0:00:02 > 0:00:04My mother was quite a toff.
0:00:04 > 0:00:08She did try to tell me how we were related to William the Conqueror,
0:00:08 > 0:00:10but I just found it too uncomfortable.
0:00:10 > 0:00:14I didn't want people to think that I was posh.
0:00:14 > 0:00:17She was proud of her heritage
0:00:17 > 0:00:20and couldn't quite understand why I was trying to squirm out of it.
0:00:22 > 0:00:26I just wanted to go and be an actress and not be judged.
0:00:28 > 0:00:33Actress Celia Imrie has starred in more than 150 stage,
0:00:33 > 0:00:38film and television productions, including Acorn Antiques.
0:00:38 > 0:00:41And if that's what marriage entails then, quite frankly,
0:00:41 > 0:00:42cousin Harriet, the answer is no, no...
0:00:44 > 0:00:47The answer is no, no, no!
0:00:47 > 0:00:49During her 40-year career,
0:00:49 > 0:00:52she's appeared in everything from Star Wars to Calendar Girls.
0:00:56 > 0:01:01Ladies and gentlemen, you have 20 minutes, please. Thank you.
0:01:01 > 0:01:02I adored my mother.
0:01:02 > 0:01:05I loved her especially for breaking all the rules because
0:01:05 > 0:01:09there were immensely strict rules for the way she was brought up.
0:01:09 > 0:01:12I remember my mother talking about people who'd got gumption.
0:01:12 > 0:01:14She really did. She had a great spark.
0:01:14 > 0:01:19So I'm quite intrigued about the female line.
0:01:19 > 0:01:23Well, I can't believe that there isn't something courageous,
0:01:23 > 0:01:26rather than people just having cups of tea all over the place.
0:01:28 > 0:01:30I would be shocked but intrigued
0:01:30 > 0:01:35if there were any criminals in the family.
0:01:35 > 0:01:38Please don't let me find a lot of boring relatives,
0:01:38 > 0:01:40that would be awful.
0:02:14 > 0:02:16Celia Imrie has never married
0:02:16 > 0:02:19and lives in London with her only son, 18-year-old Angus.
0:02:22 > 0:02:24Angus has a passion for politics.
0:02:24 > 0:02:27I'm not quite sure where that's come from, as a matter of fact.
0:02:27 > 0:02:29Tony Benn is his hero.
0:02:29 > 0:02:33He's been out canvassing for the Labour Party.
0:02:33 > 0:02:38He's very moral and very fair,
0:02:38 > 0:02:41and I'm intrigued as to know whether there's anything, um,
0:02:41 > 0:02:45in that line in my family - not that I know of,
0:02:45 > 0:02:47but...I'd be fascinated.
0:02:47 > 0:02:49Because I remember my mother often saying,
0:02:49 > 0:02:51"Well, of course, it's all in the genes."
0:02:51 > 0:02:54All the time. Any excuse, "It's all in the genes."
0:02:59 > 0:03:02Celia was born in Surrey in 1952.
0:03:02 > 0:03:05Her father, David, was a doctor.
0:03:05 > 0:03:08Her mother, Diana, came from a long line of English aristocrats.
0:03:10 > 0:03:13I know that my father was from working-class Glasgow
0:03:13 > 0:03:17and I'm very proud of my Scottish heritage.
0:03:17 > 0:03:19My mother's side, I know, is intriguing
0:03:19 > 0:03:22and, because I wasn't listening
0:03:22 > 0:03:26when she was trying to tell me, I'm fascinated to find out more.
0:03:33 > 0:03:38I'm on my way to see Patricia, my cousin, who is an absolute hoot.
0:03:38 > 0:03:41It's a very good way to start the journey.
0:03:41 > 0:03:44And I think she's got lots of family secrets and photographs,
0:03:44 > 0:03:47and knew my grandparents much better than I did.
0:03:50 > 0:03:52My dear!
0:03:52 > 0:03:54What a treat to see you.
0:03:54 > 0:03:56How really lovely.
0:03:56 > 0:03:58This is coals to Newcastle, for heaven's sake.
0:03:58 > 0:04:01- Oh, not at all. - I knew it would be.- What fun.
0:04:01 > 0:04:04I know you know all the secrets, so I want to find out now, please.
0:04:04 > 0:04:07Well, I know a few, darling, I know a few.
0:04:07 > 0:04:09- This is The Croft. - It's The Croft...
0:04:09 > 0:04:13Where our grandfather Lumley, up there, Lumley Cater,
0:04:13 > 0:04:17and grandmother Adeline lived from 1921.
0:04:17 > 0:04:19Now here's a little picnic during the shoot.
0:04:21 > 0:04:23Adeline stood so well.
0:04:23 > 0:04:26- Yes, except no ankles. - No ankles.- Just like me.
0:04:26 > 0:04:29Well, I have no... I've got tree trunks. Tree trunks.
0:04:29 > 0:04:31Well, isn't that the most miserable thing?
0:04:33 > 0:04:37You have to see your grandfather acting.
0:04:39 > 0:04:44- They had a village fete every year. - Major... Major costumes going on.
0:04:44 > 0:04:47- Yes. Thespian number one.- Yes. - Lumley.
0:04:47 > 0:04:49Where do you get your acting from, may I ask?
0:04:49 > 0:04:52- Well, I did wonder, you see.- Yes.
0:04:52 > 0:04:54- Mums.- Yes.
0:04:54 > 0:04:57Looking very naughty. No flowers. She forgot her flowers.
0:04:57 > 0:05:00She probably threw them off.
0:05:00 > 0:05:02So can you remember my mother's wedding
0:05:02 > 0:05:04and the furore it might have caused?
0:05:04 > 0:05:06It did really, because she was 34,
0:05:06 > 0:05:09which in those days was quite advanced.
0:05:09 > 0:05:11- On the shelf.- Well, dusty.
0:05:11 > 0:05:13SHE LAUGHS
0:05:13 > 0:05:16I mean, very dusty.
0:05:17 > 0:05:20She was engaged, I think, three times, officially.
0:05:20 > 0:05:23- Oh! - Oh, yes. A ring on finger, you know.
0:05:23 > 0:05:26- Oh, really? I knew Sir George. - Oh, yes, he was very nice, but dull.
0:05:26 > 0:05:28- Yes.- Oh, dull.
0:05:28 > 0:05:32- I remember him grey. I do. - Oh, dull. Anyway, not for her.
0:05:32 > 0:05:36- No, no.- So a third ring goes back into the pot.
0:05:36 > 0:05:39And, oh, Lumley is in despair.
0:05:39 > 0:05:43He was determined for Aunt Diana, your darling mother, to be titled.
0:05:43 > 0:05:47- Oh, well.- Imperative to have a title. "You can't marry a doctor.
0:05:47 > 0:05:50"I'm sorry. You can't. No, you can't."
0:05:50 > 0:05:54And the awful word coming in now is trade.
0:05:54 > 0:05:59- Trade.- Trade. Cardinal sin. "No, I'm sorry, he's trade."
0:05:59 > 0:06:00- Blimey!- Yes.
0:06:00 > 0:06:02That...that obvious?
0:06:02 > 0:06:04It was all right to be the King's physician.
0:06:04 > 0:06:07- Or a surgeon, perhaps. - Or a surgeon, perhaps,
0:06:07 > 0:06:10but only to the Royals or somebody really important like that.
0:06:10 > 0:06:13Just calling yourself Doctor simply wasn't good enough.
0:06:13 > 0:06:17- I've never heard that before.- No. "He's trade."- Whoa, lordy.
0:06:17 > 0:06:18Sorry. I'm sorry.
0:06:18 > 0:06:20So this is '38.
0:06:20 > 0:06:23Patricia, do you know anything before that though?
0:06:23 > 0:06:25Well, yes...
0:06:25 > 0:06:27Are you going to show me a surprise?
0:06:27 > 0:06:32Yes. Well, this is really done by a cousin of ours.
0:06:32 > 0:06:35But as we can see here, at the very bottom,
0:06:35 > 0:06:39we've got Charles George Lumley Cater, our grandfather,
0:06:39 > 0:06:42marrying Adeline Louisa Blois.
0:06:42 > 0:06:44- Right.- Right. Now where do we go?
0:06:44 > 0:06:48Here she comes, and who has she come from?
0:06:48 > 0:06:50Baronet, Baronet, Baronet, Baronet,
0:06:50 > 0:06:53Baronet, Baronet, Baronet, Baronet...
0:06:53 > 0:06:56and eventually we've got crowns and things, you see.
0:06:56 > 0:06:58- They are grand, aren't they? - Rather grand.
0:06:58 > 0:07:02Do you know that this all for real? Cos obviously somebody's...
0:07:02 > 0:07:04- As far as I know... - ..done it in hand.
0:07:04 > 0:07:06- As far as I know.- Must be.
0:07:06 > 0:07:11The family talked quite, um, bluntly about my father,
0:07:11 > 0:07:14and my grandfather referred to him as "trade"
0:07:14 > 0:07:16when he was a perfectly fully-qualified doctor.
0:07:16 > 0:07:19That was quite shocking, actually.
0:07:19 > 0:07:21But anyway, my mother got her own way, so yahoo!
0:07:21 > 0:07:25And then I had this marvellous family tree presented to me.
0:07:25 > 0:07:29So I'd love to find out more about that.
0:07:29 > 0:07:32And I do want to find a link for Angus's passion to politics.
0:07:36 > 0:07:38Celia is on her way to the Parliamentary Archives,
0:07:38 > 0:07:42where records for the House of Lords and the House of Commons are held,
0:07:42 > 0:07:45to meet Professor Ronald Hutton.
0:07:45 > 0:07:48She's hoping he can help her find out whether there are any
0:07:48 > 0:07:51political links in the family tree she's been given.
0:07:53 > 0:07:56I wondered, with my son's passion for politics,
0:07:56 > 0:07:58whether I might be able to find out something.
0:07:58 > 0:08:00What is your son's politics?
0:08:00 > 0:08:03He's been out canvassing for the Labour Party.
0:08:03 > 0:08:07Perfect. So what you're after is a red-hot political radical.
0:08:07 > 0:08:11Parliament is the upper class at business.
0:08:11 > 0:08:13So if you go back here,
0:08:13 > 0:08:18you get through a couple of Dukes of Rutland, and then you hit gold.
0:08:18 > 0:08:21Here you have William Lord Russell,
0:08:21 > 0:08:25who's your great-grandfather times eight.
0:08:26 > 0:08:28William Russell was born in 1639
0:08:28 > 0:08:32and was the third son of the Earl of Bedford.
0:08:32 > 0:08:36Russell became a Whig MP during the 1670s,
0:08:36 > 0:08:39when English politics was in turmoil.
0:08:39 > 0:08:43The political scene was divided between two great parties.
0:08:43 > 0:08:46Their names are familiar to us even now. The Whigs and the Tories.
0:08:46 > 0:08:51If you're a Whig, you believe that power comes from the people
0:08:51 > 0:08:53rather than from the monarch.
0:08:53 > 0:08:56The Tories believe that the King should be trusted rather than the people.
0:08:56 > 0:09:00And the King on the throne... is this guy -
0:09:00 > 0:09:01King Charles II.
0:09:01 > 0:09:05He's personally responsible for a lot of the tension
0:09:05 > 0:09:07in your ancestor's lifetime.
0:09:07 > 0:09:11Because nobody, in the end, trusts him, he loves being devious.
0:09:11 > 0:09:13He loves making people ill at ease.
0:09:13 > 0:09:16- Oh, dear. - That's how he feels powerful.
0:09:18 > 0:09:23As King, Charles II had the power to rule as he saw fit.
0:09:23 > 0:09:26But as a member of the Whig Party, Russell believed
0:09:26 > 0:09:30the King's power should be limited by law and Parliament.
0:09:32 > 0:09:34William must stand for the ultimate power of the people
0:09:34 > 0:09:36to decide their own fate,
0:09:36 > 0:09:39and that's the underlying principle of democracy
0:09:39 > 0:09:42and popular politics in any age.
0:09:42 > 0:09:44And it's the way in which we're going to go.
0:09:44 > 0:09:45So in that sense,
0:09:45 > 0:09:48he is a more modern man than some of the others around at the time.
0:09:50 > 0:09:54In the 1670s, England was still suffering from the bitter divisions
0:09:54 > 0:09:57that had caused the Civil War 20 years earlier.
0:10:00 > 0:10:03A battle between Royalists and Parliamentarians,
0:10:03 > 0:10:06it had resulted in the execution of Charles I,
0:10:06 > 0:10:09and in England becoming a republic for a decade.
0:10:12 > 0:10:17Charles II had been restored to the throne in 1660.
0:10:17 > 0:10:19But after the violence of the Civil War,
0:10:19 > 0:10:23he never trusted his people - and they never trusted him.
0:10:24 > 0:10:28There's also something else going on and it concerns
0:10:28 > 0:10:30the taint of Roman Catholicism.
0:10:32 > 0:10:35Roman Catholicism is not just the wrong religion
0:10:35 > 0:10:39to people like your ancestor, it's the wrong politics, and there is
0:10:39 > 0:10:45no Catholic democracy on Earth in your ancestor's lifetime.
0:10:45 > 0:10:49Every Catholic state is encouraged to be a despotism
0:10:49 > 0:10:53ruled by its King or its Duke, whoever is the hereditary ruler.
0:10:53 > 0:10:57And the only democracy left in the world is in the Protestant states.
0:10:58 > 0:11:03Charles II was a Protestant, but he had no legitimate children,
0:11:03 > 0:11:05and so the next in line to the throne was his brother,
0:11:05 > 0:11:09James, who had converted to Catholicism.
0:11:11 > 0:11:15By the end of the 1670s, trust in Charles
0:11:15 > 0:11:18and his brother has eroded to the point at which the Whig Party,
0:11:18 > 0:11:21of which your ancestor is one of the leaders, has decided
0:11:21 > 0:11:26to get an Act of Parliament to stop the King's brother inheriting the throne.
0:11:26 > 0:11:28- This has never been tried before. - Blimey!
0:11:28 > 0:11:31- You're going to plunge into crisis. - OK.- Straight away.
0:11:31 > 0:11:35It's one of the biggest political crises of our political history.
0:11:35 > 0:11:38You can actually read in the words of your own ancestor,
0:11:38 > 0:11:41whose blood flows in your veins, what drove him.
0:11:41 > 0:11:43- You want to go for it? - Yeah, go for it.
0:11:43 > 0:11:48"We must resolve when we have a Prince of the Popist religion
0:11:48 > 0:11:51"to be Papists, or burn."
0:11:52 > 0:11:56What he sincerely believes is any Catholic King is going to force you
0:11:56 > 0:11:59to be Catholic as well or burn you alive at the stake.
0:11:59 > 0:12:04Religion causes filthy behaviour.
0:12:04 > 0:12:05Especially in this period.
0:12:05 > 0:12:08"I have been long of opinion that nothing
0:12:08 > 0:12:12"but excluding the Duke, etc, can secure us.
0:12:12 > 0:12:15"I should be glad if anything else but this Bill would secure us
0:12:15 > 0:12:19"from Popery, etc, but I know of nothing else that will,
0:12:19 > 0:12:21"therefore I move for it."
0:12:22 > 0:12:26- God, he means business, doesn't he? - That is absolutely right.
0:12:26 > 0:12:29He tries to push this Exclusion Bill through three times,
0:12:29 > 0:12:36and what the King does each time is on this page - this is 1679.
0:12:36 > 0:12:37"By the King.
0:12:37 > 0:12:40"A Proclamation for dissolving this present Parliament
0:12:40 > 0:12:43"and declaring the speedy calling of a new one."
0:12:43 > 0:12:44Oh, Lord!
0:12:44 > 0:12:47In this period, the King calls and dismisses Parliament at will.
0:12:47 > 0:12:49So what does he do?
0:12:49 > 0:12:52He just stops calling Parliament and puts the Tories in power.
0:12:52 > 0:12:55William is just literally shut up now, isn't he?
0:12:55 > 0:12:59Well, he can talk to the people, but that's pretty dangerous.
0:12:59 > 0:13:02If you stir up a mob, you can be taken into prison for treason.
0:13:02 > 0:13:07Er...let's look at the next document and see what actually does happen.
0:13:07 > 0:13:08It's a pamphlet.
0:13:08 > 0:13:14"True Account and Declaration of The Horrid Conspiracy against the King.
0:13:14 > 0:13:19"The informants say that being in the company of Richard Goodenough,
0:13:19 > 0:13:23"at the Sun Tavern behind the Royal Exchange
0:13:23 > 0:13:27"upon the 15th day of June, 1683,
0:13:27 > 0:13:30"the said Lord Russell told the aforesaid Goodenough,
0:13:30 > 0:13:35"that he would be concerned in it to his utmost,
0:13:35 > 0:13:39"and that he would use all his interest
0:13:39 > 0:13:43"to accomplish the aforesaid design of killing the King."
0:13:43 > 0:13:48- Blimey! "And the Duke of York." - Yeah.
0:13:48 > 0:13:52Can I just ask you - is this two people overhearing him
0:13:52 > 0:13:54in a pub saying, "Oh, yes, I'd go and kill the King"?
0:13:54 > 0:13:55That's exactly right.
0:13:55 > 0:13:59He absolutely did say it and so they've reported it?
0:13:59 > 0:14:00- Ah, we just don't know.- Ah.
0:14:00 > 0:14:04These were a couple of wide boys who've come forward
0:14:04 > 0:14:08in order to provide evidence to destroy your ancestor.
0:14:08 > 0:14:13This declaration, where would that appear? It's not a newspaper?
0:14:13 > 0:14:18No. This is a state paper, but it's been published in a pamphlet
0:14:18 > 0:14:23in order to convince the British public, right across the island,
0:14:23 > 0:14:26that this was a real conspiracy to kill the King and his brother.
0:14:26 > 0:14:29But he's going to get into real trouble for this, isn't he?
0:14:29 > 0:14:31He certainly is.
0:14:31 > 0:14:34Er, he's got to stand trial now, and if you want to know
0:14:34 > 0:14:36what happens in the trial, you go to the State Trials.
0:14:38 > 0:14:42William Lord Russell was supposed to have said, apparently,
0:14:42 > 0:14:44that he wanted to kill the King.
0:14:44 > 0:14:46Did he say it?
0:14:46 > 0:14:50This is a reported conversation that took place in a tavern,
0:14:50 > 0:14:52bit like the News Of The World nowadays.
0:14:53 > 0:14:54I wonder what happens next.
0:14:56 > 0:15:00Celia has come to the Honourable Society of Lincoln's Inn
0:15:00 > 0:15:04to search through the State Trials for the 1680s.
0:15:04 > 0:15:08The trial of Lord Russell, July 13th 1683.
0:15:08 > 0:15:11She's meeting Professor Mark Knights.
0:15:11 > 0:15:14- I've picked out some passages within the trial.- Yeah.
0:15:14 > 0:15:18Immediately to a rather crucial bit, um, which is the Indictment.
0:15:18 > 0:15:20"The prisoner at the Bar..." God, "prisoner" he's called!
0:15:20 > 0:15:22Mm. Yes, he'd been arrested.
0:15:22 > 0:15:25"..with other traitors named in the Indictment,
0:15:25 > 0:15:28"within the City of London, met and conspired together
0:15:28 > 0:15:31"to bring our Sovereign Lord the King to death,
0:15:31 > 0:15:35"to raise war and rebellion against him, and to massacre his subjects."
0:15:35 > 0:15:37Help!
0:15:37 > 0:15:40The accusation is that Russell was present
0:15:40 > 0:15:45when some of those discussions about seizing the King were taking place.
0:15:45 > 0:15:49But all the evidence that's produced against him is...is indeed hearsay.
0:15:49 > 0:15:52I mean, here's quite a good example of that.
0:15:52 > 0:15:55"You are sure my Lord Russell was there?"
0:15:55 > 0:15:57And who's this Lord Howard?
0:15:57 > 0:16:01Lord Howard is someone who was alleged to have been involved in the plotting,
0:16:01 > 0:16:05who turns King's evidence in order to save his own skin.
0:16:05 > 0:16:08So he's now giving evidence against Russell, his former friend
0:16:08 > 0:16:11and very close ally, in order to save himself. Yes.
0:16:11 > 0:16:14So... "Are you sure my Lord Russell was there?"
0:16:14 > 0:16:16says the Attorney General.
0:16:16 > 0:16:19Lord Howard - "Yes, Sir, I wish I could say he was not."
0:16:19 > 0:16:21What a liar!
0:16:21 > 0:16:23"What did my Lord say?"
0:16:23 > 0:16:28Lord Howard - "Everyone knows my Lord Russell is a person
0:16:28 > 0:16:32"of great judgment and not very lavish in discourse."
0:16:32 > 0:16:35- Yes.- So he didn't say anything. He was just quiet?
0:16:35 > 0:16:39- He was just there. - That means he must... Oh, dear.
0:16:39 > 0:16:41So they're assuming quite a lot.
0:16:41 > 0:16:44I find it amazing that there's a great big trial
0:16:44 > 0:16:46about a piece of hearsay.
0:16:46 > 0:16:51About, you know, sort of overheard remarks.
0:16:51 > 0:16:54Although, of course, if you say, "I want the King to be dead,"
0:16:54 > 0:16:58you're in high treason and I suppose, the punishment is death, is that right?
0:16:58 > 0:17:01That's right. Indeed, he wasn't even sure of the charge against him
0:17:01 > 0:17:04until he walks into...into court.
0:17:04 > 0:17:07In this period, people defending themselves against treason
0:17:07 > 0:17:09weren't even allowed legal defence.
0:17:09 > 0:17:12So Russell was defending himself in court.
0:17:12 > 0:17:16And the jury itself was a packed jury.
0:17:16 > 0:17:22- Meaning what?- Hand-picked men by the Government, um,
0:17:22 > 0:17:25to do essentially the court's bidding.
0:17:25 > 0:17:28- This is all tremendously quickly done.- Mm.
0:17:28 > 0:17:30Er, this is a couple of hours.
0:17:30 > 0:17:37It all sounds to me rather, um, set up and...I smell lots of rats,
0:17:37 > 0:17:42- I'm afraid.- Yes. Russell is a very important public figure.- Mm.
0:17:42 > 0:17:46He's a man of great standing, this virtue and integrity,
0:17:46 > 0:17:49which he's renowned for, carry a lot of sway.
0:17:49 > 0:17:51So they're running quite a risk.
0:17:51 > 0:17:54- He's not a coward.- No.
0:17:54 > 0:17:58He's a man of great moral, um, belief...
0:17:58 > 0:18:03- Yes.- ..therefore, he's a terrific danger, it seems to me,
0:18:03 > 0:18:08- and magnified if the Government then want to get him out the way.- Yes.
0:18:08 > 0:18:12He does seem to inspire, um, confidence.
0:18:12 > 0:18:15He also inspires great love in his wife, Rachel.
0:18:18 > 0:18:22Lady Rachel was the daughter of the Earl of Southampton.
0:18:22 > 0:18:25At the time of the trial, she'd been married to William for 14 years
0:18:25 > 0:18:27and they had three children.
0:18:30 > 0:18:34She works tirelessly, um, on his behalf, um,
0:18:34 > 0:18:39both at this time, at his trial, and then subsequently as well.
0:18:39 > 0:18:43- So, double whammy of danger to the Government then?- Yes.
0:18:43 > 0:18:48- So, they're two together.- And what's more, um, Russell knows that,
0:18:48 > 0:18:53he knows that he's known for his love for his wife,
0:18:53 > 0:18:58and he asks whether she can take notes about the trial.
0:18:58 > 0:19:00- So, she sits...- Clever man.
0:19:00 > 0:19:02..right at the start of the trial, she says...
0:19:02 > 0:19:05He says, "Is it OK for... for her to take notes?"
0:19:05 > 0:19:08So, she's there for everyone in the court to see how close
0:19:08 > 0:19:11- they are together.- Very good!
0:19:11 > 0:19:13Shall we see what the outcome is?
0:19:13 > 0:19:16Yes, let's. 14th July, 1683.
0:19:16 > 0:19:18The Attorney General again.
0:19:20 > 0:19:25Attorney General - "My Lord Russell, Your Lordship has been indicted
0:19:25 > 0:19:29"and tried and found guilty of high treason.
0:19:30 > 0:19:34"That you be carried back again to the place from whence you came
0:19:34 > 0:19:37"and from thence be drawn upon a hurdle...
0:19:40 > 0:19:44"..to the place of execution..." Oh, Lord!
0:19:44 > 0:19:49"..where you shall be hanged by the neck, but cut down alive...
0:19:50 > 0:19:54"..your entrails and privy members cut off from your body
0:19:54 > 0:20:00"and burnt in your sight." Oh, Lord!
0:20:00 > 0:20:04"Your head be severed from your body and your body divided into four parts
0:20:04 > 0:20:07"and disposed at the King's pleasure."
0:20:09 > 0:20:12Oh, dear! This is really awful, isn't it?
0:20:12 > 0:20:15- Mm. It's a gruesome sentence. - No coming back.
0:20:15 > 0:20:19That's... But, I mean, is that the usual?
0:20:19 > 0:20:22Is that something that would be read out
0:20:22 > 0:20:24for anybody who does high treason
0:20:24 > 0:20:28or is that a particularly horrible one? I mean, God!
0:20:28 > 0:20:32For a man of Russell's status, um, it was unusual,
0:20:32 > 0:20:36- it's a degradation of a... - Yes.- ..of a very noble man.
0:20:36 > 0:20:41I mean, for him to have his...himself cut off all over the place
0:20:41 > 0:20:43and then have to look at it.
0:20:43 > 0:20:47Yes. This is a propaganda trial essentially.
0:20:47 > 0:20:50The punishment is a signal that the Government wants to give,
0:20:50 > 0:20:54that anybody plotting or planning to plot against the regime
0:20:54 > 0:20:58had better watch out, because this would be the result.
0:20:58 > 0:21:01And he's a very noticeable figure to do it to.
0:21:01 > 0:21:03- Exactly.- And a well-loved one.
0:21:03 > 0:21:06Yes. How better to make your point?
0:21:06 > 0:21:10I so hope you're going to say that something happened in the end
0:21:10 > 0:21:11and somebody came and saved him.
0:21:11 > 0:21:13Well, for the next bit of the story,
0:21:13 > 0:21:18- we need to go just across the way into Lincoln's Inn Fields.- Let's.
0:21:24 > 0:21:26It seems so violent, this sentence,
0:21:26 > 0:21:28that I just can't believe that...
0:21:28 > 0:21:30Did he have anybody else appealing for him?
0:21:30 > 0:21:34His wife is very active, pulling strings.
0:21:34 > 0:21:37His father was a wealthy man and his father raises money
0:21:37 > 0:21:40in an attempt to try and buy his son's freedom -
0:21:40 > 0:21:41that doesn't work.
0:21:43 > 0:21:47- This plaque tells its own story. - Oh, my goodness!
0:21:47 > 0:21:50"Near this spot was beheaded William Lord Russell,
0:21:50 > 0:21:53"a lover of constitutional liberty."
0:21:54 > 0:21:58So, the sentence was commuted, as you can see, to a beheading
0:21:58 > 0:22:02rather than the hanging, drawing and quartering
0:22:02 > 0:22:06that we looked at in the trial. And this was the concession.
0:22:06 > 0:22:11What? That he could have his head chopped off instead of having it all shoved in his mouth!
0:22:11 > 0:22:13Oh, dear.
0:22:13 > 0:22:18This is a printed pamphlet which sets out the events of that day,
0:22:18 > 0:22:21um, and it includes a speech
0:22:21 > 0:22:24that was made by Russell, um,
0:22:24 > 0:22:26to the crowd that's assembled here.
0:22:26 > 0:22:31"I was never fond of much speaking, much less now.
0:22:31 > 0:22:34"In the words of a dying man, I profess I know of no plot,
0:22:34 > 0:22:38"either against the King's life or the Government.
0:22:38 > 0:22:42"But I have now done with this world and I'm going to a better.
0:22:42 > 0:22:45"I forgive all the world heartily,
0:22:45 > 0:22:49"and I thank God I die in charity with all men."
0:22:49 > 0:22:51Oh, dear, this is awful.
0:22:51 > 0:22:55"And I wish all sincere Protestants may love one another
0:22:55 > 0:23:00"and not make way for Popery by their animosities.
0:23:00 > 0:23:04"I pray God forgive them, and continue the Protestant religion
0:23:04 > 0:23:11"amongst them, that it may flourish so long as the sun and moon endures.
0:23:11 > 0:23:14"I am now more satisfied to die than ever I have been."
0:23:18 > 0:23:19- Oh, dear.- I'm sorry.
0:23:19 > 0:23:22I never even knew him, but I just think it's so awful.
0:23:22 > 0:23:23Yes.
0:23:25 > 0:23:29- If you want to know more about the rest of Russell's story...- I do.
0:23:29 > 0:23:33..and perhaps the legacy of this lover of constitutional liberty...
0:23:33 > 0:23:37Wouldn't he be happy, though, to have that under his name?
0:23:37 > 0:23:39I think he would, he would be, er, happy with that...
0:23:39 > 0:23:41To have that as the memory.
0:23:41 > 0:23:45But there's much more that you could find out about the legacy of...
0:23:45 > 0:23:50- of Russell at the family seat, which is Woburn Abbey.- Oh!
0:24:10 > 0:24:15I'm very proud that in my genes is someone of such courage
0:24:15 > 0:24:17and conviction.
0:24:19 > 0:24:23The speech that my eight times great-grandfather made
0:24:23 > 0:24:27just before he died quite floored me
0:24:27 > 0:24:30that somebody should have such courage at that moment.
0:24:30 > 0:24:33And also the plaque that was written underneath his name,
0:24:33 > 0:24:37"William Lord Russell, lover of constitutional liberty."
0:24:37 > 0:24:40Somebody wrote that - somebody thought that that's how
0:24:40 > 0:24:43he would be remembered for ever.
0:24:43 > 0:24:46And I just want to find out what happened after he died.
0:24:47 > 0:24:50I hope he didn't die for nothing.
0:25:00 > 0:25:04Celia has come to Woburn Abbey to meet historian Dr Ted Vallance.
0:25:06 > 0:25:09The rooms that we're walking through now are ones
0:25:09 > 0:25:12that date from the 17th century, so he walked through...
0:25:12 > 0:25:14- As a child.- ..these rooms. Yeah.
0:25:14 > 0:25:16What a place to grow up in.
0:25:16 > 0:25:19Don't know if you can see here, this painting we've got...
0:25:19 > 0:25:21- Oh, the trial!- Yeah.
0:25:21 > 0:25:26It is rather a wonderful painting for such an obviously grim moment.
0:25:26 > 0:25:28Yes. Yes.
0:25:28 > 0:25:32These two people here are presumably
0:25:32 > 0:25:36- the informants from the Sun Tavern, would they be?- Yes.
0:25:36 > 0:25:38Oh, they look horrible pigs.
0:25:38 > 0:25:39Yeah. Yeah.
0:25:39 > 0:25:42- I love Rachel's adoring face.- Yes.
0:25:42 > 0:25:45And he's sort of quite noble and calm
0:25:45 > 0:25:48- considering what he must be going through.- Yeah.
0:25:48 > 0:25:51- It's impossible really to imagine, isn't it?- Mm.
0:25:53 > 0:25:56We've actually got some more paintings in this room through here
0:25:56 > 0:26:01- that you might want to look at which...- Yes, please. - ..really carry the narrative on.
0:26:01 > 0:26:03If you have a look round here, we've got...
0:26:03 > 0:26:06- Oh, that's him, isn't it?- Yes.
0:26:06 > 0:26:11And over here, um, we've got this image of Russell in his cell,
0:26:11 > 0:26:14with Rachel and the children.
0:26:14 > 0:26:18I don't know whether he would have approved having a tear on his cheek.
0:26:18 > 0:26:21That makes him out to be all weak and weedy and he simply wasn't.
0:26:21 > 0:26:24You're right. I think he would not have liked
0:26:24 > 0:26:27such an emotional representation of himself.
0:26:27 > 0:26:30Actually, we've got another example of his courage.
0:26:38 > 0:26:43So, I have a letter here, actually in William Russell's hand,
0:26:43 > 0:26:48that he delivered to the Sheriff before his execution.
0:26:48 > 0:26:53And he's producing this to really try and clear his own name,
0:26:53 > 0:26:56to establish his... his kind of legacy.
0:26:57 > 0:27:02"I thank God I find myself so composed and prepared for death.
0:27:02 > 0:27:09"I cheerfully submit to so small a punishment as the being taken off a few years sooner,
0:27:09 > 0:27:13"and the being made a spectacle to the world.
0:27:13 > 0:27:15"I do freely forgive all the world,
0:27:15 > 0:27:18"particularly those concerned in taking away my life
0:27:18 > 0:27:22"and I desire and conjure my friends to think of no revenge."
0:27:22 > 0:27:26- See, I couldn't be so forgiving.- Mm.
0:27:26 > 0:27:29That's, I mean, that's almost sort of Christ-like to say,
0:27:29 > 0:27:32"Forgive them, they know not what they do," sort of thing, isn't it?
0:27:32 > 0:27:36Yes. He is consciously giving himself up for a form of martyrdom.
0:27:36 > 0:27:40Mm. Did he want it to be shown around?
0:27:40 > 0:27:44Yes. This whole letter wasn't just circulated in manuscript form,
0:27:44 > 0:27:46it was printed, um,
0:27:46 > 0:27:50and as many as perhaps 25,000 copies of this letter was circulated.
0:27:50 > 0:27:54It does help establish this legacy
0:27:54 > 0:27:58and this reputation as a defender of constitutional liberty.
0:28:00 > 0:28:05In 1685, two years after Russell's execution,
0:28:05 > 0:28:09the Whigs' fears of a Catholic monarchy came true.
0:28:09 > 0:28:14Following the death of Charles II, his brother James II became King
0:28:14 > 0:28:17and tried to bring in a Parliament that would do his bidding.
0:28:19 > 0:28:22Spurred into action, seven notable Englishmen invited
0:28:22 > 0:28:27a Protestant Dutch Prince, William of Orange, to overthrow James.
0:28:32 > 0:28:37In November, 1688, William marched on London, driving James into exile.
0:28:40 > 0:28:44In what became known as the Glorious Revolution,
0:28:44 > 0:28:48William of Orange was crowned King of England, Scotland and Ireland.
0:28:51 > 0:28:55Constitutional liberty is at the heart of the Glorious Revolution.
0:28:55 > 0:28:59One of the first things that William does on coming to the throne
0:28:59 > 0:29:03is pass the Bill of Rights, which guarantees certain rights
0:29:03 > 0:29:05and freedoms to the English people.
0:29:07 > 0:29:13As part of the Bill of Rights, King William outlawed absolute monarchy
0:29:13 > 0:29:16and banned Catholics from the throne -
0:29:16 > 0:29:18a law that stands to this day.
0:29:18 > 0:29:20He also paid tribute to William Russell.
0:29:21 > 0:29:27Now, this is a very important document.
0:29:27 > 0:29:30You can touch it, but we can't unroll it.
0:29:30 > 0:29:35- Right.- So, this is a pardon, quashing William Russell's
0:29:35 > 0:29:39conviction for treason, and you can see attached to it is
0:29:39 > 0:29:42actually the King's seal, the seal of William of Orange as well.
0:29:42 > 0:29:45- Oh, right. Can I touch it? - Yeah, you can touch it.
0:29:45 > 0:29:53I have got a copy here of what it looks like, um, when unrolled.
0:29:53 > 0:29:57"All records and proceedings related to the said Attainder be
0:29:57 > 0:30:01"wholly cancelled and taken off the file or otherwise defaced
0:30:01 > 0:30:08"and obliterated to the intent the same may not visible in after ages."
0:30:08 > 0:30:10How final.
0:30:10 > 0:30:13- He was even smarter than I thought. - Mm.
0:30:13 > 0:30:17Because once his fate was sealed...
0:30:18 > 0:30:20..he must have been able to see
0:30:20 > 0:30:24he could have a more lasting effect than if he hadn't died.
0:30:24 > 0:30:25Yes. Absolutely.
0:30:25 > 0:30:30The Glorious Revolution is a real turning point in English history.
0:30:30 > 0:30:32It's the moment where, you know,
0:30:32 > 0:30:35we move from the possibility of absolute monarchy to
0:30:35 > 0:30:41constitutional monarchy with certain rights and freedoms defended in law.
0:30:41 > 0:30:45And what this pardon does is acknowledge William Russell's
0:30:45 > 0:30:50part in that, that his sacrifice is part of the story leading up
0:30:50 > 0:30:53to that turning point, this turning point that really establishes
0:30:53 > 0:30:57a lot of the constitutional freedoms that we enjoy today.
0:30:57 > 0:31:00My eight times great-grandfather has moved things on.
0:31:00 > 0:31:05That's really something I wished for when I realised I had these
0:31:05 > 0:31:10rather well-to-do ancestors, that they, please God, they did
0:31:10 > 0:31:15something with their life and didn't just sit around, and boy, he did!
0:31:15 > 0:31:18Well, resisting authority is a Russell family trait.
0:31:18 > 0:31:22And, in fact, William Russell seems to have inherited this trait
0:31:22 > 0:31:25from his grandmother, Frances Howard, who I think
0:31:25 > 0:31:28you should also take a look at as a very interesting character.
0:31:39 > 0:31:42Celia's back in London to meet Professor Jackie Eales.
0:31:42 > 0:31:46- Good morning, Professor. - Hello, Celia, I'm Jackie...
0:31:46 > 0:31:47She wants to find out
0:31:47 > 0:31:50what it was that Frances did to resist authority.
0:31:52 > 0:31:55I know Frances Howard went against the establishment,
0:31:55 > 0:31:57so she's my kind of girl.
0:31:57 > 0:31:59And I want to find out about her.
0:31:59 > 0:32:01- Have you seen a picture of her yet? - No.
0:32:01 > 0:32:04Well, I've got one here. There she is.
0:32:04 > 0:32:07Oh, I say, I rather like her.
0:32:07 > 0:32:10- She was born in 1593.- Mm.
0:32:10 > 0:32:12She was a member of an aristocratic family.
0:32:12 > 0:32:16Her father was the Earl of Suffolk, so it's a family that's got
0:32:16 > 0:32:20a very high position at Court under James I.
0:32:20 > 0:32:24And, in 1606, they arrange a marriage for her to the young
0:32:24 > 0:32:27Earl of Essex, a man called Robert Devereux.
0:32:27 > 0:32:30We found out a bit more about the marriage here.
0:32:30 > 0:32:37This is a book that was published a little bit later, in the 1650s.
0:32:37 > 0:32:41"The Earl of Essex was 14 years of age..." Oh!
0:32:43 > 0:32:45"..and she 13..." Oh, dear!
0:32:45 > 0:32:49"..when they married, too young to consider,
0:32:49 > 0:32:51"but old enough to consent."
0:32:51 > 0:32:56Ooh! How mean, actually.
0:32:56 > 0:33:01Um... "Yet by the advice of friends, separated after marriage,
0:33:01 > 0:33:05"she under her mother's wing, and he visiting France."
0:33:07 > 0:33:09- 14 and 13!- Yes.
0:33:09 > 0:33:11I mean, we tend to think of Romeo and Juliet
0:33:11 > 0:33:14and think this is normal - but it isn't.
0:33:14 > 0:33:17And the average age for first marriage amongst aristocrats
0:33:17 > 0:33:21was 20 to 24. It's very much a political manoeuvre.
0:33:21 > 0:33:23It's a way of cementing relationships
0:33:23 > 0:33:24between the two families.
0:33:24 > 0:33:26Dear, dear.
0:33:28 > 0:33:32At the time of Frances's marriage, the King of England was James I,
0:33:32 > 0:33:35who ruled with almost unrestricted power.
0:33:38 > 0:33:40Courtiers vied for the King's favour
0:33:40 > 0:33:43in a bid to stay inside this circle of influence.
0:33:44 > 0:33:48Although the Howard family were already high up at Court,
0:33:48 > 0:33:51they knew that by marrying their daughter to Essex,
0:33:51 > 0:33:53the King's current favourite,
0:33:53 > 0:33:56they would strengthen their position further.
0:33:57 > 0:33:58And did she like him?
0:33:58 > 0:34:02Well, that's a good question. We need to find out a bit more.
0:34:02 > 0:34:05We see them again over here,
0:34:05 > 0:34:11this is a letter that Frances wrote round about 1611.
0:34:11 > 0:34:14She's about 18, it's about five years into the marriage.
0:34:14 > 0:34:17And it's to her friend.
0:34:17 > 0:34:20"You must send me some good fortune.
0:34:20 > 0:34:23"Alas, I have need of it.
0:34:23 > 0:34:26"Keep the Lord still to me, for that I desire.
0:34:26 > 0:34:33"My Lord is lusty and merry and drinketh with his men and all the content he gives me
0:34:33 > 0:34:38"is to abuse me and to use me as doggedly as before.
0:34:40 > 0:34:46"Remember, I beg for God's sake, and get me from this vile place."
0:34:46 > 0:34:50Oh Lord! "Give Turner warning of all things."
0:34:50 > 0:34:53Poor darling. What a horrible time she's having.
0:34:53 > 0:34:55Well, she's not happy, is she?
0:34:55 > 0:34:58She says the house is "this vile place".
0:34:58 > 0:35:02Her husband is abusing her, uses her "doggedly".
0:35:02 > 0:35:04I wonder what that means, sounds very rude.
0:35:04 > 0:35:07Well, I'm not sure it's got the same meaning as it does now.
0:35:07 > 0:35:09No, probably not, but anyway.
0:35:09 > 0:35:12Now she says, "Give Turner warning of all things."
0:35:12 > 0:35:14Who's Turner?
0:35:14 > 0:35:16Well, Turner is a woman called Ann Turner,
0:35:16 > 0:35:20she's the widow of another Court physician, fashionable doctor,
0:35:20 > 0:35:23but the two women have become very close and Ann Turner is
0:35:23 > 0:35:28really Frances' main confidant at this stage in the proceedings.
0:35:28 > 0:35:29Well, I'm glad she's got a friend.
0:35:29 > 0:35:32Sounds utterly grim, doesn't it?
0:35:32 > 0:35:34She mentions somebody else, doesn't she?
0:35:34 > 0:35:38"Keep the Lord still to me, for that I desire."
0:35:38 > 0:35:41That's not her husband though, surely?
0:35:41 > 0:35:43- That must be somebody else she rather likes?- Yes.
0:35:43 > 0:35:45I mean, she's saying keep the Lord mine
0:35:45 > 0:35:47because that's what I want, and we know...
0:35:47 > 0:35:51- And who's that? - This is a man called Robert Carr.
0:35:51 > 0:35:54I've got a portrait of him here for you to have a look at.
0:35:54 > 0:35:56So that's the man in question.
0:35:56 > 0:35:58Oh, much more of a sparkle, hasn't he?
0:35:58 > 0:36:00- A bit like Errol Flynn, isn't he?- Mm-mm.
0:36:00 > 0:36:04So he's quite good looking. He's a rising star at Court.
0:36:04 > 0:36:07He's becoming, very rapidly, the King's favourite,
0:36:07 > 0:36:10and he's making quite an impression.
0:36:10 > 0:36:14A lot of the Court ladies are smitten with him, and so is Frances.
0:36:14 > 0:36:16Is he showing any sign to her?
0:36:16 > 0:36:18Does he like her or is it a fantasy?
0:36:18 > 0:36:21Well, at this stage, we don't really know
0:36:21 > 0:36:23if anything's happening between them.
0:36:23 > 0:36:25- It's a bit too early to tell.- Mm.
0:36:25 > 0:36:28But there are rumours going around that something is going on.
0:36:28 > 0:36:33Reputation is everything for women in this period so losing your reputation is...
0:36:33 > 0:36:38- potential disaster.- And what on earth would her husband have said?
0:36:39 > 0:36:42Well, it makes him a cuckold, so
0:36:42 > 0:36:46for him, it's very damaging indeed. It's very embarrassing.
0:36:46 > 0:36:49Frances is getting into a risky situation because she's caught
0:36:49 > 0:36:52between two very powerful men at court.
0:36:52 > 0:36:56Her husband and the rising young favourite as well.
0:36:56 > 0:37:01She's defying her parents, her father, her mother, her brother
0:37:01 > 0:37:03Also her husband.
0:37:03 > 0:37:05This is a patriarchal society in which women are meant to be
0:37:05 > 0:37:08submissive to the men in the family and she's going against that.
0:37:08 > 0:37:12And these are all very important courtiers with reputations at stake in court.
0:37:12 > 0:37:16- So they're very concerned. - I rather love her spirit.
0:37:16 > 0:37:19But I fear she's going to get into terrible trouble.
0:37:19 > 0:37:22Well, we've got another letter that she wrote,
0:37:22 > 0:37:25and this is actually to Ann Turner.
0:37:25 > 0:37:28"Burn this letter,
0:37:28 > 0:37:32"sweet Turner, I am out of all hope of any good in this world,
0:37:32 > 0:37:36"for I am not able to endure the miseries that are coming on me.
0:37:36 > 0:37:39"But I cannot be happy so long as this man liveth.
0:37:39 > 0:37:44"If I can get this done, you shall have as much money as you can demand.
0:37:44 > 0:37:47"This is fair play. Your sister, Frances Essex."
0:37:47 > 0:37:51Oh, dear! What's she asking her to do?
0:37:51 > 0:37:54Well, you could read that letter as if she's asking somebody to...
0:37:54 > 0:37:55- Bump him off.- Exactly.
0:37:55 > 0:37:58She is bonkers to think she's going to get away with it, isn't she?
0:37:58 > 0:38:02Well, the bottom line is that she's going to do things her own way,
0:38:02 > 0:38:04that she's defying everybody.
0:38:06 > 0:38:10My ten times great-grandmother was in the most ghastly marriage
0:38:10 > 0:38:15and I realise that they, you know, weren't able to escape, like I would have done -
0:38:15 > 0:38:18I would never have got married in the first place -
0:38:18 > 0:38:20but I'm very worried for her,
0:38:20 > 0:38:23but I fear that she's not playing about.
0:38:23 > 0:38:25But I also think she's an innocent and is going to get herself
0:38:25 > 0:38:29into terrible trouble and I must find out the next bit.
0:38:36 > 0:38:40Celia's on her way to find out whether Frances did try to
0:38:40 > 0:38:45murder her husband in a bid to escape from her unhappy marriage.
0:38:45 > 0:38:49But she's been asked to meet the historian at Lambeth Palace,
0:38:49 > 0:38:53home of the Archbishops of Canterbury for more than 800 years.
0:38:55 > 0:38:59It is most intriguing, because I thought Lady Frances Howard
0:38:59 > 0:39:03was trying to bump off her husband that she was married to and trapped.
0:39:03 > 0:39:07Um, so what on earth has the Archbishop of Canterbury got to do with it?
0:39:07 > 0:39:10She's meeting Dr Laura Gowing.
0:39:10 > 0:39:14Hello. Now, you know all about my great-grandmother, I'm guessing.
0:39:17 > 0:39:20You've come to a Great Hall at Lambeth Palace
0:39:20 > 0:39:24because all marriage is under the jurisdiction of the Church of England.
0:39:24 > 0:39:26The reason it comes to the Archbishop of Canterbury is
0:39:26 > 0:39:31because of the high level of the status of this particular couple.
0:39:31 > 0:39:35This document here records what happened next
0:39:35 > 0:39:37in the Howard marriage.
0:39:37 > 0:39:41"Libel laid down by the Lady Frances Howard against the Earl of Essex.
0:39:43 > 0:39:48"The said Earl of Essex did not carnally know the said Lady Frances.
0:39:48 > 0:39:51"Neither was able to know her nor had any way
0:39:51 > 0:39:53"carnal copulation with her,
0:39:53 > 0:39:56"nor was strength to have it."
0:39:56 > 0:39:59That's a bit explicit for a State paper, isn't it?
0:39:59 > 0:40:01To be talking about this sort of thing...
0:40:01 > 0:40:03It is, but the State needs to know
0:40:03 > 0:40:06whether this marriage can be consummated.
0:40:06 > 0:40:12She's prosecuting her husband on the grounds of impotence.
0:40:13 > 0:40:15She's requesting an annulment.
0:40:15 > 0:40:19If she succeeds in this plea, she will be able to remarry.
0:40:19 > 0:40:21She needs to have an heir. I mean, that's her coin...
0:40:21 > 0:40:23- Yes.- ..is to produce an heir
0:40:23 > 0:40:26and to send her family further on into the future.
0:40:26 > 0:40:30- This isn't at all what I expected was going to happen.- No.
0:40:30 > 0:40:32I'd better get to the end.
0:40:32 > 0:40:37"The said Earl of Essex had and hath power and ability
0:40:37 > 0:40:40"to have carnal copulation with other women."
0:40:40 > 0:40:45Is he saying this? I can't... This is unbelievable stuff.
0:40:45 > 0:40:49- I can't believe... - He doesn't want to admit that...
0:40:49 > 0:40:50That he can't do it.
0:40:50 > 0:40:52..he can't have copulation with anybody.
0:40:52 > 0:40:54No, I don't suppose any man would, would they?
0:40:54 > 0:40:56He suggests that the fault is in her and not in him.
0:40:56 > 0:41:00So, Frances was examined by about ten midwives and matrons.
0:41:00 > 0:41:03She's trying to prove both that she's a virgin
0:41:03 > 0:41:06- and that she is capable of intercourse.- Mm.
0:41:06 > 0:41:08And how you get a team of matrons and midwives
0:41:08 > 0:41:10to prove that is very tricky.
0:41:10 > 0:41:14They decided eventually that she was a virgin and that she was capable.
0:41:14 > 0:41:19- How degrading and awful for her.- Mm.
0:41:19 > 0:41:21Especially to have so many of them at her.
0:41:21 > 0:41:24Um, but surely in...to be fair,
0:41:24 > 0:41:27he should have to go through something of the sort?
0:41:27 > 0:41:30- Don't tell me he got off scot-free? - He doesn't have to formally,
0:41:30 > 0:41:33but the Archbishop of Canterbury lets it be known that
0:41:33 > 0:41:37a friend of his said to him that the Earl of Essex had come into his room
0:41:37 > 0:41:42and showed a group of his friends the sufficiency of his matter.
0:41:42 > 0:41:45- Oh, please!- They'd all said the ladies of Court would trample
0:41:45 > 0:41:47Frances Howard if they knew the truth of it.
0:41:47 > 0:41:49So, clearly that's all he has to do.
0:41:49 > 0:41:53Just go into somebody else's room and just say, "Here we are, boys."
0:41:53 > 0:41:57How awful! That's terrible.
0:41:57 > 0:41:58Mm, mm.
0:41:58 > 0:42:02What Frances is essentially doing here is setting herself,
0:42:02 > 0:42:05her plea, up against the whole institution of marriage.
0:42:05 > 0:42:08It is going to mobilise a lot of forces against her.
0:42:08 > 0:42:13One of her harshest critics was a man named Thomas Overbury.
0:42:15 > 0:42:19Sir Thomas Overbury was a courtier in the Court of King James I.
0:42:19 > 0:42:21A close friend of Robert Carr's,
0:42:21 > 0:42:24he'd worked hard to engineer the charming young Scot's
0:42:24 > 0:42:28rise from obscurity to the King's new favourite.
0:42:31 > 0:42:33In doing so, Overbury secured himself
0:42:33 > 0:42:35a position of influence at Court.
0:42:37 > 0:42:40But when he discovered that Carr intended to marry
0:42:40 > 0:42:44Frances Howard, Overbury realised his position was in jeopardy.
0:42:48 > 0:42:50Overbury does not like the idea
0:42:50 > 0:42:53because it is going to shove him out in terms of Court interests.
0:42:53 > 0:42:56Because then Carr is no longer going to be under Overbury's control,
0:42:56 > 0:42:59he's going to shift into the sphere of the Howards.
0:42:59 > 0:43:01And we can see the interest of a King, as well,
0:43:01 > 0:43:04also moving in that direction towards the Howards.
0:43:04 > 0:43:09So this is... Overbury is ending up increasingly scarily marginalised.
0:43:09 > 0:43:12In order to secure his own interests,
0:43:12 > 0:43:15Overbury began to publicly malign Frances Howard,
0:43:15 > 0:43:19trying to destroy her relationship with Carr.
0:43:20 > 0:43:24Fearing Overbury could derail the politically advantageous marriage,
0:43:24 > 0:43:28the powerful Howard family wanted him sidelined.
0:43:32 > 0:43:36Somehow in that year, Overbury gets offered an Ambassadorship,
0:43:36 > 0:43:39which he doesn't want. He turns it down.
0:43:39 > 0:43:41To turn down an Ambassadorship is potentially a treasonous act,
0:43:41 > 0:43:44so he ends up in the Tower of London for treason.
0:43:44 > 0:43:47Where's Lord Carr in all this? I thought he was his friend?
0:43:47 > 0:43:49Not so interested.
0:43:49 > 0:43:53Now, I'm realising that friend is...there is no such thing.
0:43:53 > 0:43:55- It's all politics.- Yes.
0:43:55 > 0:44:02On the 15th September, 1613, just as the annulment case is reaching
0:44:02 > 0:44:07its conclusion, something very strange happens to Thomas Overbury.
0:44:08 > 0:44:14On this document here, which is a letter from the newsmonger
0:44:14 > 0:44:18and letter writer, John Chamberlain, we hear what happened.
0:44:19 > 0:44:23"Sir Thomas Overbury died and is buried in the Tower.
0:44:23 > 0:44:26"The manner of his death is not known,
0:44:26 > 0:44:30"but the foulness of the corpse gave suspicion
0:44:30 > 0:44:36"and leaves aspersion that he should die of the pox or somewhat worse."
0:44:37 > 0:44:39Do they think somebody's murdered him, then?
0:44:39 > 0:44:42It sounds slightly suspicious of that, but only very slightly.
0:44:42 > 0:44:46He just dies, nobody pities him, his friends speak indifferently of him.
0:44:46 > 0:44:50Ten days after his death, the annulment reaches a conclusion
0:44:50 > 0:44:52and is granted.
0:44:52 > 0:44:57Three months later, Howard and Carr marry on the 26th December, 1613.
0:44:57 > 0:45:01And everything in the garden's lovely, but...
0:45:01 > 0:45:06I can't believe... Did anybody worry and wonder about Overbury?
0:45:06 > 0:45:09It took two years for any word to filter through.
0:45:09 > 0:45:13But in 1615, the King hears a rumour
0:45:13 > 0:45:16that all was not as it should have been with the death of Overbuy.
0:45:16 > 0:45:20And he is pushed in the direction of investigating it. And so...
0:45:20 > 0:45:22Ah, by who, though?
0:45:22 > 0:45:24Cos you say the King himself maybe not...
0:45:24 > 0:45:26- It's not clear. - So, someone else?
0:45:26 > 0:45:29It's various interests. Yes.
0:45:29 > 0:45:32This is a letter from Gervais Helwys, who was
0:45:32 > 0:45:35a Lieutenant of the Tower of London at the time that Overbury died.
0:45:35 > 0:45:42"His physician was his overthrow, and that which wrought it was
0:45:42 > 0:45:45"a glyster." Glyster, I'm not sure what that is?
0:45:45 > 0:45:49A glyster is an enema. Somebody has introduced some poison into the glyster.
0:45:50 > 0:45:55"The apothecary had a servant who was corrupted." Oooh.
0:45:55 > 0:46:01"Who corrupted the servant, I can give Your Majesty no account,
0:46:01 > 0:46:04"neither can I directly say that he ever named
0:46:04 > 0:46:10"any as an actor in this business, but only..." Whoa!
0:46:10 > 0:46:11Mrs Turner.
0:46:13 > 0:46:16- Have you met Mrs Turner before? - Yes, in the letter Frances sent.
0:46:16 > 0:46:18She's still very much on the scene.
0:46:18 > 0:46:22This is the best drama I've come across for yonks.
0:46:22 > 0:46:25This is going to be a big trial if it comes out.
0:46:25 > 0:46:27So if you want to pursue this further,
0:46:27 > 0:46:30- you need to look in the State Trials.- I do.
0:46:33 > 0:46:35My ten times great-grandmother, Lady Frances Howard,
0:46:35 > 0:46:39is taking me on a complete roller-coaster of surprises.
0:46:39 > 0:46:43Her friend, Mrs Turner, is now implicated in some wrongdoing,
0:46:43 > 0:46:47i.e, murder. Is Lady Frances involved? I've got to find out.
0:46:49 > 0:46:53When Frances married her second husband, Robert Carr,
0:46:53 > 0:46:56they became the Earl and Countess of Somerset.
0:46:56 > 0:46:59They'd been happily married for almost two years
0:46:59 > 0:47:02when they were arrested and forced to stand trial
0:47:02 > 0:47:06as co-conspirators in the poisoning of Thomas Overbury.
0:47:15 > 0:47:20Celia has come to meet Professor David Lindley to see how the case unfolded.
0:47:20 > 0:47:24Hello, David. You're going to show me the next bit.
0:47:24 > 0:47:27I think that's the general idea. So we'll go in here.
0:47:27 > 0:47:29Thank you.
0:47:29 > 0:47:34I'd love to know who suddenly starts the investigation two years later.
0:47:34 > 0:47:37Well, we're not exactly sure, but it seems to have been Ralph Winwood,
0:47:37 > 0:47:41who was the Secretary of State and an enemy of Robert Carr's.
0:47:41 > 0:47:45- Well, it's a marvellous weapon, isn't it?- Mm-hm. It is.
0:47:45 > 0:47:47If we he wants to bring them down, obviously.
0:47:47 > 0:47:49Yes, and it was a propitious time to do so.
0:47:49 > 0:47:53Robert Carr was on the way down in the King's favour,
0:47:53 > 0:47:58or so it seemed, so a propitious time perhaps for Ralph Winwood
0:47:58 > 0:48:01- to get his revenge on his political enemies.- Mm.
0:48:03 > 0:48:05Robert Carr was sent off to the Tower...
0:48:05 > 0:48:07- Mm-hm.- ..but Frances wasn't.
0:48:07 > 0:48:13She was put under house arrest at a nobleman's house in Blackfriars.
0:48:13 > 0:48:17And perhaps the reason for it we can see in this letter,
0:48:17 > 0:48:20which you might like to have a look at.
0:48:20 > 0:48:23So, "November 26th, 1615,
0:48:23 > 0:48:28"His Majesty hath commanded you to take careful order that such women
0:48:28 > 0:48:31"be placed about the Countess of Somerset,
0:48:31 > 0:48:37"who will be answerable that at her delivery she do not miscarry."
0:48:37 > 0:48:41At her delivery. She's pregnant.
0:48:41 > 0:48:43Oh, God!
0:48:43 > 0:48:47And she's about to give birth to your nine times great-grandmother.
0:48:47 > 0:48:49Ah, I didn't get that at all.
0:48:49 > 0:48:54What Winwood is worried about is that she will miscarry or
0:48:54 > 0:48:57that, in some way, she'll be prevented from...
0:48:57 > 0:48:59Yes.
0:48:59 > 0:49:02..being investigated further about the murder of Overbury.
0:49:02 > 0:49:05- But they don't trust her an inch, do they? My goodness.- Absolutely not.
0:49:05 > 0:49:09They really fear that she's going to somehow slip the net.
0:49:09 > 0:49:12Do you know how pregnant she would be at this point then?
0:49:12 > 0:49:15- Um, about eight months. - Oh, I see. Right.
0:49:15 > 0:49:19Because on the 9th December, 1615, Ann,
0:49:19 > 0:49:23your nine times great-grandmother, and the mother of
0:49:23 > 0:49:28William Lord Russell, was born while her mother was under house arrest.
0:49:28 > 0:49:30Oh, dear.
0:49:30 > 0:49:31Gosh.
0:49:31 > 0:49:35And then, in March, Frances herself is sent to the Tower.
0:49:35 > 0:49:40They come to fetch her and apparently, with very little notice,
0:49:40 > 0:49:44so that she only has time to shed a few tears over her baby,
0:49:44 > 0:49:48before she's separated from Ann and taken off to the Tower.
0:49:48 > 0:49:50It's quite cruel, isn't it?
0:49:50 > 0:49:53I think the separation from her daughter can't but have been...
0:49:53 > 0:49:58- Horrible. - ..very unpleasant, to put it mildly.
0:49:58 > 0:50:02But what we're getting is this huge build-up of anticipation
0:50:02 > 0:50:04towards Frances's trial,
0:50:04 > 0:50:10and people were paying huge money to get tickets to attend the trial.
0:50:10 > 0:50:17And perhaps we can see what happened because here we are.
0:50:18 > 0:50:23"The Countess of Somerset, all the while the indictment was reading,
0:50:23 > 0:50:27"stood looking pale, trembled and shed some few tears.
0:50:27 > 0:50:31"What sayeth thou? Art thou guilty to this felony and murder?
0:50:31 > 0:50:32"Or not guilty?
0:50:32 > 0:50:37"The Lady Somerset answered, 'Guilty,' with a low voice,
0:50:37 > 0:50:39"but wonderful fearful."
0:50:43 > 0:50:45- Oh, dear.- She pleaded guilty,
0:50:45 > 0:50:51but she had throughout insisted that her husband played no part in it.
0:50:51 > 0:50:55She tried to, as it were, keep the blame, as it were,
0:50:55 > 0:51:00entirely to herself, which was a bit annoying to the powers that be,
0:51:00 > 0:51:03since, probably, Robert Carr was the real target they were aiming at.
0:51:03 > 0:51:07The thing is, David, I'm finding through this whole story, that
0:51:07 > 0:51:12it's so like a drama that I find it terribly exciting and thrilling.
0:51:12 > 0:51:17But actually, the truth is, she's very, very young,
0:51:17 > 0:51:21she's only just had her first baby, which is quite an emotional,
0:51:21 > 0:51:24well, a hugely emotional thing.
0:51:24 > 0:51:27Worse, the baby's been ripped away from her.
0:51:27 > 0:51:34She herself is only about 20, her baby's only five months old.
0:51:34 > 0:51:39She's an enormously vulnerable person at this moment.
0:51:39 > 0:51:43It's not surprising that she is "wonderful fearful"
0:51:43 > 0:51:46at the charge that's levelled against her,
0:51:46 > 0:51:50- particularly bearing in mind the likely implications.- Mm.
0:51:50 > 0:51:54And here we might just read the sentence.
0:51:56 > 0:51:59"The Lord Highest Steward says - Frances,
0:51:59 > 0:52:03"Countess of Somerset, it is now my part to pronounce
0:52:03 > 0:52:07"judgment that thou shalt be carried from hence to the Tower of London
0:52:07 > 0:52:10"and from thence to the place of execution where you are to be
0:52:10 > 0:52:15"hanged by the neck till you be dead, and Lord have mercy upon your soul."
0:52:15 > 0:52:16Oh, dear.
0:52:19 > 0:52:24And the following day, the same sentence is passed on her husband.
0:52:24 > 0:52:26So, they go back to the Tower...
0:52:26 > 0:52:29- Together.- ..both condemned to death.
0:52:31 > 0:52:32Oh, dear.
0:52:32 > 0:52:38And so...we'd better go to the Tower to see what happened next.
0:52:38 > 0:52:40Oh, dear. OK.
0:52:42 > 0:52:46The awful thing is that, at the beginning of this whole story,
0:52:46 > 0:52:49I said... Well, I'm fascinated by criminals, you see,
0:52:49 > 0:52:53and I wondered whether there were any criminals in my family tree.
0:52:53 > 0:52:56- Uh-oh! - Well, and here you've got two.
0:52:56 > 0:53:00It's awfully sad, though. Well, murderers, as well.
0:53:02 > 0:53:07I am extremely proud to be related to this rather wonderful woman, um,
0:53:07 > 0:53:14because let's say the Earl of Essex was impotent and all she wanted was
0:53:14 > 0:53:20to have a baby, then the marriage that I always imagine, the whole act
0:53:20 > 0:53:26of marriage being a trap, she really was trapped, aged 13, let's say.
0:53:26 > 0:53:29This terrible sort of loveless life she was going to have, but she
0:53:29 > 0:53:34didn't sit down and do what...play by the rules, she absolutely didn't.
0:53:34 > 0:53:42She stood up and was publicly humiliated, um, but made a stand
0:53:42 > 0:53:45and now she's on her way to the Tower.
0:53:52 > 0:53:55- Raven behind us. - Yes.- That's rather marvellous.
0:53:55 > 0:53:57The Raven himself, his horse.
0:53:58 > 0:54:02Here we are in the space that both Robert
0:54:02 > 0:54:06and Frances were waiting essentially for execution.
0:54:06 > 0:54:09But then, I've got something to show you...
0:54:09 > 0:54:12- OK.- ..for the next... Perhaps go over here
0:54:12 > 0:54:15and perhaps you'd like to look at this document here.
0:54:15 > 0:54:22This is a letter from John Chamberlain, who was a news gatherer of the period.
0:54:22 > 0:54:28So July 20th, 1616, "The lady's pardon was signed the other week.
0:54:28 > 0:54:33"The special reasons and inducements for it were for the great
0:54:33 > 0:54:37"and long services of her father, family and friends,
0:54:37 > 0:54:42"her own penitence and voluntary confession."
0:54:42 > 0:54:45Does this mean she got off?
0:54:45 > 0:54:47Yes. The pardon was signed.
0:54:47 > 0:54:49But for her husband, Robert Carr,
0:54:49 > 0:54:53wasn't pardoned formally for another, um, seven or eight years.
0:54:53 > 0:54:58- Oh, dear.- But they lived here, in the Tower, for six years.
0:54:58 > 0:55:01- In this room? - In, well, rooms in this...
0:55:01 > 0:55:02And what happened to the baby?
0:55:02 > 0:55:06Probably being looked after by her sister.
0:55:06 > 0:55:12They are finally released in 1622 when Frances would be about 30.
0:55:12 > 0:55:15- She's been through hell.- Mm-hm.
0:55:15 > 0:55:19Um, now that they're out, is it all all right or not?
0:55:19 > 0:55:22There is some evidence that it wasn't.
0:55:22 > 0:55:24Well, I can hardly be surprised, actually.
0:55:24 > 0:55:31That Robert blamed Frances for, in essence, ruining his career.
0:55:31 > 0:55:34So how awful, aged 13 or whatever it is, she got into
0:55:34 > 0:55:39this loveless marriage with the Earl of Essex, now she's 30,
0:55:39 > 0:55:46and her life's been one big struggle really for, you know, to...
0:55:46 > 0:55:50I mean, she had two years of bliss, and then...
0:55:50 > 0:55:54- this is like eight years of hell.- Yes.
0:55:54 > 0:55:56And now she comes out and they hate each other.
0:55:56 > 0:55:59It must have been difficult, certainly.
0:55:59 > 0:56:02- But...but they stuck together, they didn't separate.- Mm.
0:56:02 > 0:56:06Because Frances actually died
0:56:06 > 0:56:10only ten years after they were released
0:56:10 > 0:56:14and, in here, there's an account of her death.
0:56:14 > 0:56:18"She died before him. Her death was infamous.
0:56:18 > 0:56:23"The loathsomeness of her death made it as conspicuous
0:56:23 > 0:56:25"as on the house top.
0:56:25 > 0:56:29"For that part of her body which had been the receptacle of most
0:56:29 > 0:56:35"of her sin, grown rotten, pardon the sharpness of these expressions
0:56:35 > 0:56:41"for they are for the glory of God who often makes His punishments
0:56:41 > 0:56:45"in the balance of His justice of equal weight with our sins."
0:56:46 > 0:56:49Oh, dear. Who's writing this?
0:56:49 > 0:56:54This is Arthur Wilson, who was a historian of the period, and what
0:56:54 > 0:57:01he's really doing is immortalising Frances as the female transgressive.
0:57:01 > 0:57:06Now she died of breast cancer and uterine cancer,
0:57:06 > 0:57:12and yet he represents this as the punishment for her sin.
0:57:12 > 0:57:15Well, who's he to say?! Dear Lord!
0:57:15 > 0:57:17- Hasn't she been through enough?! - Mm-hm.
0:57:17 > 0:57:22The Earl of Essex, her former husband, knew this historian.
0:57:24 > 0:57:27Is that terrible payback going on somewhere, do you think?
0:57:27 > 0:57:29Sounds like it, doesn't it?
0:57:29 > 0:57:34What upsets me is, can you imagine if a man had died of the pox, say?
0:57:34 > 0:57:38- I bet the description wouldn't be so loathsome.- Mm-hm.
0:57:38 > 0:57:41And to have such a judgment put on them.
0:57:41 > 0:57:45What it tells us is this is how Frances Howard has been
0:57:45 > 0:57:48- essentially seen from that day to this.- To this.
0:57:55 > 0:57:57I think this wild weather
0:57:57 > 0:58:00and this wild place to be is perfect for my ancestors.
0:58:00 > 0:58:06I'm so proud to be related to such fantastically brave, loyal,
0:58:06 > 0:58:07noble people.
0:58:07 > 0:58:10They could have shut up and said nothing,
0:58:10 > 0:58:15but they all spoke out and were courageous, especially Lady Frances.
0:58:17 > 0:58:20I'm so proud that I'm not related to wishy-washy people,
0:58:20 > 0:58:24drinking tea all over the place. Quite the reverse.