1939-11-15 — Page 15

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THE CHINA MAIL, NOVEMBER 15, 1939

TO-DAY'S STRANGE STORY OF REAL PEOPLE

NO. 85-THE DEATH OF

AMY ROBSART

BY VINCENT TOWNE

The Beautiful Amy Robsart is alive

in the memory of every reader

of

Scott's "Kenilworth." But Scott fail- ed to tell the true story of that fair lady who became the mystery of her generation.

fortune

To unite her prospective with that of his son, Robert Dubley, the Duke of Northumberland married that youth to Amy in 1550, when he was 18 and she 19. Her father, wealthy country gentleman, consented to the match because the Duke's son apparently fell deeply in love with his daughter. Being the youngest son of his father Dudley's prospects of power and position were then

no1

very great, but he was a dashing, clever swain who was fair to look neither laggard in love nor

upon dastard in war.

He began to use his fascinations upon Queen Elizabeth when he and Amy had been married nine years. The Queen bestowed upon him high honours and excellent opportunities for fortune, which he embraced. I- deed, at one time it was the subject of court gossip that she had selected him for her prince consort of the ealm. Bu, in order to marry his Queen, Dudley would have had t dispose of his beautiful wife.

So, he neglected the beautiful coun- try girl whose dowry had increased his opportunities of success. Instead of taking her to London to share his pleasure at court, Dudley left her at home in a rambling, shadowy, barn- like manor known as Cumnor Hall, which was about an hour's journey out of Oxford. In this ugly abode, Amy was guarded by one of her husband's dependents, Anthony Fors- ter. With the companionship of only

a few servants, her days were lonely and monotonous, while Dudley en- joyed all the excitement of court - trigue and adventure.

His visits to his neglected wife be- came fewer and fewer, and her let- ters proved how eagerly she looked forward to his coming,,how wistfully she contemplated life after his de- parture. Although she was wealthy in her own name, these letters show that during the latter years of her life she was often in sore need of funds, for her lord and master was spending her fortune in gay London.

According to Scott's novel, Dudley secreted his wife at Cumnor Hall that he might coriceal from Elizabeth the fact that he was married, but she escaped from her grim hiding place and followed him to "Kenilworth Castle", where he disowned her and sent her back to die at the hand of Richard Varney. But history states that Dudley, after becoming Eliza- beth's chief favourite and while in- triguing to obtain the consent of the court nobles to a marriage with the Queen, was suddenly freed from his wife by R mysterious occurrence which historians have never yet been able to fathom.

Ten years after her

marriage,

Thomas Blount, a relative and protege

18-2

girl-

w The Bioodikate, lässi The mentally sketchy friend thinks, when she hears that the golf widow has been reunited with her husband, the man's ghost is walking.

AMY ROBSART AND

HER HUSBAND

angry."

found

Machint

ed by a trap which, by order of her husband, Forster had set for her. One theory is that he had arranged the stairway so that her weight would collapse it.

But some investigators who visited Cumnor Hall found the stairway s0 short and so complicated in construc- tion that it would have been well- nigh impossible for any one to fall down it for any distance. In fact, it was asserted that such ก staircase could not have collapsed. One story had it that she was poisoned and that her body was laid at the foot of the stairway in such a position as would indicate a fall. But, if such stories were true, why should she of her own accord have insisted upon being left alone that particular day?

her death.

Some historians reject entirely the belief that Dudley had any hand in At any rate, he did not show her the honour even of attend- ing her funeral, which courtesy he probably would have shown her had he wished to cover up the criminal knowledge of her murder.

of Dudley, happened to be visiting Cumnor Hall while a fair was being

Her wishes to be alone were res- If he did have her killed, his pur- town of pected, but her servants and atten- pose was clearly to free himself to held in the neighbouring Abingdon. Writing to Dudley of the dants, upon returning from the fair marry the Queen, but this desire was events of that date Blount said:

their mistress' corpse never fulfilled. Although she had "She (Lady Amy) would not, that lying upon the floor at the foot of a him created Earl of Leicester and at in a position that Kenilworth allowed him to entertain day, suffer any one to tarry at home, spiral staircase and was so earnest to have them gone would at once give evidence that she her with great magnificence, Eliza- had fallen and broken her neck. beth refused to share her throne with to the fair that when any made rea- son for tarrying at home she was very Other accounts said that she was kill him.

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