History

Arbella Stuart - part 3

As expected James 1 was furious at Arbella's disobedience in marrying William and promptly threw the pair into the formidable Tower of London.

However, the servants were sympathetic and they continued to communicate and possibly meet.  When the King learnt of this he decided to send Arbella to far away Durham prison on the Northumberland coast.  At first Arbella claimed she was too ill to travel, but eventually after a delay of several months by June 1611 the time was set for her to leave.

The day before her journey Arbella left the house in East Barnett where she had been staying, disguised as a man, telling the Chaplain's wife she was going to say one last farewell to William.  In fact, accompanied by a servant, they went to where saddled horses were waiting, and travelled to a tavern in Blackwall.  William was also supposed to have escaped and met them there, but was delayed.  After an anxious hour and half wait, Arbella was forced to leave without him, and set off down the Thames in a rowing boat.

By daybreak the following morning they arrived at Leigh but there was no sign of the boat that was to carry them safely to France.  Desperately they tried to bribe another sea captain to alter his plans and take them, but only aroused his suspicions.

Eventually the ship they wanted arrived, but again Arbella was anxious to wait for William's arrival.  By now the tide was against them, so they had to wait two hours, during which time news had reached London of their escape and a proclamation was issued warning people not to give aid to

'the Lady Arbella and William Seymour who...have found means to break prison and escape with an intent to transport themselves into foreign parts'

William meanwhile had escaped from the Tower of London disguised as a merchant delivering wood, but had to wait for a favourable time before rowing down the Thames.  When they reached Leigh Arbella had already sailed.

Arbella's ship arrived within sight of Calais but she insisted on again waiting for William.  There the pursuing ship found them, and 13 shots were fired before a party armed with shot and pikes boarded Arbella's ship.  She and her servants were arrested and returned to London. Once more she was imprisoned in the Tower of London, now with no hope of release.

It took her a year to starve herself to death, dying eventually on September 25th 1615.  In a plain coffin the body was taken down the Thames at midnight and placed in the vault of Mary Queen of Scots in Westminster Abbey.  Her only memorial is her name carved into a paving stone.  All her life had been restricted because of her close connection to the English throne.  Bess thought she had achieved the ultimate status but a popular ballad of the time accurately described her grandchild as

'Fair Arbella, child of woe'

William Seymour on the other hand did escape to France.  Sailing later than Arbella the wind prevented his party from reaching Calais and instead they arrived in Ostend.  He immediately send a messenger along the coast to look for her.  On learning of her capture he wrote requesting that he and Arbella should be allowed to live quietly abroad, but received no reply.

A few months after Arbella's death, being considered of no political importance, he was allowed to return to England, where he became Chancellor of Magdalen College, Oxford.

He married the Earl of Essex's daughter.  One of his daughters was named Arbella.

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