Reading's history is interwoven with the stories of families like the Vachells, Knollys' and Kendricks. But one Vachell couple dominated seventeenth century Reading, giving funds to the poor, helping to preserve the historic minster and becoming involved in the political and military events of the town.

Sir Thomas Vachell was born in around 1560 to Walter Vachell, of Sulhampstead Bannister. In 1610, he inherited the estate of Coley, near Reading, from his uncle who was also named Thomas. This elder Thomas had lived out his last years at Ipsden, a village near Goring-on-Thames, and died on 3 May 1610. He is buried at St Mary's, Reading Minster, probably in the vault commemorated with a stone slab we see today. 

The younger Sir Thomas was hard-working and respected, and accumulated a great deal of wealth and status, but most notably through inheriting vast estates from family members. He granted a licence to inherit from his uncle, in addition to Coley, his other lands and properties in Burghfield, Shinfield, Tilehurst, Reading, Sulhampstead Abbot, Sulhampstead Bannister and Mapledurham. In 1611 he was bequeathed his brother's property in Burghfield, and in 1628 acquired property in Yorkshire. He always seemed grateful for this boost in prestige and income, and often remembered his uncle in later legal documents. He married three times. His first wife was Alice Brooke, his second Sarah Lane of Northampton and finally, his third wife was Lettice Knollys. 

If the name rings a bell it is probably because of her more famous aunt of the same name, who triggered rage in Elizabeth I when she married the queen's favourite courtier and one-time possible husband, Robert Dudley Earl of Leicester. The Knollys' influence however goes back to the time of Henry VIII after they had gained lands in Reading after the Dissolution of the Monasteries and continued to exert a high level of influence over the town. The couple married on 23 September 1616 at St Laurence Church, a beautiful twelfth-century building near Reading's Market Place. 

Thomas and Lettice seem to have had a happy marriage, although it was childless, as was all of Thomas' marriages. Therefore, Thomas approached his old age knowing he had no heirs left to leave his fortune to. 

In the grant, Thomas was described as a parishioner of the church, and would have attended St Mary's for his daily worship and also lived close by. He was also involved in town business, in 1631 overseeing queries over the spending of funds from John Kendrick's will. Thomas would have known Kendrick, as they were both parishioners of the same church and prominent and wealthy residents of the town and council. In 1634 Thomas founded a set of almshouses in Castle Street for the benefit of six poor men. Made of brick, they were a set of tenements in one building with a common room at the centre. The residents went to the common room where one of them read prayers both morning and evening. Thomas allocated income from his lands in Shinfield to maintain the house. The almshouses were rebuilt after Thomas' death close by, after the first building became unstable. They can still be seen near the roundabout as Castle Street meets Castle Hill. 

Sir Thomas died at the age of 70, and was buried on 20 July 1638 in Reading Minster in the family vault he had built. A memorial service was also held on 30 August that year, with a procession organised from Coley to the church, made up of local dignitaries and Vachell family members. In his will, he bequeathed to his wife Lettice his 'hanginges, bedding, linen, brasse, pewter &c. in the house wherein I dwell att Coley'.  She also received three quarters of his plate, making her a wealthy widow, suggesting that her later union with Hampden may have been a love match. The last quarter he bequeathed to Tanfield, his nephew. Thomas' will gives us a view of the couple's home in Coley, which also contained a coach and coach horses, corn and grain in barns, and 'hogs and poultry about my house'. Lettice had a chambermaid called Margaret, who was part of a network of other household servants, including Simon West and Thomas Nicholls who served Thomas. Vachell also gave significant sums of money to his nieces and nephews, and allocated funds 'to the poor of Reading'. He also never forgot where he had received his wealth. Signing off, he asked that his executors erect a tomb at St Mary's 'for myself, my wife and my deceased uncle Thomas Vachell Esq. who lieth buiyed in St. Marie's Church in Reading'.

Lettice's next husband, John Hampden, was present at the Siege of Reading in 1643, and he suffered wounds sustained in the fighting. He died soon after their marriage, on 24 June that year, and Lettice was widowed once more. The home she had shared with Sir Thomas in Coley was used in 1644 as Reading's headquarters during the Civil War, indicating her personal involvement in the Royalist war effort there. As far as I can find, she retained the house until her death, and must have given permission for it to be used in this way by the king. Lettice was at Coley when she made her will in 1665 and died the following March, suggesting she was ill and knew she was dying. She chose to be buried with her second husband John Hampden, again more evidence that theirs was a romantic union and not a strategic marriage. Her funeral took place on 29 March 1666 and her will reveals her wealth and the state in which she lived in her widowhood. An abstract of the document was published in the Quarterly Journal of the Berkshire Archaeological Society in 1893, and is as follows:

I,  Leticia Vachell, alias Hampden, of Coley, widdow. I bequeath my body to the earth . . . to be buried at Hampden by my deare Husband; to my sister Anne Temple, £50; to my sister the lady Cecilia Knollys my ring with Foure dyamonds, which was given me for a Legacie by my Lady Pagett; to my niece Mrs. Margaret Hamond my Coach Horses, Coach Hamesse (&c.);  unto my nephew Mr. Robert Hamond my sute of Hangings of Forrest worke which are in the Dineing Roome; unto my neece Mrs. Leticia Hamond, my Goddaughter my tablett of Gold, Enameld and set with Rubyes and Ophalls, wherin is the picture of my Aunt the Countess of Leicester, my gold Fanne, coache, 16 chayres all of needle worke belonging to the dining Room and the Turkey Carpet (&c.); to my grand-child Mrs. Elizabeth Hamond my dyamond lockett; to my grand-child Mary Hamond my dyamond Ring, which was given me by her grand-father Hampden; to my grand-child Letitia Hamond my wedding Ring... to my neece Durham my olive-coloured Bed; to my faithful pastor Mr. Christopher Fowler... to Leticia Thisdethwaite my Table Dyamond Ring which I bought of her mother'.

She had servants who accompanies her in her widowhood, among them John Bushnell who served in Lettice's household with his wife, Margaret. She also gave funds for the benefit of the parishes of Reading and for the poor of the town. Between them, Thomas and Lettice were benefactors to the church and to the poor, with Thomas ordering the almshouses to be built while they were man and wife. As such, Lettice would have known of the plans and likely assisted in some way organising their construction and supplying funds while Thomas was away. They lived comfortably, travelled by coach wherever they went and were well-known in the town's administration and local government. They were also well-connected, not only with people like John Kendrick and other important personalities of seventeenth-century Reading, but to the powerful Knollys family of Elizabethan England. 

Liked this? You might also like The Legend of Caversham Castle, Queen Elizabeth I's Privy Council Cheese Dinner, and Lady Alice Dudley, Duchess Dudley.

Interested in Tudor history? You might also like my second book, Power Couples of the Tudor Era, published by Pen and Sword Books, which explores the contributions couples made to their own times as well as how they influenced our own. Elizabeth I and Robert Dudley Earl of Leicester have their own chapter. Order your copy here. 

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Source: Rev P.H. Ditchfield, The Quarterly Journal of the Berks Archaeological and Architectural Society, Volume 3. Charles Slaughter, London. 1893.

Ellen Gethin is one of the women I loved researching for my book, Forgotten Women of the Wars of the Roses. She lived in Wales in the 1460s, and was married to Thomas Vaughan, a York-supporting soldier. They lived at Hergest Court in Herefordshire, and Ellen was sadly widowed after Thomas' death after the Battle of Edgecote in 1469, when he was rounded up with other Yorkists after the action and executed at 69 years of age. But Ellen also had her own legend, having supposedly killed her cousin with a bow and arrow, after seeking revenge for him, in turn, murdering her brother after a drunken brawl. You can find more about her story in the book, along with other women of the age who have not been fully recognised in the context of the Wars. 

On her death, Ellen was buried in a tomb inside her nearby church of Kington, Herefordshire. She was laid alongside her husband Thomas, and she commissioned an elaborate tomb complete with effigies of the pair to represent how they would have looked in life. 

Portrait of Ellen Gethin, Jo Romero, 2024

Soon after this description was recorded, Ellen and Thomas' tomb and effigy were disassembled and their parts taken to Hereford, to a stoneworker named Mr Benjamin Jennings. The sculptor carefully reconstructed the couple's missing limbs and replaced their faces. The report of 1847 does state though, that a lion was removed from Thomas' feet, 'because it accorded not with the rest of the work', which is a shame. Lions were a popular medieval and Tudor figure on effigies, symbolising loyalty to the crown. Crucially, because the previous damage to the tomb appeared to have been man-made rather than caused by accidental cracks or chips from centuries of wear, a railing was put up around it, 'which previously', stated our 1847 reporter, 'was not the case'.

Drawing of the tomb of Ellen Gethin and Thomas Vaughan from 1846, in Archaeologica Cambrensis, archive.org

An image of the tomb shows the result of Jennings' work. Fine details of the armour Thomas wore have been preserved, along with Ellen's gown and jewellery. I haven't yet been over to Kington to see the tomb for myself, but apparently you can see the joins where the older parts of the figures meet the Victorian restorations, which is useful. For something that Ellen clearly commissioned with such care to preserve the memory of her husband and herself, it is especially fitting that it was one of her descendants that paid for the nineteenth century restorations. Frances Harley, a Vaughan heir and sister of the Earl of Oxford, is said to have spent more than £70 in restoring the effigies and tomb in 1846, a considerable amount in Victorian money. 

Have you been to see the effigies? What did you think? Let me know in the comments below.

Liked this? You might also like Medieval Residents of Reading, Thomas and Elizabeth Clerk, The Queens of the Wars of the Roses, and Warrior Women of the Wars of the Roses. 

To find out more overlooked women who lived through the Wars of the Roses and what their individual stories tell us about the conflict, Order your copy here at the Pen and Sword website.

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I went to Cardiff Castle many years ago, and loved it. I read all about the owners and occupiers of the building and the renovations carried out up into the twentieth century. But did you know that, among its many owners, there were a number of women? 

In an 1862 edition of the Archaeological Cambrensis, there was an account of some of the medieval owners of the castle, and I was surprised to find so many of them were women. Like Mabel, the heiress of Robert Fitzhamon. Robert was a Norman aristocrat, Lord of the Honour of Gloucester and of Morgan and Glamorgan who owned the castle since 1090. Mabel inherited the castle after his death, and because of medieval laws, its ownership transferred to her husband Robert Earl of Gloucester, the illegitimate son of Henry I. Robert was tasked with making sure Henry's brother Robert Curthose remained imprisoned at Cardiff Castle, and Mabel would have observed the arrangements of how the prince was kept captive. Robert Consul and Mabel are also credited with some of the Norman building works carried out in the early 1100s. The castle transferred to their son William, Earl of Gloucester, who died in 1173. The castle then passed into the hands of the future King John. 

Cardiff Castle, Jo Romero

In the early fourteenth century, the castle passed to Eleanor de Clare, who married Hugh le Despenser the Younger in 1320. Eleanor and Hugh were the subject of some scandal, because of Hugh's close relationship with King Edward II. Hugh was the king's Lord Chamberlain, and attracted the jealousy and anger of various nobles because of his underhand dealings, wielding of power and having no regard for the law. Even in his own lifetime there were rumours that his relationship with Edward II was more than that of a courtier and a king. Edward was forced to stand down as king and allow his young son Edward III to take his place. Hugh was arrested and charged with a number of serious offences, then hanged, drawn and quartered in Hereford Market Place. 

The couple's great-great-grandchild, Richard Despenser, died unmarried in 1414, and his sister Isabel le Despenser inherited his estate. She was born at Cardiff Castle, and worked on improving its strength and appearance, most likely in works undertaken after 1425. She married twice - first to Richard Beauchamp Earl of Worcester who died in 1421, and then Richard Beauchamp Earl of Warwick. The men were cousins. With Warwick, she had a son named Henry, who succeeded his father in 1439, but died in 1446. 

The next woman to inherit the castle was Anne Beauchamp, Henry's sister and the wife of Richard Neville Earl of Warwick, 'The Kingmaker' during the Wars of the Roses. A charter dated 1451 to the castle survives, granted by Richard Earl of Warwick and Anne. Anne was to have a difficult time during the 1470s, when her husband was killed at the Battle of Barnet in 1471, having switched sides to the Lancastrian cause against King Edward IV. She spent her later years fighting for the return of her Despenser lands from the seclusion of Beaulieu Abbey in the New Forest. The castle though, fell to their youngest daughter Anne, who married Richard Duke of Gloucester. Gloucester therefore owned Cardiff Castle through his wife, and later became Richard III with Anne his queen, in 1483. Anne died before Richard, who was killed in August 1485 at the Battle of Bosworth against Henry Tudor. The rights to the castle then transferred to the throne, and the Tudors seem to have kept it within their crown lands. 

Liked this? You might also like The Warrior Women of the Wars of the Roses, The Welsh Legend of Nelferch and Eight Welsh Castles to Put on Your Travel Bucketlist.

Interested in more women who held, lived in and defended castles? You might like my book Forgotten Women of the Wars of the Roses, which takes a look at the roles of women - royal and non-royal - during the conflict. Order your copy here at the Pen and Sword website.

Prefer Tudor history? My second book, Power Couples of the Tudor Era, published by Pen and Sword Books, explores the contributions couples made to their own times as well as how they influenced our own. Order your copy here. 

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Source: Archaeological Cambrensis, 1862, Volume 8, Third Series. J. Russell Smith, London. 

Was it possible to have a real and loving relationship in the centre of the treacherous Tudor court? These couples show that yes, true romance could exist in the royal circles of the sixteenth century. Read on to find out more about these couples, who stood in the face of social structure, religious change and against attacks from their enemies.

Margaret Douglas and Thomas Lord Howard c1535-1537

Less well known than some of the higher profile unions of the Tudor period, Margaret and Thomas stood firm in their love despite hostility from Henry VIII and a sudden separation. In 1536, news of their romance - and possible secret marriage - trickled around the court, something they had until then kept under wraps. It's certain that courtiers would have known of the relationship, but when he found out about it, Henry was furious. Margaret was his niece, the daughter of his sister Margaret Tudor. Howard was a younger son of the Duke of Norfolk. Henry convinced himself that Howard was aiming to take control of the throne, and had him charged with treason and imprisoned in the Tower of London. Margaret was also imprisoned, later moved to Sion Abbey. However this did not stop the couple communicating. Their poetry to one another survive, with Thomas expressing frustration of being separated from his loved one and that he will not give up on her. Margaret's words are defiant, cursing those that separated them and assuring him that she knows he will not 'slack his love'. Thomas sadly died in the Tower, and Margaret returned to court. But their relationship was always remembered by Margaret, who lived to be influential during the later sixteenth century in the reign of Elizabeth I. Find out more about them here. 

Thomas Lord Howard and Margaret Douglas, artwork by Georgina Romero

Katherine Willoughby and Richard Bertie c1549-1580

Katherine is better known for her marriage to Charles Brandon, Duke of Suffolk. She was just a teenager when she became Brandon's duchess, the duke eager to acquire her Willoughby lands in an arranged match. However after Brandon's death Katherine married again, a man she had known for many years with no dukedom, earldom or any other title. Richard Bertie served in Katherine's household and administered her estates, dealt with contractors and tenants and generally ensured the smooth running of her business. A romance blossomed between them and they married in around 1549. As Protestants during the reign of Mary I and Philip of Spain, they were seen as attractive scapegoats to punish for their adherence to the Protestant faith. They fled into exile, and established a community of like-minded people in Europe. Their story is one of resilience, risk and defiance. Find out more about them here. 

Katherine Willoughby and Richard Bertie, artwork by Georgina Romero

Katherine of Aragon and Henry VIII 1509-1533

We all known how the marriage of Katherine and Henry ended up: their union was annulled so that Henry could marry Anne Boleyn and attempt to secure his succession with a line of heirs. Katherine died at Kimbolton Castle with ladies of her household in attendance, still swearing that she was the rightful Queen of England. But in the beginning, the couple were very much in love. They symbolised a new start for the Tudor dynasty - two young royals clothed in velvets, silks and cloth of gold who loved music, masques and dancing. They were a true Renaissance couple, Henry embarking on war with France and Katherine defending the realm from Scottish attack during his absence. Henry even had a special screen built that looked down on the quire of St George's Chapel in Windsor so that Katherine could view ceremonies there, and their intertwined K&H still survive on Henry's armour in the Tower of London. Find out more.

Henry VIII and Katherine of Aragon, artwork by Georgina Romero

Elizabeth of York and Henry VII 1485-1503

For a marriage that was forged in politics, Elizabeth and Henry grew to really love one another, with a playful fondness emanating through from the sources. Their relationship attempted to end the Wars of the Roses, which was fought since the 1450s in a tussle for the throne between the houses of York and Lancaster. With Elizabeth the daughter of Edward IV and Elizabeth Woodville (Yorkists) and Henry the son of Margaret Beaufort and Edmund Tudor (Lancastrians), their union was meant to appease both sides of the conflict. Evidence shows that Elizabeth was just as keen as Henry to join with him in marriage, and the couple concentrated on keeping the royal nursery topped up with heirs. Elizabeth also attended and took part in negotiations, personally wrote to Ferdinand of Spain and was instrumental in Katherine of Aragon's arrival in England. They consoled one another, playfully fought over letters and gave one another thoughtful gifts. Find out more here.

Henry VII and Elizabeth of York, artwork by Georgina Romero

Robert Dudley and Elizabeth I c1541-1588

A lot of discussions over this couple focus on whether or not they ever had a sexual relationship. But even ignoring this completely, there is plenty of evidence that Robert Dudley and Elizabeth had a long and loving partnership of over 40 years. Robert was often positioned as a husband for the queen, from her accession in 1558 to 1575. There were rumours that the couple had children and had secretly married, showing that they were publicly close enough for this gossip to be believed. Elizabeth nominated Robert as her regent in case she died, and he helped push changes in legislation for her protection and safety. Robert never wavered in his belief in Elizabeth and England's power and Elizabeth rewarded him with positions in the centre of government. There is also evidence that together they shaped the cultural and political history of the age, and that their goals for the kingdom were aligned. In many ways, their differing status meant that they close and loving friendship was not able to publicly become more. But that they had a profound love for one another can't be doubted. Find more evidence about their relationship here. 

Elizabeth I and Robert Dudley, artwork by Georgina Romero

These couples - and more - are discussed in more detail in my second book, Power Couples of the Tudor Era, published by Pen and Sword Books. It explores the contributions couples made to their own times as well as how they influenced our own. Order your copy here.