This Week's Great Day Memorable Events in the History of the Empire.

Ellesmere Guardian, Volume XLVI, Issue 3271, 13 November 1928, Page 4

This Week's Great Day Memorable Events in the History of the Empire.

CftarlesUotavqy'

NOVEMBER 13.—±HE TRIAL OF LADY JANE OBEY.

Three hundred and seventy-five years ago, on the 13th November, 1553, Lady Jane Grey, one of the most pathetic figures in English history, was placed on trial for treason against Queen Mary.

r Lady Jane was born in 1537, and her father was Henry Grey, Duke of Suffolk, while her mother was the only child of the youngest daughter of King Henry VII. Jane was a direct descendant from the first of the Tudor sovereigns, although she possessed, no rightful claim to the throne of England during the lifetime of the three children o£ Henry VIII., namely, Edward, Mary and Elizabeth, but the mere fact that the ill-fated girl stood in the line of succession resulted in her being used as an innocent pawn in the ambitious schemes of several great noblemen who plotted to become allpowerful in the realm.

Her childhood days were passed in seclusion at her father's country home, where she devoted herself so assiduously to study that her vast and varied knowledge was one of the marvels-«£ the age. While still a child Lord Seymour, who'became the second husband of Catherine Parr, the last of Henry VIII.'s six wives, decided that , Jane should become the bride of the boyking Edward VI., while the Lord Protector, the Duke of Somerset, made up his mind that he would marry her to his own son. Both schemes fell through when the two noblemen perished on the scaffold, and the field was left open to the unscrupulous Duke of Northumberland, who lost no time in securing the rich > matrimonial prize for his youngest son, Lord Guildford Dudley.

Immediately after the marriage of the young couple, which took place in May, 1553, Northumberland induced the boy-king to pass over the rightful [ claims of his half-sisters, Mary and I Elizabeth, to the throne, and to nominate Jane as his successor. Edward VI. (Copyi

died on the following 6th July, and Jane was at once proclaimed queen by her father-in-law, who escorted her in great state to the Tower of London, where she was formally presented with the crown, which jShe accepted with great reluctance and many misgivings.

It was soon apparent that the claim of Mary to the throne had the overwhelming support of the nation, and after Jane had been queen in name for nine days the Duke of Northumberland realised that the game was up and he offered his allegiance to the rightful successor of Edward VI. One of Mary's first acts was to have the Duke arrested, and in spite of his cunning devices to escape the penalty of his treason, he met a wGH-deserved death on the scaffold.

Jane was only too glad to lay down the sceptre and accept the queen's permission to retire into private life with her husband, but unfortunately he had inherited a large amount of his father's fatal ambition, and speedily became involved in a further plot to secure the throne for his wife. The plot kfaOed, and once again Jane was conducted to the Tower/this time as a closely-guarded prisoner, and she and her husband were indicted for treason.

Their trial took place in the ancient . Guildhall of the City of London, a©- 3 although they were both found guilty and condemned to death, it is not thought that Mary would have allowed Jane to be put to death, but another-^^ conspiracy was started by Sir ThomaspL-* Wyatt, and this sealed the fate of the beautiful and innocent- girl of 17, who % was beheaded on the same day as her guilty husband/ namely, the 12th Febr ruary, 1554.

The execution of Lady Jane Grey, who met her terrible death with the utmost fortitude and resignation, was one -of the most inexcusable of the numerous bloody deeds which darkened the reign of Mary, righted),