Theobalds House (also known as Theobalds Palace ) in the parish of Cheshunt in the English county of Hertfordshire , north of London, was a significant stately home and (later) royal palace of the 16th and early 17th centuries.
102-540: Set in extensive parkland, it was a residence of statesmen Lord Burghley and his son, both leading royal advisers. It was a notable example of the Elizabethan prodigy house , and was the favourite residence of King James I , who died there. The palace was demolished as a result of the English Civil War . A new mansion known as The Cedars was built farther to the west in 1763: the house and park were then acquired and
204-560: A Scheduled Ancient Monument , had lapsed into decay. After a long campaign, it was decided to return it to the City in 2001. The arch was again dismantled, and was reconstructed on a site next to St Paul's Cathedral . The project was completed in November 2004, and a commemorative plaque was placed in Theobalds Park. On Christmas Eve 2015, Katie Locke was murdered at the hotel by a man she was on
306-577: A Councilman of the Jamestown Colony of Virginia in 1607 and was the proprietor of Martin's Brandon Plantation on the south bank of the James River , apparently named after his wife's family. Another son, Richard (died 1616), served with his father as a master-worker at the mint from 1599 to 1607. Their daughter Dorcas married Sir Julius Caesar , later Chancellor of the Exchequer and Master of
408-537: A first date with. In June 2016, Carl Langdell was jailed for life. 51°41′20″N 0°03′22″W / 51.68889°N 0.05611°W / 51.68889; -0.05611 William Cecil, 1st Baron Burghley William Cecil, 1st Baron Burghley KG PC (13 September 1520 – 4 August 1598) was an English statesman, the chief adviser of Queen Elizabeth I for most of her reign, twice Secretary of State (1550–1553 and 1558–1572) and Lord High Treasurer from 1572. In his description in
510-557: A letter to the queen regarding Nicholas Malby 's actions in the Munster rebellion since he was away in England during the deliberations of the meeting. Again, on 28 August 1582 White was accused of withholding his signature to conciliar deliberations on the actions of the deputy during the Pale rebellion. He continued to demonstrate his valuable insights to Burghley in regular correspondence throughout
612-514: A likely model for the character of the King's calculating minister Polonius in William Shakespeare 's Hamlet . Richard Attenborough depicted him in the film Elizabeth (1998), although the portrayal was inaccurate in many ways, including in regards to age and length of service. He was played by Ben Webster in the 1935 film Drake of England . He was a prominent supporting character in
714-545: A maxim such as this, it was easy for him to maintain that Elizabeth's coercive measures were political and not religious. To say that he was Machiavellian is meaningless, for every statesman is so, more or less; especially in the 16th century men preferred efficiency to principle. On the other hand, principles are valueless without law and order; and Burghley's craft and subtlety prepared a security in which principles might find some scope." The most prolonged of Cecil's surviving personal correspondences, lasting from 1566 until 1590,
816-535: A painter called Jenings drew the heraldry of the peers of England on the wall and provided a frame for a map, the "chart of England". The Painted, or Green Gallery, completed in 1574 ran over a wing of lodgings and bedchambers. The decoration of the Green Gallery was also of a topographic and heraldic character. It was described by a German visitor, Jacob Rathgeb, secretary to the Duke of Wirtemberg , who visited in 1592, and
918-570: A palace fine enough to accommodate the Queen on her visits. The Queen visited there eight times, between 1572 and 1596. An entertainment for Elizabeth, the Hermit's Welcome at Theobalds in May 1591 alluded to Burghley's retirement from public life. Burghley collapsed (possibly from a stroke or heart attack) in 1598. Before he died, Robert, his only surviving son by his second wife, was ready to step into his shoes as
1020-411: A palace fine enough to accommodate the Queen on her visits. The Queen visited eight times between 1572 and 1596. The location was ideal in that it lay just off the main road north from London to Ware , a 2.5 hour horse trot journey from London, and thus an ideal stop at the end of the first day of a royal tour. A list of rooms to be prepared for the royal visit in 1572 survives. The formal gardens of
1122-586: A powerful Royal Navy. While he was not fully successful, his successors agreed with his goals. In 1587, Cecil persuaded the Queen to order the execution of the Roman Catholic Mary, Queen of Scots , after she was implicated in a plot to assassinate Elizabeth. He was the father of Robert Cecil, 1st Earl of Salisbury , and founder of the Cecil dynasty (marquesses of Exeter and of Salisbury ), which has produced many politicians including two prime ministers. Cecil
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#17328491099661224-590: A riding school. Renamed to Theobalds House, in 1955 it became a secondary school and after 1969, an adult education centre. In the 1990s it was refurbished for use as a commercial conference centre and later converted to its current (2015) status as the Theobalds Park Hotel in the De Vere Venues chain. The Temple Bar Gate had remained in the hands of the trustees of the Meux family estate and despite its status as
1326-478: A successful Welsh-born goldsmith, was his apprentice in 1584. Richard Martin married Dorcas Ecclestone (1537-1599) sometime before 1562. Martin had a silver medal with their portraits made to commemorate their marriage. The medal was designed by Steven Corneliszoon van Herwijck who was working in London in 1562. They had five sons and one daughter. Both Martins were active in radical religious causes including
1428-503: A successor to this crown, but I fear the unwillingness of her Majesty to have such a person known will stay the matter." It was rumoured in December 1554 that Cecil would succeed Sir William Petre as Secretary of State , an office which, with his chancellorship of the Garter, he had lost on Mary's accession to the throne. Probably the Queen had more to do with this rumour than Cecil, though he
1530-616: A united British Isles became an axiom of English policy by the 17th century. Though a Protestant, Cecil was not a religious purist; he aided the Protestant Huguenots and Dutch just enough to keep them going in the struggles which warded danger from England's shores. However, Cecil never developed that passionate aversion to decided measures which became a second nature to Elizabeth. His intervention in Scotland in 1559–1560 showed that he could strike hard when necessary; and his action over
1632-547: A yard at Farringdon Road . In 1888, it caught the eye of the beautiful (painted by Whistler) and eccentric Lady Meux (formerly a banjo-playing barmaid named Val); the gateway was purchased from the City of London and the 400 tons of stone was transported by horse-drawn carts to the park, where it was carefully rebuilt at a cost of £10,000. Lady Val Meux often entertained in the gateway's upper chamber; guests included King Edward VII and Winston Churchill . When Sir Hedworth Lambton ,
1734-488: Is a prominent secondary character in several books by Bertrice Small . He is a prominent character in Legacy , a novel of Elizabeth I by Susan Kay . He also appears in the alternative history Ruled Britannia , by Harry Turtledove , in which he and his son Sir Robert Cecil are conspirators and patrons of William Shakespeare in an attempt to restore Elizabeth to power after a Spanish invasion and conquest of England. In addition, he
1836-547: Is an anglicisation of the Welsh Seisyllt . Lord Burghley acknowledged that the family was from the Welsh Marches in a family pedigree painted at Theobalds . The Lord Treasurer's grandfather, David Cecil , had moved to Stamford. David Cecil secured the favour of the first Tudor king, Henry VII , to whom he was yeoman of the chamber. He was elected Member of Parliament for Stamford five times, between 1504 and 1523. He
1938-470: Is no kind of field-hawking there". Theobalds was however conveniently near to Waltham Forest where the king could hunt. In July 1613 Anne of Denmark was hunting deer at Theobalds and accidentally shot and killed the king's dog "Jewel" with a crossbow bolt. King James invited a young Polish-Lithuanian nobleman Tomasz Zamoyski to join the hunt at Theobalds in July 1615. In September 1618 James gave orders for
2040-582: Is played by Philip Rosch. As a stage character Cecil features in Friedrich Schiller 's verse drama Mary Stuart and Robert Bolt 's Vivat! Vivat Regina! . Bolt portrays him as intelligent, pragmatic, ruthless and driven by the interests of the State and the Crown. Cecil appears as a character in the novels I, Elizabeth by Rosalind Miles , The Virgin's Lover and The Other Queen by Philippa Gregory , and
2142-562: Is portrayed as a young man in Lamentation by C. J. Sansom . Burghley also appears in the espionage novels of Fiona Buckley , featuring Elizabeth I's half-sister, Ursula Blanchard. Guy Pearce portrays Cecil in the 2018 historical drama Mary Queen of Scots , directed by Josie Rourke . William Cecil appears as a character in Deborah Harkness ’ novel Shadow of Night , which is the second instalment of her “All Souls” Trilogy. Cecil
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#17328491099662244-515: Is portrayed by Adrian Rawlins in the television adaptation of the triogy, A Discovery of Witches . Richard Martin (Lord Mayor of London) Sir Richard Martin (died July 1617 in London ) was an English goldsmith and Master of the Mint who served as Sheriff and twice as Lord Mayor of the City of London during the reign of Elizabeth I . Richard Martyn's birth is estimated at c. 1534 on
2346-538: Is said to have opposed, in the parliament of 1555 (in which he represented Lincolnshire), a bill for the confiscation of the estates of the Protestant refugees . The story, even as told by his biographer, does not represent Cecil's conduct as having been very courageous; and it is more revealing that he found no seat in the parliament of 1558, for which Mary had directed the return of "discreet and good Catholic members ". The Duke of Northumberland had employed Cecil in
2448-515: Is with Nicholas White , an Irish judge. It is contained in the State Papers Ireland 63 and Lansdowne MS. 102 , but receives hardly a mention in the literature on Cecil. White had been a tutor to Cecil's children during his student days in London, and the correspondence suggests that he was held in lasting affection by the family. In the end, White fell into a Dublin controversy over the confessions of an intriguing priest, which threatened
2550-517: The Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition , A.F. Pollard wrote, "From 1558 for forty years the biography of Cecil is almost indistinguishable from that of Elizabeth and from the history of England." Cecil set as the main goal of English policy the creation of a united and Protestant British Isles. His methods were to complete the control of Ireland, and to forge an alliance with Scotland. Protection from invasion required
2652-453: The Hermit's Welcome at Theobalds was performed. Visitors would first enter the Great Hall. It was two storeys high, with oak panelling and a minstrels' gallery . The hall ceiling was arched over "with curved timber of curious workmanship" and may have resembled the slightly later decorative hammerbeams of the Great Hall at Wollaton . The chimneypiece was carved from blue marble. In 1585
2754-603: The 3rd Duke of Portland to George Prescott , a merchant and MP . Prescott built a Georgian style mansion known as The Cedars about a mile to the west of the original palace. The new house passed from the Prescott family to the Meux family of Meux's Brewery fame in about 1820, and they made extensive alterations and added extensions during the nineteenth century. These included a remodelled entrance based on Sir Christopher Wren 's Temple Bar Gate , which had been dismantled and stored in
2856-665: The Admonition Controversy , part of an effort to encourage the queen to further reform Protestantism in England. The country house at Highgate later known as Lauderdale House was built for him in 1582. The Martins' son Captain John Martin commanded the Benjamin under Drake in the 1585–1586 expedition. On his return, John Martin married Mary Brandon (born 1566), daughter of Robert Brandon , Chamberlain of London, on 23 May 1586 at St Vedast, Foster Lane . John Martin became
2958-530: The Baron Waldstein in 1600. Frederic Gerschow, secretary to the Duke of Stettin-Pomerania , saw the hall in 1602 and explained that England was represented by 52 "trees", a tree for each province hung with arms of the earls and barons. There were also token items depicting the produce of the regions. Paul Hentzner mentioned a canal in the garden for visitors to row boats amidst the shrubbery. Two thieves, John Todd alias Black Jack and Thomas Travers got into
3060-532: The Commonwealth . This was achieved speedily, and by the end of 1650, the house was largely demolished. After the Restoration , the estate was granted to George Monck, 1st Duke of Albemarle , but reverted to the Crown after the death of the 2nd Duke of Albemarle , who left no heir. It was then given by King William III to William Bentinck, 1st Earl of Portland and descended in that family until sold in 1762 by
3162-556: The Religious Settlement of 1559 was considerable, and it coincided fairly with his own Anglican religious views. Like the mass of the nation, he grew more Protestant as time wore on; he was happier to persecute Catholics than Puritans ; and he had no love for ecclesiastical jurisdiction. His prosecution of the English Catholics made him a recurring character in the "evil counsellor polemics", written by Catholic exiles across
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3264-594: The Third Succession Act on 15 June 1553. (The document, which Edward titled "My Devise for the Succession", barred both Elizabeth and Mary, the remaining children of Henry VIII , from the throne, in favour of Lady Jane Grey .) Cecil resisted for a while, in a letter to his wife, he wrote: "Seeing great perils threatened upon us by the likeness of the time, I do make choice to avoid the perils of God's displeasure." However, at Edward's royal command he signed, not only
3366-498: The baptism of Prince Henry in August 1594. He provided silver plate for the use of Mary, Queen of Scots , including a silver gilt bowl and cover in 1585, decorated with an engraved pattern of fish. In 1589 Martin supplied silver plate, silks, and other goods to the value of £2,000 which Elizabeth gave to James VI of Scotland for the reception of Anne of Denmark . James VI took some of this silver plate to Oslo and presented it to
3468-494: The devise , but also the bond among the conspirators and the letters from the council to Mary Tudor of 9 June 1553. Years afterwards, he pretended that he had only signed the devise as a witness, but in his apology to Queen Mary I , he did not venture to allege so flimsy an excuse; he preferred to lay stress on the extent to which he succeeded in shifting the responsibility on to the shoulders of his brother-in-law, Sir John Cheke, and other friends, and on his intrigues to frustrate
3570-442: The 1937 film Fire Over England , starring Laurence Olivier , Vivien Leigh , and Flora Robson ; Burghley (spelled Burleigh in the film) was played by Morton Selten . He also appears in the 2005 television mini-series Elizabeth I with Helen Mirren , played by Ian McDiarmid ; was portrayed by Ronald Hines in the 1971 TV series Elizabeth R ; by Trevor Howard in the 1971 film Mary, Queen of Scots ; and by Ian Hart in
3672-611: The 2005 miniseries The Virgin Queen . He is portrayed by David Thewlis in Roland Emmerich 's Anonymous (2011). Cecil is portrayed by Ben Willbond in the BAFTA Award -winning children's comedy television series Horrible Histories ; in the spin-off film, Bill (2015), he was played by Mathew Baynton . In the BBC TV miniseries Elizabeth I's Secret Agents (2017, broadcast on PBS in 2018 as Queen Elizabeth's Secret Agents ), he
3774-458: The Court of Wards, Cecil supervised the raising and education of wealthy, aristocratic boys whose fathers had died before they reached maturity. These included Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford , Henry Wriothesley, 3rd Earl of Southampton , Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex and Roger Manners, 5th Earl of Rutland . He is widely credited with reforming an institution notorious for its corruption, but
3876-476: The Danish councillors Steen Brahe and Axel Gyldenstierne . In 1591 Martin and Hugh Kayle supplied Queen Elizabeth with silver plate worth £2,213, some plate was for New Year's Day gifts and some for christening gifts. In 1597 a thief stole a silver inkstand and silver bowls belonging to Elizabeth I from Theobalds . Martin helped track down the dealers and goldsmiths who bought the stolen silver. John Williams ,
3978-633: The Hertfordshire estate and a substantial interest in the Meux Brewery . In 1921 part of the park, the site of the demolished Elizabethan mansion, was given to the town of Cheshunt by Meux and a public park, The Cedars , created. After his death in 1929, the house was a hotel for some years. During World War II , the house was used by the Royal Artillery and then by the Metropolitan Police as
4080-549: The Mint, for to reckon and pass the said Lonison's Accompt [account] in form afore-declared. Which Martin they do not find to have done any Thing in this Controversy thereby to have any particular Gain to himself; but the whole Matters alleged by him to have tended to her Majesty's Service; and for discharging of his Duty belonging to the Office. Martin himself succeeded Lovyson as Master of the Mint in 1582, serving in that capacity until his death in 1617. Martin supplied silver plate to
4182-583: The Order of the Garter . But service under Warwick (by now the Duke of Northumberland) carried some risk, and decades later in his diary, Cecil recorded his release in the phrase " ex misero aulico factus liber et mei juris " ("I was freed from this miserable court"). To protect the Protestant government from the accession of a Catholic queen, Northumberland forced King Edward's lawyers to create an instrument setting aside
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4284-568: The Parliament of 1555 and 1559, and Northamptonshire in that of 1563, and he took an active part in the proceedings of the House of Commons until his elevation to the peerage ; but there seems no good evidence for the story that he was proposed as Speaker in 1563. In January 1561, he was given the lucrative office of Master of the Court of Wards and Liveries in succession to Sir Thomas Parry . As Master of
4386-666: The Protector, and was in some danger at the time of the Protector's fall in October 1549. The lords opposed to Somerset ordered his detention on 10 October, and in November he was in the Tower of London . Cecil ingratiated himself with John Dudley, then Earl of Warwick , and after less than three months he was out of the Tower. On 5 September 1550 Cecil was sworn in as one of King Edward's two secretaries of state . In April 1551, Cecil became chancellor of
4488-451: The Queen to whom he had sworn allegiance. There is no doubt that Cecil saw which way the wind was blowing, and disliked Northumberland's scheme; but he had not the courage to resist the duke to his face. As soon as the duke had set out to meet Mary, however, Cecil became the most active intriguer against him, and to these efforts, of which he laid a full account before Queen Mary, he mainly owed his immunity. He had, moreover, had no part in
4590-552: The Queen's principal adviser. Having survived all his children except Robert and Thomas, Burghley died at his London residence, Cecil House on 4 August 1598, and was buried in St Martin's Church, Stamford . William Cecil first married Mary Cheke (Cheek), daughter of Peter Cheke of Cambridge and Agnes Duffield (and sister of John Cheke ), and they had issue: Secondly, he married Mildred Cooke , eldest daughter of Sir Anthony Cooke of Gidea , Essex and Anne Fitzwilliam, and they had
4692-452: The Queen's privy chambers and stole an inkstand and two silver bowls in September 1597. They were caught and executed. Burghley employed the London goldsmith Richard Martin to recover the silver they had sold. Lord Burghley's younger son, Robert Cecil, 1st Earl of Salisbury , inherited the house. The Earl of Northumberland paid him a compliment, writing that for planning his own new house he
4794-592: The Rolls under James I . His 13X great-grandson is British horror actor Nathan Head . In March 1595 Martin raided the house of Edmund Williamson in Philip Lane, Cripplegate , after his brother Nicholas Williamson was arrested for treason. Martin discovered that Edmund Williamson ran a kind of pawnbroking business from his house, obtaining luxury goods from young men for small sums, less than their worth. Nicholas Skeres , an associate of Christopher Marlowe involved in
4896-734: The Spanish and of the pope, who excommunicated Elizabeth in 1570 and sent in Jesuits to organise a Catholic underground. Following the Harleyford Conference of July 1586 these missionaries would set up a highly effective underground system for the transport and support of priests arriving from the Continent. Elizabeth's indecision was maddening; finally in 1587 Elizabeth had Mary executed. In 1572, Lord Winchester , who had been Lord High Treasurer under Edward, Mary and Elizabeth, died. His vacant post
4998-572: The Tower Mint in 1577. John Stow in his Survey of London recorded Martin's charges against John Lovyson, a matter that was finally weighed by a commission of Privy Council members including Nicholas Bacon , the Lord Keeper, William Cecil, Lord Burghley , the Lord Treasurer, and others, which recommended that it likewise please her Majesty to give a Discharge unto Richard Martin, now Warden of
5100-465: The administration of the lands of Princess Elizabeth . Before Mary died he was a member of the "old flock of Hatfield", and from the first, the new Queen relied on Cecil. He was the cousin of Blanche Parry , Elizabeth's longest serving gentlewoman and close confidante. Elizabeth appointed Cecil Secretary of State . His tight control over the finances of the Crown, leadership of the Privy Council , and
5202-428: The arts of architecture and horticulture were lavished on Burghley House and Theobalds, which his son exchanged for Hatfield. Cecil wrote more than 128 letters to his son Robert Cecil over the course of his life, containing words of guidance and perseverance. The collection of letters show the close direction and counsel he gave his son in seeking and obtaining the office of principal secretary, 1593–1598. They describe
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#17328491099665304-476: The authority of the Queen's deputised government in Ireland; out of caution Cecil withdrew his longstanding protection and the judge was imprisoned in London and died soon after. White's most remarked-upon service for Cecil is his report on his visit to Mary, Queen of Scots , in 1569, during the early years of her imprisonment. It was an acrimonious encounter in which he angrily refuted Mary's contention that Elizabeth
5406-518: The basis of his age given as 28 in a portrait medallion by Steven van Herwijk dated 1562. He was elected a liveryman of the Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths , one of the Livery Companies or craft guilds of the City of London, in 1558. He was elected alderman for the wards of Farringdon Within 1578–1598 and Bread Street 1598–1602. He was Sheriff of London in 1581–1582. Martin
5508-518: The channel. In these pamphlets, polemicists painted a black picture of Burghley as a corrupting influence over the queen. "The Queen will listen to none but unto him", exiled Catholic intelligencer Richard Verstegan wrote, "and somtymes, she is faine to come to his bedsyde to entreat him in some-things." He warmly remonstrated with John Whitgift , the Anglican Archbishop of Canterbury , over his persecuting Articles of 1583. The finest encomium
5610-506: The commander of the Naval Brigade at the siege of Ladysmith , returned to England, he called on Lady Meux at Theobalds to recount his adventures. She was so taken with him that she made him the chief beneficiary of her will, on condition that he change his surname to Meux (she was without direct heirs, and had been snubbed by her husband's family). When she died on 20 December 1910, he willingly changed his name by Royal Warrant and inherited
5712-404: The creation of a capable intelligence service under the direction of Francis Walsingham made him the most important minister for the majority of Elizabeth's reign. Dawson argues that Cecil's long-term goal was a united and Protestant British Isles, an objective to be achieved by completing the conquest of Ireland and by creating an Anglo-Scottish alliance. With the land border with Scotland safe,
5814-407: The credit racket, was taken by Martin and held for a few days. Martin had remained both Warden and Master of the Mint for almost two decades, but following charges in 1597 that he was profiteering by delaying repayments he sold his office of Warden to Sir Thomas Knyvet . The two soon fell out, with Knyvet accusing Martin of owing the crown substantial funds and Martin insisting he was owed. Martin
5916-478: The demolition of two new buildings nearby that housed tobacco shops patronised by his courtiers. He also ordered the keeper of the gardens, Munten Jennings, to build a house to keep silkworms and feed them mulberry leaves. The architect John Smythson visited and made drawings, a surviving diagram shows the panelling of the great chamber in "walnut tree colour" graining with black and gold mouldings. On 9 January 1622 King James rode from Theobalds after dinner to see
6018-451: The divorce of Catherine of Aragon or in the humiliation of Mary during Henry's reign, and he made no scruple about conforming to the Catholic reaction. He went to Mass , confessed, and in no particular official capacity went to meet Cardinal Pole on his return to England in December 1554, again accompanying him to Calais in May 1555. William Cecil was elected to Parliament as knight of
6120-415: The execution of Mary, Queen of Scots , proved that he was willing to take on responsibilities from which the Queen shrank. Generally he was in favour of more decided intervention on behalf of continental Protestants than Elizabeth would have liked, but it is not always easy to ascertain the advice he gave. He left endless memoranda lucidly (nevertheless sometimes bordering on the ridiculous) setting forth
6222-597: The extent of his reforms has been disputed by some scholars. In February 1559, he was elected Chancellor of Cambridge University in succession to Cardinal Pole ; he was created M.A. of that university on the occasion of Elizabeth's visit in 1564, and M.A. of Oxford on a similar occasion in 1566. He was the first Chancellor of the University of Dublin , between 1592 and 1598. On 25 February 1571, Queen Elizabeth elevated him as Baron Burghley. That Cecil continued to act as Secretary of State after his elevation illustrates
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#17328491099666324-502: The following issue: Cecil's descendants include the Marquesses of Exeter , descended from his elder son Thomas; and the Marquesses of Salisbury , descended from his younger son Robert. One of the latter branch, Robert Cecil, 3rd Marquess of Salisbury (1830–1903), served three times as Prime Minister, under Queen Victoria and her son, King Edward VII . The latter's nephew Arthur Balfour , who succeeded Salisbury as Prime Minister,
6426-491: The future of the Queen and her realms. Albert Pollard , in his article on Cecil in the Encyclopedia Britannica , wrote: "William Cecil's public conduct does not present itself in quite so amiable a light. As his predecessor, Lord Winchester, said of himself, he was sprung "from the willow rather than the oak". Neither Cecil nor Lord Winchester were men to suffer for the sake of obstinate convictions. The interest of
6528-400: The growing importance of the office, which under his son became a secretary of the ship of state. In 1572 Cecil privately admonished the queen for her "doubtful dealing with the Queen of Scots". He made a strong attack on everything he thought Elizabeth had done wrong as queen. In his view, Mary had to be executed because she had become a rallying cause for Catholics and played into the hands of
6630-548: The house extended by millionaire brewers the Meux family . London's Temple Bar Gate was preserved and stood in the park from 1880 to 2003, when it was moved back to London. The mansion, which became Middlesex County Council Secondary School and then Theobalds Park College, is now part of a hotel and members club known as Birch; the house is a Grade II* listed building. The manor was originally called Cullynges, later Tongs (after William de Tongge), and since 1440, Thebaudes, Tibbolds, and finally Theobalds. The original manor house
6732-606: The house were modelled after the Château de Fontainebleau in France, the English botanist , John Gerard , acting as their superintendent. A plan for rebuilding the inner or conduit court in 1572 was made by Henry Hawthorne, who was a "purveyor" in the royal works. In 1582, brass figures called "terms" were supplied for the Great Chamber fireplace and the windows were glazed with heraldry. There
6834-409: The ice on the New River and fell in head first so that his companions could only see his boots. He was rescued by Sir Richard Young and returned to a warm bed at Theobalds. A new pool with a barge and barge house was created in the gardens in 1622. The ambassador Diego Sarmiento de Acuña, 1st Count of Gondomar arranged for the gift of two camels and a breeding pair of asses to be sent from Spain for
6936-429: The imperfect parliamentary returns until 1547, when he was elected for the family borough of Stamford . In 1548, he was described as the Protector's Master of Requests, which apparently means that he was clerk or registrar of the court of requests which Somerset, possibly at Hugh Latimer 's instigation, illegally set up in Somerset House to hear poor men's complaints. He also seems to have acted as private secretary to
7038-445: The main burden of defence would fall upon the Royal Navy , Cecil proposed to strengthen and revitalise the Navy, making it the centrepiece of English power. He did obtain a firm Anglo-Scottish alliance reflecting the common religion and shared interests of the two countries, as well as an agreement that offered the prospect of a successful conquest of Ireland. However, his strategy ultimately failed. His idea that England's safety required
7140-456: The masque scenery. Doubts have been expressed about the details in Harington's description of the masque. In 1607, King James I acquired Theobalds in exchange for Hatfield Palace , also in Hertfordshire. James gave Theobalds to Anne of Denmark in 1607, and this formality was the occasion of court festivities in May 1607 involving hunting, tournaments, and the Prince de Joinville . James ordered improvements, and bought neighbouring lands to extend
7242-412: The native Irish he was apparently the author of an extraordinary trial by combat in September 1583 in which Teig MacGilpatrick O'Connor and Conor MacCormac O'Connor died. His usefulness as an Irish speaker and a nominal protestant made White an essential privy councillor for two decades. Cecil has been a character in many works of fiction connected with Elizabeth I's reign. He has long been considered
7344-487: The necessity of safeguarding the social hierarchy, the just price and the moral duties due to labour. In his economic policy he was motivated by a variety of factors, including those of national independence and self-sufficiency, as well as seeking to balance the interests of the Crown and the subject. Cecil did not believe that economics and politics were separate or that there was a dichotomy between power and plenty. One of his biographers asserted that, for Burghley, "power
7446-420: The occasion was simply an orgy of drunkenness, as few English or Danish courtiers had their rulers' capacity to hold their drink: an attempt to put on a masque of Solomon and Sheba descended into a farce, as most of the players were too inebriated to remember their lines, or even to stand up. The five-day visit cost Cecil £1,180 including presents worth £284. Cecil paid Inigo Jones £23 for making and designing
7548-501: The park in 1622. King James died at Theobalds on 27 March 1625. The Knight Marshal , Edward Zouch proclaimed King Charles at Theobalds gate. James had made few changes to the main suites, installing panelling in the Great Gallery to which his son Charles I added a number of carved and painted stag's heads. Later, after the execution of Charles I , Theobalds was listed, amongst other royal properties, for demolition and disposal by
7650-401: The park, and Theobalds quickly became his favourite country residence. The house had some disadvantages compared with other aristocrats' houses. Although James declared in 1607 that it was "a fitting place for our sports", Godfrey Goodman noted that it had no "lordship nor tenants, nor so much as provision of fuel, only a park for pleasure and no more". In 1624, Prince Charles wrote "there
7752-442: The period, including letters of December 1581 on the miseries of war, the need for temperate government, and his fear that the wild Irish were glad to see the weakness of English blood in Ireland. In a missive of 13 September 1582 White complained of the unfriendly dealings of Lucas Dillon , his erstwhile companion and fellow Irish-born councillor, stating they had been for a long time of 'contrary minds'. In spite of his sympathies for
7854-585: The pros and cons of every course of action; but there are few indications of the line which he actually recommended when it came to a decision. How far he was personally responsible for the Anglican Settlement , the Poor Laws , and the foreign policy of the reign, remains to a large extent a matter of conjecture. However, it is most likely that Cecil's views carried the day in the politics of Elizabethan England . The historian Hilaire Belloc contends that Cecil
7956-450: The queen's privy kitchen in 1583, including a great standing cup gilt, with a cover, the body garnished with "sundry vermin as snakes ewetes (newts) frogs and others", and laid with colours, the cover garnished with sundry men and beasts hunting with a stag at the top. This cup, probably made in Germany, was admired in the Tower of London by Lupold von Wedel in November 1584. It was a gift at
8058-400: The shire for Lincolnshire in 1553 (probably), 1555 and 1559 and for Northamptonshire in 1563." In January of that year, he wrote to Sir Thomas Smith: "The Parliament is begun and I trust will be short, for matters of moment to pass are not many, reviving of some old laws for penalties of some felonies and the grant of a subsidy. I think somewhat will be attempted to ascertain the realm of
8160-426: The state was the supreme consideration for Burghley, and to it he had no hesitation in sacrificing individual consciences. He frankly disbelieved in toleration; "that state", he said, "could never be in safety where there was a toleration of two religions. For there is no enmity so great as that for religion; and therefore they that differ in the service of their God can never agree in the service of their country". With
8262-475: The task of receiving and crafting a wide and large array of papers on behalf of Queen Elizabeth I and her Privy Council; finance, administration, foreign policy, and religion figure prominently, as does the shift from continental war to Ireland. These letters reveal the intimate relationship between the father and son; Burghley's care for his family, his thoughts of death, and a unique record of illness and old age are framed by his political and spiritual anxieties for
8364-674: Was Lord Protector during the early years of the reign of his nephew, the young Edward VI . Cecil accompanied Somerset on his Pinkie campaign of 1547 (part of the "Rough Wooing" ), being one of the two Judges of the Marshalsea . The other was William Patten , who states that both he and Cecil began to write independent accounts of the campaign, and that Cecil generously contributed his notes for Patten's narrative, The Expedition into Scotland . Cecil, according to his autobiographical notes, sat in Parliament in 1543; but his name does not occur in
8466-562: Was Sergeant-of-Arms to Henry VIII in 1526, Sheriff of Northamptonshire in 1532, and a Justice of the Peace for Rutland . He, according to Burghley's enemies, kept the best inn in Stamford. His eldest son, Richard , Yeoman of the Wardrobe (died 1554), married Jane, daughter of William Heckington of Bourne, and was father of three daughters and the future Lord Burghley. William, the only son,
8568-495: Was a water feature, six artificial trees, and the ceiling was decorated with the signs of the zodiac. The great staircase with its oak carvings, similar those at Hatfield House , was salvaged and eventually installed at Herstmonceux Castle . Another schedule of rooms and lodgings was drawn up in May 1583, when Elizabeth stayed for a week at Theobalds and was reconciled with the Earl of Oxford . Elizabeth came in May 1591 and an entertainment
8670-415: Was also a descendant. William Cecil's private life was upright; he was a faithful husband, a careful father and a dutiful master. A book-lover and antiquarian, he made a special hobby of heraldry and genealogy . It was the conscious and unconscious aim of the age to reconstruct a new landed aristocracy on the ruins of the old, Catholic order. As such, Burghley was a great builder, planter and patron. All
8772-623: Was an investor in Sir Francis Drake 's 1577–1580 voyage of circumnavigation and also in Drake's 1585–1586 expedition to harass the Spanish ports in the New World . Martin was Warden of the Royal Mint by 1572, and was responsible for overseeing the workings of the mint and the quality of the coinage. He supplied metal of specified fineness for gold coins to John Lovyson (Lawinson or Lonison), Master of
8874-565: Was born in Bourne, Lincolnshire , in 1520, the son of Sir Richard Cecil , owner of the Burghley estate (near Stamford, Lincolnshire ), and his wife, Jane Heckington. Pedigrees , elaborated by Cecil himself with the help of William Camden the antiquary , associated him with the Welsh Cecils or Seisyllts of Allt-Yr-Ynys, Walterstone , on the border of Herefordshire and Monmouthshire . Cecil
8976-417: Was briefly imprisoned for debt, which led to his removal from his Aldermanry on 31 August 1602 on account of his "unfitting demeanour and carriage". Suits and countersuits continued, with the Exchequer finding against Martin in 1607 and a further enquiry finding in his favour in 1615. In 1608 Martin asked to be involved in the assay of silver ore sent to the Tower Mint from Hilderston in Scotland. He sent
9078-424: Was for defence from external enemies; plenty for security at home. Cecil pursued both power and plenty. They were the foreign and domestic aspects of his economic nationalism ". He deplored the reliance on "foreign corn" and during an economic depression sought to ensure employment due to his fears of "tumults". Cecil used patronage to ensure the loyalty of the nobility. William Cecil represented Lincolnshire in
9180-506: Was fully finished", Cecil recorded in his diary, calling the place "my rude new cottage." Inherited by his elder son, Thomas Cecil, 1st Earl of Exeter , it was known as "Exeter House". A new Theobalds House in Cheshunt was built between 1564 and 1585 by the order of Cecil, intending to build a mansion partly to demonstrate his increasingly dominant status at the Royal Court , and to provide
9282-432: Was going to look at Copthall and as a builder he "must borrow of knowledge somewhat out of Tibballs, somewhat out of every place of mark where curiosities are used. After the Queen's death in 1603, Robert Cecil arranged for the new king, James I , to stay on his way from Scotland to London, and receive homage from the Privy Council . The king was troubled by the dust of the entrance road or drive, and an alternative route
9384-574: Was in 1541 removed by his father to Gray's Inn , without having taken a degree , as was common at the time for those not intending to enter the Church. The precaution proved useless and four months later Cecil committed one of the rare rash acts of his life in marrying Mary Cheke. The only child of this marriage, Thomas , the future Earl of Exeter, was born in May 1542, and in February 1543 Cecil's first wife died. On 21 December 1546 he married Mildred Cooke , who
9486-582: Was knighted in 1588–1589 and served a partial year as Lord Mayor in 1589, succeeding Sir Martin Calthrop who had died in office. He was Prime Warden or head of the Goldsmiths' Company 1592–1593, chairing the Court of Wardens or governing body of the company, and served a second term as Lord Mayor in 1593–1594, succeeding Sir Cuthbert Buckell . His other municipal offices included President of Christ's Hospital and Comptroller-General of Hospitals 1594–1602. Martin
9588-629: Was made through the lands of Cheshunt Park and Peryours. James wrote to Cecil to provide stags for him to hunt in the woods and park of Theobalds in the autumn of 1604. Fulke Greville went to Theobalds in May 1605 to report on Salisbury's horses and survey the lake and islands in the park. Greville suggested enlarging some windows in one of the galleries of the house. In July 1606, Cecil again entertained King James and his brother-in-law, King Christian IV of Denmark , at Theobalds, while Anne of Denmark stayed at Greenwich . Both monarchs were notoriously heavy drinkers, and according to Sir John Harington ,
9690-429: Was offered to Robert Dudley, 1st Earl of Leicester , who declined it and proposed Burghley, stating that the latter was the more suitable candidate because of his greater "learning and knowledge". The new Lord Treasurer's hold over the queen strengthened with the years. Burghley House , near the town of Stamford , was built for Cecil, between 1555 and 1587, and modelled on the privy lodgings of Richmond Palace . It
9792-478: Was passed on him by the queen herself, when she said, "This judgment I have of you, that you will not be corrupted with any manner of gifts, and that you will be faithful to the state." William Cecil sought to ensure that policy was commensurate with the royal finances, which often led him advocating a cautious policy. His economic ideas were influenced by the Commonwealthmen of Edward VI's reign: he believed in
9894-408: Was put to school at The King's School, Grantham , and then Stamford School , which he later saved and endowed. In May 1535, at the age of fourteen, he went to St John's College, Cambridge , where he was brought into contact with the foremost scholars of the time, Roger Ascham and John Cheke , and acquired an unusual knowledge of Greek . He also acquired the affections of Cheke's sister, Mary, and
9996-412: Was ranked by Ascham with Lady Jane Grey as one of the two most learned ladies in the kingdom, (aside from another of Ascham's pupils, Elizabeth Tudor, who was later Elizabeth I ) and whose sister, Anne, was the wife of Sir Nicholas Bacon and mother of Sir Francis Bacon . William Cecil's early career was spent in the service of the Duke of Somerset (a brother of the late queen, Jane Seymour ), who
10098-429: Was subsequently the residence of his descendants, the earls and marquesses of Exeter. The house is one of the principal examples of 16th-century Elizabethan architecture , reflecting the prominence of its founder, and the lucrative wool trade of the Cecil estates. Cecil House was built as his London residence, an expansion of an existing building. Queen Elizabeth I supped with him there, in July 1561, "before my house
10200-426: Was surrounded by a moat . In 1563, it was bought by William Cecil, 1st Baron Burghley , senior councillor of Queen Elizabeth I . He entertained Elizabeth in this house on several occasions. Lord Burghley commissioned a grand new house, which was built between 1564 and 1585. Burghley's intention in building the mansion was partly to demonstrate his increasingly dominant status at the royal court , and also to provide
10302-517: Was the de facto ruler of England during his tenure as Secretary; pointing out that in instances where his and Elizabeth's wills diverged, it was Cecil's will that was imposed. Leimon and Parker argue that Cecil was the principal protector of Edward Stafford , the English ambassador to Paris and a paid spy who helped the Spanish at the time of the Spanish Armada. However, they do not claim Cecil knew of Stafford's treason. William Cecil's share in
10404-662: Was treating her harshly. However, he admitted in his subsequent letter to Cecil that despite his hostility towards Mary, he had found her to be somewhat alluring and advised that she be kept under strict confinement for fear that she would have a similar impact on others. Elizabeth was jealous of her Scottish rival and, although he was at pains to stress that Mary in no way surpassed her in charm and beauty, White could well have forfeited his recently acquired favour had this relation been communicated to his queen; Cecil seems to have kept it from his royal mistress. In February 1581, White demonstrated his independence in council, refusing to sign
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