Livin' Real at Windsor Castle with Queen Elizabeth.

Living in a palace of Queen Elizabeth was surely a busy and exciting experience. Who wouldn’t want to travel with her Court? Wouldn’t want to be doing the business of the kingdom?

Most of us have probably read one or more accounts of living in a castle or palace. Being fans of the Queen and the times, we watch television miniseries and movies draped with intrigue, lust and tapestries. When we look at the documents in which the daily life of such places is detailed, however, we might just be shocked.

Even the off-hand report of the historian William Lambarde, regarding the restoration of the palace at Windsor, can be interpreted in romantic terms

aboute the 17. Yeare of her most happie Reigne, she begann with the Castle it selfe also, and not onlie restoared througheout the ruinous Partes thearof to theire former Strengthe and Integritie, but also converted foure sundrie Bridges, and a Tarrace of decayed Tymbre into so many new Woorkes of bewtifull Stonne, adding besides a faire Stonne Gate at the rubbishe Gate, and a most gorgeouse Chappel within the Palace it selfe; Things not less profitable for Use, then plasante for the Eye.

The word “ruinous” is romantic so long as one does not have to walk across rotted flooring. A “rubbish gate” can be read past quickly. We would none of us be servants. Rubbish is an abstraction.

But, looked at so closely as to read the work orders for the massive work project of 1570-2, we learn much much more about what it was like to live at the palace — or any of the palaces, for that matter. First of all, it was a place in dangerous and highly inconvenient disrepair.

We only have the space to cite a small number of the items scheduled for attention.  These we have from

A brief declaracion of all suche wourckes as hath ben don wthin the Castle of Windesore from the vj^th daie of June, In the xij th yeare of the rayne of or sov’aigne Ladie Queene Elizabeth [1570] unto the laste of October in the xiij^th yeare of her Ma^ties raign [1571].

The list has been preserved in St. John Hope’s Windsor castle; an architectural history, Part 1 (1913).

Although we visit the palace in the character of noble men and women, sporting velvet doublets and beautiful flowing gowns, we likely  will be pleased to read the likes of the following work items.

Item the enlarginge of the scullerie that was to[o] little and makinge new flores particons windowes and a Chimney and boilinge place to the same and the bringing in of watr to yt.

Item alteracons and wourckes don in the seller as beating downe the stone walls to make an arche, windowes, dors and a chimney, and the making up of the same and making a dining place for the chief officers of the sellar to sit in whiles they geve theire attendaunce.

The cellar has been redone in a more open format for the better working conditions that it provides.

Edward VI had ordered the construction of a plumbing system for the castle and grounds shortly before he died. There still were a few areas needing to be connected, it seems. Of course, all water pipes were made of lead at the time from which all adults and children took their water utterly innocent of the implications.

The highest members of the Court had individual lodgings. The rotting floors of the Lord Admiral’s lodgings needed addressing. One can imagine what his experience of living at Windsor was until the repairs. The details of the chambers of the vice-chamberlain are even a little more surprising.

The roofe over the seller gate wherin Mr Vicechamberlayne lyeth the leade therof is so thynne and in so many places soddered that it breaketh often, and raynethe thoroughe into the lodgings rottinge the tymber therof must be newe cast.

His ceiling leaked like a sieve. The water had rotted the timbers only making matters worse.

Elizabeth’s Maids-of-Honor lived dormitory-style with dividers between their beds and bits of furniture. The repairs they too were promised are not specified.

Many of the small details of a work-site manager’s descriptions show us the most intimate details of the experience. Several mentions are made of the need for a covering (called a “cradle”).   

to stop all the scaffould and other decaied ho[le]s round abowte the Castle, where the Choughes do breed w^ch are verie hurtfull to the glasse windowes and noysome to the Castle in the absence of the prince.

Choughs (i.e. crows) and pigeons nested in every available niche and lived high off the crumbs and offal from the humans packed into the enclosure nearly as tightly as themselves. Apparently, the birds being more at-large when the Court left for another palace, the noise was especially deafening.

Among repair orders for the large towers on the grounds in danger of collapsing at any moment were orders to repair nearly all of the bridges. All of these were mostly made of wood and needed to be rebuilt with stone. The Rubbish Bridge needed a wall to between it and the garden to keep it from view.

The waie leadinge from the new gate to the Rubbish bridg [without the castle] would be a mended and a wall brought up by the garden to enlinge [line] the waye.

The wall was likely intended to block the smell as well as the sight of rotting garbage. Again, this bridge was wood and needed to be remade of “bricke and stone”. Once strengthened, the plan was to run another lead water conduit along it, as well.

Among the choughs, the rotting timbers and leaking conduits, there was special attention given to the tennis court. Tudors loved their tennis.

The Tennis Courte would also be repaired bothe in pavinge & bordinge. For the doinge whereof there would be [120,000?] bricke made this next Somer and the earth would be cast forthwith.

Bricks, of course, must be baked.

To burne yt there would be doteres [feeble trees? doters?] taken oute of Cramburne Braie woodd Bray neates and the great parke that dailie fall downe and are windfalls. Or ells sertaine acres of woodd to be taken in Cramburne and incopste for the preservacion of woodd w^ch dailie consumethe.

England already running out of wood, special care was taken to use as much waste wood as possible.

Again, these are only a portion of the work orders. Perhaps the redecorating of the Queen’s various chambers will follow. By the descriptions, it’s a wonder she survived to die a natural death.

 

Source: St. John Hope. W. H. Windsor castle; an architectural history, Part 1 (1913). 267-270.

 

Also at Virtual Grub Street:

Why Did Princess Elizabeth Swell So Severely for Months in 1554? May 28, 2022. “The Queen and her friends were in great fear, that the ill-affected towards her should seize the Lady Elizabeth, and, it may be, set her up for Queen.”

The World Around Queen Anne Boleyn at the Last. May 21, 2022. “The description excerpted here gives us a genuine picture, from the perspective described, of the life going on around Anne during her imprisonment.”

What in the World Happened to Queen Elizabeth in the Autumn of 1572??? May 14, 2022. ‘“…she had a bad stomach owing to her having taken a little mithridate.”’

To Where Did Queen Elizabeth I Disappear in August 1564? July 18, 2021. “Leicestershire was in the opposite direction from London. Nichols could discover no more.”

Check out the English Renaissance Article Index for many more articles and reviews about this fascinating time and about the Shakespeare Authorship Question.

Check out the Queen Elizabeth I Biography Page for many other articles.