Norwich bulletin., 1922-07-01
Great Mems Love Letters
Sir William St. To to Wife.

;, The, Couptesss of Shrewsbury was one of the most. remarkable women of the reign of Queen Elizabeth; beautiful in person though, masculine in character, and by all evidence lAterly selfish and without a heart. Yet her fascination helped her to four husbands, each of whom seems to have been equally in love with her, and each of whom she ruled with imperious way. Iiie letter from her third husband, William St To, a bluff soldier of Eliza beth's guard, was written while he was stationed at the queens palace in Wind sor.
 My Own: More dearer to me than | am to myself. thou shalt understand that 1t is no small fear nor grief to me of thy well doing that should presently see dowgst, not only for that my continual nightly dreams besides absence have troubled me. but also chiefly that Hugh Alsop cannot. certify in what estate thou nor thine is, whom I tender more than do William. St. To. Therefore. I pray thee, as thou dost love me, let me shortly hear from thee, for the unrequited of my un- quieted mind, how thine own sweet self with all thine doeth, trusting shortly I may be among you. r.
 All my frierf6s here sa1uteth thee Harry. Skipwerth desires me to make thee and none other privy that he is sure of Mistress Nell with whom he is by this | time. He hath sent ten thousand thanks unto myself for the same. She hath opened all her heart unto him.
 Tomorrow Sir Richard Saekville and I ride to London together; upon Saturday ! next we return hither again. The queen l CEiizabeth) yesterday her own self riding upon. the way caved my horse, unto 1 whom I gave him, receiving openly for the same many goodly words "'Tllis wishing myself with myself I 1 bid thee,r with my own good servant and 1 chief overseer of my works, most heartily ! farewell. From thine who is wholly and only thine, yea, for all thine while life l lasteth.1
 From Windsor, the 4th of September. l by the right .worshipful master and most honest husbands.
 Master Sir William St. To, Esq"
 The Countess of Shrewsbury was famil- iarly known bY her nickname. "Bess of HardwicB.'' She was first married at the age of 14 to John Barlow, the owner of 8, large estate. who did not long survive, and left his widow wealthy. She did not marry again for a number of years Her second husband was Sir William Caven- dish, who, to please her. sold i,izHands in the south of England, and purchased I 9 Chatsworth estates in jDerbyshire
 | . DIT w LtlleiH SU. 10 was the third huS- band, When they were married she insisted that his lands should be set l tied on- her: and her. hetrs. and when l Sir William died without issue, she made good her claim to all his aorop- erty. 'Bess of HardwiclI" was now the wealthiest subject of England Her Eincome was calculated to amount to about S300,000, which was relatively a far. more. important sum than 1t is to- day.
 The Countess still retained her good looks. and she was much sought in marriage. With the approval of Queen Elizabeth, who was not by habit a I lrnatch-maker, she was married in 1868 when she was 50 years Of age, to George Talbot, the sixth Earl of Shrews- bury She made her usual good bar gain as to settlements.
 This was the only unhappy marriage of the four. The. Earl tried-to obtain divorce from. his wife, and the coun- tess avenged herself by accusing hin of an intrigue with with the Queen oi
 Scots, a charge which she was forced to retract before the council. After l the death of her husband in 1890 she lived mostly at Hardwicke, where she
 built the noble mansion which stil
 stands She died in 1908.