Elizabeth I - Quotes

The Virgin Queen left her mark and personality for us to see through the quotes that survived her

Seal Purse of Elizabeth I

This seal purse is embroidered with the Great Seal of England and Queen Elizabeth's initials: ER (Elizabeth Regina - Regina being the Latin word for Queen). The Great Seal of Elizabeth was carried in this purse in a procession before the Lord Chancellor and Keeper of the Seal.
Originally, the Seal Purse was a purse of plain white leather but when Elizabeth ascended to the throne, it had developed into an elaborate piece of work - the Tudor rose is embroidered as well.

The Great Seal itself was of extreme importance. It was by this seal that every official document would be marked and if the document did not have the seal on it, it meant that the Queen had not been consulted - and that was a dangerous thing to forget.

It was a tradition that the Lord Chancellor or Keeper of the Great Seal was allowed to keep the Seal Purse when there was no longer any use for it - normally when the monarch in question either died or had another one made. This particular purse was given by Thomas Egerton (Lord Chancellor in 1596) to his servant Henry Jones whose family transformed it into a cushion cover and added the wheat ears at the edge.

Elizabeth's Neck Ruffs

Fashion in Elizabethan times are famous by the huge neck ruffs that adorn most of the portraits of Elizabeth I herself.

Elizabeth I wearing a ruff

The ruffs began as a high collar but developed into the more feminine version were open at the front which exposed the neck and the top of a woman's breasts. To make the ruff stand up, the wings were made of gauze and the ruff was placed at the back of the head. The ruff even dictated the hairstyles of the Elizabethan hairstyles!
The ruffs were pinned to the dress using an endless number of small pins. As decoration, lace was very popular among the nobility and the Queen herself. Besides for the neck, ruffs could be used as decorations for sleeves.

If you wanted to make your ruff match your gown it was possible to have the ruff coloured. This was often done by starching and dyes made from vegetables produced yellow, pink or mauve. Though it was possible to obtain a pale blue colour, Queen Elizabeth was against it which can be seen through a Royal Prerogative that she issued: "Her Majesty's pleasure is that no blue starch shall be used or worn by any of her Majesty's subjects, since blue was the colour of the flag of Scotland."
The ruff peaked in fashion during Elizabeth's reign were it was more than a foot wide and needed the so-called "underpropper" that were essential for the ruff not to fall down.

Elizabeth I wearing an open ruff

Elizabeth I's Bedspread

This bedspread was used by Elizabeth I when she visited Berkeley Castle in 1572. Allegedly she left several items there including the bedspread and a pair of gloves.

Elizabeth never visited Berkeley again - perhaps the reason for this was that she disliked the owner. Henry Berkeley was in the middle of legal feud with the Lisle family and involved the crown - obviously to Elizabeth's irritation.  

Do not tell secrets ...

"Do not tell secrets to those whose faith and silence you have not already tested"

                                                                                        - Elizabeth 1 

A Scandal of Playfulness?

A scandal that occurred after Henry VIII's death is still a source of debate. A juicy rumour of the Dowager Queen, her husband and the King's daughter is bound to be a source of interest - then and now. So let's take a look at a typical Tudor rumour:

When Catherine Parr had married Thomas Seymour (another scandal!) she invited the Lady Elizabeth to stay with her and her new husband at Sudeley Castle. Lady Elizabeth - and her ill-fated cousin Lady Jane Grey - accepted the invitation. But soon things got out of hands in the peaceful household. Allegedly, Thomas Seymour would engage in inappropriate games with the young princess Elizabeth which involved him tickling the princess - something that was not socially acceptable in a respectable relationship. But to make the scandal even more interesting the rumours has it that Catherine Parr herself joined in!
Apparently it was more than Catherine would accept when she supposedly found her husband embracing the Lady Elizabeth who was consequently sent to another household to stop the whole thing.

But is it true?

Probably not. One always has to consider the source and in this case it is "Kat" Ashley - Elizabeth's governess. Though she would be considered a reasonable witness in normal circumstances, she is not that reliable in this case. The situation was that Kat Ashley was imprisoned in the Tower when she told the story and had been threatened with torture - enough to make anyone lie. Except for her, there is nobody who has ever claimed that the incident took place. So it is reasonable to assume that the poor governess (otherwise completely loyal to Elizabeth) only told the story to spare herself the horrors of the torture chamber. Nevertheless, the story must have caused quite a scandal at the time. 

Elizabeth of York

Elizabeth as Queen of England

Born in 1466 as the eldest child of Elizabeth Woodville and Edward IV, Elizabeth was royalty from the very beginning. When her father died, her brother became Edward V but soon afterwards he disappeared alongside with his brother - rumours began that they had been murdered. Elizabeth was declared a bastard after Richard III issued an act that made the marriage between her parents invalid.
But Elizabeth's mother - Elizabeth Woodville - made an alliance with Lady Margaret Beaufort who was the mother of the future Henry VII. Both women knew that the young Henry had a weak claim to the throne but if he married Elizabeth (of York) then his claim would be far greater. And so the plan was made.