Sheffield Manor Lodge

She became queen of Scotland at just 6 days old!
She married Francis, the French heir, and became Queen of France in 1559
18 months later Francis died
Mary returns to Scotland and marries Lord Darnley. Darnley was a drunk and cheated on Mary
Darnley and Mary had a son, James VI
After an explosion at the Darnley residence, Lord Darnley was assassinated
Mary quickly remarries the prime suspect for Darnley’s murder and as a result she became a suspect
Mary was imprisoned for Darnley’s murder
Mary was forced to abdicate the throne and her one year old son James VI of Scotland took over
[[Mary fled to England in 1568 with hope that Elizabeth would protect her[[

%%Mary was younger than Elizabeth-%% if she outlived Elizabeth than she would succeed the English throne
%%Mary was Catholic%%- so she was supported by Catholic
%%Mary had a son/ heir%% to the throne
After marrying Lord Darnley, their son %%James VI had a double claim to the english throne%%
%%Mary was Elizabeth’s cousin%%- nobody else had a better claim to the throne
Mary had already been Queen of Scotland and France- had support/ connections
Many people viewed %%Elizabeth as illegitimate%%- Henry VIII had made her illegitimate then changed his mind

$Do what Mary wanted and help her regain the throne to Scotland$ . However, this would be expensive and risky as she would have to provide her rival with an army.
$Help Mary return to France where she had been Queen.$ But France and Spain had a more powerful military than England and could allow Mary to raise a foreign army to retake the scottish throne and maybe threaten England and Elizabeth
$Hold Mary captive in England.$ But Mary would become a focal point for Catholic discontent which could lead to further plots and danger against Elizabeth. However, the knowledge of knowing where Mary was and what she was doing made it the safest plan for Elizabeth.

His properties were ^^away from the Scottish boarder^^
His properties were ^^away from the coasts^^ so less danger of Spanish or French invading to get her
Talbot had ^^lots of properties^^ so no one would know where she was

She arrived at Sheffield Castle in 1570 and she first visited Sheffield Manor Lodge in 1573

Married twice- Gertrude Manner and Bess Of Hardwick in 1568- Elizabeth and Bess knew each other
He was a moderate Protestant- a Catholic may want to free/ support Mary
He was one of the richest land owners in England with vast estates
He was one of few men who could afford to look after Mary
He was reluctant to take Mary in as he knew it was a dangerous service and other men had denied the role.

He was a dedicated Protestant and was loyal to Elizabeth
He was very wealthy- although did not know how much it would cost him to house Mary and keep her like a Queen
Location of Shrewsbury’s estates: the government wanted Mary to be kept in the Midlands away from the coast incase of an invasion by France or Spain. Also she would be far away from london where she had supporters in the Privy Council and Parliament
Shrewsbury’s wife, Bess of Hardwick, whom Elizabeth said ‘ there is no lady in this land who I love and like more"‘
Talbot had nine secure houses very close together and with few main roads between them. This allowed them to move Mary between these properties making it difficult for anyone trying to set her free

The rooms would be aired/ sweetened
Sheffield Manor Lodge was built on high ground with panoramic views
Sheffield Manor Lodge had inner and outer courtyards, complete with gardens and fountains
Sheffield Manor Lodge was built on 4 acres
Room in the Turret House, Mary’s Room, used for banquets was decorated with marigolds and grapes and a thistle
Manor Lodge was described as having a great gallery, a tower room, a large main bedroom, stables, kitchens, wine cellar, wash houses, brewhouse and many other rooms for servants and workmen
There was a long gallery with tapestries and paintings
Banquets were held at the Manor
Mary had meals like a royal- 16 dishes
There were Turkish carpets
Gold leaf chandeliers
She bought her court of 50 people
Mary bathed in wine

Mary was kept under close guard
After St Bartholomew’s Day Massacre Mary was more strictly confined within Sheffield Castle and was not allowed out into the gardens for exercise
Anyone who had contact with Mary was searched
Whenever allowed outside Mary was accompanied by armed soldiers
Sir Francis Walsingham placed spies in Shrewsbury’s household, he questioned servants and received a written report every week from Shrewsbury about Mary
Mary was guarded 24 hours a day by at least 8 guards

Sheffield Castle was only 2 miles away so it was very easy to move Mary between the two and for security it made sense to keep moving Mary
Shrewsbury added 70 extra armed guards watching Mary
1573 Shrewsbury’s son told the PC that “unless she can turn herself into a flea or a mouse it is impossible for her to escape”
Entrance was through the Turret House and Manor was walled in
Manor had an 8 foot boundary wall and an inner wall
There were bars on Mary’s windows
Manor Lodge was built on high ground so you could see any attackers coming

Elizabeth wanted Bess of Hardwick, Shrewsbury’s wife, to accompany and pass the time with Mary. Elizabeth wanted Mary to spend time with someone from high social standing
Mary read and studies religious books
She kept pet birds in cages and had lapdogs

Financial implications: Shrewsbury was having to foot the bill of Mary’s lavish lifestyle (16 course meals/ bathing in wine) and her security needs (he payed for 30 extra armed guards out of his own money). Mary’s upkeep cost £12,000 or £2 million today. It cost £3,000 just to feed Mary’s court a year and Elizabeth provided Shrewsbury with only £2,700 a year and she later cut it down to £1,560 and later nothing at all.
Personal Implications: Shrewsbury spent most of his time with Mary this caused a strain on his marriage with Bess of Hardwick
Shrewsbury had to stay with Mary for most of the time so he could not spend as much time in Parliament, he had to send his son

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