Margaret Pole, Countess of Salisbury (1541)

The story of Margaret Pole, Countess of Salisbury starts 60 years before the beheading of Queen Anne Boleyn in 1536 but ends five years after. 

Margaret Pole was born near Bath in 1473 to the Duke of Clarence, the younger brother of King Edward IV. Margaret's father, the Duke of Clarence, had previously turned traitor and had tried to depose Edward and drive him from his throne. Once Edward regained his throne he did make peace with Clarence but he never fully trusted him after that. Clarence was still jealous of his elder brother the King and disliked the Queen Elizabeth Wydeville. When Margaret was four years old Clarence accused the Queen of poisoning his wife who had died the year before. He also said in public that the King was a bastard. Both accusations were unfounded but King Edward IV couldn't allow his brother to get away with this and so sent him to the Tower.

Duke of Clarence the traitor

Clarence was charged with high treason and as a Lord would escape the usual sentence for traitors which was to be hanged, drawn, beheaded and then quartered. Lords were given the more lenient sentence of being beheaded. Clarence, however, was not beheaded. Edward allowed him to choose how he would die. It is said that Clarence chose to drown in a butt of Malmsey wine. Whether you choose to believe this or not it would be useful to bear in mind that Margaret (his daughter) wore a wine barrel jewel on her wrist. You can view this painting at the National Portrait Gallery.

Margaret the orphan

Now both of Margaret's parents were dead. She and her brother Warwick were the offspring of a traitor but they were still of royal blood and were brought up with the King's children. When Edward IV died in 1483 and Richard III took the crown the young Margaret who was ten years old and her brother were moved with other young royal of the house of York to Sheriff Hutton Castle in Yorkshire. A year later Richard III's only son died and young Warwick was next in line to the throne. Richard III was not a popular monarch and he knew that Warwick had a good claim to the throne but he did not name him as his heir. A year later and Richard III died at the Battle of Bosworth. Henry VII was now King, the first Tudor King of England. Like Richard III, Henry VII  knew Warwick had a good claim to the throne, even stronger than his own. With that he had Warwick sent to live in the Tower of the London. Fourteen years later Warwick was still held captive in the Tower and was still a threat to Henry VII's throne. Agents were placed in the Tower who led Warwick to plot treason. This was the perfect opportunity for Edward VII, Warwick was beheaded and the agents hanged.Margaret had no blood relatives left. She had provided her husband Sir Richard Pole with four sons and a daughter before he died in 1505.

Henry VIII, the new King of England

Margaret Pole, Countess of Salisbury

Four years later Henry VIII was on the throne and even though Margaret was from the House of York he liked her and in 1513 he made her Countess of Salisbury, a title that had once been her father's. Henry VIII also funded her son's education at Oxford University. Her new title and wealth meant that she was now often at court and became close friends with Queen Katherine of Aragon. Margaret became governess and godmother to the Princess Mary and when the nine year old Princess was given her own court at Ludlow Castle in 1525, Margaret went with her. 

Along came Anne Boleyn

Anne Boleyn was now on the scene and Henry VIII had written to the Pope requesting him to end his marriage to Queen Katherine of Aragon. Reginald, Margaret's son, spoke out against Anne Boleyn and, in fear for his life, fled to Italy.
Once Anne Boleyn was Queen Margaret was sent away being out of favour of the court. Three years later after Queen Anne Boleyn's downfall Margaret was once again welcomed back to court but it wasn't long till her fate took another turn.

A PR disaster

In 1536 Margaret's son Reginald Pole (still in Italy) wrote and published a book expressing his thoughts of King Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn. He had been asked by Henry VIII to write positive propaganda in the favour of the King.This was a direct act of treason and while Henry VIII was on the throne Pole could never return to England without being tried for treason. Margaret's family had now been marked and were now being watched. 

And so to the Tower of London

Two years later Margaret's youngest son was sent to the Tower for aiding his exiled brother and later in the same year her eldest son along with his cousin along with their family members and children were also sent to the Tower. Margaret was the matriarch of Henry VIII's rivals. Even though she was now sixty five he had her sent to the Tower where she stayed in the dark and cold for two years. In 1541 there was a revolt in Yorkshire and Margaret still posed a threat.   King Henry VIII ordered her execution. 

Print by Isaac Cruikshank, c.1780

Margaret's last day

On 27th May 1541 she was woken to be told she would die that day. Her crime was to be the mother to men who had committed treason. Margaret's execution was the bloodiest of these seven posts. She laid her head on the block as she should but the executioner was new at his job and proceeded to hack at her head until she was dead. Margaret was buried in the chapel in the Tower near her enemy in life, Queen Anne Boleyn. Two innocent women who were at the mercy of men's actions. 

In the course of 118 years, between 1483 - 1601, seven famous traitors were beheaded in the Tower of London. Five of these traitors were women. King Henry VIII kept the executioners busy. Three of these beheadings were ordered by him over six years:

Traitors in the Tower of London:

1. Lord Hastings (1483)
2. Anne Boleyn (1536)
3. Countess of Salisbury (1541)
4. Katherine Howard (1542)
5. Lady Rochford (1542)
6. Lady Jane Grey (1554)

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Further reading about the Countess of Salisbury: