Frances Howard was born into the famous and wealthy Howard family in 1590. At only 14 she was married off to the 13 year old Robert Devereux, the 3rd Earl of Essex. They were NOT a successful match.
As they were both so young when they got married, they were separated at first, even back then they thought 14 was probably too young to get pregnant. Devereaux was sent on a trip around Europe for 2 years. When he got back he tried to consummate their marriage, but she called him names and ridiculed him, making it hard for him to well….get hard. Frances accused Devereux of impotence, which in those days was grounds for divorce. Frances really wanted that divorce because while Devereux had been on holiday, she had found someone else she wanted to marry.
The object of Frances’s affections was the dashing and handsome Robert Carr. But she wasn’t the only one into Carr, King James I fancied him too. King James much preferred the company of men over women and he preferred Carr’s company most of all. The King loved good looking young men and, whilst it is debatable whether they ever became lovers, James definitely couldn’t get enough of Carr. With James’ love and admiration, Carr’s star was on the rise.
Devereaux wasn’t exactly happy with these accusations of impotence. He protested that it was only with Frances that he struggled to have sex, he was perfectly able to have sex with anyone else, and he tried to prove it too. But, as it became clear that Frances was still a virgin, Devereux became the laughing stock at court.
Devereaux wasn’t Frances’ only obstacle to marrying Carr. Thomas Overbury had been Carr’s secretary, and he did not have a good opinion of Frances Howard. He was misogynistic and antagonising and tried everything he could to make Carr rethink the whole Frances situation. Frances hated Overbury and wanted to get rid of him. The Howard family organised for Overbury to be sent to Russia as an ambassador. Overbury refused to go, not wanting to leave Carr’s side, the King took this as an insult. King James had Overbury sent to the tower of London, where he grew dangerously ill and promptly dropped dead. Not long after, Frances got her divorce on the grounds of impotence, leaving her to marry Carr.
But this was no happily ever after, three years after her marriage to Carr, Frances and her husband were accused of the murder of Overbury. Investigations had revealed that during his stay in the Tower of London Overbury had been sent numerous poisoned jellies and tarts. There was also evidence that when these didn’t work, Overbuy had received a poisoned enema. What a way to go. The trail of clues all led back to Frances and Carr. The case was sent to court where Frances was accused of having had Overbuy poisoned with the help of her servants. But the poison wasn’t the worst of it, she was also accused of having enlisted the help of witchcraft and black magic to help her kill Overbury and marry Carr. This was the age of witch hunts and Macbeth, sorcery was no laughing matter.
Both Carr and Frances were sent to the Tower of London, convicted of murder and sentenced to death. Devereux himself was on the jury and more than happy to push for the execution of his ex-wife. Luckily for them, they were both spared execution (though her servants were not so lucky.) They eventually received a pardon from King James, probably due to the fact that he had once loved Carr, and were released from prison.
While under house arrest Carr and Frances had a daughter, Anne, they never had another child together. Whether their marriage ever recovered from the murder trial is unknown. While Frances admitted guilt, Carr always maintained his innocence.
Frances was, in many ways, a modern woman. She refused to follow the 17th century expectations of a wife. She didn’t want a loveless passionless marriage, she wanted to marry who she loved. The way she went about achieving her desires obviously wasn’t great, but I still think she’s worth writing about as a woman who defied the expectations of her age.
