PROCLAMATIONS OF THE ACCESSION OF QUEEN JANE AND OF QUEEN MARY

PROCLAMATION OF THE ACCESSION OF QUEEN JANE

On 6 July died the noble King Edward VI, in the seventh year of his reign, son and heir to the noble King Henry VIII. And he was poisoned, as everybody says, for which now, thanks be to God, there are many of the false traitors brought to their end, and I trust God that more will follow as they may be spied out.

On 7 July a proclamation was made that all penthouses should be no lower than 10 foot, and all private lights be condemned.

The same day an old man was set on the pillory for counterfeit, false writings.

The same day there came to the Tower the lord treasurer, the earl of Shrewsbury, and the lord admiral with others; and there they discharged Sir James Croft of the constableship of the Tower, and there they put in the said lord admiral, and he took his oath and charge of the Tower, and the next day after he conveyed into all places in the Tower and... great guns, such as the White Tower on high.

On 9 July all the head officers and the guard were sworn to Queen Jane as queen of England.... daughter of the duke of Suffolk, and served as queen of....

The following day queen Jane was received into the Tower with a great company of lords and nobles of... after the queen, and the duchess of Suffolk her mother, bearing her train, with many ladies, and there was a firing of guns and chamber such as has not often been seen, between 4 and 5 o'clock; by 6 o'clock began the proclamation on the same afternoon of Queen Jane, with two heralds and a trumpet blowing, declaring that Lady Mary was unlawfully begotten, and so went through Cheapside to Fleet Street, proclaiming Queen Jane. And there was a young man taken at that time for speaking certain words about Queen Mary, that she had the true title.

On 11 July, at 8 o'clock in the morning the young man was set on the pillory for speaking this, and both his ears were cut off. There was a herald and a trumpeter blowing, and he was quickly taken down. And the same day the young man's master, dwelling at St John's Head, whose name was Sandur Onyone, and another Master Owen, a gun-maker at London Bridge, living at Ludgate, were drowned.

On 12 July by night were carried to the Tower 3 carts full of all manner of ordnance, such as great guns and small, bows, bills, spears, morrish pikes, armour, arrows, gunpowder and stakes, money, tents and all manner of ordnance, a great number of cannon balls, and a great number of men at arms; and it was for a great army near Cambridge; and two days after the duke and various lords and knights went with him, and many gentlemen and gunners, and many men of the guard and men of arms towards Lady Mary's grace, to destroy her grace, and so to Bury, and all was against him, for his men forsook him.

The passages of the Chronicle of the Grey Friars of London, (MS. Cotton. Vitellius, F. XII.), are as follow:

"Item, the vj. day of Jul dyde King Edward the vj. at Grenwyche, as they say, and some say he was powsynd, as it shall apere ar-after. [1]

"Item, the x. day of the same monythe, after vij. a clocke at nyghte, was made a proclamacyon at the crosse in Chepe by iij. harroldes and one trompet, with the kynges shreffe of London master Garrard, with dyvers of the garde, for Jane the Duke of Suffolkes dowter to be the quene of Ynglond, (but few or none sayd God save hare, [2]) the wyche was browte the same afternone from Rechemond un to Westmyster, and soo un to the Tower of London by water.

"Item, the xix. day of the same monythe was sent Margarettes daye, at iiij. of clock at afternone was proclamyd lady Mary to be queene of Ynglond at the crosse in Chepe, with the erle of Shrewsbery, the erle of [Arundel] [3], the erle of Pembroke, with the mayor of London and dyvers other lordes, and many of the aldermen and the kinges sheryff master Garrard, with dyvers harroldes and trompetts. And from thens came to Powels alle, and there the qwere sang Te Deum with the organs goyng, with the belles ryngyng as most parte alle. And the same nyght had the [most] parte of London to dener, with bone fyers in every strete in London, with good chere at every bon[e fyre], and the belles ryngyng in every paryshe cherche for the most parte all nyghte tyll the nexte day to none."

Though the proclamation of the accession of Queen Jane was made in London on the 10 Jul, and she was the acknowledged Queen there until the 19th, scarcely any accounts are preserved of the example having been followed in other towns. It is probable that some such proclamations took place, but that all records of the errors so committed were carefully suppressed and cancelled on the proximate change of affairs. We only hear incidentally of Queen Jane having been proclaimed at Berwick, [4] and at King's Lynn in Norfolk. [5]

There seems, however, to have existed a general disinclination to deviate from the legitimate line of inheritance, except in places under the immediate control of Northumberland. Even the protestant town of Colchester, which afterwards suffered so severely from the religious persecutions of Mary's reign, and Sir Peter Carew, who the next year was prepared to rise in rebellion against her in Devonshire, were zealous in supporting her title to the succession. So also was Bishop Hooper, who, the next year, was led to the stake.

Footnotes:

1. Such was the current report in London, as stated also in Machyn's Diary, p. 35.

2. These words are added above the line.

3. The words supplied are rendered necessary by the margin of the MS. having been burnt.

4. On Saturday the 15 Jul Richard Troughton, dining at the George at Grantham, "met with Frenyngham; and I demaunded of hyme from whence he came, and he tolde me from Barwike, wher he had byne to proclame lady Jane." Narrative printed in the Archaeologia, xxiii. 36.

5. Robert Dudley, Queen Jane s brother-in-law proclaimed her at King's Lynn, as appears by an ancient roll of the mayors; "1553. GEORGE REWLEY. This year the lord Roberte Dudley came to Linn, and proclaymed the lady Jeanne queene; and afterwards he was carried to Framingham before queene Mary". (Extract communicated by Daniel Gurney, esq. F.S.A.) In Richards's History of that town, pp. 694, 1193, this fact is mentioned, but Lord Robert Dudley is miscalled Lord Audley. His presence in that part of the country was owing to his first marriage. His wife, as is well known, was Amy, daughter of Sir John Robsart. In Dec 1550 the stewardship of the manor of Castle Rising and the constableship of the castle there (which is in the vicinity of the town of Lynn), were granted to Sir John Robsart and Sir Robert Dudley, and the longer liver of them. Strype.

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