Bess of Hardwick was born in Hardwick Hall as the daughter of a relatively poor local squire. She died in almost the same spot 80 years later - but in a vastly different tax bracket. At her death, she was not only a Countess but she controlled enormous swathes of lands and ran a thriving business loaning money and selling timber, slate and bricks from her extensive properties. She was the richest woman in the country after Queen Elizabeth 1st, and was first a friend and then an enemy of Elizabeths great rival Mary Queen of Scots. Bess of Hardwick was there for some of the most well known and significant moments in English history, and her story is a remarkable one.
Sources/Further Reading:
Lovell, Mary S: Bess of Hardwick - First Lady of Chatsworth
Hubbard, Kate: A Material Girl - Bess of Hardwick 1527-1608
Gristwood, Sarah: Arbella - Englands Lost Queen
Armitage, Jill: Arbella Stuart - The Uncrowned Queen
Once Upon A Time in History: A St Loe Murder https://cupboardworld.blogspot.com/2014/05/a-st-loe-murderer.html
English Heritage: Bess of Hardwick https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/learn/histories/women-in-history/bess-of-hardwick/
Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bess_of_Hardwick#Death_and_burial
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