PROCLAMATION OF THE ACCESSION OF QUEEN MARY

PROCLAMATION OF THE ACCESSION OF QUEEN MARY.

The city of NORWICH is said to have been the first place in which Queen Mary was proclaimed, and the event is thus recorded in one of its local chronicles:

"This year, the 6th of Jul, King Edward the VI. departed this world to God's mercy; and upon wednesday next after, being the 12th of Jul, the lady Mary was proclaimed Queen within the city of Norwich." [1]

At the same crisis "the towne of GREAT YARMOUTH [2] did holde and kepe the towne for quene Marye, whoe lyenge then at Framingham castell in Suffolke, the towne sent one of there balifes to her majestie to signifye the townes faythfullnes and allegeance, whiche the said quene tooke in verye good parte, gevenge him her greate thankes and comendacion, promisenge to requite this the townes dutifulle kyndnes."

In like manner the town of COLCHESTER declared for Queen Mary, and sent her provisions to Framlingham, the accounts for which were seen by Morant,

'...among oiher things, three tuns of beer, which cost iijl. xxd. and the carriage of the same, in six carts, came to iiijl. On the 26th Jul she came to the town on her way to London, when the corporation presented her with xxl. in gold, a cup of silver with a cover parcel-gilt weighing forty-one ounces, which at vijs. per oz. amounted to xivl. vijs and among other particulars in the chamberlains' account are, For xxxviii. dozen of bread xxxixs. For lix. gallons of claret wine xlviijs. Ten barrells of beer. A quarter of beef weighing five score and ten pounds, ixs. ijd. A side of beef weighing seven score and five pounds xijs. id. A veal ivs. half a veal ijs. ivd. Two muttons ixs. ivd. &c. [3]

The sentiments of the people in Lincolnshire are depicted in the narrative of Richard Troughton, [4] bailiff of South Witham, who, according to his own account, was ready to fight any man in maintenance of Queen Mary's title. This hero asserts that when riding from South Witham towards Stamford, early on the morning of the 12 Jul, he heard from Stephen Amory, a clothier who had come out of Norfolk, that Queen Mary had been already pro claimed at Bury. "Stephyn said, that hyr majesty was proclaymed at Bury, for he stode by and herde hyte." This story, if true, shows that Bury was even before Norwich in asserting Mary's right to the crown; but the early date assigned is scarcely credible in consistence with other accounts of the progress of events.

At Stamford Troughton breakfasted with the alderman (the chief magistrate of that town), and related to him the news he had heard, again heartily expressing his adherence to Queen Mary. The alderman listened to him with caution, but secret approbation, and suffered him quietly to depart, though apparently not himself inclined to take an active part for either competitor.

A good deal follows as to the mustering of men to join the Northumberland; but no one seems to have ventured to proclaim either of the competing Queens at Stamford, or Huntingdon, or Royston, or any neighbouring town, until the 19 Jul, when the success of Queen Mary became known, and her friends began to show their joy by bonfires and merry-makings. On the 2lst Troughton assisted to proclaim her publicly at GRANTHAM, and he gives the following account of the transaction:

"Uppon satterdaye the xxjth of Jul I rode to Grantham, and there hit pleased the alderman and the masters of the towne to desyer myn advyse in settyng oute the quenes proclamation. To whom unsent for I resorted in that parte to do my duty. And I wyllyd them to wryte, Mary by the grace of God of Englond, Fraunce, and Irelond quene, &c. accordyng to the kynges stylle her grace's father, and in th' end to praye God save quene Mary. And so we wente to the market crosse, in the heryng of the countrie people, and solemply with the noise of shawmes iij. severall tymes blowen with distyncyon. Afterwardes one commaunded all men to kepe sylence, and here the quenes proclamacyon, as is abovemencyoned. And imedyatly after the proclamacion, praying God save the quene, I caste upe my hate, and than all the people, saying God save the quene, caste upe their cappes and hattes. And whan the people war quyeted I begane to singe Te Deum laudamas, and so we dyd syng hit solemply to th'end. And after that I caused the vycar to saye certeyn godly prayers, and the people prayd with hyme, whom the alderman caused to drynke, and so departed."

At COVENTRY "the Duke of Northumberland sent to have the lady Jane proclaimed, but the mayor, being ruled by master Edward Sanders the recorder, would not do it, but having orders speedily proclaimed Queen Mary." [5] The recorder was a Roman catholic, and soon after became chief baron of the exchequer.

At YORK [6] it is probable that when the lord mayor and council met on the 13 Jul, the fact of King Edward's death was unknown: for the record of the meeting is headed "xiijo Julij A[nn]o R. R. E. vjti vijmo", and a commission of the King dated 16 Jun was read. On the following day, the 14th, some intimation of the state of affairs in the metropolis had evidently been received, but with prudent caution the date is altered, not to the reign of a new sovereign, but to the year of our Lord, "A[nn]o D'ni 1553o", and so again on the 18th. No mention, however, is made of either Queen Jane or Queen Mary, nor indeed of any other public event, until a copy of Queen Mary's proclamation is inserted, which was made known on the 21st and 22nd of Jul, but no particulars of the ceremony at York are recorded. Subsequently to this, the minutes are again dated by the year of the monarch's reign.

The historians of SHREWSBURY searched the records of that town without finding any memorials of the proclamations of Jane or Mary; but they notice an entry of the payment of 2s. to a servant (famulo) of the Duke of Suffolk, who may have brought a letter on one or other of his ill-conducted risings. [7]

Even in WESTMlNSTER the proclamation of Queen Mary was two days later than in London, as is recorded in the register of St. Margaret's parish: "The xixth day was my lady Marye her grace proclamed queene in London, and the xxjti day in Westmynster".

Of what was done in DEVONSHIRE we have the following account in the biography of Sir Peter Carew:

"Immediatlye after the death of the sayde kynge, there was a proclamacion conceved by the councell, and sente into the countre for the proclaymynge of queene Janne. Sir Peter Carewe, all be it he knewe very well that there was licke to ensewe a greate alteracion in relygion yf the lady Mary shoulde be proclaymed queene, and as he was well affected, so he utterlye dyd abhore yt, yet respectinge his faythe, dewte, and allegaunce to his naturall prince, and lytle regardinge what had bynne donne by a former proclamacion, dyd cause the sayd lady Mary to be proclaymed queene in too markett townes neere to the place where he then dwelled -- the one in DARTEMOUTH, and the other at NEWTON ABBOT. And it was not lounge after but that the sayd lady Mary was proclaymed queene throughout the whole realme; and all be yt there were none who dyd coundeme this gentleman for his doinges, yet there were some of greate countenance and in high authoritie, which weare offended withe hyme because he hade not advertised unto theyme his owne bente, and the disposicion of the people in these countreis." [8]

Footnotes

1. Original Papers of the Norfolk and Norwich Archaeological Society, vol i. p. 145.

2. Manship's History of Great Yarmouth, edited by C. J. Palmer, esq. F.S.A. 4to. 1847.

3. Morant's History of Colchester, p 50.

4. Edited by Sir Fred. Madden in the 23d volume of the Archaeologia, from the Harl. MS. 6222. -- Some other papers about Troughton's business exist in the State Paper Office, being the depositions of Thomas Sklater alias Thomson, and Thomas Wymberley. It is worthy of remark that the person frequently mentioned by Troughton in his narrative as "my master," was sir William Cecill.

5. Coventry MS. annals. See further extracts in p. 125.

6. The minutes of the corporation of York have been kindly examined for me with a view to this inquiry, by Robert Davies, esq. F.S.A. late town clerk of that city.

7. Hist. of Shrewsbury, by Blakeway and Owen, vol. i p. 350.

8. Archaeologia, vol. xxviii p. 119.

to Life Page to Mary I Page to Home Page