152 



Wulfhall and the Seymours, 



No. ix., Letter 2.) But in this she was over-ruled. Queen Elizabeth, 

 however, on coming" to the throne, raised him to that Earldom, and 

 restored to him certain lands, viz., those (and only those) which his 

 father had been in possession of in the year 1537, by inheritance. 

 This included Wulfhall, Savernake, &c. The rest (namely lands 

 acquired by the Protector, by purchase, &c.) were lost. (Appendix, 

 No. x.) 



The young Earl made his condition worse by an indiscreet clandes- 

 tine marriage with a young lady of the most important political 

 position, the Lady Katharine Grey, sister of the unfortunate Lady 

 Jane Grey. Under the Will of Henry VIII., the Greys, though 

 descended from a younger sister of the King's, were preferred, in 

 the Succession, to the descendants from an elder sister. Such a 

 will was, of course, the cause of infinite perplexity to the Statesmen 

 of the day. It was set aside ; but Queen Elizabeth was exposed to 

 continual plots and conspiracies arising from it ; and not being over- 

 partial to successors of any kind, she more particularly disliked Lady 

 Katharine Grey, the representative of the youngest branch. So 

 that, when young Edward Seymour, without the leave and even the 

 knowledge of the Queen, had the audacity to marry Lady Katharine, 

 the result may be easily anticipated. 



Here might be introduced a long and lamentable story, but a very 

 few words must suffice. 



Upon the Queen's discovery of the marriage (but not until several 

 months after the event), the young couple were committed to the 

 Tower, in 1561, with strict order to be kept apart. But Her 

 Majesty's precautions against the appearance of any issue in this line 

 of succession' came too late. , The first son, Edward Lord Beauchamp, 

 was born a few days after their committal, and in course of time, in 

 February, 1563, a second son, Thomas Seymour; both within the 

 Tower walls. On the birth of the second, the case became very 

 serious. The Earl was summoned before the Star Chamber, and 

 fined in the very large sum of £15,000, and both were condemned 

 to remain in prison. Owing to the plague breaking out, they were 

 removed elsewhere for a time, but on returning to the Tower, and 

 her health beginning to give way, they were again transferred to 



