Biography of Bess of Hardwick Countess Shrewsbury and Waterford 1527-1608
Maternal Family Tree: Margaret Vaux 1465
In 1512 [her father] John Hardwick (age 17) and [her mother] Elizabeth Leeke (age 15) were married at Hardwick Hall [Map].
In 1524 [her future husband] William Cavendish (age 19) and Margaret Bostock (age 16) were married.
Around 1527 Bess of Hardwick was born to John Hardwick (age 32) and Elizabeth Leeke (age 30).
On 29 Jan 1528 [her father] John Hardwick (age 33) died.
On 28 Apr 1539 [her future husband] George Talbot 6th Earl of Shrewsbury (age 11) and Gertrude Manners Countess Shrewsbury and Waterford (age 14) were married. She the daughter of Thomas Manners 1st Earl of Rutland (age 47) and Eleanor Paston Countess Rutland (age 44). He the son of Francis Talbot 5th Earl of Shrewsbury (age 39) and Mary Dacre. They were fourth cousins. He a great x 5 grandson of King Edward III of England. She a great x 5 granddaughter of King Edward III of England. 
In 1542 [her future husband] William Cavendish (age 37) and Elizabeth Parker were married.
In 1543 Robert Barlow aka Barley (age 14) and Bess of Hardwick (age 16) were married.
On 24 Dec 1544 [her husband] Robert Barlow aka Barley (age 15) died.
On 20 Aug 1547 William Cavendish (age 42) and Bess of Hardwick (age 20) were married. The difference in their ages was 22 years.
On 18 Jun 1548 [her daughter] Frances Cavendish was born to [her husband] William Cavendish (age 43) and Bess of Hardwick (age 21).
Before 1549 [her future husband] William St Lo (age 31) and Jane Bayntun (age 25) were married.
In 1549 the Leche family sold Chatsworth House [Map] to [her husband] William Cavendish (age 44). His wife Bess of Hardwick (age 22) had persuraded him to sell his ancestral lands around Cavendish, Suffolk [Map] and buy land around her ancestral lands.
On 10 Jun 1549 [her daughter] Temperance Cavendish was born to [her husband] William Cavendish (age 44) and Bess of Hardwick (age 22). She died a year later.
Before 1550 [her step-father] Ralph Leche of Chatsworth (age 56) and [her mother] Elizabeth Leeke (age 52) were married.
On 17 Dec 1550 [her son] Henry Cavendish was born to [her husband] William Cavendish (age 45) and Bess of Hardwick (age 23).
On 27 Dec 1552 [her son] William Cavendish 1st Earl Devonshire was born to [her husband] William Cavendish (age 47) and Bess of Hardwick (age 25).
In 1553 [her husband] William Cavendish (age 48) and Bess of Hardwick (age 26) commissioned the building of a new house [Chatsworth House [Map]]. She selected a site near the river, which was drained by digging a series of reservoirs, which doubled as fish ponds.
On 28 Nov 1553 [her son] Charles Cavendish was born to [her husband] William Cavendish (age 48) and Bess of Hardwick (age 26).
On 31 Mar 1555 [her daughter] Elizabeth Cavendish Countess Lennox was born to [her husband] William Cavendish (age 50) and Bess of Hardwick (age 28) at Chatsworth House [Map].
Around 1556 [her mother] Elizabeth Leeke (age 59) died.
In Jan 1556 [her daughter] Mary Cavendish Countess Shrewsbury and Waterford and [her daughter] Lucrece Cavendish were born to [her husband] William Cavendish (age 51) and Bess of Hardwick (age 29).
On 25 Oct 1557 [her husband] William Cavendish (age 52) died.
Before 19 Nov 1557 John Braye 2nd Baron Braye and [her future sister-in-law] Anne Talbot Baroness Braye and Wharton (age 33) were married. She by marriage Baroness Braye. She being the daughter of Francis Talbot 5th Earl of Shrewsbury (age 57) who ward John had been. She the daughter of Francis Talbot 5th Earl of Shrewsbury (age 57) and Mary Dacre. She a great x 5 granddaughter of King Edward III of England. 
Around 27 Aug 1559 William St Lo (age 41) and Bess of Hardwick (age 32) were married.
On 25 Sep 1560 Francis Talbot 5th Earl of Shrewsbury (age 60) died. His son [her future husband] George Talbot 6th Earl of Shrewsbury (age 32) succeeded 6th Earl of Shrewsbury, 6th Earl Waterford, 11th Baron Furnivall, 15th Baron Strange Blackmere, 12th Baron Talbot. Gertrude Manners Countess Shrewsbury and Waterford (age 35) by marriage Countess of Shrewsbury Countess Waterford.
Before 1561 [her brother-in-law] Edward St Lo (age 42) and Bridget Malte were married.
Around Mar 1561 Bess of Hardwick (age 34) was poisoned. Both [her husband] William St Lo (age 43) and his mother Margaret Kingston believed William's younger brother [her brother-in-law] Edward St Lo (age 42) to be guility. Edward St Lo (age 42) feared he would lose his inheritance if William (age 43) and Bess (age 34) had a child. William St Lo (age 43), probably as a consequence of his brother's actions, ‘did of very good will toward [his wife] convey [his lands] unto her’. Edward had previously been suspected of poisoning his first wife's husband John Scutt and, following their marriage, his wife Bridget Malte.
On 18 Nov 1561 Thomas Wharton 1st Baron Wharton (age 66) and [her future sister-in-law] Anne Talbot Baroness Braye and Wharton (age 37) were married. She by marriage Baroness Wharton. The difference in their ages was 29 years. She the daughter of Francis Talbot 5th Earl of Shrewsbury and Mary Dacre. She a great x 5 granddaughter of King Edward III of England.
Around 1562 [her former brother-in-law] George Cavendish (age 65) died.
In Jan 1565 [her husband] William St Lo (age 47) died suddenly in the company of his brother [her brother-in-law] Edward St Lo (age 46). He was buried in St Helen's Church Bishopsgate. Given that he had been suspected of poisoning William's wife Bess of Hardwick (age 38) five years before it is possible Edward had poisoned William. Edward St Lo (age 46) contested his brother's will unsuccessfully.
Around 1567 Bess of Hardwick (age 40) was appointed Lady of the Bedchamber to Queen Elizabeth I of England and Ireland (age 33).
On 06 Feb 1568 Gilbert Talbot 7th Earl of Shrewsbury (age 15) and Mary Cavendish Countess Shrewsbury and Waterford (age 12) were married. She the daughter of William Cavendish and Bess of Hardwick Countess Shrewsbury and Waterford (age 41). He the son of George Talbot 6th Earl of Shrewsbury (age 40) and Gertrude Manners Countess Shrewsbury and Waterford.
Three days later on Gilbert and Mary would become step-siblings when their father and mother respectively George Talbot 6th Earl of Shrewsbury (age 40) and Bess of Hardwick (age 41) were married. She by marriage Countess of Shrewsbury Countess Waterford. It is likely the latter marriage a condition of the former. He the son of Francis Talbot 5th Earl of Shrewsbury and Mary Dacre. He a great x 5 grandson of King Edward III of England.
On 09 Feb 1568 [her son] Henry Cavendish (age 17) and [her daughter-in-law] Grace Talbot (age 18) were married. The marriage, unhappy, produced no issue. She being the daughter of his step-father [her husband] George Talbot 6th Earl of Shrewsbury (age 40). She the daughter of George Talbot 6th Earl of Shrewsbury (age 40) and Gertrude Manners Countess Shrewsbury and Waterford. He the son of William Cavendish and Bess of Hardwick Countess Shrewsbury and Waterford (age 41).
On 26 Jan 1569 Mary Queen of Scots (age 26) was moved to the custody of [her husband] George Talbot 6th Earl of Shrewsbury (age 41) and his wife Bess of Hardwick (age 42) at Tutbury Castle, Staffordshire [Map].
In 1574 [her son-in-law] Charles Stewart 5th Earl Lennox (age 16) and [her daughter] Elizabeth Cavendish Countess Lennox (age 18) were married. She by marriage Countess Lennox. She the daughter of William Cavendish and Bess of Hardwick Countess Shrewsbury and Waterford (age 47). He the son of Matthew Stewart 4th Earl Lennox and Margaret Douglas Countess Lennox (age 58). He a great grandson of King Henry VII of England and Ireland. 
On 12 May 1576 [her step-daughter] Catherine Talbot Countess Pembroke (age 26) died.
Before 06 May 1578, the date he was buried at Broad Chalke, Wiltshire [Map], [her former brother-in-law] Edward St Lo (age 59) died.
Around 21 Mar 1580 [her son] William Cavendish 1st Earl Devonshire (age 27) and [her daughter-in-law] Anne Keighley (age 17) were married. He the son of William Cavendish and Bess of Hardwick Countess Shrewsbury and Waterford (age 53).
In 1583 [her step-son] Edward Talbot 8th Earl of Shrewsbury (age 21) and Joane Ogle Countess Shrewsbury and Waterford (age 17) were married. She by marriage Countess of Shrewsbury Countess Waterford. He the son of George Talbot 6th Earl of Shrewsbury (age 55) and Gertrude Manners Countess Shrewsbury and Waterford. She a great x 3 granddaughter of King Edward IV of England.
Before 1584 [her son-in-law] Henry Pierrepont (age 38) and [her daughter] Frances Cavendish (age 35) were married. She the daughter of William Cavendish and Bess of Hardwick Countess Shrewsbury and Waterford (age 56).
On 03 Feb 1585 [her sister-in-law] Anne Talbot Baroness Braye and Wharton (age 61) died.
Before 18 Nov 1590 [her step-son] Francis Talbot (age 39) died.
On 18 Nov 1590 [her husband] George Talbot 6th Earl of Shrewsbury (age 62) died. He was buried at Sheffield Cathedral [Map]. His son [her son-in-law] Gilbert Talbot 7th Earl of Shrewsbury (age 37) succeeded 7th Earl of Shrewsbury, 7th Earl Waterford, 12th Baron Furnivall, 16th Baron Strange Blackmere, 13th Baron Talbot. [her daughter] Mary Cavendish Countess Shrewsbury and Waterford (age 34) by marriage Countess of Shrewsbury Countess Waterford.
1592. Rowland Lockey (age 27). Portrait of Bess of Hardwick (age 65).
Before 06 Dec 1592 [her son] Charles Cavendish (age 39) and [her daughter-in-law] Catherine Ogle 8th Baroness Ogle (age 22) were married. He the son of William Cavendish and Bess of Hardwick Countess Shrewsbury and Waterford (age 65). She a great x 3 granddaughter of King Edward IV of England.
In 1596 [her former step-son] Henry Talbot (age 33) died.
After 1603 [her son] William Cavendish 1st Earl Devonshire (age 50) and [her daughter-in-law] Elizabeth Boughton Countess Devonshire (age 35) were married. He the son of William Cavendish and Bess of Hardwick Countess Shrewsbury and Waterford (age 76).
On 13 Feb 1608 Bess of Hardwick (age 81) died. She was buried in All Saints Church, Derby [Map]. Her monument, which she had constructed before her death, was designed by Robert Smythson (age 38). She left nothing in her will for her 'bad son' [her son] Henry Cavendish (age 57). He did, however, inherit Chatsworth House [Map] which he subsequently sold in 1609 to his brother [her son] William Cavendish 1st Earl Devonshire (age 55) for £10,000.
The date of her funeral somewhat complicated. Rawsons 1910 book "Bess of Hardwick and her Circle" quotes Simpson's National Records of Derby for 1608: "The old Countess of Shrewsbury died about Candlemas this year, whose funeral was about Holy Thursday. A great frost this year. The witches of Bakewell hanged." Holy Thursday, the Feast of the Ascension, is thirty-nine days after Easter. Easter in 1608 was on the 6th of April, putting Holy Thursday on the 15th of May.
Ethel Carleton Williams "Bess of Hardwick", 1959, has a note: "9. The date of Bess of Hardwick's funeral is uncertain. The date on the coffin plate is said to be February 1608 (Cox and Hope, Chronicles of the Collegiate Church of All Saints, Derby), but on 31 March 1608 Gilbert Talbot wrote to Robert Cecil, excusing himself for not attending St George's Feast on the ground that his mother-in-law's funeral was to be on St George's Day (23 April). Later, on 3rd of April, the Earl of Arundel wrote to Gilbert (his father-in-law), 'the funeral at Derby is appointed to be either on the fourth or fifth of May, which Garter yet knoweth not, but rather thinketh on the fourth because the other is a holy day'".
Neither of which provide a definite answer. The former being around the 15th of May, the latter 'rather thinketh' the 4th of May. Are there any other contemporary sources available?
On 19 Mar 1616 [her son-in-law] Henry Pierrepont (age 70) died. Church of St Edmund Holme Pierrepoint [Map]. Designed by John Smythson. Probably carved by Hugh Hall who also carved the monument to Thomas Smith originally at Wybynbury but since moved to Nantwich. Elizabethan Period. Armorials:
Top left Cavendish Arms - he was married to [her daughter] Frances Cavendish (age 67) daughter of [her former husband] William Cavendish and Bess of Hardwick.
Top right Pierrepoint Arms.
Centre Bottom: Quartered 1&4 Pierrepoint Arms 2&3 Unknown Arms impaled Quartered 1&4 Cavendish Arms 2&3 Unknown Arms.
Frances Cavendish: On 18 Jun 1548 she was born to William Cavendish and Bess of Hardwick. Before 1584 Henry Pierrepont and she were married. She the daughter of William Cavendish and Bess of Hardwick Countess Shrewsbury and Waterford. In Jan 1632 Frances Cavendish died.
Kings Wessex: Great x 16 Grand Daughter of King Edmund "Ironside" I of England
Kings Gwynedd: Great x 12 Grand Daughter of Owain "Great" King Gwynedd
Kings Seisyllwg: Great x 18 Grand Daughter of Hywel "Dda aka Good" King Seisyllwg King Deheubarth
Kings Powys: Great x 13 Grand Daughter of Maredudd ap Bleddyn King Powys
Kings England: Great x 8 Grand Daughter of King Edward "Longshanks" I of England
Kings Scotland: Great x 14 Grand Daughter of Malcolm III King Scotland
Kings Franks: Great x 12 Grand Daughter of Louis VII King Franks
Kings France: Great x 12 Grand Daughter of Louis "Fat" VI King France
GrandFather: John Harwick
Father: John Hardwick 7 x Great Grand Son of King Edward "Longshanks" I of England
Great x 1 Grandfather: Thomas Pinchbeck
GrandMother: Elizabeth Pinchbeck 6 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward "Longshanks" I of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Thomas Green
Great x 3 Grandfather: Thomas Green
Great x 2 Grandfather: Thomas Green 4 x Great Grand Son of King Edward "Longshanks" I of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: Richard Talbot 7th Baron Strange Blackmere 4th Baron Talbot 2 x Great Grand Son of King Edward "Longshanks" I of England
Great x 3 Grandmother: Mary Talbot 3 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward "Longshanks" I of England
Great x 4 Grandmother: Ankaret Strange 7th Baroness Strange Blackmere, Baroness Talbot
5 x Great Grand Daughter of King John "Lackland" of England
Great x 1 Grandmother: Anne Greene 5 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward "Longshanks" I of England
Great x 2 Grandmother: Mary aka Marina Bellers
Bess of Hardwick Countess Shrewsbury and Waterford 8 x Great Grand Daughter of King Edward "Longshanks" I of England
Great x 4 Grandfather: John Leeke
Great x 3 Grandfather: Simon Leeke
Great x 2 Grandfather: John Leeke of Cotham
Great x 1 Grandfather: William Leeke of Lakeford
GrandFather: Thomas Leeke of Hasland
Mother: Elizabeth Leeke
Great x 4 Grandfather: William Vaux
Great x 3 Grandfather: William Vaux
Great x 2 Grandfather: William Vaux
Great x 1 Grandfather: William Vaux of Harrowden
GrandMother: Margaret Vaux
