Of course there have been many biographies of Bess of Harwick. Eventually the Dowager Countess of Shrewsbury, she was probably the richest woman in England after Queen Elizabeth when she died in 1608 at the remarkable age of 80. Mary S Lovell’s take on the life of this strong, capable woman, which was published in 2005, debunks a great deal of what has been written in the past.
First the facts: Bess married four times and bore eight children all of them with her third husband Sir William Cavendish to whom she was married from 1547 until his death in 1557 when she was still only 30. During her long life she owned many properties and estates, most famously establishing three great Derbyshire houses at Hardwick (now National Trust), Oldcotes (demolished) and Chatsworth which was rebuilt a century after Bess’s death and is now Derbyshire’s most famous tourist attraction. Bess’s great-great-grandson became the First Duke of Devonshire and Chatsworth is still controlled by her Cavendish heirs today.
Bess was a shrewd businesswoman who experienced shortage of money and debt when she was a young widow but thereafter (who could blame her?) looked after her own interests with a talent which went against the grain for women of her time and class. She enjoyed planning buildings and overseeing their construction.
Lovell finds a great deal of mutual affection in all Bess’s marriages thereby refuting accusations that she was simply a materialistic serial bride. There are many letters which mention love, missing each other, presents and other signs that argue against marriage of convenience. Her final marriage soured although there is plenty of evidence that it began lovingly. Lovell believes that George Talbot, 6th Earl of Shrewsbury, became mentally ill perhaps with some form of dementia. They lived apart in the final years of his life when his behaviour and letters became increasingly irrational and unreasonable, often castigating Bess and accusing her of terrible things. Her calm letters, on the other hand, repeatedly indicate her wish for reconciliation. He spent many years being the official custodian of the imprisoned Mary Queen of Scots which seems to have cost him a lot of money and put a strain on his marriage
Partly because of her four marriages Bess, a lady-in waiting to Queen Elizabeth to whom she became a friend, there were many step-children. In some cases marriages took place amongst her own children and her step-children. Eventually she had a huge network of grandchildren and great grandchildren along with other closely connected families. The family names which resound through history – Leicester, Zouche, Norfolk, Grey, and Tewkesbury for example – are all here in Bess’s life. She was instrumental in arranging many advantageous dynastic marriages.
Her favourite grandchild Arbella was born to Bess’s daughter Elizabeth Cavendish) whose husband was Matthew Stewart, 4th Earl of Lennox. Because Arbella was orphaned young, Bess, always fond of children, brought her up and tried to capitalise on the child’s (spurious?) claim to be heir to Queen Elizabeth. Arbella was kept so close to Bess that it was almost imprisonment from which inevitably, she eventually broke away, thereby estranging herself from her grandmother.
Bess’s life is intriguing because she was such a complex character. She didn’t suffer fools and made most of her own decisions independent of male influence as far as the law allowed in the 16th century. She should be an icon for modern feminism.
She inspired trust too. Sir William Cavendish left her a lifetime controlling interest in all his properties. The conventional thing would have been to appoint a male nephew or friend. Moreover, she was, as Lovell tells us “intelligent, affectionate, diligent and loyal.”
I’m not sure whether “economic biography” is a genre or whether I’m coining a term here, but it’s how I would describe this work. Lovell is very good indeed at using money – account books, wills and so on – as a source from which she can draw inferences. Bess’s household accounts, for example, demonstrate her generosity. Again and again she details gifts not just to her own family but to servants, villagers and estate workers who were, presumably in need. And the amounts to family members, of course, tell a story of their own – which Lovell ably unravels.
It’s a rich and accessible read. It took me a while though because, even in paperback this book is too big to carry around conveniently and I do most of my reading on the hoof.
Next week on Susan’s Bookshelves: The Iron Man by Ted Hughes
