Bess of Hardwick: First Lady of Chatsworth New edition by Mary S. Lovell (2006) Paperback

Great book!

The only complaint I have is that I mistakenly thought this title was one book on Bess of Hardwick, and that Bess of Hardwick: Empire Builder was a separate book, perhaps about a later or earlier period in Bess' life. Be advised they are one and the same; word for word, as far as I could tell, so don't make the same mistake I did, unless you want to own both, of course.The book is very well-researched, I think, and because Bess was such an important woman with widespread influence, there is plenty of material on other prominent figures of her time and place. Queen Elizabeth I, for example, adored Bess whose children were among the queen's favorites at court. In addition, Lovell focuses a good bit of attention on Bess's fourth marriage which started out in heaven and ended at hell's doorstep, largely because her husband, the Earl of Shrewsbury, began losing his grip and possibly his faithfulness when his job became "too much" for him. He was the nobleman in care of Mary, Queen of Scotland, imprisoned by Elizabeth I for 15 years. The Scottish queen's incarceration was based on the British queen's fear that Mary's camp would overthrow the Tudors, and while the book is about Bess of Hardwick, her husband's significant role as the captive queen's warden has everything to do with Shrewsbury's marriage. Highly recommended.

This author is excellent for the way she can turn her thoroughly researched subjects into highly readable and fascinating books. Mary Lovell's book on Bess of Hardwick is no exception. An amazing true story of a woman in the Elizabethan era who was able to survive the economic and political minefields of the times, when many men went under. The detail describing the difficulties of daily living, running a household and travelling even short distances help to put the obstacles in Bess's life in context and make her achievements all the more remarkable. This book is a wonderfully drawn portait of a highly intelligent, formidable but gracious woman, and a most pleasurable way to read history.I can also highly recommend Mary Lovell's biographies "A Scandalous Life: The Biography of Jane Digby", "Straight on Till Morning: The Life of Beryl Markham: and "A Rage to Live: A biography of Richard and Isabel Burton".

This book is a wonderful read based on my favorite period of history the Tudor period. Bess was quite a woman. Bess of Hardwick, was the daughter of John Hardwick, of Derbyshire and Elizabeth Leeke, daughter of Thomas Leeke and Margaret Fox. She was married four times, firstly to Robert Barlow, who died in his teens; secondly to the courtier Sir William Cavendish; thirdly to Sir William St Loe; and lastly to George Talbot, 6th Earl of Shrewsbury, sometime keeper to the captive Mary, Queen of Scots. An accomplished needlewoman, Bess hosted Mary at Chatsworth House for extended periods in 1569, 1570, and 1571, during which time they worked together on the Oxburgh Hangings.[2] In 1601, Bess ordered an inventory of the household furnishings including textiles at her three properties at Chatsworth, Hardwick and Chelsea, which survives, and in her will she bequeathed these items to her heirs to be preserved in perpetuity. This is an excellent account of the way she lived her live in the service to her country and how even though she herself was not supposed to have power she actually did because she controlled the husbands she had. It is a good read.

Well researched and written to provide a fair picture of life in those times. Quite engrossing.

Bess of Hardwick was approximately the same age as Elizabeth the Great,but was born into the very minor British aristocracy, and made her way,through charm, hard work, four husbands, and cleverness, to the highestlevels of society, running her own fortune, defending herself from lawsuits,building several grand English homes, and founding several of the majorEnglish aristocratic families. Lovell defends Bess from the many historianswho have apparently slandered her, presenting her in great detail as a strong, clever and effective woman who overcame many trials in her life.The most poignant difficulty Bess endured was her relationship with herfourth husband, the 6th Earl of Shrewsbury, who adored her for the firstdecade of their marriage, and then attacked and slandered her thereafterin hundreds of letters and many suits. The author makes the case thatthe Earl had descended into paranoid dementia and couldn't endure not beingable to control his wife and her fortune.Another major relationship in her life was with Arbella Stuart, hergrand daughter, who was claimant for the British throne afterElizabeth. Bess' ambitions for her seemed to ruin the young woman'slife pretty completely.This is a terrific biography that opens up Tudor times, revealing howthe upper classes lived and married. At 500 pages plus notes and index,it's not an easy read, but I found it absorbing and will look for theauthor's other work.

Excellent biography of richest woman in England except for Queen Elizabeth whom she knew well. She was personally engaged in the design & construction of Hardwick Hall, Derbyshire, one of England's finest mansions with important new features located in Westbury, Somerset. Mary Queen of Scots was confined to her family residence for years. From thence came Hardwicks to pioneer Westmoreland County, Virginia, in 1600s. From there they spread out into this country including my Alabama.

Had to put dryer sheets in between the pages to get the musty smell out before I can read it