25 May 1553 – The Marriage of Lady Jane Grey and Guildford Dudley

de bene esse: literally, of well-being, morally acceptable but subject to future validation or exception



On 25th¹ May 1553 a triple wedding took place at Durham Place, the London home of the Dudley family:

• Guildford Dudley, son of John Dudley, Duke of Northumberland, married Lady Jane Grey, daughter of Henry Grey, Duke of Suffolk, and Frances Brandon.
• Katherine Dudley, the 12 year-old sister of Guildford, married Lord Henry Herbert, son of the Earl of Pembroke
• Lady Katherine Grey, sister of Jane, married Lord Henry Hastings

All three couples were dressed in silver and gold and their weddings were attended by most of  English nobility, although the King was absent due to illness.

Read more about the weddings and families involved in the following articles:

• 25 May 1553 – Lady Jane Grey Marries Guildford Dudley
• John Dudley, the Family Man by Christine Hartweg
• A Triple Wedding at Durham Place: May 1553 by Susan Higginbotham

Notes

1. Leanda de Lisle says “The date is almost always given as the 21st but this is drawn from Commendone writing after the event. It was booked to take place on a Thursday (see Albert Feuillerat, Documents Relating to the Revels at Court, p306) and when I calculated the day from other known dates – e.g. Jane’s entry to the Tower – it confirmed my suspicion that it was the 25th.”, p328 in Notes of The Sisters Who Would be Queen, Leanda de Lisle, UK hardback.
   A letter from Jehan Scheyfve to the Emperor, dated 30th May, in Calendar of State Papers, Spain, Volume 11, also states 25th May – “On the 25th of this month were celebrated the weddings of my Lord Guilford, son of the Duke of Northumberland, to the eldest daughter of the Duke of Suffolk; of the Earl of Pembroke’s son to the second daughter; and of the Earl of Huntingdon’s son to the daughter of the Duke of Northumberland. The weddings were celebrated with great magnificence and feasting at the Duke of Northumberland’s house in town.”