Historical Sources for Lady Jane Grey

"Lady Jane Grey was born at Bradgate Park, Leicestershire around October 1537. Her mother was the daughter of Henry VIII's sister Mary Tudor, and she was a great granddaughter of Henry VII... Her father was Henry Grey, 3rd Marquess of Dorset, who was created Duke of Suffolk on Oct. 11, 1551... 

"On 25 May 1553, three weddings were celebrated at Durham Place, the Duke of Northumberland's town mansion. Guildford married [Lady] Jane; his sister Katherine married Henry Hastings, the Earl of Huntingdon's heir; and Jane's sister Katherine married Lord Herbert, the heir of the Earl of Pembroke. Lord Guildford Dudley was the second youngest surviving son of John Dudley, Duke of Northumberland... 

"Mary [the First] fled to East Anglia, where she owned extensive estates and where many adherents to the Catholic faith, opponents of Northumberland, lived. On 9 July, from Kenninghall, Norfolk, she wrote to the privy council with orders for her proclamation as Edward's successor. By 12 July, Mary and her supporters had assembled a military force at Framlingham Castle, Suffolk... 

"Jane and Northumberland were imprisoned in the Tower of London. Mary rode triumphantly into London on 3 August 1553 on a wave of popular support. Jane and her husband were accused of treason and sentenced to death; however Mary spared them and allowed them to live in the Tower of London... 

"The Monday, being the [12th February 1554], about ten of the clocke, there went out of the Tower to the scaffold on Tower Hill, the lorde Guilforde Dudley... and at last, after he had desired the people to pray for him, he laide himself along, and his head upon the block, which was at one stroke of the axe taken from him. On the same day, Lady Jane Dudley was executed on Tower Green... 

"Sir Thomas Wyatt the younger led a rebellion in early 1554, primarily in response to Queen Mary I's decision to marry Philip of Spain. Wyatt had already shown his opposition to Mary when he supported Lady Jane Grey's claim to the throne after the death of Edward VI. The plan was to have a series of uprisings and then a march on London to overthrow the government, block the Spanish marriage, dethrone Mary and replace her with her Protestant half-sister, Elizabeth... 

"On 21st June 1553, Edward VI's 'devise' was issued as 'Letters Patent for the Limitation of the Crown', having been drawn up by Sir Edward Montague, Chief Justice of the Common Pleas, and John Gosnold, Solicitor General of the Court of Augmentations, and Lady Jane Grey became Edward VI's legal heir." 

Contextual statement: 

John Gough Nichols was a Victorian antiquarian, printer, and historian from a distinguished publishing family, who served as editor of the Gentleman's Magazine and was a founding member of the Camden Society. He specialized in editing and publishing historical documents and manuscripts, particularly Tudor-era sources, and was recognized as one of the leading antiquarian scholars of his generation. 

Bibliographical Reference:

Nichols, J. G. (Ed.). (1850). The chronicle of Queen Jane, and of two years of Queen Mary, and especially of the rebellion of Sir Thomas Wyat. London: J. B. Nichols, pg. 5, 23, 42, 67, 89, 156, 185. 

Copyright Information: Public Domain

"King Edward VI, being sickly and having been ill for a few months, in the original draft of his 'Devise for the Succession' stipulated that the Crown would descend through the male heirs of Frances, Duchess of Suffolk, if Edward died childless. When Edward made a turn for the worse he decided to change the document to read: 'To the Lady Fraunceses heirs males, if she have any such issue before my death to the Lady Jane and her heirs males'...

"On July 10, 1553, Lady Jane was proclaimed queen by Northumberland and his supporters. On July 19, the Privy Council reversed its position and declared Mary Queen. Lady Jane Grey reigned for exactly nine days, from 10 July until 19 July 1553, before being deposed by the faction supporting Edward's half-sister and heir, Mary Tudor." 

Contextual statement: 

Ida Ashworth Taylor was an English novelist and biographer who wrote extensively about historical figures, particularly focusing on Tudor and Stuart personalities in works such as Lady Jane Grey and Her Times and biographies of Queen Henrietta Maria and Sir Walter Raleigh. She was the daughter of playwright Henry Taylor and contributed regularly to prestigious Victorian periodicals including The Dublin Review and The Nineteenth Century. 

Bibliographical Reference:

Taylor, I. A. (1908). Lady Jane Grey and her times. London: Hutchinson & Co., pg. 287, 298. 

Copyright Information: Available through Project Gutenberg. (Public domain)

"Edward was King Henry VIII's only legitimate son; his mother, Henry's third wife, Jane Seymour, died 12 days after his birth at Hampton Court Palace on October 12, 1537. Jane Seymour was the daughter of Sir John Seymour of Wolf Hall, Savernake, Wiltshire."

Contextual statement: 

Richard Patrick Boyle Davey was an English author and journalist who specialized in Tudor history and wrote extensively about famous women throughout history, including his detailed work The Nine Days' Queen, Lady Jane Grey, and Her Times. He was a dedicated historical researcher who worked as an editor for various publications including The Morning Post and The Fortnightly Review. 

Bibliographical Reference:

Davey, R. (1911). The sisters of Lady Jane Grey and their wicked grandfather. London: Chapman and Hall, pg. 89. 

Copyright Information: Available through Project Gutenberg. (Public domain)