Lettice Knollys Countess Essex and Leicester 1543-1634

Paternal Family Tree: Knollys

Maternal Family Tree: Emma de Dinan 1136-1208

On 26th April 1540 [her father] Francis Knollys [aged 28] and [her mother] Catherine Carey [aged 16] were married.

On 8th November 1543 Lettice Knollys Countess Essex and Leicester was born to Francis Knollys [aged 31] and Catherine Carey [aged 19].

After 1549 Lettice Knollys Countess Essex and Leicester [aged 5] was appointed Lady of the Bedchamber to Queen Elizabeth I of England and Ireland [aged 15].

On 4th June 1550 [her future husband] Robert Dudley 1st Earl of Leicester [aged 17] and Amy Robsart [aged 17] were married at Sheen Palace [Map]. King Edward VI of England and Ireland [aged 12] and William Cecil 1st Baron Burghley [aged 29] attended. He the son of John Dudley 1st Duke Northumberland [aged 46] and Jane Guildford Duchess Northumberland [aged 41].

On 17th September 1558 Walter Devereux 1st Viscount Hereford [aged 70] died. His grandson [her future husband] Walter [aged 17] succeeded 2nd Viscount Hereford, 11th Baron Ferrers of Chartley.

On 15th November 1558 John Digby died. He was buried at the Church of St Peter and St Paul, Coleshill [Map]. His son George Digby [aged 8] became a ward of [her father] Francis Knollys [aged 46].

On 8th September 1560, the day of the Abingdon Fair, Amy Robsart [aged 28] died from falling down stairs at Cumnor Place, Abingdon [Map]. She was married to [her future husband] Robert Dudley 1st Earl of Leicester [aged 28], favourite of Queen Elizabeth I of England and Ireland [aged 27], who was with Queen Elizabeth I of England and Ireland at Windsor Castle [Map] at the time. Foul play was suspected but not proven. The event was regarded as suspicious by many. The Queen's reputation being tarnished she could not risk a marriage with Dudley.

The inquest into her death concluded...

Inquisition as indenture held at Cumnor [Map] in the aforesaid county [Oxfordshire] on 9 September in the second year of the reign of the most dread Lady Elizabeth, by the grace of God queen of England, France, and Ireland, defend of the faith, etc., before John Pudsey, gent, a coroner of the said lady queen in the aforesaid county, on inspection of the body of Lady Amy Dudley, late wife of Robert Dudley, knight of the most noble order of the garter, there lying dead: by oath of Richard Smith, gent., Humphrey Lewis, gent., Thomas Moulder, gent., Richard Knight, Thomas Spyre, Edward Stevenson, John Stevenson, Richard Hughes, William Cantrell, William Noble, John Buck, John Keene, Henry Lanlgey, Stephen Ruffyn, and John Sire: which certain jurors, sworn to tell the truth at our request, were adjourned from the aforesaid ninth day onwards day by day very often; and finally various several days were given to them by the selfsame coroner to appear both before the justices of the aforesaid lady queen at the assizes assigned to be held in the aforesaid county and before the same coroner in order there to return their verdict truthfully and speedily, until 1 August in the third year of the reign of the said lady queen; on which day the same jurors say under oath that the aforesaid Lady Amy on 8 September in the aforesaid second year of the reign of the said lady queen, being alone in a certain chamber within the home of a certain Anthony Forster, esq., in the aforesaid Cumnor, and intending to descend the aforesaid chamber by way of certain steps (in English called 'steyres') of the aforesaid chamber there and then accidentally fell precipitously down the aforesaid steps to the very bottom of the same steps, through which the same Lady Amy there and then sustained not only two injuries to her head (in English called 'dyntes') - one of which was a quarter of an inch deep and the other two inches deep - but truly also, by reason of the accidental injury or of that fall and of Lady Amy's own body weight falling down the aforesaid stairs, the same Lady Amy there and then broke her own neck, on account of which certain fracture of the neck the same Lady Amy there and then died instantly; and the aforesaid Lady Amy was found there and then without any other mark or wound on her body; and thus the jurors say on their oath that the aforesaid Lady Amy in the manner and form aforesaid by misfortune came to her death and not otherwise, as they are able to agree at present; in testimony of which fact for this inquest both the aforesaid coroner and also the aforesaid jurors have in turn affixed their seals on the day.

Around 1561 Walter Devereux 1st Earl Essex [aged 19] and Lettice Knollys Countess Essex and Leicester [aged 17] were married. She by marriage Viscountess Hereford. They were fourth cousins.

In January 1563 [her daughter] Penelope Devereux Countess Devonshire was born to [her husband] Walter Devereux 1st Earl Essex [aged 21] and Lettice Knollys Countess Essex and Leicester [aged 19] at Chartley Castle [Map]. She married (1) 10th January 1581 Robert Rich 1st Earl Warwick, son of Robert Rich 2nd Baron Rich of Leez and Elizabeth Baldry Baroness Rich Leez, and had issue (2) 26th December 1605 her third cousin Charles Blount 1st Earl Devonshire, son of James Blount 6th Baron Mountjoy and Catherine Leigh Baroness Mountjoy, and had issue.

Around 1564 [her daughter] Dorothy Devereux Countess Northumberland was born to [her husband] Walter Devereux 1st Earl Essex [aged 22] and Lettice Knollys Countess Essex and Leicester [aged 20]. She married (1) 17th July 1583 her fifth cousin Thomas Perrot and had issue (2) 1594 her third cousin once removed Henry "Wizard Earl" Percy 9th Earl of Northumberland, son of Henry Percy 8th Earl of Northumberland and Katherine Neville Countess Northumberland, and had issue.

Annals of the six Kings of England by Nicholas Trivet

Translation of the Annals of the Six Kings of England by that traces the rise and rule of the Angevin aka Plantagenet dynasty from the mid-12th to early 14th century. Written by the Dominican scholar Nicholas Trivet, the work offers a vivid account of English history from the reign of King Stephen through to the death of King Edward I, blending political narrative with moral reflection. Covering the reigns of six monarchs—from Stephen to Edward I—the chronicle explores royal authority, rebellion, war, and the shifting balance between crown, church, and nobility. Trivet provides detailed insight into defining moments such as baronial conflicts, Anglo-French rivalry, and the consolidation of royal power under Edward I, whose reign he describes with particular immediacy. The Annals combines careful year-by-year reporting with thoughtful interpretation, presenting history not merely as a sequence of events but as a moral and political lesson. Ideal for readers interested in medieval history, kingship, and the origins of the English state, this chronicle remains a valuable and accessible window into the turbulent world of the Plantagenet kings.

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On 29th September 1564 [her future husband] Robert Dudley 1st Earl of Leicester [aged 32] was created 1st Earl of Leicester.

On 10th November 1565 [her son] Robert Devereux 2nd Earl Essex was born to [her husband] Walter Devereux 1st Earl Essex [aged 24] and Lettice Knollys Countess Essex and Leicester [aged 22]. He married 1590 his half fourth cousin once removed Frances Walsingham Countess Essex and had issue.

On 15th January 1569 [her mother] Catherine Carey [aged 45] died at Hampton Court Palace, Richmond [Map].

In 1570 [her son] Walter Devereux was born to [her husband] Walter Devereux 1st Earl Essex [aged 28] and Lettice Knollys Countess Essex and Leicester [aged 26]. He married 1589 Margaret Dakins.

On 28th January 1571 Anne Bourchier 7th Baroness Bourchier [aged 54] died from a fall from a horse at Benington, Hertfordshire. Her first cousin twice removed [her husband] Walter [aged 29] succeeded 8th Baron Bourchier. Lettice Knollys Countess Essex and Leicester [aged 27] by marriage Baroness Bourchier.

On 19th November 1571 [her brother-in-law] Thomas West 2nd Baron De La Warr [aged 15] and [her sister] Anne Knollys Baroness De La Warr [aged 16] were married.

On 4th May 1572 [her husband] Walter Devereux 1st Earl Essex [aged 30] was created 1st Earl Essex. Lettice Knollys Countess Essex and Leicester [aged 28] by marriage Countess Essex.

On 22nd September 1576 [her husband] Walter Devereux 1st Earl Essex [aged 35] died. His son Robert [aged 10] succeeded 2nd Earl Essex, 3rd Viscount Hereford, 12th Baron Ferrers of Chartley, 9th Baron Bourchier.

On 23rd July 1577 Thomas Wenman [aged 29] died. He left significant debts to the Crown requiring some of his lands to be sold. Eaton, Berkshire was sold to John Danvers [aged 37] for £7700. Richard Wenman 1st Viscount Wenman [aged 4] was made a ward of his mother Jane West [aged 19] and [her future husband] Robert Dudley 1st Earl of Leicester [aged 45]. Robert Dudley 1st Earl of Leicester sold his interest to James Cressy who subsequently married Jane West.

On 21st September 1578 Robert Dudley 1st Earl of Leicester [aged 46] and Lettice Knollys Countess Essex and Leicester [aged 34] were married secretly much to the anguish of Queen Elizabeth I of England and Ireland [aged 45] who developed a deep hatred of Lettice Knollys Countess Essex and Leicester. She by marriage Countess of Leicester. Roger North 2nd Baron North [aged 48] was present. He the son of John Dudley 1st Duke Northumberland and Jane Guildford Duchess Northumberland. They were fifth cousins.

The Deeds of the Dukes of Normandy

The Gesta Normannorum Ducum [The Deeds of the Dukes of Normandy] is a landmark medieval chronicle tracing the rise and fall of the Norman dynasty from its early roots through the pivotal events surrounding the Norman Conquest of England. Originally penned in Latin by the monk William of Jumièges shortly before 1060 and later expanded at the behest of William the Conqueror, the work chronicles the deeds, politics, battles, and leadership of the Norman dukes, especially William’s own claim to the English throne. The narrative combines earlier historical sources with firsthand information and oral testimony to present an authoritative account of Normandy’s transformation from a Viking settlement into one of medieval Europe’s most powerful realms. William’s history emphasizes the legitimacy, military prowess, and governance of the Norman line, framing their expansion, including the conquest of England, as both divinely sanctioned and noble in purpose. Later chroniclers such as Orderic Vitalis and Robert of Torigni continued the history, extending the coverage into the 12th century, providing broader context on ducal rule and its impact. Today this classic work remains a foundational source for understanding Norman identity, medieval statesmanship, and the historical forces that reshaped England and Western Europe between 800AD and 1100AD.

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In October 1578 [her brother-in-law] Gerald Fitzgerald Baron Offaly [aged 18] and [her sister] Catherine Knollys Baroness Offaly [aged 18] were married. She by marriage Baroness Offaly. He the son of Gerald "Wizard Earl" Fitzgerald 11th Earl of Kildare [aged 53] and Mabel Browne Countess Kildare [aged 42]. They were sixth cousins.

After June 1580 [her brother-in-law] Philip Boteler [aged 20] and [her sister] Catherine Knollys Baroness Offaly [aged 20] were married.

In 1581 [her son] Robert Dudley was born to [her husband] Robert Dudley 1st Earl of Leicester [aged 48] and Lettice Knollys Countess Essex and Leicester [aged 37]. He died aged three in 1584.

On 10th January 1581 [her son-in-law] Robert Rich 1st Earl Warwick [aged 21] and Penelope Devereux Countess Devonshire [aged 18] were married. She by marriage Baroness Rich of Leez. She the daughter of Walter Devereux 1st Earl Essex and Lettice Knollys Countess Essex and Leicester [aged 37].

On 17th July 1583 [her son-in-law] Thomas Perrot [aged 30] and Dorothy Devereux Countess Northumberland [aged 19] were married. The marriage took place without the consent of the Queen to whom Dorothy was lady in Waiting for which Thomas was imprisoned in the Fleet Prison [Map]. She the daughter of Walter Devereux 1st Earl Essex and Lettice Knollys Countess Essex and Leicester [aged 39]. They were fifth cousins.

On 19th July 1584 Robert Dudley [aged 3] died at Wansted House, Essex. He was buried in the Beauchamp Chapel [Map]. The inscription:

Here resteth the Body af the Noble Impe Robert of Dudley , Baron of Denbigh , Sonne of Robert Erle of Leicester ; Nephew and Heir unto Ambrose Erle of Warwicke Brethren both sons of the mightie Prince John late Duke of Northumberland ; that was Cousin and Heir to Sir John Gray , Viscount Lisle , Cousin and Heir to Sir Thomas Falbot . Viscount Lisle . Ne- phew and Heir to the Lady Margaret Countess of Shrewsbury , the eldest Daughter and Coheir of the noble Earl of Warwick , Sir Richard Beauchamp , here interred. A Child of greate Parentage but of farr greater hope and towardness , taken from this transitory unto the eve everlasting Life in his tender Age , at Wanstead in Essex , on Sundaye the 19th of July , in the year of our Lord God 1584 - being the 26th yeare of the happy Reigne of the most virtuous and godly Princis Queene Eliza- bethe , and in this Place layed up among his noble Auncestors in assured hope of the general Resurrection.

Robert Dudley: In 1581 he was born to Robert Dudley 1st Earl of Leicester and Lettice Knollys Countess Essex and Leicester.

On 4th September 1588 [her husband] Robert Dudley 1st Earl of Leicester [aged 56] died at Cornbury Park, Oxfordshire. He was buried at Beauchamp Chapel, St Mary's Church, Warwick [Map]. Earl of Leicester extinct.

On 10th October 1588 Robert Dudley 1st Earl of Leicester [deceased] was buried at the Beauchamp Chapel, St Mary's Church, Warwick [Map].

His wife Lettice Knollys Countess Essex and Leicester [aged 44] commissioned a monument with the inscription:

"Sacred to the God of the Living. In certain hope of a resurrection in Christ, here lieth the most illustrious Robert Dudley, fifth son of John, Duke of Northumberland, Earl of Warwick, Viscount Lisle, & c. He was Earl of Leicester, Baron of Denbigh. Knight both of the order of the Garter and St. Michael. Master of the Horse to Queen Elizabeth, (who distinguished him by particular favor) soon after Steward of the Queen's Household, Privy councellor, Justice in Eyre of the Forests, Parks, Chases, & c. on this side Trent, from the year 1585 to the year 1587, Lieutenant and Captain General of the English Army sent by the said Queen Elizabeth to the Netherlands; Governor General and Commander of the Provinces united in that place; Lieutenant Governor of England against Philip the Second of Spain, in the year 1588, when he was preparing to invade England with a numerous fleet and army."

He gave up his soul to God his Saviour, on the 4th day of September, in the year of Salvation, 1588. His most sorrowful wife Letitia, daughter of Francis Knolles, Knight of the order of the Garter, and Treasurer to the Queen, through a sense of conjugal love and fidelity, hath put up this monument to the best and dearest of husbands.

Spe certa resorgendi in Christo, hic situs est illustrissimus Robertus Dudleyus, Johannis, Ducis Northumbriæ Comitis Wawwici, Vicecomitis: Insulæ, &c. filius quintus; Comes Lecestriæ; Baro Denbighie, ordinis tum S. Georgii, tum S. Michaelis, Eques auratus; Reginæ Elizabethæ [apud quem Singulari gratia florebat] Hippocomus, Regæ Aulæ subinde Seneschallus; ab intimis Consilijs: Forestarum, Parcorum, Chacearum, &c. citra Trentham summus Justiciarius: Exercitus Anglici a dicta Regina Eliz: missi in Belgio, ab Anno MDLXXXV, ad Annum MBLXXXVII. Locum tenens et Capitaneus generalis: Provinciarum Confederatarum, ibidem Gubinator generalis et præfectus; Regnique Angliæ locum tenens contra Phalipum II. Hispanum, numerosa Classe et Excercitu Angliam MD MDLXXXVIII. Invadentem.

Animam Deo servatori reddidit Anno salutis MDLXXXVIII. Die quarto Septembris. Optimo et charissimo marito, mœstissima uxor Leticia Francisci Knoiles ordinis S Georgii equitis aurati et Regiæ Thesauraij filia, amoris et conjugalis fidei ergo, posuit.

In 1589 Walter Devereux [aged 19] and Margaret Dakins [aged 18] were married. He the son of Walter Devereux 1st Earl Essex and Lettice Knollys Countess Essex and Leicester [aged 45].

Around April 1589 Christopher Blount [aged 24] and Lettice Knollys Countess Essex and Leicester [aged 45] were married. The difference in their ages was 21 years; she, unusually, being older than him.

In 1590 Robert Devereux 2nd Earl Essex [aged 24] and Frances Walsingham Countess Essex [aged 23] were married. She by marriage Countess Essex. He the son of Walter Devereux 1st Earl Essex and Lettice Knollys Countess Essex and Leicester [aged 46]. They were half fourth cousin once removed.

In 1591 [her son] Walter Devereux [aged 21] died at the 1591 Siege of Rouen.

Around 1592 Nicholas Hilliard [aged 45] painted a portrait of Lettice Knollys Countess Essex and Leicester [aged 48].

In 1594 [her son-in-law] Henry "Wizard Earl" Percy 9th Earl of Northumberland [aged 29] and Dorothy Devereux Countess Northumberland [aged 30] were married. She the daughter of Walter Devereux 1st Earl Essex and Lettice Knollys Countess Essex and Leicester [aged 50]. He the son of Henry Percy 8th Earl of Northumberland and Katherine Neville Countess Northumberland [aged 49]. They were third cousin once removed.

Chronicle of a Bourgeois of Valenciennes

Récits d’un bourgeois de Valenciennes aka The Chronicle of a Bourgeois of Valenciennes is a vivid 14th-century vernacular chronicle written by an anonymous urban chronicler from Valenciennes in the County of Hainaut. It survives in a manuscript that describes local and regional history from about 1253 to 1366, blending chronology, narrative episodes, and eyewitness-style accounts of political, military, and social events in medieval France, Flanders, and the Low Countries. The work begins with a chronological framework of events affecting Valenciennes and its region under rulers such as King Philip VI of France and the shifting allegiances of local nobility. It includes accounts of conflicts, sieges, diplomatic manoeuvres, and the impact of broader struggles like the Hundred Years’ War on urban life in Hainaut. Written from the perspective of a burgher (bourgeois) rather than a monastery or royal court, the chronicle offers a rare lay viewpoint on high politics and warfare, reflecting how merchants, townspeople, and civic institutions experienced the turbulence of the 13th and 14th centuries. Its narrative style combines straightforward reporting of events with moral and civic observations, making it a valuable source for readers interested in medieval urban society, regional politics, and the lived experience of war and governance in pre-modern Europe.

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Before 1595 [her brother] William Knollys 1st Earl Banbury [aged 50] and [her sister-in-law] Dorothy Braye Baroness Chandos and Knollys [aged 70] were married. The difference in their ages was 20 years; she, unusually, being older than him.

Around 1595 Marcus Gheeraerts [aged 33]. Portrait believed to be of Lettice Knollys Countess Essex and Leicester [aged 51].

On 30th December 1595 William West 1st Baron De La Warr [aged 69] died. His son [her brother-in-law] Thomas [aged 39] succeeded 2nd Baron De La Warr. [her sister] Anne Knollys Baroness De La Warr [aged 40] by marriage Baroness De La Warr.

Before 1596 George Gower [aged 55]. Portrait of Lettice Knollys Countess Essex and Leicester [aged 52] with the Knollys Arms with Elephant Crest on her right.

On 19th July 1596 [her father] Francis Knollys [aged 84] died.

On 25th February 1601 [her son] Robert Devereux 2nd Earl Essex [aged 35] was beheaded at Tower Green, Tower of London [Map] as a consequence of his involvement in the Essex Rebellion. Earl Essex, Viscount Hereford, Baron Bourchier and Baron Ferrers of Chartley forfeit. He was the last person to be executed at the Tower of London. It isn't clear whether his other titles Viscount Hereford, Baron Ferrers of Chartley and Baron Bourchier were forfeit.

On 18th March 1601 Charles Danvers [aged 33] and [her husband] Christopher Blount [aged 36] were beheaded for their part in the Essex Rebellion.

In 1603 [her brother] William Knollys 1st Earl Banbury [aged 59] was created 1st Baron Knollys. [her sister-in-law] Dorothy Braye Baroness Chandos and Knollys [aged 79] by marriage Baroness Knollys.

In 1605 [her son-in-law] Robert Rich 1st Earl Warwick [aged 45] and [her daughter] Penelope Devereux Countess Devonshire [aged 41] were divorced.

On 23rd December 1605 [her brother] William Knollys 1st Earl Banbury [aged 61] and [her sister-in-law] Elizabeth Howard Countess Banbury [aged 22] were married. She by marriage Baroness Knollys. The difference in their ages was 39 years. She the daughter of Thomas Howard 1st Earl Suffolk [aged 44] and Catherine Knyvet Countess Suffolk [aged 41]. They were third cousin once removed.

On 26th December 1605 [her son-in-law] Charles Blount 1st Earl Devonshire [aged 42] and Penelope Devereux Countess Devonshire [aged 42] were married at Wansted House, Essex during a service conducted by Archbishop William Laud [aged 32] (future). The marriage was regarded as uncanonical and resulted in the disgrace of both parties, who were banished from King James I's court circles. She by marriage Countess Devonshire. She the daughter of Walter Devereux 1st Earl Essex and Lettice Knollys Countess Essex and Leicester [aged 62]. They were third cousins.

On 7th July 1607 [her daughter] Penelope Devereux Countess Devonshire [aged 44] died.

On 30th August 1608 [her sister] Anne Knollys Baroness De La Warr [aged 53] died.

In 1616 [her brother] William Knollys 1st Earl Banbury [aged 72] was created 1st Viscount Wallingford. [her sister-in-law] Elizabeth Howard Countess Banbury [aged 33] by marriage Viscountess Wallingford.

Memoires of Jacques du Clercq

This is a translation of the 'Memoires of Jacques du Clercq', published in 1823 in two volumes, edited by Frederic, Baron de Reissenberg. In his introduction Reissenberg writes: 'Jacques du Clercq tells us that he was born in 1424, and that he was a licentiate in law and a counsellor to Philip the Good, Duke of Burgundy, in the castellany of Douai, Lille, and Orchies. It appears that he established his residence at Arras. In 1446, he married the daughter of Baldwin de la Lacherie, a gentleman who lived in Lille. We read in the fifth book of his Memoirs that his father, also named Jacques du Clercq, had married a lady of the Le Camelin family, from Compiègne. His ancestors, always attached to the counts of Flanders, had constantly served them, whether in their councils or in their armies.' The Memoires cover a period of nineteen years beginning in in 1448, ending in in 1467. It appears that the author had intended to extend the Memoirs beyond that date; no doubt illness or death prevented him from carrying out this plan. As Reissenberg writes the 'merit of this work lies in the simplicity of its narrative, in its tone of good faith, and in a certain air of frankness which naturally wins the reader’s confidence.' Du Clercq ranges from events of national and international importance, including events of the Wars of the Roses in England, to simple, everyday local events such as marriages, robberies, murders, trials and deaths, including that of his own father in Book 5; one of his last entries.

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On 3rd August 1619 [her daughter] Dorothy Devereux Countess Northumberland [aged 55] died.

On 20th December 1620 [her sister] Catherine Knollys Baroness Offaly [aged 61] died.

In 1626 [her brother] William Knollys 1st Earl Banbury [aged 82] was created 1st Earl Banbury. [her sister-in-law] Elizabeth Howard Countess Banbury [aged 43] by marriage Countess Banbury.

On 25th May 1632 [her brother] William Knollys 1st Earl Banbury [aged 88] died. His son [her nephew] Edward [aged 5] de jure 2nd Earl Banbury, 2nd Viscount Wallingford, 2nd Baron Knollys. Parliament disallowed the succession on the basis that Edward had been born when William was some eighty-two years old and Edward was, in fact, the son of Edward Vaux 4th Baron Vaux Harrowden [aged 43] whom Edward's [her sister-in-law] mother [aged 49] subsequently married around a month after William's death.

Around 30th June 1632 Edward Vaux 4th Baron Vaux Harrowden [aged 43] and [her former sister-in-law] Elizabeth Howard Countess Banbury [aged 49] were married some five weeks after the death of her first husband [her brother] William Knollys 1st Earl Banbury [deceased] on 25th May 1632. They, Edward and Elizabeth, when teenagers, had been subject to marriage negotiations which broke down as a consequence of the Gunpowder Plot and she had married William Knollys 1st Earl Banbury some thirty-nine years her senior. She the daughter of Thomas Howard 1st Earl Suffolk and Catherine Knyvet Countess Suffolk [aged 68]. They were fifth cousin once removed.

On 25th December 1634 Lettice Knollys Countess Essex and Leicester [aged 91] died. She was buried at the Beauchamp Chapel, St Mary's Church, Warwick [Map] with her husband Robert Dudley 1st Earl of Leicester - see Monument [Map] and Inscription [Map].

Beauchamp Chapel, St Mary's Church, Warwick [Map]: Upon the death of the Excellent and Pious Lady Lettice Countess of Leicester who dyed upon Christmas Day in the Morning 1634.

Look in this Vault and search it well,

Much Treasure in it lately fell;

Wee all are robb'd and all do say

Our Wealth was carried thus away;

And that the Thieft might ne'er be found,

Ths buried closely under Ground:

Yet if you gently stirr the mould,

There all our loss you may behold;

There may you see that Face, that Hand

Which once was fairest in the Land.

She that in her younger Years:

Match'd with two great English Peers,

She that did supply the Warrs

With Thunder. and the Court with Starrs;

She that in her Youth had been

Darling to the maiden Queen,

'Till she was content to quit

Her Favour for her favourite,

Whose 'gold Thread when she saw spun,

And the death of her brave Son,

Thought it safest to retire

From all Care and vain Desire

'To a Private Country Cell,

Where she spent her days so well,

That to her the better Sort

Came as to an Holy Court;

And the Poor that lived near

Death nor famine could not fear;

Whilst she liv'd she lived thus,

'Till that God displeased with Us,

Suffer'd her at last to fall,

Not from Him but from us All;

And because she took Delight,

Christ's poor members to invite,

He fully now requites her Love,

And sent his Angels from above,

That did to Heaven her soul convey,

To solemnize his own Birth day.

Gervas Clifton.

Royal Ancestors of Lettice Knollys Countess Essex and Leicester 1543-1634

Kings Wessex: Great x 16 Grand Daughter of King Edmund "Ironside" I of England

Kings Gwynedd: Great x 13 Grand Daughter of Owain "Great" King Gwynedd

Kings Seisyllwg: Great x 19 Grand Daughter of Hywel "Dda aka Good" King Seisyllwg King Deheubarth

Kings Powys: Great x 14 Grand Daughter of Maredudd ap Bleddyn King Powys

Kings Godwinson: Great x 16 Grand Daughter of King Harold II of England

Kings England: Great x 6 Grand Daughter of King Edward III of England

Kings Scotland: Great x 12 Grand Daughter of King William I of Scotland

Kings France: Great x 8 Grand Daughter of King Philip IV of France

Kings Duke Aquitaine: Great x 20 Grand Daughter of Ranulf I Duke Aquitaine

Kings Spain: Great x 12 Grand Daughter of Alfonso VII King Castile VII King Leon

Royal Descendants of Lettice Knollys Countess Essex and Leicester 1543-1634
Number after indicates the number of unique routes of descent. Descendants of Kings and Queens not included.

Brigadier-General Charles Fitz-Clarence [1]

Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom [4]

Diana Spencer Princess Wales [4]

Ancestors of Lettice Knollys Countess Essex and Leicester 1543-1634

Great x 4 Grandfather: Thomas Knollys

Great x 3 Grandfather: Thomas Knollys

Great x 2 Grandfather: Richard Knollys

Great x 1 Grandfather: Robert Knollys

Great x 3 Grandfather: William D'Oyley

Great x 2 Grandmother: Margaret Doyley

Grandfather: Robert Knollys

Great x 2 Grandfather: John Troutbeck

Great x 1 Grandmother: Elizabeth Troutbeck

father: Francis Knollys

Grandmother: Lettice Peniston

Lettice Knollys Countess Essex and Leicester 6 x Great Granddaughter of King Edward III of England

Great x 4 Grandfather: Robert Carey

Great x 3 Grandfather: Philip Carey 3 x Great Grandson of King Edward I of England

Great x 4 Grandmother: Margaret Courtenay 2 x Great Granddaughter of King Edward I of England

Great x 2 Grandfather: William Carey 4 x Great Grandson of King Edward I of England

Great x 4 Grandfather: William Orchard

Great x 3 Grandmother: Christiana Orchard

Great x 1 Grandfather: Thomas Carey 5 x Great Grandson of King Edward I of England

Great x 3 Grandfather: Baldwin Fulford

Great x 2 Grandmother: Anna Fulford

Grandfather: William Carey 4 x Great Grandson of King Edward III of England

Great x 4 Grandfather: Robert Spencer

Great x 3 Grandfather: John Winstone Churchill Spencer

Great x 2 Grandfather: Robert Spencer of Spencer Combe

Great x 1 Grandmother: Margaret Spencer 3 x Great Granddaughter of King Edward III of England

Great x 4 Grandfather: John Beaufort 1st Marquess Somerset and Dorset Grandson of King Edward III of England

Great x 3 Grandfather: Edmund Beaufort 1st or 2nd Duke of Somerset Great Grandson of King Edward III of England

Great x 4 Grandmother: Margaret Holland Duchess Clarence 2 x Great Granddaughter of King Edward I of England

Great x 2 Grandmother: Eleanor Beaufort Countess Ormonde 2 x Great Granddaughter of King Edward III of England

Great x 4 Grandfather: Richard Beauchamp 13th Earl Warwick 4 x Great Grandson of King Edward I of England

Great x 3 Grandmother: Eleanor Beauchamp Duchess Somerset 4 x Great Granddaughter of King Edward I of England

Great x 4 Grandmother: Elizabeth Berkeley Countess Warwick 3 x Great Granddaughter of King Edward I of England

mother: Catherine Carey 5 x Great Granddaughter of King Edward III of England

Great x 4 Grandfather: Geoffrey Boleyn

Great x 3 Grandfather: Geoffrey Boleyn

Great x 4 Grandmother: Alice Bracton

Great x 2 Grandfather: William Boleyn 8 x Great Grandson of King John of England

Great x 4 Grandfather: Thomas Hoo 1st Baron Hoo and Hastings 9 x Great Grandson of King Henry I "Beauclerc" England

Great x 3 Grandmother: Ann Hoo 7 x Great Granddaughter of King John of England

Great x 4 Grandmother: Elizabeth Wychingham 6 x Great Granddaughter of King John of England

Great x 1 Grandfather: Thomas Boleyn 1st Earl Wiltshire and Ormonde 6 x Great Grandson of King Edward I of England

Great x 4 Grandfather: James "White Earl" Butler 4th Earl Ormonde 3 x Great Grandson of King Edward I of England

Great x 3 Grandfather: Thomas Butler 7th Earl Ormonde 4 x Great Grandson of King Edward I of England

Great x 4 Grandmother: Joan Beauchamp Countess Ormonde 3 x Great Granddaughter of King Edward I of England

Great x 2 Grandmother: Margaret Butler 5 x Great Granddaughter of King Edward I of England

Great x 4 Grandfather: Richard Hankford

Great x 3 Grandmother: Anne Hankford Countess Ormonde 4 x Great Granddaughter of King Edward I of England

Great x 4 Grandmother: Anne Montagu Duchess Exeter 3 x Great Granddaughter of King Edward I of England

Grandmother: Mary Boleyn 7 x Great Granddaughter of King Edward I of England

Great x 4 Grandfather: Robert Howard 4 x Great Grandson of King John of England

Great x 3 Grandfather: John Howard 1st Duke of Norfolk 4 x Great Grandson of King Edward I of England

Great x 4 Grandmother: Margaret Mowbray Baroness Grey Ruthyn 3 x Great Granddaughter of King Edward I of England

Great x 2 Grandfather: Thomas Howard 2nd Duke of Norfolk 5 x Great Grandson of King Edward I of England

Great x 4 Grandfather: William Moleyns 4 x Great Grandson of King Henry III of England

Great x 3 Grandmother: Katherine Moleyns 5 x Great Granddaughter of King Henry III of England

Great x 1 Grandmother: Elizabeth Howard Countess of Wiltshire and Ormonde 6 x Great Granddaughter of King Edward I of England

Great x 4 Grandfather: Philip Tilney

Great x 3 Grandfather: Frederick Tilney

Great x 2 Grandmother: Elizabeth Tilney Countess of Surrey 8 x Great Granddaughter of King John of England

Great x 4 Grandfather: Lawrence Cheney

Great x 3 Grandmother: Elizabeth Cheney 7 x Great Granddaughter of King John of England

Great x 4 Grandmother: Elizabeth Cockayne 6 x Great Granddaughter of King John of England