Tudor Women day 3

Today it was Baddesley Clinton, hidden in the countryside a moated manor house dating back to the 1400’s. It was the home to the Ferrers family for over 500years and the house holds many artefacts of the family. One of the important artefacts is a tapestry made in 1585 that depicts the Grand royal progress of 1575 at Kenilworth castle. The Ferrers were a recusant Catholic family in the Tudor period and were constantly in danger of being summarily arrested or troops knocking on the door. There are a number of priest holes in the house, hidden places where priest could hide at a moment’s notice one was down a rope into the sewer. We know of one documented occasion that 9 priest hid there yeuk! But I suppose better there than the alternative of a grisly execution. From there the weather got better in the afternoon where we were at Kenilworth castle just a few miles away. A huge castle, mostly ruins courtesy of Oliver Cromwell , but very important in English history. It was here that Elizabeth was entertained by Robert Dudley in 1575. He spent millions in todays money to get Elizabeth to marry him but to no avail. The ruins are huge and to wander around parts of history and imagine what it would have been like. Dudley also added another wing to the castle and this wing also lies in ruins Cromwell did so much cultural damage. Not only were the buildings destroyed but records and all the family archives also went up in smoke. It’s easy to think that somewhere in these ruins a letter from Elizabeth to Robert Dudley that would have confirmed that they were lovers. I always try to talk to the room guides wherever we go and this time we were treated to an amazing story. The locals had used the castle as a ready source of building materials over the centuries and there are a couple of stained glass windows in the gate house that were returned some time ago but a couple of weeks ago a local resident brought back a large cannon ball. What was anybody doing with a cannonball in their house? The staff were grateful and surprised but they don’t know exactly what to do with it at the present time, Next time we go there I will find out.