Philadelphia Scrope
Philadelphia, Lady Scrope (née Carey; December 1563 - 1629) was an English aristocrat and courtier.
She was a daughter of Henry Carey, 1st Baron Hunsdon and Anne Morgan. Her brother, Robert Carey, was the governor of Prince Charles from 1605 to 1610.
In 1584, she married Thomas Scrope, 10th Baron Scrope of Bolton, later a Knight of the Order of the Garter. They had one child, Emanuel Scrope, 1st Earl of Sunderland.
In November 1593, a page of Lady Scrope, who was lady of the bedchamber, died in the keep at Windsor Castle and Queen Elizabeth considered moving her household for fear of sickness.[1] Lady Scrope took part in the Harefield Entertainment in August 1602, and was given a mask or vizard, as the lines "Want you a mask! Here fortune give you one: Yet nature gives the rose and lily none" were recited.[2]
She was at the queen's bedside near the time of her death.[3] She is mentioned in Elizabeth Southwell's narrative of the queen's final days, as her special confidante.[4] On the queen's death, she passed her sapphire ring to her brother Robert Carey, who rode to Scotland to give it to James VI.[5][6][7] One version of the story of the ring is that James VI had sent the sapphire ring to Philadelphia Scrope by his diplomat Sir James Fullerton to be used as a token of Elizabeth's death.[8]
On 2 May 1603, Lady Scrope and Anne, Countess of Worcester, Frances, Countess of Kildare, Lady Anne Herbert, Penelope, Lady Rich, Audrey Walsingham and others went to Berwick-upon-Tweed to welcome Anne of Denmark to England, according to the directions of the Privy Council. Anne came to Berwick on the 9 May. Some of the women had travelled into Scotland to meet her ahead of the others. Another group of women, led by Lucy, Countess of Bedford also travelled to Scotland, attempting to gain the new queen's favour.[9]
A letter of Philadelphia Scrope mentions that she had escorted Anne of Denmark from Warwick, according to directions from Sir Robert Cecil, but unlike her companions, she had no reward.[10]
Thomas Scrope died in 1609. Lady Scrope died on 3 February 1629. They were buried at St Andrew's Church, Langar, Nottinghamshire.[citation needed]
References
[edit]- ^ Thomas Birch, Memoirs of the Reign of Elizabeth, vol. 1 (London, 1754), p. 133.
- ^ Elizabeth Goldring, Faith Eales, Elizabeth Clarke, Jayne Elisabeth Archer, John Nichols's Progresses and Public Processions of Queen Elizabeth: 1596-1603, vol. 4 (Oxford, 2014), pp. 174-195.
- ^ John Nichols, Progresses of Queen Elizabeth, vol. 3 (London, 1823), pp. 227, 605.
- ^ Robert S. Miola, Early Modern Catholicism: An Anthology of Primary Sources (Oxford, 2007), p. 466.
- ^ Alexander Courtney, James VI, Britannic Prince: King of Scots and Elizabeth's Heir, 1566–1603 (Routledge, 2024), p. 226: 'Philadelphia Carey Scrope', A Biographical Encyclopedia of Early Modern Englishwomen (Routledge, 2017), p. 521.
- ^ "Philadelphia Carey", Mapping Memorials to Women in Scotland, womenofscotland.org.uk. Accessed 14 January 2023.
- ^ "Philadelphia Carey Scrope: Keeper of the Scottish King James's Sapphire Ring", kristinbundesen.com. Accessed 14 January 2023.
- ^ Susan Doran, From Tudor to Stewart: the regime change from Elizabeth I to James I (Oxford, 2024), p. 95.
- ^ James Balfour, Annals: The Historical Works of James Balfour, vol. 2 (Edinburgh, 1824), p. 414: John Nichols, Progresses of James the First, vol. 1 (London, 1828), pp. 167-168.
- ^ M. S. Giuseppi, HMC Salisbury Hatfield, 18 (London, 1940), p. 444.