The Curious Case of Lady Purbeck

Table of

we do, let's kill

I., 2,

ptism; but his being christened at a private house rather points the other way. Anyhow, proceedings were instituted against Sir Robert Ho

e." This business of my Lord Purbeck may refer exclusively to his insanity, or reputed

ingham, and written on 11th March, 1624, shows that the proceedings aga

please y

Clause (by the Help of the Earl of Salisbury) out of the Commission, and left us nothing but the rusty Sword of the Church, Excommunication, to vindicate the Authority of this Court. We have given him day until Saturday next, either to conform, or to be excommunicated. She hath answered wittily, and cunningly, but

to be wondered at; for was she not the daughter of a father who had been the cleverest barri

at all; I do incline to the contrary Opinion, because, to my knowledge, he hath sent far and near, for the most able Doctors in the Kingdom, to be feed for him, which were great folly, if he intended not to answer. He is extreamly commended for his closeness and secrecy by the major part of our Auditors (the He and She Good-fellows of the Town,) and though he refuset

at they lived apart to the day of Coke's death," says Campbell. At any rate they were now on speaking terms, though that was about all; for, as we have just seen, Coke refused to meddle in a matter upon which he was eminently qualified to give an opinion,

kingham, saying that the King, although so ill as scarcely to be able to sign his name, had put it to the warrant sent by the Lord Chief Justice for authority to examine into Lady Purbeck's business. This warrant, however, James ei

r more by the way of favour than by the wayes of justice.... I desire you to acquaint this bearer Mr. Innocent Lanier all the particulars of this matter for I know him to be very honest, and discreete and secret." The part of the letter immediately following is illegible, but pr

beck's "melancholy fitts" of insanity were the result of misery about his wife's infidelity; but, if she could still "draw from him speeches to her advantage," this cannot have been the case. The prosecution of Lady Purbeck was pretty clearly at the instigation of Buckingham and not of Purbeck. There is just a possibility that Purbeck had ref

years, is very questionable, if not very improbable; and although there is not much doubt as to the real parentage of Robert Wright, Purbeck may have lived with his wife sufficiently near the birth of the boy to imagine himself his father. Indeed, as the following letter will show, she was so far at Court, as to be living in Prince Charles's house so late as February, 1625, a year after the birth of the boy. Moreover, as we have seen, Lord Purbeck held office in Prince Charles's household, and

iscredited his wife's fidelity. Nothing has been sai

e prosecution of Lady Purbeck. On 15th February, 1625,

Lo

lso every day running to her and give her occasion to worke on him by the subtlty of her discourse. It is known that His Matie was tender (at the first mention of this business) of the hande of a Lady of her quallity but sure [if] he hath f

be impeached in the House of Commons; and, although still high in the royal favour, his King may

how much it reminds me to be carefull in the prosecution of her faulte but I assure you there is nothing that more sollisits my minde. I ... thanke you for the paynes you have always taken in this business, which my earnest desire is to have to be fully discovered and that you will f

Sir,

ry lovin

e I heare Sir Rob. Howard is, for an Alderman's House is rather an honour than disparagement to him and rather a place of entertainment to him than a prison." It will be obs

h trusted by his brother, seems to have been trusted by Purbeck w

try, the Attorney-General, and to Heath, th

he business concerning the Lady Purbeck for which I thanke you:... but I did hope you would have more discovered before this.... I desire you to say what you think fitt to be done in t

ham wrote[69] to Heath, the Solicitor-Gener

une will not be kept from her and she will (if he should meet with her) so worke on him by her subtilty and that shee will draw from him something to the advantage of her dishonourable cause and to her end." Here again is evidence that Purbeck "will not be kept from" his wife; and that, if they meet "shee will draw somet

as probably in that of Purbeck; but, if Purbeck as a lunatic was in the custody of Buckingham, what was in Purbeck's custody would be in B

uckingham.[70] "May

e ther letter will give yor. Grace such satisfaction that I shall need neither to write more of it, nor of what is yett past. They much desier yor. Grace's coming to towne wch. I hope wilbe speedy as it wilbe materiall. I finde them resolved to deale roundly in this Busnes as yor. Grace desiers and are this morning in the examination of divers witness the better to Inform themselves agaynst

ce's most

ent Se

ed) I.

mark

19,

Coventry and Sol. Gen

thout delay, in the vacation, and when the crime is proved there, the divorce can be obtained by ordinary law. Think it unadvisable to send the culprits to prison, as it is u

go, that Buckingham wrote: "an Alderman's house is rather an honour th

Frodsham and Lambe, men suspected of sorcery, offered to give evidence to the effect that Lady Purbeck had paid them to help her

t to be thought a juggler I believe all that hath been already discovered of the truth of this business will be deluded. I do therefore desire that you will take some sound course with them to make them speake more directly and truly to the point and to bout (?) them from their shifts, for Lambe hath hitherto by such means played mock with the world to preserve himself. I desire you to acquaint Innocent Lanier (who is appointed by my brot

est,

mark

m that Purbeck himself suspec

nion that, unless Lady Purbeck were put in prison, Lord Purbeck would not "be kept from her,"

he may be before my coming to London committed to some prison for otherwise my brother who hopes to be going hence, will not be kept from her and she will (if he should come to her) so worke on him by her subtilty as that she will draw from him something to th

was striving to keep them apart; and it adds still further support to the theory that it was not Lord

tch, and found guilty of it at Worcester; and arraigned for a Rape, and found guilty of it at the King's Bench-Bar at Westminster; yet escaped the Stroke of Justice for both, by his Favour in Court) was much emplo

at he was a Conjurer or Sorcerer, and he was quarrelled with in the Streets in London, and as the people more and more gathered about him, so they pelted him with rotten Eggs, Stones, and other riff raff, justled him, beat him, bruised him, and so continued pursuing him from Street to Street, till they were five hundred

uary Chamberlain wr

ay to her. There is an imputation laide on her that with powders and potions she did intoxicate her husbands braines, and practised somewhat in that kinde upon the D. of Buckingham. This (they say) is confest by one Lambe a notorious old rascall that was condemned the last sommer at the Ks. bench for a rape

ness on his own account, as well as on his brother's, in connection with it; for he seems to have consulted some other sorcerer, with the object of out-

bout to send for me, that you calld me asyde into the gallerye behind yor lodgings bye the back stayres. Ther

se he sayde he would doe it bye onlye touchinge his head with his hands[76]

these were busynesses which I had little looked into. But I did not be

m farther in discourse to see whether he would open or express any unlawfu

han thiss; And that thereupon you started backe, fearinge some sorcerye or ye like, and that you were not quiett till

m, yet, at the same time, wished to guard against any possibility of being accused of approving, or even of conniving at, witchcraft. These notes occur in a "draft of a speech, in the hand

in the Fleet in spite of the advice given by the Attorney-General and the Solicitor-General three weeks earlier-and that Lady Purbeck was a prisoner at Alderman Barkham's, had no friends who would stand bail for her, and was asking Buckingham to let her have a little money with which to pay her counsel's fees. Eleven days later Chamberlain again wrote[78]

t two years; but, at the time of their trial in 1627, they would seem to have been at liberty. The reason of this long int

TNO

abala,

abala,

James I., Vol.

James I., Vol.

ier was one of th

28, 30th April, 1675. Hist. Com. M

James I., Vol. C

., Vol. CLXXXIII, No. 6

bid.,

mes I., Vol. CLXXX

James I., Vol. C

istory of England, Vol.

the English Affa

James I., Vol. C

Charles I., Vo

like an antici

James I., Vol.

om., James