The Death of Ambrose Dudley, 3rd Earl of Warwick - 21 February 1590
- thedudleywomen
- Feb 21
- 6 min read
Updated: 4 hours ago
On 21 February 1590, only a short time after undergoing a lower leg amputation, Ambrose Dudley, 3rd Earl of Warwick, died at Bedford House, on The Strand, in the City of Westminster.
In October 1562, Ambrose, who the previous December had been elevated to the Earldom of Warwick, was dispatched to the port of Newhaven in Northern France, on the orders of Elizabeth I. Elizabeth had pledged her support for the French Huguenots (Protestants) in the 'French Wars of Religion', and Ambrose and the 6000 men under his command would be sent to garrison the town. The expedition was unsuccessful, with finances dwindling, plague running through the troops, and the French turning on the English. In July 1563, whilst trying to negotiate terms of surrender, Ambrose was shot in the leg by enemy fire. On his return to England, he was immediately visited by Robert, against the orders of the Queen, due to the ongoing risk of plague amongst the troops (Weir, 1999).
In November 1565, Ambrose married his third and final wife, the fifteen year-old Anne Russell, the eldest daughter of Francis Russell, 2nd Earl of Bedford, in a marriage arranged by her father and his brother, Robert Dudley, 1st Earl of Leicester, to whom he retained a close relationship during their lifetimes. Their marriage, whilst producing no children, was a successful one, with the couple taking their roles as head of the Dudley family, whose fortunes had once again risen during the reign of Elizabeth I, following its downfall following the death of Edward VI and the attempted coup involving Lady Jane Grey in July 1553 (Paul, 2022).
Ambrose's leg wound never properly healed, leaving him with long-term complications. He was said to have walked with a stick to aid his mobilty for the rest of his life, which subsequently restricted him receiving further military appointments (Weir, 1999). He was appointed to the Privy Council in 1573; however, his deteriorating health and mobility prevented attendance at court and his Privy Council duties in his later life; in 1586, correspondence from Robert documented that Ambrose had 'lost the use of his legs' (Adams, 1995). He was known to have travelled with his brother Robert to Buxton, a town in Derbyshire, renowned for its thermal spa, where many travelled hoping that its 'waters', either by drinking or bathing in them, would help heal his wound and restore his health. It was in the summer of 1577, that Robert and Ambrose on their way to Buxton, spent two weeks at Kenilworth, Warwickshire, where the relationship between Robert and the newly widowed Lettice Knollys, Countess of Essex appeared to develop (Tallis, 2017).
In 1586, Ambrose and Anne were granted the wardship of Anne's thirteen year-old nephew, Edward Russell, the newly appointed 3rd Earl of Russell, following the death of his father Francis in 1585. Under the guardianship and supervision of the Warwicks, a new house, 'Bedford House', was built on the northern side of The Strand, on the Bedford land previously purchased by John Russell, 1st Earl of Bedford - 'the Convent Garden' (British History Online, 2025). It appears from this time on, that the couple then split their time between Bedford House, and their primary residence at Northaw, Hertfordshire, where they continued to host family members, and even the queen on occasion (Whitelock, 2013). Likely alerted by Anne's ongoing absence from court, in contrast to her constant attendance on the queen over the previous two decades, news of Ambrose's deteriorating health reached Elizabeth, who visited Bedford House on two occasions, including a documented visit on 27 January 1590. There remain records of payments to the churches of St Martin-in-the-Fields and Lambeth for the ringing of the bells "at her Majesty's coming to the Earl of Warwick's" (Borman, 2009; Folgerpedia, 2025). On 28 January 1590, Ambrose wrote his will, making his final preparations before his death. In this, he identified Anne "my dear and loving Wife" as his primary beneficiary, bequeathing her the majority of his estate. He also identified other family members as beneficiaries, including his sister Catherine, Countess of Huntingdon, and his Sidney nieces and nephews. Ambrose also bequeathed the queen a emerald jewel, with the request to "continue your good favour towards my said wife, whom I leave to continue her most faithfull and devoted Servant...as my last petition to her Majesty" (The National Archives, 2024).
In late January 1590, the decision was made to amputate the now gangrenous leg, in an attempt to save his life. However, his health continued to deteriorate, and Ambrose finally succumbed to his thirty year-old injury at Bedford House on 21 February 1590; Lady Anne Clifford later wrote that her father George Clifford, 3rd Earl of Cumberland, was resident at Bedford House at the time of Ambrose's death, having returned from Spain the previous month, and missing her own birth in Yorkshire (Clifford, 2003). Whitelock (2013, p.272) also highlights a description given by politician and courtier Sir Edward Stafford, of Anne being "so full of tears that she could not speak", just prior to Ambrose's death.
Anne had a close relationship throughout her life with her younger siblings, having fallen into a maternal role due to the premature loss of their own mother Margaret St John, Countess of Bedford in August 1562 from smallpox. Whilst Anne is likely to have been present at the births of her youngest sister Margaret, Countess of Cumberland's two eldest children, one born at her own home in Northaw, Ambrose's illness kept the sisters separate in what was a tragic few months for both Whilst residing at Skipton Castle, Yorkshire, and heavily pregnant, Margaret's eldest son Francis died, aged 5. Only three weeks later, Margaret gave birth to her third and final child, a daughter who bore her godmother's name: Anne. Being unable to travel up to Yorkshire, a proxy was identified in her place for the baptism, which took place at Holy Trinity Church at Skipton on 22 February 1590, the day after Ambrose's death (Holmes, 1975).
In contrast to his brother Robert's last requests, Ambrose did not set out any requests in his will for his burial, instead stating "for my Body...to be disposed in Christian burial, according to the discretion of my Executrix", that being his wife, Anne (The National Archives, 2024), The decision was therefore made for Ambrose's body to be transported back to Warwick, in preparation for his burial. His funeral subsequently took place at the Collegiate Church of St Mary's, Warwick on 09 April 1590, and was overseen by Sir William Dethwick, a long-serving officer of the College of Arms. His brother-in-law Henry Hastings, 3rd Earl of Huntingdon, the husband of Katherine, his only surviving sibling, acted as the chief mourner, with other attendees including his ward Edward Russell, 3rd Earl of Bedford, other brothers-in-law George Clifford, 3rd Earl of Cumberland and Sir William Russell, and Henry Herbert, 2nd Earl of Pembroke, husband of his niece Mary Sidney (Collins, 1746).
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