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Abandoned Amy Robsart
Murder Victim or just Accident Prone?
  • Death of Amy Robsart - © Nash Ford PublishingAmy was the daughter of a Norfolk knight named Sir John Robsart. She lived in Tudor times.
  • At the age of 18, she married Robert the son of Sir John Dudley who was later to become the all powerful Earl of Warwick and Duke of Northumberland.
  • The couple lived in Norfolk until Robert helped his father put the Protestant Lady Jane Grey on the throne. She only ruled for 9 days! Then Queen 'Bloody Mary' threw Robert in the Tower of London.
  • Amy lived in poverty until Robert was allowed to make things up to the Queen in the foreign wars.
  • When Queen Elizabeth I came to the throne, she gave Dudley lots of presents, land and well-paid jobs. They had been friends since they were kids. It was rumoured that the Queen loved Dudley and wanted to marry him.
  • Poor Amy was kept away from the Royal Court, while her husband went to parties and had lots of fun.
  • She liked to travel around and visit their different manor houses. She often stayed with their friend, William Hyde, at Throcking in Hertfordshire. Robert rarely visited.
  •  In 1560, she moved to Cumnor Place in North Berkshire. This was the rented home of her husband's accountant, Anthony Forster.
  • One day, everyone in the house went off to Abingdon Fair. Amy stayed at home.
  • When they all returned, they found Amy dead at the bottom of the stairs! She had broken her neck.
  • Dudley was at Windsor Castle when he heard of his wife's death. He did not go to Cumnor, and he did not attend her funeral.
  • He did become Earl of Leicester and Anthony Forster became rich enough to buy Cumnor Place.
  • The Queen was now free to marry Robert Dudley if she wanted to.
  • Did Amy fall down the stairs? or was she pushed? Was it murder? What do you think?

 

    © Nash Ford Publishing 2004. All Rights Reserved. Cumnor is now administered by Oxfordshire County Council.