A royal prisoner

Lauderdale House once played a small part in a tragic royal tale. In 1611 Arbella Stuart, a close cousin of King James I, stayed at Lauderdale House for six days. Arbella was an unexpected visitor, travelling from London to Durham on the orders of the fearful King.

Arbella had a reasonable claim to the throne of England, which made her a threat to James. A few weeks after her stay here, she was sent to the Tower of London for the rest of her life. Arbella’s crime? Choosing an unsuitable husband.

When Queen Elizabeth I died in 1603, many people felt Arbella had a greater right to rule England than her cousin James. Unlike James, Arbella was born in England and she had more charm and confidence than the shy, sensitive Scotsman. Queen Elizabeth herself had even spoken of Arbella as a future queen.

However, Arbella never challenged James. She refused to help anyone plotting to overthrow his reign and even became close friends with his wife, Queen Anne of Denmark.

When Arbella married William Seymour, another distant heir to the throne, everything changed. James forbade the marriage and the couple were arrested. Not only would Arbella never be queen, she would spend the rest of her life in the Tower of London. The queen that never was spent some of her last days outside the Tower here at Lauderdale House.

As soon as the King discovered Arbella’s marriage he put her under house arrest in Lambeth, south London. Arbella’s husband William was imprisoned in the Tower, but the couple may still have met in secret. When the King ordered Arbella to be taken to Durham in the north of England, they knew they would not see each other again.

Arbella fell ill at the start of her long journey north, fainting three times. She was in no state to reach Barnet – her first overnight stop – so Sir William Bond and his wife, who lived in Lauderdale House, were asked to provide two rooms for the royal prisoner.

On 16 March 1612 Arbella was carried into Lauderdale House and put straight to bed. Six days later, her health barely improved, she was moved on by force. There’s a chance William visited while Arbella was here. If so, this was the last place where the couple ever saw one another.

After her time at Lauderdale House, Arbella was taken to Barnet, where she stayed more than a month. The night before she was due to set off for Durham again, Arbella disappeared.

Arbella’s escape was carefully planned. She walked out of the house dressed as a man, wearing a long-haired wig, red-topped boots, a black hat, cloak and sword. At a nearby inn, she met a servant and rode with him to Blackwell, by the Thames. There she waited for her husband William to join her.

With time running out, Arbella left without William. She boarded a ship bound for Calais, France but was captured in the English Channel. Arbella was brought back to the Tower, where she died four years later. William managed to reach Paris, where he stayed until after Arbella’s death.

The government paid merchant William Bond and his wife Katherine for their expenses while Arbella and those travelling with her stayed at Lauderdale House. The couple received a total of £36 15s 7d for their trouble. This included costs for food, lodging and stabling.

Not long after, William bought Pond Field, a piece of land in what is now part of Waterlow Park. Perhaps he and his wife claimed more money than they actually spent?