From 16th March to 14th July 2019, the portrait was on display at the Bendigo Art Gallery, Australia, as part of the ‘Tudors to Windsors: British Royal Portraits’ exhibition.
Lady Jane Dudley (née Grey)
(c) National Portrait Gallery
Thanks to Samantha Haintz, I have been able to update:
A look at how the Streatham portrait has been displayed over the years…
I am delighted to host this guest article to celebrate the publication of ‘The House of Grey: Friends & Foes of Kings’ by Melita Thomas.
Father and Daughter by Melita Thomas
‘The Grey family was one of medieval England’s most important dynasties. They were were on intimate terms with the monarchs and interwoven with royalty by marriage. They served the kings of England as sheriffs, barons and military leaders. In Henry IV’s reign the rivalry between Owain Glyndwr and Lord Grey of Rhuthun was behind the Welsh bid to throw off English dominance. His successor Edmund Grey played a decisive role at the Battle of Northampton when he changed allegiance from Lancaster to York. He was rewarded with the disputed lands and the earldom of Kent. By contrast his cousin, Sir John Grey, died at the second battle of St Albans, leaving a widow, Elizabeth née Woodville, and two young sons, Thomas and Richard. Astonishingly, the widowed Elizabeth caught the eye of Edward IV and was catapulted to the throne as his wife. This gave her sons an important role after Edward s death. The Greys were considered rapacious, even by the standards of the time and the competing power grabs of the Greys with Richard, Duke of Gloucester led to Richard Greys summary execution when Gloucester became king. His brother, Thomas, vowed revenge and joined Henry Tudor in exile.
When Thomas Grey’s niece, Elizabeth of York, became queen, the family returned to court, but Henry VII was wary enough of Thomas to imprison him for short time. Thomas married the greatest heiress in England, Cicely Bonville, their numerous children gained positions in the court of their cousin, Henry VIII, and his daughter, Mary. The 2nd Marquis was probably taught by Cardinal Wolsey but was a vigorous supporter of Henry VIII s divorce from Katharine of Aragon. But his son’s reckless involvement in Wyatt s rebellion ended in his own execution and that of his daughter, Lady Jane Grey, the ‘Nine Days Queen’. Weaving the lives of these men and women from a single family, often different allegiances, into a single narrative, provides a vivid picture of the English mediaeval and Tudor court, reflecting how the personal was always political as individual relationships and rivalries for land, power and money drove national events.
Further details – Amberley Publishing
Further details – Amazon.co.uk
On Monday 16th September, this website will host one of the stops on ‘The House of Grey: Friends and Foes of Kings’ blog tour.
‘The House of Grey’ by Melita Thomas (co-founder and editor of Tudor Times website) was published by Amberley on 15th September.
These are the stops on the tour so far:
Tudor Times House of Grey: Mothers & Sons
The Writing Desk – Researching the House of Grey by Melita Thomas
Lady Jane Grey Reference Guide – Father & Daughter by Melita Thomas
On the Tudor Trail – Divided Loyalties by Melita Thomas
Janet Wertman – Suffolk & The Seymours by Melita Thomas
The first episode of ‘England’s Forgotten Queen: The Life and Death of Lady Jane Grey’ presented by Helen Castor is repeated on BBC4 on Tuesday 17th September.
First broadcast in January 2018, the 3 part series also features ‘Jane’ historians, Leanda de Lisle, J Stephan Edwards and Nicola Tallis.
BBC4
Tuesday 17th September
20:00-21:00
