8th September 1560 – Death of Amy Robsart
Posted By Claire on September 8, 2010
The Death of Amy Robsart by William Frederick Yeames
On this day in history, 8th September, 1560, Amy Dudley (née Robsart), wife of Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester, died at her home, Cumnor Place in Oxfordshire. Her servants found her body at the bottom of the stairs when they returned from “Our Lady’s Fair” at Abingdon, it appeared that she had fallen down the stairs.
At the inquest into Amy’s death, the coroner ruled that Amy’s death was the result of “misfortune”, an accident, but there is still controversy today over Amy’s death – was it suicide, murder or an accident? You can read more about Amy’s death in the following articles:-
- Did Robert Dudley Murder Amy Robsart?
- A Response to “Did Robert Dudley Murder Amy Robsart?”
- Update on “Did Robert Dudley Murder Amy Robsart?”
- The Marriage of Robert Dudley and Amy Robsart
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One must see that, according to the coroner’s report, Amy was alone in her chamber (with adjacent stairs), it was not that the entire house was abandoned. There lived other people there with their servants etc. She had only sent away her own entourage that day. The putative murder scene stairs came down from the gallery at the other side of the building complex, but that’s clearly not what the coroner’s report is saying: It says she fell down the stairs by her room “down to the very bottom” (these stairs cannot be reconstructed), breaking her neck and sustaining two head injuries, the locations of which are not given. So, either one takes the report seriously or not.
That the murder faction among historians need to make use of that piece of religious hatred called “Leicester’s Commonwealth”, combined with a collection of street gossip by a former client of the Duke of Somerset who hated the Dudley family, tells it all. If you start picking your history from Leicester’s Commonwealth you can go on as well picking it from the Protocols of the Sages of Zion.
I sometimes think that’s typical of England: They are obsessed with murder; everywhere is Midsomer it seems! The coroner’s report is absolutely compatible with an accident (or suicide), though. Compare http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20141554, http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18471221 (there is much more) . The sad thing is that historians are mostly naive and prejudiced regarding medical things. There are also several recent cases of modern British coroner’s inquests which feature fatal stair falls as accidents.
Oh, I do love Midsomer Murders! I know exactly what you mean though, Christine, we do have a tendency to turn everything into a conspiracy! I think Amy was weak and in pain and she simply fell. As she was dying anyway, there was no reason for Dudley to bump her off and William Cecil, however much he wanted to stop Elizabeth’s relationship with Dudley, would not have harmed his beloved Queen by getting Amy murdered and causing scandal. Accident in my opinion, a tragic accident.
Thanks, Claire! I am addicted to Midsomer Murders! I am always preordering the newest DVDs and can’t wait … I just think that accident is a real possibility that has too often been overlooked. The strangest things do happen in one’s own home; it’s statistically one of the most dangerous places regarding accidents.
The Midsomer Murders are brilliant. I do love John Nettles, ever since he was Bergerac! Yes, it could well have been an accident, particularly if Amy was having dizzy spells or was tired and not able to concentrate. Also one theory was that her bones may have been fragile due to her cancer. I do enjoy a good conspiracy theory but I think this was a simple accident.
I agree with Claire, and neither do I think Dudley was that stupid!
I also think that Amy’s death was a tragic accident. Robert Dudley was far too intelligent, he would have known that he would have been the first person to have been thought guilty if foul play had been suspected. William Cecil had more of a motive, but he was also devoted to Elizabeth and I don’t think that he would have risked her reputation being tarnished.
I think people forget how easy it is to slip on steps. At my mom’s former townhouse, I managed to trip on the top step and slid all the way down – my back was sore for days. I also tripped on two stairs at work and ended up with a badly sprained foot – I did go into work feeling sick that day and was so tired that I just lost my balance. Poor Amy, I have no doubt that she could have had a fatal accident if she was already in poor health.
lisaannejane, as someone who is ‘balance-challenged’, I can totally believe it was simply an accident. I think that poor woman was ill, in pain, and simply fell. It’s the simplest explanation that fits the known facts.
I DO understand how people want to make it this big mystery or conspiracy, though. It’s more interesting.
I don’t think Dudley did it either. He was too smart and would know that he would be the primary suspect if he were to bump her off. Although I wonder, if the staircase was a short as it is in the painting, would she really be hurt enough to kill her? There’s like five steps! Meh. If she was ill then I guess her bones would be weakened right?