(From the Thoroton Society Record Series, vol.
14: A Second Miscellany of Nottinghamshire Records, 1950, pp.21-22.)
Good
Mr Secretorie [Sir Francis Walsingham]
I ame gladd to heare you wilbe shortlie at the Courte Wher I hope to
fynde you afavoured of Justice. I knowe
righte well you have favoured my wief hytherto in her causes, but nowe that she
hathe so apparantlie manyfested her develishe disposition in mayntaynynge and
deffendinge her wicked servant Beresford in practissinge the utter ruyne and
distruction of my self, and defamacon of my house and name so longe contynewed
in honour and loyaltie to a Prince and Countrie by his false and detestable
speeches and brutes, whereof nowe he ys convicted and by lawe standeth
condempned. my truste ys that as in
honour and Conscyence yow are bounde, yow will leave her to herself and
accordinge to justice yow will further my suyte to her majestie that shee maye
be punyshed as a procurer and maynteyner of the sclaunder and distruccon of her
husbande, and to be banyshed the Courte as a woman not fitt for that honourable
place. Sir yt maye be that with her
money shee will buye Frends in Court to speke in her behalf but to theym I
wishe noe other revenge thaen to have such a Wief. Sure I ame that no man of
honeste fame can for shame speke for such a person, nor in such a cause,
agaynste the verie Lawe of nature, but of this noe more I am greeved to speake,
and ashamed to thinke of my choyce made of suche a creature. Nowe Sir
toucheinge my sonne Gilberte Talbott whome I knowe yow love and I hartelie
thancke yow for yt. I praye yow advise
him to leave that wicked Womans compaynye, who otherwise wilbe his distruction,
and teache him I praye yow to knowe that as godes blessinge ys uppon those
children that are obedyent to theire parentes, so to the disobednent falleth
his curse, which deliver him from. And
I shall take as great joy of his reformacon as was of that child wherof the
scripture maketh mencon. Thus good Mr
Secerytorie speeke nothinge but justice, and in honour yt oughte not to be
denyed me in suche a Cause as yf yt should goe unpuynyshed the example were to
perillus. for yt maye incorage other
stronge harted women to doe the like.
from which god deliver all good men, and send yow as well to doe, as I
wishe to my self. Chelsay this xvth of
June 1586.
Your
assured lovinge Frende
George
Shrewesburie.
[Endorsed] The Erle of Shrewesburie
his Lettre to Mr Secretorie
15
June 1586 about the Countess.
[Note]
The above concerns the Earl's second wife, Elizabeth [Bess of Hardwick],
one of the daughters and coheirs of John hardwick of Hardwick, co. Derby,
esquire, he being her fourth husband, by whom she had no issue. According to
Lodge, she was, "a woman of masculine understanding and conduct; proud,
furious, selfich and unfeeling. She was a builder, a buyer and seller of
estates, a moneylender, a farmer, and a merchant of lead, coals and timber. When disengaged from these employments, she
intregued alternately with Elizabeth and Mary, always to the prejudice and
terror of her husband. She lived to a great old age, continually flattered, but
seldom deceived, and died in 1607, immensely rich, and without a friend".
She
induced all her husbands to settle their estates, &c. on her to the
prejudice of their families, for the benefit of her own children by her third
husband, Sir William Cavendish.
The
Earl had the custody of Mary, Queen of Scots, committed to his charge.