| Administrative History | Arbella Stuart was the grandaughter of Elizabeth, Countess of Shrewsbury (d 1608), also known as 'Bess of Hardwick'. At the end of the 16th century, Arbella was next in line to the English throne after King James VI of Scotland. Her father, the Earl of Lennox, was the younger brother of James's father and a grandson of Margaret Tudor. Arbella spent much of her early life with her grandmother who groomed her to become Queen. Arbella was regarded as a traitor by King James, now James I of England, after her unauthorised marriage in 1610 to William Seymour, grandson of Lady Catherine Grey, heiress to the English throne under Henry VIII's will. Imprisoned in the Tower of London, Arbella died there in 1615. |
| Custodial History | This document was given to the Record Office in 1978. |