@the.past.reborn: I was seven when my father died. As his only surviving child, I inherited his title and lands, but I had no say in what would happen to me next. The Duke of Suffolk bought my wardship and brought me into his household. I was meant to marry his son. Then the duke’s wife died, and he married me himself. I was fourteen. He was about forty-nine. By sixteen, I’d given birth to our first son. A second followed. Twelve years into our marriage, the duke died, leaving me a wealthy widow with two young boys. I opened my home to Protestant preachers and people came to hear them. Then sweating sickness took both my sons at Buckden, one shortly after the other. I married again, this time to a man I chose: Richard Bertie, who had served in my household and shared my faith. We had a daughter, Susan. When Mary became queen, Richard was questioned about my beliefs. He left England first. I followed with our baby, dressed as a merchant’s wife. We survived a shipwreck, struggled to find shelter in the Low Countries and kept moving as rumours spread that the queen’s agents were looking for us. In exile, I gave birth to a son. We named him Peregrine, meaning traveller. After Mary died, we returned to England. I rode through the gates of Grimsthorpe with Richard and our two children. Who am I? #historytok #WomenInHistory #englishhistory #strongwomen #tudor

The Past Reborn

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Thursday 01 October 2026 17:00:00 GMT