Researching the Life of Bess Raleigh

Congratulations to my friend Tony Riches on his newly released novel, Bess: Tudor Gentlewoman! I asked Tony to share his experience researching the life of the fascinating Bess Raleigh. She, like many historical ladies, is often left in the background of men's stories, so kudos to Tony for shining the spotlight on her.

~ Samantha

Researching the Life of Bess Raleigh

Guest Post by Tony Riches

I only knew Bess as the loyal wife of Sir Walter Raleigh, but found her story intriguing, so chose her for the final book in my Elizabethan series. Born in 1565, her father Sir Nicholas Throckmorton was the cousin of Henry VIII's sixth wife, Queen Catherine Par, and served ambassador to France and Scotland.

Bess’s brother Arthur Throckmorton paid for her place as a Lady-in-Waiting to Queen Elizabeth I in 1579 – a good ‘investment’. as by November 1585 she was promoted to Gentlewoman of the Privy Chamber, one of an elite group of ladies who personally attended the Queen.

It all went wrong In 1587, when Bess caught the eye of the captain of the queen’ guard, Walter Raleigh. They were right to worry the queen would be furious when she found they’d married in secret without her permission, as she sent them both to the Tower of London. Walter bought his release in September 1592 - but Bess remained locked up in the Tower until 22 December 1592. Although Sir Walter was received back at Court in 1597, Bess was permanently banished.

As part of my research I visited their home at Sherborne in Dorset. It was to Sherborne that Walter brought Bess after her release from the Tower, and it became a place where she felt safe and happy. The present owner of Sherborne, Lady Maria Wingfield Digby, kindly gave me a personal guided tour, including Walter’s study, which is not usually open to the public. As well as Walter’s tobacco pipe (which features often in the book), Sherborne has flowers known as ‘Lady Betty’s Pinks’, which are said to have been planted first planted there by Bess.

Sherborne Lodge, as it would have looked in the.17th Century

Bess and Walter must have been alarmed in September 1594 when plague arrived in Sherborne. I found a letter from Walter to Sir Robert Cecil on 20 September 1594 that ‘the plauge is in the town very hote. My Bess is one way sent, hir sonne another way, and I am in great troble ther withe.’ These details bring the narrative to life, and provide a context for why Bess and Walter acted as they did.

Bess returned to the Tower of London and kept Walter company during his imprisonment there until 5 October 1618, so it was amazing to visit their actual tower at the Tower of London and climb the stairs at exactly as he and Bess would have done so many times. (At the time Walter kept a small herb garden, so it was known as the ‘Garden Tower’, but since about 1571 it is known as the ‘Bloody Tower’ due to the supposed murder of the Princes in the Tower.)

Inside Walter Raleigh’s cell at the Tower of London (author’s photo)

Bess is one of the most impressive of all the characters in my Elizabethan series for her resilience, loyalty to her family and resourcefulness is the face of overwhelming hardship. Bess lived until the (then) remarkable age of 82 outliving just about everyone she knew to become the last of the true Elizabethans.

Tony Riches

Pembrokeshire, Wales.

Read Bess: Tudor Gentlewoman - available in ebook or paperback

Connect with Tony

Tony Riches is a full-time UK author of best-selling Tudor historical fiction. He lives in Pembrokeshire, West Wales and is a specialist in the history of the Wars of the Roses and the lives of the Tudors. For more information about Tony’s books please visit his website tonyriches.com and his blog, The Writing Desk and find him on Facebook, Twitter @tonyriches and Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/tonyriches.bsky.social. You can find out more about his research on his popular podcast series, ‘Stories of the Tudors’