Editing Bess of Hardwick (section)

==Bess's four marriages==

===First marriage===
In 1543, Bess married 13-year-old Robert Barley (or Barlow), heir to a neighbouring estate. The exact date of her marriage to Robert is unknown. It is thought that the marriage took place late May 1543, shortly before the death of Robert's father on 28 May. There is no evidence that they lived together as husband and wife.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/bessofhardwickpo00dura |url-access=registration |title=Bess of Hardwick: portrait of an Elizabethan dynast |last=Durant |first=David N. |date=January 1978 |publisher=Atheneum Publishers |language=en | page=[https://archive.org/details/bessofhardwickpo00dura/page/9 9]|isbn=9780689108358 }}</ref> Robert died in December 1544. There was no issue from the marriage, which had been arranged locally, probably initially to protect the Barley patrimony and to mitigate the impact of wardship on the Barley estate should Robert succeed his father as an underage heir. The traditional story that Robert and Bess met in London while in the service of a "Lady Zouche" is based on oral history, which can only be dated to the late seventeenth century (some eighty years after Bess's death). The marital claims to Robert's estate were disputed, and following his death Bess was refused dower by Peter Freschevile. A court battle ensued, which resulted in Bess being awarded her claim on the Barley estate and compensation, albeit several years after Robert's death.

===Second marriage===
[[File:Cavendish arms.svg|thumb|200px|Arms of Cavendish: ''Sable, three buck's heads cabossed argent''<ref>''Debrett's Peerage'', 1968, p. 355, Duke of Devonshire</ref>]]
On 20 August 1547, Bess married the twice-widowed Sir [[William Cavendish (courtier)|William Cavendish]], Treasurer of the King's Chamber,<ref name="Digby" /> and became '''Lady Cavendish'''. The wedding took place at two o'clock in the morning, at the home of the [[Grey family]], friends of the couple. Sir William was more than twice Bess's age and the father of two daughters. His fortune had been made following the [[Dissolution of the Monasteries]], since as an official of the [[Court of Augmentations]] he was able to select choice properties for himself. Possibly acting on Bess's advice, Sir William sold his lands in the south of England and bought the Chatsworth estates in her home county of [[Derbyshire]]. Sir William Cavendish died on 25 October 1557, leaving Bess widowed a second time and in deep debt to the Crown. Upon his death, Bess claimed the sum of his property, having insisted that his land be settled on their heirs.
The eight children of the marriage, two of whom died in infancy, were as follows:<ref>[http://roglo.eu/roglo?lang=en;i=4306713 Genealogy Database by Daniel de Rauglaudre] (retrieved 23 December 2012).</ref>
* '''Frances Cavendish''' (18 June 1548{{snd}}January 1632), the eldest child, married Sir [[Henry Pierrepont (MP)|Henry Pierrepont]], MP. Their children were:
** [[Robert Pierrepont, 1st Earl of Kingston-upon-Hull]] who married Gertrude Talbot. They had five sons including [[Henry Pierrepont, 1st Marquess of Dorchester]] and [[William Pierrepont (politician)|William Pierrepoint]], MP. Robert was also the forebear of the [[Duke of Kingston-upon-Hull|Dukes of Kingston-upon-Hull]], extinct since 1773. The [[Earl Manvers|Earls Manvers]] (extinct in 1955) succeeded to the Pierrepont Estates.
** [[Elizabeth Pierrepont]] married [[Thomas Erskine, 1st Earl of Kellie|Sir Thomas Erskine]], first [[Earl of Kellie]].
** [[Grace, Lady Manners|Grace Pierrepont]] married Sir George Manners. They had four children, including [[John Manners, 8th Earl of Rutland]].
* '''Temperance Cavendish''' (10 June 1549{{snd}}1550), 2nd child, died in infancy.
* '''[[Henry Cavendish (politician)|Henry Cavendish]]''' (17 December 1550{{snd}}28 October 1616), 3rd child, a godson of Queen [[Elizabeth I of England|Elizabeth I]].<ref name="Digby" /> He married Grace Talbot. Henry Cavendish is the forebear of the [[Baron Waterpark|Barons Waterpark]]. The title of Baron Waterpark is extant. He hated his wife and had no legitimate children. Instead he had eight illegitimate children, four boys and four girls. After attempting and failing to liberate his niece Arbella Stuart from his mother's estate, he was disinherited by his mother. Bess referred to him as "my bad son Henry".<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite ODNB|title=Cavendish, Henry (1550–1616), soldier and traveller|year=2004|doi=10.1093/ref:odnb/4935|url=http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/10.1093/ref:odnb/9780198614128.001.0001/odnb-9780198614128-e-4935|language=en}}{{subscription required}}</ref>
* '''[[William Cavendish, 1st Earl of Devonshire]]''' (27 December 1552{{snd}}3 March 1626), 4th child, forebear of the extant [[Duke of Devonshire|Dukes of Devonshire]].
* '''[[Charles Cavendish (died 1617)|Charles Cavendish]]''' (28 November 1553{{snd}}4 April 1617), 5th child, a godson of Queen [[Mary I of England]].<ref name="Digby" /> He married Catherine Ogle, 8th Baroness Ogle. They had a son:
** [[William Cavendish, 1st Duke of Newcastle-upon-Tyne]], forebear of the [[Duke of Newcastle|Dukes of Newcastle]], extinct since 1691. The Barony of Ogle is in abeyance, as more than one person has a legal right to claim the title. The estates passed through to the female line to the Dukes of Portland and Newcastle-under-Lyne, both now extinct.<ref>{{cite book |last1= Girouard |first1= Mark |last2=Durant |first2=David |title= Hardwick Hall guidebook |publisher= The National Trust of England and Wales |year= 1989 |isbn= 978-1-84359-217-4 }}</ref>
* '''[[Elizabeth Stuart, Countess of Lennox|Elizabeth Cavendish]]''' (31 March 1555{{snd}}21 January 1582), 6th child, wife of [[Charles Stuart, 1st Earl of Lennox]]. They had a daughter:
** [[Arbella Stuart|Lady Arbella Stuart, 2nd Countess of Lennox]], married [[William Seymour, 2nd Duke of Somerset]], an extant title. 
* '''[[Mary Talbot, Countess of Shrewsbury|Mary Cavendish]]''' (January 1556{{snd}}April 1632), 7th child, wife of [[Gilbert Talbot, 7th Earl of Shrewsbury]]. They had five children including:
** [[Alethea Howard, Countess of Arundel|Lady Alatheia (or Alethea) Talbot]], who married [[Thomas Howard, 21st Earl of Arundel|Thomas Howard, 1st Earl of Norfolk]]. The title of Duke of Norfolk is extant.
** [[Mary Talbot Herbert|Lady Mary Talbot]] who married [[William Herbert, 3rd Earl of Pembroke]]. The title Earl of Pembroke is extant.
** [[Elizabeth Grey, Countess of Kent|Lady Elizabeth Talbot]] married [[Henry Grey, 8th Earl of Kent]]. The title Earl of Kent from the Grey family has been extinct since 1740.
* '''Lucrece Cavendish''' (born and died 1556), 8th child, probably the twin of Mary.

===Third marriage===
[[File:Blason Aragon.svg|thumb|200px|Arms of St Loe: ''Argent, a bend sable''<ref>[https://archive.org/stream/generalarmoryofe00burk/generalarmoryofe00burk_djvu.txt Burke's General Armory, 1884]</ref>]]
In 1559 Bess married a third time, to Sir [[William St Loe]] (1518–1565) (''alias'' St Lowe, Saintlowe, Sentloe, etc.) and became '''Lady St Loe'''. Her new husband was [[Captain of the Guard]] to Queen Elizabeth I and [[Chief Butler of England]]. Due to his relationship with Queen Elizabeth I, he was able to reduce the debt Bess owed and paid it back in full on her behalf.<ref name=":1">Lovell, M. S. (Spring 2018). Bess of Hardwick. ''National Trust Magazine'', ''148'', 32-33.</ref> He owned large [[West Country]] estates at [[Tormarton]] in [[Gloucestershire]] and [[Chew Magna]] in [[Somerset]], while his principal residence was at [[Sutton Court]] in [[Stowey]]. When he died without male issue in 1564/5, in suspicious circumstances (probably poisoned by his younger brother),<ref>[[Mary S. Lovell]]: ''Bess of Hardwick'', pp185-186</ref> he left everything to Bess, to the detriment of his daughters and brother.<ref name="Digby" /> In addition to her own six surviving children, Bess was now responsible for the two daughters of Sir William St Loe from his first marriage. However, those two daughters were already adults and otherwise well provided for.

Sir William St Loe's death left Bess one of the wealthiest women in England. Her annual income was calculated to amount to [[Pound sterling|£]]60,000, {{Inflation|UK|60000|1564|fmt=eq|cursign=£|r=-6}}.{{Inflation-fn|UK|df=y}} Further, she was a [[Lady of the Bedchamber]] with daily access to the Queen, whose favour she enjoyed. Still in her late 30s, Bess retained her looks and good health, and a number of important men began courting her.

===Fourth marriage===
[[File:Talbot arms.svg|thumb|200px|Arms of Talbot: ''Gules, a lion rampant within a bordure engrailled or''<ref>Debrett's Peerage, 1968, p. 1015, E. of Shrewsbury & Waterford</ref>]]
Despite being courted by several suitors, Bess did not remarry until 1568, when she married for the fourth time to become '''Countess of Shrewsbury.''' Her new husband, [[George Talbot, 6th Earl of Shrewsbury]], was one of the premier aristocrats of the realm, and the father of seven children by his first marriage. Indeed, two of his children were married to two of hers in a [[Wedding#Double wedding|double ceremony]] in February 1568: Bess's daughter [[Mary Talbot, Countess of Shrewsbury|Mary Cavendish]], aged 12, was given in marriage to Shrewsbury's eldest son [[Gilbert Talbot, 7th Earl of Shrewsbury|Gilbert]], aged 16; while Bess's son, Sir Henry Cavendish, aged 18, married Shrewsbury's daughter Lady Grace Talbot, aged 8.

In the year before Bess and the Earl of Shrewsbury were married, a political disturbance arose in Scotland, which would profoundly affect their lives. [[Battle of Carberry Hill|Rebel Scottish lords]] rose up against [[Mary, Queen of Scots]], imprisoned her, and forced her to abdicate in favour of her one-year-old infant son, [[James VI and I|James]]. In May 1568, Mary escaped captivity in Scotland, and fled south towards England, seeking the protection of her cousin, Queen Elizabeth. However, the English authorities were not sure how to receive her. On 18 May, she was taken into protective custody at [[Carlyle Castle|Carlisle Castle]] by local officials.

Queen Elizabeth felt obliged to host and protect Mary, her cousin, against the rebellious Scottish lords. However, due to [[Mary, Queen of Scots#Claim to the English throne|Mary's persistent claim to the English throne]], Elizabeth also regarded her as a threat. Elizabeth had Mary moved to [[Bolton Castle]] in [[Yorkshire]], where she was lodged under the guard of [[Francis Knollys (the elder)|Francis Knollys]], pending the [[Casket letters#Conference at York, Westminster, and Hampton Court|York Conference]] inquiry, regarding Mary's fate. The inquiry results were inconclusive; yet Elizabeth did not set Mary free. Instead, Mary would be detained under the custody of the Earl of Shrewsbury, and his wife Bess. Elizabeth's instruction to Bess and her husband amounted to little more than Mary's house arrest. Mary reached her new residence, [[Tutbury Castle]], in February 1569, when she was 26 years old, and would remain in the custody of Shrewsbury and Bess for 15 years. Elizabeth shifted the costs of the imprisonment to Shrewsbury. It was recorded that Mary would use the couple's insecurities against each other, even convincing Talbot that Bess was stealing.<ref name=":1" /> Mary's presence in their home, as well as the financial costs and political tensions, may have contributed to the rift between Shrewsbury and Bess, which would lead eventually to the break-up of their marriage.<ref>Bess of Hardwick Empire Builder 2005 Mary S. Lovell p 210.</ref><ref>Roderick Graham (2009) ''The Life of Mary Queen of Scots.''  pp 314–316</ref>

While in the care of the earl and countess, Queen Mary lived at one or another of their many houses in the [[The Midlands, England|Midlands]]: [[Tutbury Castle|Tutbury]], [[Wingfield Manor]], [[Chatsworth House]],<ref>E. Carleton Williams, ''Bess of Hardwick'' pp 74–80</ref> and [[Sheffield Manor]]. Throughout this period, Bess spent time as Mary's companion, working with her on embroidery and textile projects. Indeed, all Mary's work later became part of Bess's historical collection at [[Hardwick Hall]].<ref>Lovell, 2005, pp 220–221</ref>
[[File:Bess of Hardwick as Mistress St Lo.jpg|thumb|200px|right|Bess of Hardwick, 1550s]] Bess joined Mary at Chatsworth for extended periods in 1569, 1570, and 1571, during which time they worked together on the [[Oxburgh Hangings]].<ref name="Digby"/> Bess sent Elizabeth I a remarkable dress as a [[New Year's Day gift (royal courts)|New Year's Day gift]] for 1577, according to Elizabeth Wingfield, who wrote;<blockquote>Her Majesty never liked any thing you gave her so well, the colour and strange trimming of the garments, with the rich and great cost bestowed upon that, has caused her to give out such good speeches of my lord and your Ladyship as I never heard of better, she told my Lord of Leicester and my Lord Chamberlain that you had given her such garments this year as she never had any so well liked her, and said that good noble couple, they show in all things what love they bear me.<ref>Alison Wiggins, ''Bess of Hardwick’s Letters: Language, Materiality, and Early Modern Epistolary Culture'' (Routledge, 2017), pp. 181–182.</ref><ref>[https://www.bessofhardwick.org/letter.jsp?letter=97 Bess of Hardwick's Letters, ID: 097]</ref></blockquote>

It was not until Mary was removed to another keeper, Sir [[Amias Paulet]], that she got into the trouble that would lead ultimately to [[Mary, Queen of Scots#Death|her execution]]. Previous to the Queen's change in custody, Shrewsbury and Bess separated for good. They had been apart, off and on, since about 1580; and even Queen Elizabeth had tried to get them to reconcile. Mary seems to have aggravated, if not created, their problems by playing them off against each other. The Countess spread rumors that her husband Shrewsbury had been in a relationship with Mary, a charge which has never been proved or disproved, and in any case which she later retracted,<ref name="EB1911">{{Cite EB1911|wstitle=Shrewsbury, Elizabeth Talbot, Countess of|volume=24|page=1017}}</ref> but seems unlikely given Shrewsbury's disposition and increasingly poor health.{{Citation needed | date=December 2013}} On his death in 1590, Bess became [[Dowager]] Countess of Shrewsbury. She lived mostly at Hardwick, where she built the new mansion Hardwick Hall, which inspired the rhyme, "Hardwick Hall, more glass than wall", because of the number and size of its windows.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.architecture.com/HowWeBuiltBritain/HistoricalPeriods/TudorsAndStuarts/ProdigyHouse/HardwickHallDerbyshire.aspx |title=Royal Institute of British Architects |access-date=20 September 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130921055242/http://www.architecture.com/HowWeBuiltBritain/HistoricalPeriods/TudorsAndStuarts/ProdigyHouse/HardwickHallDerbyshire.aspx |archive-date=21 September 2013 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>Levey, ''Of Household Stuff'', pp. 10–11; Levey, ''An Elizabethan Inheritance'', pp. 20–39 ''passim''</ref> She was indeed one of the greatest builders of her time at Hardwick, [[Chatsworth House]], and [[Oldcotes Manor|Oldcoates]].<ref name="EB1911"/>