Frances Carr, Countess of Somerset

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Frances Carr neé Devereux neé Howard
The Countess of Somerset
Born	1591
Died	1632
Spouse	Robert Devereux Robert Carr
Parents	Thomas Howard Catherine Knyvet
Children	Anne Carr

Frances Carr, Countess of Somerset (1591 – 1632) was an English noblewoman who was a central figure in a famous scandal and murder during the reign of King James I.

She was born Frances Howard, the daughter of Lord Thomas Howard (later 1st Earl of Suffolk), second son of the 4th Duke of Norfolk, and his wife, the former Catherine Knyvet. Her father was a wealthy and powerful noble during the late 16th and early 17th centuries.

1 A Failed Marriage
2 A murderous plot
3 Notes
4 References

[edit] A Failed Marriage

At the age of 13, by now Lady Frances Howard, she was married to the 14-year-old 3rd Earl of Essex. The marriage was primarily a political union; they were separated after the wedding to prevent them from having intercourse, with the view that early sex and pregnancy was good for neither. Essex went on a European tour (from 1607 to 1609) and when he returned Frances made every effort to avoid him. He was at the time seriously ill with smallpox, but she had also fallen in love with 1st Earl of Somerset. It is suspected that she might have purposely encouraged his natural impotence by the use of "love-philters" with first Simon Forman and later Abraham Savery. Essex himself did not seem to mind the lack of his wife's company, spending most of his time drinking with other men. When she finally took the step of annulment, she could not do it herself -- her father and uncle, Henry Howard, Earl of Northampton, represented her and drew up the libel. The situation quickly attracted public attention, and was widely watched by those with "prurient minds". She claimed that she had made every attempt to be sexually available for her husband, and that she was still a virgin. She was examined by ten matrons and two midwives who found her hymen intact. It was widely rumoured at the time that Sir Thomas Monson's daughter was a substitute, which is possible because she had requested to be veiled during the examination "for modesty". The matter was a subject of mockery and ribald commentary throughout the court, including:

This Dame was inspected but Fraud interjected
A maid of more perfection
Whom the midwives did handle whilst the knight held the candle
O there was a clear inspection.^[1]

In turn, Essex claimed that he was capable with other women, but was unable to consummate his marriage. According to a friend, one morning (while chatting with a group of male friends) he had stood up and lifted his nightshirt to show them his erection -- showing, if nothing else, he was physically capable of arousal. When asked why only she caused his failing, he claimed that "she reviled him, and miscalled him, terming him a cow, and coward, and beast."

The idea of satanic involvement was seriously considered by the judges and at one point it was proposed that Essex should go to Poland to see if he could be "unwitched". The annulment languished and possibly would not have been granted if it were not for the king's intervention (Somerset was a favourite of King James).

[edit] A murderous plot

Sir Thomas Overbury, a close friend and advisor of Somerset, had tried to advise him not to marry Howard, but he was a desirable ally for the powerful Howard family. The family managed to get Overbury imprisoned during the annulment proceedings where he died -- interestingly enough, the annullment went through eleven days after his death. It has been widely considered that Lady Somerset had him poisoned through an agent. The Somersets were convicted of murder, but spared execution.

Lord and Lady Somerset had one daughter, Lady Anne Carr, who married the 1st Duke of Bedford.

[edit] Notes

^ Haynes, Alan: Sex in Elizabethan England, page 130. Wrens Park Publishing, 1997

[edit] References

Bellany, Alistair. The Politics of Court Scandal in Early Modern England: News Culture and the Overbury Affair, 1603-1660. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2002.
Fraser, Antonia. The Weaker Vessel. New York : Knopf, 1984. ISBN 1-84212-635-0
Haynes, Alan. Sex in Elizabethan England. Gloucestershire: Sutton Publishing Limited, 1997. ISBN 0-905-778-359
Lindley, David. The Trials of Frances Howard. London, Routledge, 1993.
Schama, Simon. A History of Britain: The Wars of the British, 1603 - 1776. New York : Hyperion, 2001. ISBN 0-563-48718-6
Somerset, Anne. Unnatural Murder: Poison at the Court of James I. London : Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 1997. ISBN 0-7538-0198-1

Persondata
NAME	Carr, Frances, Countess of Somerset
ALTERNATIVE NAMES	Howard, Frances; Devereux, Frances
SHORT DESCRIPTION
DATE OF BIRTH	1591
PLACE OF BIRTH
DATE OF DEATH	1632
PLACE OF DEATH