Bess of Hardwick, Mary Queen of Scots, and the Cavendishes : Cultural Legacies of Captivity

This book examines the cultural legacies of the fifteen years that Mary Queen of Scots spent as a prisoner in the household of Bess of Hardwick and her fourth husband, the Earl of Shrewsbury.

This book examines the cultural legacies of the fifteen years that Mary Queen of Scots spent as a prisoner in the household of Bess of Hardwick and her fourth husband, the Earl of Shrewsbury. It proposes four main areas of influence: first, that although Mary never visited Hardwick New Hall, the experience of keeping Mary captive affected the way that Bess conceived and furnished the house; second, that Mary’s insistence on having copious meals ceremonially served to her can be traced in the recipe and remedy books of two of Bess’s granddaughters; third, that Mary’s status as royal prisoner is echoed in the life of a third granddaughter, Lady Arbella Stuart; and fourth, that the necessity of defending Cavendish-Talbot residences from attack informed the way that Bess’s son Charles Cavendish built Bolsover Castle and coloured the way that two of Bess’s great-granddaughters described their experiences during the English Civil War in a jointly authored play.