At Home and Away: The Earl of Leicester
Simon Adams goes through the household accounts of a Tudor courtier to give a revealing insight into his lifestyle and milieu both at and away from Gloriana's court.
On the 11th of August 1585, the day after the signing of the Anglo-Dutch treaty of assistance at Nonsuch Palace, the Earl of Leicester left the court for a vacation at Kenilworth Castle. He had holidayed in this manner every year since 1570, with the sole exception of 1583. He also intended to visit the newly-popularised well at King's Newnham near Coventry, having become a great sampler of spas. He was accompanied by his wife and an entourage of sixty. Sir Francis Walsingham was intending to join him, but in the event called off owing to 'unseasonable' weather.
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