Bess of Hardwick by Mary S. Lovell

review

Before I read this book, I was only familiar with Bess of Hardwick through her time spent with the captive Mary, Queen of Scots, so I was intrigued to learn more about her. Women were often ignored in historical records, however Bess is a remarkable exception to that rule and much of her life after her second marriage is well documented to a certain point. When times are quieter, Bess’s own household accounts are used to fill in the gaps but as fascinating as her expenditure is initially, it becomes increasingly repetitive and tedious. There can be no doubt Bess had great business sense and she really blossoms under the tutelage of her second husband, William Cavendish, who was happy to indulge her but constant reiterations of her abilities start to feel like unnecessary padding after a while.

Bess’s other great ability, probably learned by watching Cavendish, was reading the situation at court and knowing who was worthy of her allegiance. Bess’s family survives the difficult transitions between Henry VIII’s children remarkably unscathed and Bess is eventually made part of Elizabeth I’s inner circle through the marriage to her third husband, Sir William St. Loe, who was Captain of the Guard and Chief Butler of England. Bess is ambitious and knows how to play the game at court, so she manages to keep Elizabeth’s favour throughout her reign despite the odd transgression. However, Bess and her fourth husband, the Earl of Shrewsbury, were soon to learn being one of Elizabeth’s favourites could come with a hefty price. Bess and Shrewsbury are initially ecstatic at being chosen to guard the captive Queen of Scots but when they realise much of her keep will be coming out of their own purse, the privilege soon begins to feel like a chore. Shrewsbury was to be Mary’s jailer for more than fifteen years but by the end of it, he would be little more than a broken man estranged from his wife and children.

The political climate during Bess’s life was particularly turbulent and it is reasonable to expect Lovell to devote a significant portion of the book to describing what is going on at court and elsewhere. The political machinations colour many of Bess’s choices and goals for her children’s future so it is important for the reader to understand why she chooses to do some of things she does, however there were times where I felt we lost sight of Bess the person. There is a lot of focus on Mary, Queen of Scots, yet Bess only had contact with the Scottish Queen during the early parts of her imprisonment until she chose to distance herself, yet much of Mary’s story is detailed anyway in Bess’s absence. Obviously, Mary’s captivity had a detrimental effect on Bess’s marriage and Lovell wants to show exactly what led to the breakdown but it becomes very repetitive.

After Shrewsbury’s death in 1590, Bess’s remaining years were devoted to increasing her vast fortune and ensuring her grandchildren made good marriages. At the forefront of Bess’s ambitions is her granddaughter, Arbella Stuart, who had a legitimate claim on the throne of England through her great grandmother, Margaret Tudor, a sister of Henry VIII. Bess risked the wrath of Elizabeth I by scheming with Margaret Douglas, Countess of Lennox, for a marriage between Margaret’s son, Charles Stuart, and her daughter, Elizabeth Cavendish. Any child born of such a union was likely to have a strong claim on the throne and since the marriage had taken place without royal consent, Margaret Douglas soon found herself in the Tower. Bess managed to escape censure by ignoring a summons to court but the row settled down when a daughter was born of the union and Charles died soon after.

After the death of Elizabeth Cavendish a few years later, Arbella was raised by her grandmother but it was a lonely childhood as Bess was overprotective to the point of suffocation. As Arbella grew older, she naturally began to rebel against her grandmother’s strict regimen and caused a scandal when she tried to arrange an unsuitable marriage for herself. The relationship between Bess and Arbella broke down to the extent Bess pleaded with Elizabeth to take the girl away, however fate decreed otherwise as unknown to Bess, Elizabeth was dying. After Elizabeth’s death, too much attention is taken away from Bess in order to focus on Arbella’s life at the court of James I, so much so I was starting to wonder if this was Arbella’s book. By the time we catch up with Bess, she is busy disinheriting the children and grandchildren she believes to be a disappointment and preparing for her death.

So, do I feel like I know Bess of Hardwick better after reading this book? Unfortunately not. There’s no doubt Bess was a woman ahead of her time and you could easily imagine her as the CEO of a successful family business in the modern era, but as a wife and mother she still remains somewhat of a mystery because Bess gets somewhat lost amongst the politics. Lovell makes a lot of suppositions about parts of Bess’s life, and while most of them are historically sound and plausible, they are still nothing more than a leap of faith. The repetition was, however, the worst part for me as the same ground was often covered from different angles and could’ve been easily dropped.

I also found it curious Lovell seemed particularly anxious about dispelling many of the myths surrounding Bess’s personality, such as her perceived shrewishness, yet she portrays many of the other female characters stereotypically. Particularly disappointing is her condemnation of Frances Grey who has been vilified throughout history for her abusive treatment of her daughters, yet modern biographers now agree the accusations are unfounded and this is never mentioned. In the same light, Mary, Queen of Scots, is dismissed as a manipulative marriage wrecker who seems to have an almost preternatural effect on men, but my views here may be biased since the Scottish Queen is one of my favourite historical figures.

Having said that, I did like the way Lovell brought her characters to life and it’s obvious she did a tremendous amount of research, but Bess still remains a little too elusive for me.