Saturday, April 08, 2023

The Stanley Family Papers on the Earl of Derby's Mysterious Death.

The reader may be aware from my other pieces on poisoning in Medieval and Tudor times, that I believe that many purported poisonings were, in fact, food poisoning, infection, etc. More were simply stories, fictions. Medieval and Tudor people were terrified of surreptitious murder by poison.

If ever a report might overcome my cynicism, one might think, it would be the death of Ferdinand Stanley, the 5th Earl of Derby. Ferdinand had only become earl upon his father's death a little over a year before his own on April 16, 1594. He was 35 years old. He had just traveled from his manor at Lathom, where he spent Palm Sunday week, to his main country seat in Knowsley, where he intended to spend Easter.

Strange events, of course, occurred at Lathom, according to statements later given under oath. Ferdinand's wife, Alice, was discovered to have been pregnant, it was said, and to have suffered a miscarriage. The questions surrounding how she became pregnant ̶ or why Ferdinand did not seem particulary to care ̶ or even if the report is true ̶ are nothing to our point.

Ferdinand had spent his time in Lathom in “over violent exercise”. Being 35 years of age and a nobleman knight the phrase suggests that he ferociously practiced his combat skills to make sure that the years had not caught up with him. While the doctor was conveniently present, the earl wished to verify the vigor he felt after his holiday exercise. He asked the man to check his water. Both the urine and Ferdinand's physical appearance convinced him that the earl was in exceptional health.

This and more appears in the report entered in the Stanley family papers. I take it, here, from Lodge's Illustrations of British History (1838). II.459-62.

No. CCLXII.

(Talbot Papers, Vol. H. fol 713.)

Indorsed, " Touching the Death of the Earl of Derby."

April, 1594.


The 5th of April, 1594, his Honour fell sick at Knowsley; on Saturday he returned to Latham, and, feeling himself worse, he sent to Chester, for one Doctor Case, who the week before had given physic to his Lady. On the Sunday his Honour had cast seven times before the Doctor's coming; the colour of his vomits was like soot or rusty iron, the substance gross and fatty, the quantity about seven pints, the smell not without some oftence; his Honour's water, in colour, substance, and smell, not unlike his vomits. The same night he took a glister, which wrought five times. On Monday morning he took one drachm of rhubarb, and half an ounce of manna, in a draught of chicken broth, which wrought nine times. On Tuesday, because of his continual bleeding by vomits, he was most earnestly intreated to be let blood, yet by no means he could be persuaded thereunto, wherefore that day only fomentations, oils, and comfortable plaisters, were applied. On Wednesday, by the appointment of all his doctors, he took another glister, which wrought six times; and on Thursday he took another purge, which wrought with great ease nine times. The same night he took some diascordium, which somewhat staid his stomach from vomiting; the which never ceased, more or less, in all the time of his Honour's sickness. On Friday he took a Diaphorecion, or a medicine to make him sweat; but he could not sweat, although internally and externally all helps of art were used. That night his water staid on a sudden. On Saturday all means were used to provoke water, as a glister, drinks, fomentations, oils, poultices, plaisters, and syringes, but nothing prevailed; on Sunday and Monday was used a catheter, which the chirurgeon often sucked, but no water appeared; on Tuesday nature declined and his Honour most devoutly yielded his soul to God.

In all the time of his sickness he had fifty-two vomits and twenty-three stools. The original cause of all his diseases was thought by the Physicians to be his long and over violent exercise which his Honour took four days in the Easter week, wherein he vehemently distempered the whole state of his body. His Honour's diseases apparent were vomiting of rusty matter and blood, yellow jaundice, swelling of the spleen, melting of his fat, staying of his water, the hiccup. His Honour took Bezoar stone, and unicorn's horn.

A, Brief of such Reasons and Conjectures which caused many to suppose his Honour to be bewitched.

I. On Thursday night, being the 4th of April, 1594, his Honour cried suddenly in his sleep, started out of his bed, sought his Lady, whom he thought in a dream to be dead.

II. On Friday, in his chamber at Knowsley, about six o'clock at night, there appeared a man, tall, as he thought, who twice crossed him swiftly, and when he came to the place where he saw him he fell sick.

III. The same night he dreamed that he was stabbed to the heart, and wounded in many other places of his body.

IV. There was found in my Lord's chamber, by one Mr. Hallsall, an image of wax, with a hair drawn through the belly thereof, as he reported upon his oath.

V. One Jane, a witch, demanded of one Mr. Goulborn, his Honour's Secretary, whether my Lord felt no pain in his lower parts, and whether as yet he made any water; and at that very time, as it is thought, his Honour's water staid.

VI. All physic wrought well, and yet he had no ease; his diseases were many, and his vomits violent, and yet his pulse ever remained good and perfect.

VII. He himself in all the time of sickness cried he was bewitched.

VIII. He fell into a trance twice, not able to stir head, hand, or foot, when he should have taken physic.

IX. In the end he cried out against witches and witchcraft, reposing his only hope of salvation upon the merits of his Blessed Saviour.

X. One of the witches having said well the Lord's Prayer, and being forced to call upon the name of Jesus, that if she had bewitched his Honour she might not be able to say it, again before the examiners she said all well, till she came to Dimitte nobis debita nostra, which by no means she could say or repeat, although it was often rehearsed to her.


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