To see: a large wall monument where the earl lies in armour, his head near his helm, his feet on a Talbot hound — the family emblem, as on his ancestor's tomb close by. Above the effigy, look for the two funeral helms hung up, trophies of a great man of the realm. Then read, if you can, the long Latin epitaph: it celebrates his service to Elizabeth I — but deliberately omits the name of his second wife, the formidable Bess of Hardwick, from whom he was estranged. This earl was the gaoler of Mary, Queen of Scots, for some fifteen years. Unusually, he directed the design of his own tomb in his lifetime. With no sculptor attested, it is the work of an English workshop.
Did you know?
The epitaph is an eloquent silence: by omitting Bess of Hardwick, one of the richest women in England, the earl settles his marital scores in marble. The stone speaks as much by what it withholds as by what it carves.
Info
- Recumbent effigy in armour, head near the helm, feet on a Talbot hound.
- Two funeral helms above; long Latin epitaph.
- Designed by the earl in his lifetime; sculptor unattested ("Fox" attribution rejected).