Lady in Waiting

Bess of Hardwick

For my Lady in Waiting I have chosen Bess of Hardwick. I chose her because I found her back story really interesting and I thought that I could use the information that I found on her to create a character.

I found out that she started out poor and gained in status, and that she was married four times. Her first marriage was to Robert Barlow, who she met when she was a Lady in Waiting for Anne Gainsford (History in an Hour, 2013), but he died very young after falling ill. Her second marriage was to William Cavendish, who was the Treasurer of the King's Chambers. They had a strong marriage, which produced 8 children, 6 of which survived. Cavendish died in 1557. (Bess of HARDWICK (C. Shrewsbury), no date)

Bess was appointed Lady in Waiting to Elizabeth and because of this she met her third husband Sir William Loe, who she married in 1559. He died 5 years into their marriage, leaving all his lands to Bess and her children. Apparently he was the victim of an attempted poisoning, which his younger brother was blamed for.

Finally her last husband was George Talbot, 6th Earl of Shrewsbury whom she married in 1567. He was regarded as the richest nobleman in England, but apparently they had an unhappy marriage.

History and Hour, A. (2013) Bess of Hardwick and Hardwick hall. Available at: http://www.historyinanhour.com/2013/07/11/bess-of-hardwick-and-hardwick-hall/ (Accessed: 11 December 2015).

My interpretation

(no date) Available at:
https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/6d/51/51/6d5151b05cde10a8d9a1adbe4a00683f.jpg
(Accessed: 11 December 2015).

    

         Finally: A smoky eye for girls who hate smoky eyes
(2015)
Available at: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/569283209124067321/
(Accessed: 11 December 2015)

I wanted to play Bess as a very strong character, who is clever and knows exactly what she wants in life. Using the information that her third husband was poisoned, I wanted to have it that Bess did actually kill her husband so that she could inherit his lands and money, whilst also bringing in the mystery as to whether she did kill all her other husbands as well. To show this I wanted to bring in the symbol of a skull and a serpent, to bring in the theme of death and wisdom & cunning respectively, I also wanted to show Bess wearing four wedding bands, all of which get larger, to show her increase in wealth.


However to show that she did come from a poor background, I wanted freckles to be drawn onto the face- as only the poor would develop freckles from being out in the sun- but in gold to merge the two themes of rich and poor. 

For the hair, I wanted it to be kept quite simple, with a middle/side parting, slicked back into a low bun, which is sometimes seen in Elizabethan Portraiture. I wanted the hair to be simple as the make-up I have chosen is quite bold so I didn't want to overwhelm that. 

I Love Lucy | the pragmatic Costumer
(2012)
Available at:
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/368802656954630762/
(Accessed: 11 December 2015).

10 ways to wear a center part
(2015)
Available at: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/296111744226649322/
(Accessed: 11 December 2015).

Bibliography:

Bess of Hardwick (no date) Available at: http://www.elizabethan-era.org.uk/bess-of-hardwick.htm (Accessed: 6 November 2015)

History and Hour, A. (2013) Bess of Hardwick and Hardwick hall. Available at: http://www.historyinanhour.com/2013/07/11/bess-of-hardwick-and-hardwick-hall/ (Accessed: 6 November 2015)
.Bess of HARDWICK (C. Shrewsbury) (no date) Available at: http://www.tudorplace.com.ar/Bios/BessofHardwick.htm (Accessed: 6 November 2015).