already consulted the advice of his apothecary and two physicians, one English and one Irish, but had continued to deteriorate, and so requested that Peny "bring all things necessary for this disease", confirming ongoing plans to leave Ireland (Owen, 1904, p.247).
With the earl becoming ever weaker, with no signs of recovery, he subsequently put into writing his requests for his servants to "to be loving to my children and not to grieve yourselves with the discontented newes of my death" (Owen, 1904, p.249). He made provisions for the upbringing and education of his daughters and younger son "Wat my boy", entrusting them to his cousin Huntingdon and his wife, Katherine Dudley, Countess of Huntingdon - the sister of his apparent rival Leicester; his elder son and heir, Robert, still only 10 years old, was to become a ward of the crown on his father's death (Varlow, 2009).
On 20 September, Essex acknowledged that his death was imminent; he reportedly reflected that "within this month I was well and strong, and now I am ready to die". That morning, "the Archbishop of Dublin [Adam Loftus] administered the sacrament": preparations were being made for his soul after death, Waterhouse describing him as "a noble man...of great zeal, faith, and most Christian and sound religion...so in his sickness showed him to be a true servant of Christ" (Devereux, 1853, pp.139-40).
The same day, Essex wrote his final pleas to his queen, advising that "my poor children that since God doth now make them fatherless, yet it would please your majesty to be as a mother unto them". He additionally corresponded with Sir Henry Sidney, Lord Deputy of Ireland, regarding his eldest son Philip Sidney, who had been due to join Essex in Ireland. Discussions relating to a potential union between Philip and Essex's eldest daughter Penelope had taken place months earlier, and in his final hours, Essex continued to seek this match: "...if God do move both theit hearts, I wish that he might match with my daughter. I call him son...if he go on the course he hath begun, he will be as famous and worthy a gentleman as ever England bred" (Varlow, 2009, pp.48-9).
Waterhouse reflected that at 3 o'clock in the afternoon, of 20 September, Essex "fell into a great pang, wherein we all thought he would have yielded to nature". Believing to be within the last minutes of his life, Essex reportedly got to his knees, where he prayed and "commended his soul to Jesus Christ", before losing consciousness. Waterhouse reported that after falling "into a swoon", which caused great agitation and distress to those around him, he regained consciousness, after having rose water thrown in his face. Whilst Essex survived another 45 hours, continuing to experience further incidents of "bitter pangs", it was acknowledged that "neither his memory nor any of his senses failed him" (Devereux, 1853, p.143).
Around 11 o'clock in the morning, on Saturday 22 September 1576, Essex "was ready to yield up to the ghost"; prayers were said out loud by his chaplain, with Waterhouse present at his deathbed, "holding him by the hands". The chaplain continued to pray "until, at the name of Jesus 'he held up both his hands, and with that fell asleep...as meekly as a lamb'" (Devereux, 1853, p.146). Just before noon, after bearing three weeks of pain and dehydration "with marvellous fortitude", Essex died "calmly" at Dublin Castle (Leslie, 1888, p.446). Immediately after his demise, he was depicted as a Protestant martyr by the Archbishop of Dublin; reportedly at the Earl's deathbed, he alleged that Essex met his end “more like that of a divine preacher or a heavenly prophet than a man...how he ‘prayed much for the noble realm of England, for which he feared many calamities”. However, it appears that at the end, Essex lamented about "infidelity" and "atheism", "lamenting ‘the frailty of women'" and praying "that his daughters should not learn too much of ‘the vile world” (Gristwood, 2007, pp.252-3).
There were immediate rumours spread of his cause of death, including the use of poison; it was even reported that Essex himself had suspected that he had "been poisoned by reason of the violent evacuation which he had". Whilst Essex had suspected Irish involvement, after his death Leicester emerged as the primary suspect, and Lord Deputy Sidney was susequently tasked with completing an investigation into these allegations. A postmortem was conducted, which found his body to be in a 'sound condition', although described "his heart was somewhat consumed and the bladder of his gall empty", Sidney ruled that he found no evidence of foul play, confirming that Essex had died of 'the flux'. Despite this conclusion, rumours regarding Leicester's involvement continued, with Sidney writing to his brother-in-law months later, in February 1577, reassuring him against the "false and malicious brute". The 1584 scandalous Catholic propaganda pamphlet Leicester's Commonwealth repeated these rumours, alleging that Leicester had instigated Essex's death "in the way of an extreme flux caused by an Italian recipe" and "at a time most fortunate for his purpose" (Devereux, 1853, p.147; Gristwood, 2007; Varlow, 2009, Oxford Authorship Site, 2026).
Essex's body left Ireland, initially being transported via boat to Pwihelli, in North-East Wales, before continuing its slow journey down to Carmarthen, in South Wales. The journey through the Welsh landscape was arduous, his servants travelling through "extreme tempestuous weather...where horses with litter could not go", the total cost of the journey exceeding £9 (Owen, 1904, p.248). Essex had been born in Carmarthen in September 1539, his father Sir Richard Devereux being based at Carmarthen Castle at the time of his birth, having been having been appointed Commissioner of Coastal Defences. It was to his place of birth that Essex's corpse was taken in early October 1576, to await its burial. Having accompanied the body to Carmarthen, Waterhouse then travelled to the earl's family at Chartley. There he was able to provide a first-hand account of Essex's final days and take charge of the organisation of his late-master's funeral. Waterhouse was also responsible for the ordering of mourning clothes for the family; £40 was allocated to Lettice, whilst £20 was allotted to her sons and their servants (Owen, 1904; Varlow, 2009).
Essex's funeral finally took place on 26 November 1576, his body taken from Carmarthen Castle, where it had been lying in state, having been attended to by paid servants, down to St Peter's Church. His funeral appears to have been conducted with great pomp and ceremony, with the inclusion of heralds and banners of arms, costing the grand sum of £769:19:6, his younger brother George acting as his chief mourner. Essex's eldest son and heir, Robert Devereux, having inherited the Earldom of Essex, was now under the guardianship of one of the queen's most senior political advisor, William Cecil, 1st Baron Burghley, as Master of the Court of Wards; it had been one of his father's last requests that his son be placed within Burghley's household, in order to continue his education. The new earl wrote to his guardian, requesting to be excused from attending his father's service, with Waterhouse supporting the boy's claims of his 'weak' and 'tender' constitution, and subsequent difficulties in him making the long journey from Staffordshire to South Wales (Owen, 1904; Varlow, 2009; Tallis, 2017).
Essex's funeral sermon was delivered by his friend Richard Davies, Bishop of St Davids; Varlow (2009, p.51) again highlights the juxtaposition of Essex being lauded as a "hero of enormous valour and pious character", whilst the legacy of his recent 'ruthless' actions in Ireland remained. This "eloquent" sermon was published as a pamphlet the following year "for the benefit of the young earl absent" - ongoing attempts to portray the man who had acted with such brutality, as a honourable godly man. Following the service, Essex was buried in the church's chancel; his exact place of burial remains unknown, as no grave marker was erected (Leslie, 1888, p.151; Tallis, 2017).
Young Robert, as the new Earl of Essex, was summoned to court to pay his respects to the queen; leaving Chartley after Christmas 1576, potentially accompanied by his siblings - the household at Chartley being broken up - he arrived in London in early January 1577. He was presented whilst the queen was in residence at Hampton Court Palace on 17 January, his mother Lettice already being present, having spent the Christmas season with the royal court. Payments were made at this time to "Mrs West" for his lodgings, this being his maternal aunt Anne Knollys, with the 11-year-old Earl also residing with Burghley's family, often accompanying them to court. Robert remained in London until May 1577, when he matriculated at Trinity College, Cambridge (Varlow, 2009; Folgerpedia [2], 2026). Richard Broughton, a legal servant of Essex and "collector of the Earl's Causes", acted as trustee of the Devereux estates until Essex came of age - "did take upon him the burthen and care of the now younge Earle of Essexs causes during the Earles mynoritie" (Owen, 1904, p.249; History of Parliament Online, 2026).
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