Bedford Chapel, St Michael's Church, Chenies

Bedford Chapel, St Michael's Church, Chenies is in St Michael's Church, Chenies.

A History of the County of Buckingham: Volume 3: Parishes: Chenies. John Broughton died in 151842, and by 1523 Anne (age 39) was the wife of Richard Jermingham43. He died before 1526, in which year Anne (age 39) married John Lord Russell (age 33)44, the favourite of Henry VIII (age 26), who stayed at Chenies [Map] in 153445. Lord Russell was made lord high admiral in 154046, and in 1541 the privy council met at Chenies47. In 1550 Russell was created Earl of Bedford, and on his death in 1555 he was buried in the mausoleum in Chenies Church built by his widow Anne48, and in which all the succeeding Earls and Dukes of Bedford lie buried.

Note 42. Ibid. xxxiii, 108.

Note 43. Feet of F. Div. Co. East. 15 Hen. VIII; Bucks. East. 15 Hen. VIII.

Note 44. Dict. Nat. Biog.; Feet of F. Bucks Trin. and Mich. 20 Hen. VIII.

Note 45. L. and P. Hen. VIII, vii, 965.

Note 46. Ibid. xvi, 1339; Dict. Nat. Biog.

Note 47. L. and P. Hen. VIII, xvi, 1287.

Note 48. G.E.C. Complete Peerage.

Henry Machyn's Diary. 20 Mar 1555. [The xx day of March the earl of Bedford (deceased), lord privy-seal, who died at his house beside the Savoy, was carried to his buryingplace in the country, called Chenies, with three hundred horse all in black. He was carried with three crosses,] with mony clerkes and prestes, [till they came to the hill] a-boyffe sant James, and ther returnyd [certain of them] home; and thay had torchys and almes and money gyven them. And after evere man sett in aray on horssebake. First on red in blake bayryng a crosse of sylver, and serten prestes on horsebake wayryng ther surples; then cam the standard, and then all the gentyllmen and hed officers; and then cam haroldes, on beyryng ys elmet, and the mantylls, and the crest, and anodur ys baner of armes, and anodur ys target with the garter, and anodur ys cott armur; and anodur ys sword: and then master Garter in ys ryche cott armur and then cam the charett with vj banars rolles of armes, and a-bowt the charett iiij banars of ymages, and after the charet a gret horsse trapyd in cloth of gold with the sadyll of the sam; and then cam mornars, the cheyffe (of whom) my lord Russell (age 28) ys sune, and after my lord trayssorer (age 72), and the master of the horse (age 34), and dyver odur nobull men all in blake; and evere towne that he whent thrughe the clarkes and prestes mett ym with crosses; and they had in evere parryche iiij nobuls to gyffe to the pore, and the prest and clarke of evere parryche xs., tyll he cam to ys plasse at Cheynes; and the morowe after was he bered, and a grett doll of money; and ther the deyn of Powlles mad a godly sermon; and after a grett dener, and great plenty to all the contrey a-bowt that wold com thether.

Note. P. 83. Funeral of the earl of Bedford. John first earl of Bedford, K.G. created lord Russell 1539, and an earl in 1550. See a portrait with memoirs of him in Wiffen's House of Russell, vol. i.; another in Lodge's Illustrious Portraits; and his portrait is also in the collection by Houbraken, and in Chamberlain's Holbein Heads. The chapel at Chenies, which has ever since been the cemetery of the Russells, was built by his widow in 1556, in pursuance of his last will. His effigy at Chenies is described in Lipscomb's Buckinghamshire: but in the inscription, "Lord President of the Western Portes" is an error for Partes.

Henry Machyn's Diary. 21 Mar 1556. The xxj day of Marche was bered at [Chenies, in] Bukynghamshyre my old contes of Bedford (age 77) .... of armes and a grett baner of armes and a v [banner-] rolles of her progene and vii dosen of skochyons .... vj of sarsenett, and iiij dosen of grett stayffe torchys.

Note. P. 191. Funeral of the old countess of Bedford. Anne, sole daughter and heiress of sir Guy Sapcote, of Thornhaugh, co. Bedford, married first to sir John Broughton, of Toddington, co. Bedford; secondly, about 1518, to sir Richard Jerningham, who was one of the governors of Tournay, and afterwards employed in an embassy to Spain, who died in 1524; and, thirdly, in the spring of 1526, to sir John Russell, afterwards earl of Bedford (see note, p. 343). By her will, dated 19 Aug. 1557, she committed her burial to the discretion of the marquess of Winchester lord treasurer, the abbat of Westminster, and the lord St. John. See further in Wiffen's Memoirs of the House of Russell, i. 391.

On 11 May 1627 Edward Russell 3rd Earl Bedford (deceased) was buried at Bedford Chapel, St Michael's Church, Chenies.

On 26 Nov 1727 Edward Russell 1st Earl Orford (age 74) died at 43 King Street. He was buried at Bedford Chapel, St Michael's Church, Chenies. Earl Orford extinct.

On 23 Oct 1732 Wriothesley Russell 3rd Duke Bedford (age 24) died at A Coruña. He was buried at Bedford Chapel, St Michael's Church, Chenies. His brother John Russell 4th Duke Bedford (age 22) succeeded 4th Duke Bedford, 4th Marquess Tavistock, 8th Earl Bedford, 8th Baron Russell of Cheneys, 6th Baron Russell of Thornhaugh, 4th Baron Howland of Streatham. Diana Spencer Duchess Bedford (age 22) by marriage Duchess Bedford.

On 09 Oct 1735 Diana Spencer Duchess Bedford (deceased) was buried at Bedford Chapel, St Michael's Church, Chenies.

On 05 Jan 1771 John Russell 4th Duke Bedford (age 60) died at Woburn. He was buried at Bedford Chapel, St Michael's Church, Chenies. His grandson Francis Russell 5th Duke Bedford (age 5) succeeded 5th Duke Bedford, 5th Marquess Tavistock, 9th Earl Bedford, 9th Baron Russell of Cheneys, 7th Baron Russell of Thornhaugh, 5th Baron Howland of Streatham.

On 02 Mar 1802 Francis Russell 5th Duke Bedford (age 36) died unmarried at Woburn. He was buried at Bedford Chapel, St Michael's Church, Chenies. His brother John Russell 6th Duke Bedford (age 35) succeeded 6th Duke Bedford, 6th Marquess Tavistock, 10th Earl Bedford, 10th Baron Russell of Cheneys, 8th Baron Russell of Thornhaugh, 6th Baron Howland of Streatham.

On 22 May 1861 Francis Russell 7th Duke Bedford (deceased) was buried at Bedford Chapel, St Michael's Church, Chenies.

On 23 Mar 1893 George William Sackville 10th Duke Bedford (age 40) died. George William Sackville 10th Duke Bedford (age 40) was buried at Bedford Chapel, St Michael's Church, Chenies. His brother Herbrand Arthur Sackville 11th Duke Bedford (age 35) succeeded 11th Duke Bedford, 11th Marquess Tavistock, 15th Earl Bedford, 15th Baron Russell of Cheneys, 13th Baron Russell of Thornhaugh, 11th Baron Howland of Streatham. Mary Caurroy Tribe Duchess Bedford by marriage Duchess Bedford.

On 22 Apr 1897 Elizabeth Sackville-West Duchess Bedford (age 78) died at Latimer House, Chesham. She was buried having been cremated at Bedford Chapel, St Michael's Church, Chenies.