Essex Rebellion

The career of Elizabeth's favourite courtier, Robert Devereaux, is too well known to call for special notice here, but in 1601, he became involved in what was to become known as the Earl of Essex's revolt or rebellion.

In 1595, Ireland was again causing trouble, and probably to keep him employed, the Queen sent Essex there as Deputy, and with him went his Steward, Sir Gelley Mayrick.

Sir Gelley was the eldest son of Rowland Meyrick, the Bishop of Bangor, by Katherine, daughter of Owain Barret of Gelliswic, Pembrokeshire. Whilst serving as a soldier in the Netherlands, he became acquainted with the Earl of Essex. Like many before him, Essex failed to do much good in Ireland, and offended the Queen by returning to England without her permission. The Queen treated him as a prisoner and declined to see him. Evidently Essex overestimated his personal influence with the Queen. Apparently he imagined that it was only necessary to see her in order to regain her favour; and with this object in mind, he foolishly concocted a plot to seize her person, and persuaded a great number of his friends to join in the enterprise.

Among these were the Danvers of Dauntsey, the Vaughans of Golden Grove and the Earl of Southampton, all of whom were great friends, together with Sir Ferdinande Georges, Sir Christopher Blount and Sir John Davies. The malcontents met at Drury House, Sir Charles Danvers' place, whilst Gelley Meyrick freely entertained in Essex House all who favoured the Earl.

The Vaughans are well-known as the patrons of the famous Jeremy Taylor, Bishop of Down and Connor, and the author of the 'Golden Grove'. The first to live at Golden Grove, Carmarthenshire, was John Vaughan, whose brother Walter died in 1598. He was succeeded by his son, John, created first Earl of Carberry. Sir John had married the daughter of Sir Gelley Meyrick.

The Earl of Southampton, Wriothesley, was at the moment out of favour with Elizabeth because of his marriage. Essex privately favoured the Roman Catholics, although as a foil had the Puritans at Essex House, preaching and praying. He was ever spreading rumours to decry his political opponents, and used the negotiations with Spain particularly to run down Cecil.

His Secretary, Cuffe, was even more advanced in his opinions, and pressed for armed intervention. Ostensibly, their object was a settlement of the succession. They were in leigue(sic) with Scotland through a Henry Lee.

Sir John Popham, the Lord Chief Justice, hearing that there was trouble in the city, went to Essex House, but was seized and made prisoner. Upon the place being attacked by the Royal troops, Meyrick put up a stout resistance, and only surrendered at his master's bidding. The Earl himself, with many of his friends, were seized in the streets of London.

They were immediately conveyed to the Tower, along with Sir Charles Danvers, Sir Christopher Blount (Blount had married the disreputable relict of Earl Essex and Earl Leicester. Dame Lettice, the daughter of Sir Francis Knolles was suspected of poisoning the first to marry the second), Sir John Davies and Henry Cuffe.

 State Papers give a detailed account of what happened in the case of the more prominent among the conspriators:

March 1601: A warrant was given from the Commissioners for the execution of Sir Gelley Mayrick and Henry Cuffe at Tyburn, and for the beheading of Sir Christopher Blount and Sir Charles Danvers at Tower Hill.

Feb.: The Earl of Essex with many of his friends were committed to the Tower. On the 19th the Earl and Southampton were condemned at Westminister, whilst Sir Gelley Meyrick and Cuffe were hanged, drawn and quartered at Tyburn. Sir Charles Danvers and Blount were executed on Tower Hill, although Sir Charles offered £10,000 with life imprisonment as a substitute. Essex was beheaded in the presence of more than 200 people.

Robert Devereaux, Earl of Essex, was not hanged, drawn, and quartered. He fell to the headsman's axe, as befitted his rank, 25 February 1601.

On May 11, the Earl of Rutland was fined £30,000, and Sir Henry Neville, £10,000 and dismissed from office worth £5,000 a year. On July 29th, Sir John Davies and Sir Edmund Baynham were still in the King's Bench prison.

Southampton was spared from execution by the Queen's mercy, but he was released from the Tower on April 10, 1603 - three weeks after she died. He was set free and commanded to present himself to King James, who greeted him warmly. He died of a fever in 1624.

Refs:

The Trial of the Earls of Essex and Southampton, 1601

A transcription of the treason trial that followed the Essex Rebellion, with modernized spelling, from the 1679 edition The Arraignment, Tryal, and Condemnation of Robert Earl of Essex, edited and annotated for the web by Maggie Secara, decorated by Paula Kate Marmor.

See letter written in 1600 by Paul de la Hay, the Sheriff of Hereford, in which he complains of  'the bad behaviour of adherents of the Earl of Essex'. (State Papers, 1600).

The examination of Sir Charles Danvers at the trial of Essex