Lady Arbella Stuart

Lady Arabella Stuart (1575-1615) was the only child of Charles Stuart, first Earl of Lennox. Her mother was Elizabeth Cavendish, the daughter of Sir William Cavendish and Bess of Hardwick. Through her father she was a niece of Mary Queen of Scots and great-great-granddaughter of Henry VIII.

By the age of seven, Arbella had been left an orphan. She became the ward of her grandmother, Bess of Hardwick and was raised at Hardwick Hall in Derbyshire. By 1592 she was being considered as a future Queen, the successor of Elizabeth I, although King James VI of Scotland was finally selected, and became James I of England after Elizabeth's death in 1603.

Because she was a possible heir to the throne, various potential husbands were considered for Arbella. In 1610, however, Arbella took matters into her own hands and married William Seymour, Lord Beauchamp, in secret. For marrying without permission, Arbella and Lord Beauchamp were imprisoned in the Tower of London. In 1611, Arbella escaped from the Tower, dressed as a man. She had Lord Beauchamp planned to meet at Lee in Kent and sail to France, but they missed each other, catching separate ships. Arbella's ship was overtaken and she was captured and brought back to the Tower of London. She died there in 1615.

This engraving is based on the portrait of Lady Arbella Stuart at the age of 13, painted in 1589 by Rowland Lockey. Lockey used symbolism to add meaning to the portrait. Arbella wears a relatively unadorned white Protestant style gown but her rich jewels show her status. Her hair is loose, representing her marriageable state, and the books near her hand show that she is well educated.