Linda Ganstrom

 

Linda Ganstrom

Bell(e): Bess

Porcelain figure stained and painted  on wrought iron skirt

 

 

 

 



Inspiration and Celebration

Elizabeth Talbot, Countess of Shrewsbury, better know as Bess of Hardwick

 

Inspired by Elizabeth Talbot, the Countess of Shrewsbury, better know as Bess of Hardwick, this English Bell(e) was best friend and often foe to Queen Elizabeth I.  Intended to preserve her social stature without eclipsing her queen, Bess was a complex hybrid of loyal service and unbounded ambition. During her lifetime, she acquired the wealth to become one of the richest women in England and titles that insured her descendants nobility.

Bess lived from 1521 to February 13, 1608 (Died age 86).

Bess married 4 times:

1.     Robert Barlow, age 14, probably never consummated, 1/3 of revenues of the Barlow estate came to Bess after his early death.

2.     Sir William Cavendish, 1^st Earl of Devonshire, Treasurer of the Kings Chamber, 1547, 8 children, he died 1557, leaving her very rich and well educated in making and retaining walth and power.

3.     Sir William Loe, 1559, Captain of the Guard to Elizabeth I, died 1565 of poison and left all his wealth to Bess, making her one of the wealthiest women in England.  Still lovely, she was a great catch.

4.     George Talbot, 6^th Earl of Shrewsbury, one of the highest lords in England, 1568 – 1590, added his title to her fortune, they became estranged in 1580 after he developed a love for Mary Queen of Scots, his captive.

 

Bess was grandmother to Arabella Stuart, second in line to the throne after James I of England.

Bess is still well-known for her building projects: Chatsworth, home of the Dukes of Devonshire, who descended from her second marriage to Cavendish and Hardwick Hall, “more windows than walls.”