A HISTORY OF MIDDLESEX 



the King of France, who was staying at Richmond 

 with a retinue of four hundred gentlemen, came 

 to the palace on 14 July to present Edward with 

 the order of St. Michael. He was received by 

 the Duke of Somerset at nine o'clock in the morn- 

 ing at the 'wal end,' according to Edward's 

 ' Journal,' probably at the end of the park."' The 

 ' Journal ' mentions that after his audience he 

 went 'to his chamber on the quene's side, al 

 hanged with cloth of arrase, and so was the hal 

 and all my logeing.' After dinner St. Andri had 

 some conversation with Edward, assuring him of 

 the friendship of the King of France. The next 

 day the king received the order of St. Michael 

 with great ceremony. He was first arrayed in the 

 robes and collar in his 'privy chamber,' and then 

 proceeded in state to the chapel, with St. Andre: 

 on his right and de Gye: on his left, where Edward 

 recorded in his journal that ' after the Communion 

 celebrated eich of them kissed my cheke.' Various 

 entertainments afterwards took place, such as 

 coursing, hunting and shooting, in which the 

 Mar6chal and his staff joined." 3 They also heard 

 the king play on the lute, and attended his 

 ' arraying ' as he called it, in his state bedchamber. 

 At their last interview they dined with the king, 

 ' after dinner saw the strenght of the English 

 archers,' "* and St. Andr6 received ' a dyamant 

 from my finger worth by estimation 1 50 //.' 345 

 The Scotch ambassador was at Hampton Court on 

 19 July to receive the treaty 'for a better under- 

 standing with Scotland in the peace between 

 France and England,' dated 10 June."' The 

 Marquis of Northampton also came to the palace 

 to be given final instructions concerning his em- 

 bassy to France to present the Garter to Henri II, 

 and to make proposals for the Princess Elizabeth 

 of France on Edward's behalf, she being at the 

 time five years old. 347 



On 1 8 July 1551 was issued from Hampton 

 Court the famous proclamation of the council to 

 the bishops and clergy, desiring them ' to exhort 

 the people to a diligent attendance at Common 

 Prayer, and so to avert the displeasure of Almighty 

 God, He having visited the realm with the ex- 

 treme plague of sudden death. ' " 8 At a council 

 held on 9 August the Princess Mary's chaplains 

 were inhibited from celebrating mass in her house 

 or elsewhere, and five days later her comptroller 

 and others were brought before the council for 

 not informing the princess and causing this decree 

 to be obeyed. She afterwards refused to obey, 



and three of the gentlemen of her household were 

 sent to the Tower. 3 " 



The Duke of Somerset was absent from the 

 court on account of sweating sickness in his house- 

 hold when the new permanent ambassador from 

 France arrived at Michaelmas, and was especially 

 invited to be present in the chapel when the king 

 and council received the Sacrament, ' wherein he 

 seeth and understandeth the great difference be- 

 twixt our reverence in our religion and the 

 slanders thereof usually spread by evil men.' 3i 

 On the day following the council asked Somerset 

 to return, and on 1 1 October he was present al 

 the gorgeous ceremonies in the Great Hall, when, 

 among other promotions in the peerage, the Earl 

 of Warwick, his mortal enemy, was created Duke 

 of Northumberland, and the Marquis of Dorset 

 Duke of Suffolk. 351 Charges against Somerset had 

 been made secretly by Sir Thomas Palmer on 

 7 October. On 1 3 October the king was informed 

 of these accusations and left the palace. Somerset 

 attended the council at Hampton Court on the 

 following day, but a few hours after the meeting 

 he was accused of treason and felony and removed 

 to the Tower. Six weeks afterwards the late Lord 

 Protector was found guilty of felony and con- 

 demned to death, but was not executed till 

 22 January 1551 2. 351 



During the autumn of 1551 the Queen Dowa- 

 ger of Scotland was entertained at Hampton Court 

 on her way from France to Scotland. She had an 

 escort from Portsmouth *** of the gentlemen of 

 Sussex and Surrey, 364 and arrived at the palace on 

 3 1 October. 3 " She was received 2 \ miles from 

 the house by the Marquis of Northampton with 

 1 20 lords and gentlemen. 35 * At the gate she was 

 met by Lady Northampton and sixty other ladies, 

 and the 'Journal' mentions that all the 'logeings' 

 in the house and the ' hale ' were ' very finely 

 dressed.' A banquet with dancing and other 

 diversions took place in the evening. On the next 

 day ' the Dowager perused the house of Ampton 

 Courte, and saw some coursing of dere.' 357 On 

 2 November she came by water from the king's 

 palace and landed at ' Pawles Wharfe,' on her way 

 through London. It is said that she afterwards 

 expressed her appreciation of the young king's 

 ' wisdom and solid judgment.' * 



Hampton Court plays but a small part in the 

 history of the remaining three years of Edward's 

 reign. He was there apparently twice again : 

 namely in June and September I552. 349 



WJ Lit. Rent, of Edw. VI, ii, 330, et 

 cq. ' Journal ' ; Wriothesley, C/iron. ii, 

 (.o. 



Lit. Rtm. of Edw. VI, ii, 332-3, 

 'Journal.' 



8J4 Ibid, ii, 335, 'Journal,' July 26. 



Ibid. m Ibid. 333-4. 



M ? Ibid, ii, 333-4, 'Journal,' i, p. cliv. 



' S.P. Dom. Edw. VI, itiii, 30. It 

 i impossible to enter here into all the 

 Reformation questions dealt with by the 

 council at Hampton Court, vide S.P. 

 Dom. Edw. VI ; Acts ofP.C. &C. 



"'Act, of P.O. 1550-2, pp. 333, 

 340, 347 5 Lit. Ran. of Edw. VI, ii, 

 337, 339-4, 'Journal.' 



8 *> S.P. Foreign, 1547-53. no- 451. 

 ' Letter of the Council to Sir Wm. 

 Pickering.' 



841 Lit. Rem, of Edw. VI. ii, 350-1, 

 'Journal'; S.P. Dom. Edw. VI, xiii, 

 56 i Tytler, op. cit. ii, 29 ; Wriothes- 

 ley, Chron. ii, 56. 



853 Lit. Rtm. of Edw. VI, ii, 390, 

 ' Journal ' ; liurnct, Hist, of the Refor- 

 mation, ii (2), 67. 



858 ' She was driven by tempest to 

 Portsmouthe & soe she sente worde she 

 wolde take the benefite of the safe- 

 conduitc, to goe by land & to see me.' 

 Lit. Rem. of Edw. VI, ii, 356. 'Jour- 

 nal' ; S.P. Foreign, 5 Nov. 1551. 



342 



"/. Rem. of Edw. VI, ii, 358, 

 'Journal.' 



855 Ibid. 359. 



856 Acti of P.O. 1550-2, p. 397. 

 ' Letters to dyvers noblemen & ladies 

 to attend uppon the Ld. Marques of 

 Northampton and the Lady Marquel 

 his wyefT, for the receyving of the 

 Quene Dowagier of Scotland at Hamp- 

 ton Courte.' 



"W Lit. Rem. of Edw. VI, ii, 360, 

 'Journal.' 



858 Strype, Eccl. Mem. ii, 284, cit. 

 Lit. Rem. of Edw. VI, \, p. civ. 



849 S.P. Dom. Edw. VI, xv, 10. 



