8 September 1560 – The Mysterious Death of Amy Robsart
Posted By Claire on September 8, 2011
The Death of Amy Robsart by William Frederick Yeames
On the 8th September 1560, the body of Amy Robsart, wife of Robert Dudley, was discovered by her servants at the bottom of the stairs of her home, Cumnor Place, in Oxford.
Why do I say “mysterious death”? Simply because although the coroner ruled that Amy’s death was accidental, the result of “misfortune”, there is still controversy today, over 450 years on, about what really happened that day at Cumnor Place. Her death is a mystery and probably always will be.
You can read more about Amy and the controversy surrounding her death in the following articles:-
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Interesting series of articles. I’ve often wondered if support for the Amy-had-breast-cancer idea can also be found in her traveling from place to place, staying with friends or relatives, instead of keeping a home, as did the wives of most of Elizabeth’s courtiers. I would think that a cancer victim, like many suffering from other ills, would have some days much better than others, so she could write a normal-sounding letter to dressmaker on a “good day”, but still have enough “bad days” that she couldn’t handle the constant responsibility of her own place.
As far as motive goes, though, I think that much of the conventional wisdom was that Elizabeth would marry Dudley, despite the scandal; few people believed her when Elizabeth said she didn’t want to marry. However, if motive is the guide, I would suspect someone supporting Mary Queen of Scots, because she “won” either way. If Elizabeth did marry Dudley, then she would definitely lose prestige, and, by angering the nobility, could even lose her throne; if she didn’t marry, then there would be no child who could cut off Mary’s claim.
In a work of fiction, Fiona Buckley set out an interesting explanation for Amy’s sending the servants to the fair … she thought that Amy may have sensed the presence of her murderers (because she was aware of many with a motive), and wanted to give her servants an alibi. (I won’t reveal the identity of the murderers, lest I spoil the book overmuch). It occurred to me that, if Amy had breast cancer, then she might want to make it easy for any potential murderers for the same reason she might want to commit suicide … but without offending her religious scruples against suicide.
It may be important to remember that Amy Dudley led a sedentary life at Cunmor for about 10 months before her death in 1560; she seems no longer to have travelled, as she did in the years 1558 and 1559. This is not to say that she must have been suffering from an illness, of course. But there is the testimony of her maid that she ‟prayed God to deliver her from desperation” and the no less good testimony that she was “a strange woman of mind”. The letters are printed in http://www.thehistoryfiles.com/amy-robsarts-death-part-i-accident-or-suicide/433/ , a partner site of this one, and some of the reasons why I am convinced that her death was not a murder are discussed in http://www.thehistoryfiles.com/amy-robsarts-death-part-ii-the-improbability-of-murder/478/ .
I have read bits of the theories about poor Amy’s death, and in some repects they all seem feasible. To me the most strange thing about this case is wanting the house completely empty, a very unusual thing to demand, even if she wanted to be alone to harm herself that was still possible with staff around, the least the better, yes, but not all. A lady of her standing would not expect to be without any staff in house, even for a few hours. She could have dismissed her ladies on pretext of wanting rest etc, they would have gone to another part of the house to respect her wishes, if she was determined to commit suicide she would have done it with or without anyone in the house, and usually, say the psychologists, there is always a letter, unless behaviour patterns have changed since then, or Amy could not write, or a letter was disposed of by someone to protect, or implicate someone.
What if Amy wanted everyone out the house because she had someone coming to visit her, that she wanted to keep secret, someone who was high profile, or shady, (no I am not suggesting an affair). What if Robert himself told her to do this, so he could harm her,or send some one to do it for him, personally I think Robert was to wiley to do this, but who knows… Does anyone know enough about Amy’s circle of friends or family to think this possible, and why! Did she run to the door and fall, did she argue with this person to the extent that they clobbered her.
To me suicide seems the most unlikely cause out of all 3 reasons, even with her being seriously ill or supposedly depressed. Accident is not out of the question, though experts say that the injuries don’t match up to the fall (where’s CSI when you need them), but with the event happening so long ago its hard to be accurate. Murder, well there are many candidates there, Robert, his enemies, Elizabeth’s enemies, did Amy herself have an enemy… who knows.
As I said I have only read a little, but it always seems to be about others,what about Amy, a part from the suicide theory, could she have been involved in something she shouldn’t have and it backfired, am I letting my imagination run away with me, yessh,but all I keep thinking about is the getting rid of all but one servant, I think this is the key, but as all historical mysteries will it unlock the truth….. as anyone build the time travel transport yet !!
Anyway the poor lady, hope she’s at peace now, because I think she was very unhappy in life.
I read the articles that Christine mentions in her post, and she does a wonderful job of exculpating Robert Dudley. However, I can’t blame people for rejecting accident, as it is an odd coincidence that she sent the servants away.
Personally I think that if Amy was murdered it was not as is often supposed to quicken the marriage of Elizabeth & Dudley but to prevent it. Elizabeth was far too clever too be involved with a crime that she would be suspect number one for. Even if Amy had died in her sleep with people around her there would always be people who would say it was far too convenient. Amy was dying and all Elizabeth and Dudley had to do was wait, very likely not very long. If Amy was murdered it would make a scandal that would, and did, keep Elizabeth and Robert from marrying for ever.
Since nothing is certain for sure, everything is possible.
Personally I don’t believe Elizabeth had anything to do with it and Robert has been put under trial and was found innocent.
That leaves either accident, suicide or Murder (by other sources). IMHO I think it could’ve been purely an accident but if it weren’t suicide is a good possibility. Amy was a religious person and if she committed suicide in the classic ways (ex, stabbed herself, poison, hanged herself etc…) she probably feared she wouldn’t receive a proper burial since suicide is a sin so it would’ve been a good choice to fall from the stairs and pretend it was an accident or murder and thus nobody was going to suspect she killed herself. What makes this theory strongly likable is because Amy was alone in the house the day of her death so there is a chance she was planning for it. I believe she was depressed and in misery from both her Husband’s lack of attention and from her physical illness she also couldn’t produce a child since she was barren and probably felt like she failed at her duty as a wife.
If however, she didn’t commit suicide and it wasn’t an accident. If it were murder then the probable suspect would be Cecil or any one of Robert’s enemies who strongly opposed the Dudley/Elizabeth match and didn’t wish to see him as King. I believe it was Cecil in cooperation with others who hated Robert because when Dudley returned at court after his wife’s death everyone was hostile to him except Cecil. He was the only one who treated him with respect and talked to him as if nothing happened. I believe Cecil was happy because his plan worked and there was no reason to disrespect Robert because now he would never be King.
Sorry for my English
Well, now that I’ve tried on my Tudor undergarments, I can see how she might have easily fallen over her skirts! But then, she would have been used to all those long layers. I don’t think it was murder but it sure did ruin Dudley for marriage to Elziabeth. I’ve read certain articles who believe William Cecil arranged for the ‘accident’ just to ruin Dudley’s chances. If she were ill, it only makes sense for them to wait for her to die naturally. Then, he would be a respectable widower and Elizabeth would suffer no taint of scandal. Reckon we’ll never know for sure what happened.
Let’s be practical. Even for nobles and royals, medical care was non-existent as compared to today. And, for women, even of elevated status, their healthcare sometimes was at best at the same levels as commoners. People today and then die of breast cancer (if she had it). Maybe, ina weakened state she simply fell down those gorgeous stairs. Hard to believe, knowing all the murderous tendacies of the Tudor period and how expendable women were. But,it could have happened. They went through women like I go through paper towels.