Jane Shore
Encyclopedia
Elizabeth "Jane" Shore (c.1445 – c.1527) was one of the many mistresses of King Edward IV of England
, the first of the three whom he described respectively as "the merriest, the wiliest, and the holiest harlots" in his realm. She also became a courtesan
to other noblemen, including Edward's stepson, Thomas Grey, 1st Marquess of Dorset
, and William Hastings, 1st Baron Hastings
, his close friend and advisor.
in about 1445, Jane Shore was the daughter of a prosperous merchant named John Lambert and his wife Amy, who was the daughter of a well-off grocer named Robert Marshall. She was originally christened "Elizabeth" but took up the name "Jane" later on for unknown reasons.
Spending time in her father’s shop at a young age brought her into contact with ladies of high rank. From these customers Jane was able to observe their behaviour and gain an understanding of the manners of those higher ranking than herself. She was thought to have been highly intelligent, and as a result received an education that was not usually associated with a person of her class.
Jane’s beauty was well-known throughout London, earning her the title of “The Rose of London”. She attracted many suitors, among them William Hastings, 1st Baron Hastings
, friend and confidant of Edward IV. It is likely Hastings fell in love with Jane before her marriage. His affection for Jane is apparent later in life by his continual protection of her. Jane’s beauty was not the only characteristic that made her appealing for men. She was also admired for her pleasant, warm-hearted personality and her wit.
Such extreme attention made finding his daughter a suitable husband desirous for John Lambert. Such an opportunity presented itself with William Shore (d. 1494), a mercer and common visitor to the Lambert home. He was approximately 14 or 15 years older than Jane. Though handsome and well-to-do, he never really won her affections. Their marriage was annulled in March 1476 after Jane petitioned the annulment of her marriage on the grounds that William was impotent, which prevented her from fulfilling her desire to have children. Pope Sixtus IV
commissioned three bishops to decide the case, who granted the annulment.
for 4 December 1476, it was during this same year that Jane began her liaison with Edward IV, after his return from France. Edward did not discard her as he did many of his mistresses, and was completely devoted to Jane. She had a large amount of influence over the king, but would not use it for her own personal gain. This was exemplified by her practice of bringing those out of favour before the king to help them gain pardon. Jane, according to the official records, was not showered with gifts, unlike many of Edward’s previous mistresses. Their relationship lasted until Edward's death in 1483.
, and William Hastings, 1st Baron Hastings. Grey's wife was the wealthy heiress Cecily Bonville, who also happened to be the stepdaughter of Hastings. Jane was instrumental in bringing about the alliance between Hastings and the Woodvilles which was formed while Richard, Duke of Gloucester
, was Protector, before he took the throne as King Richard III. She was accused of carrying messages between Hastings and the Queen. It was because of her role in this alliance that Jane was charged with conspiracy, along with Hastings and the Woodvilles, against the Protector's government.
Jane’s punishment included open penance at Paul's Cross for her promiscuous behaviour by Richard, though this may have been motivated by the suspicion that she had harboured Dorset when he was a fugitive or as a result of Richard’s antagonism towards any person who represented his older brother’s court. A clash of personalities between the lighthearted Jane and stern Richard also generated a mutual dislike between the two. Jane accordingly went in her kirtle
through the streets one Sunday with a taper in her hand, attracting a lot of male attention all along the way.
After her public penitence, Jane resided in Ludgate
prison. While there, she captivated the King's Solicitor General
, Thomas Lynom. After he expressed an interest in Jane to the king, Richard tried to dissuade him for his own good. This is evinced by a letter to John Russell
from Richard, where the King asked the chancellor to try and prevent the marriage, but if he was determined on the marriage, to release Jane from prison and put her in the charge of her father until Richard's next arrival in London when the marriage could take place.
They were married and had one daughter. It is believed that Jane lived out the remainder of her life in bourgeois respectability. Lynom lost his position as King's Solicitor when Henry VII
defeated Richard III at the Battle of Bosworth in August 1485, but he was able to stay on as a mid-level bureaucrat in the new reign, becoming a gentleman who sat on the commissions in the Welsh Marches
and clerk controller to Arthur, Prince of Wales
at Ludlow Castle
. Thomas More
, writing when she was still alive, but old, declared that even then an attentive observer might have discerned in her shriveled countenance some traces of its lost charms.
In poetry:
Romantic novels about her include:
The IMDB database
lists three films entitled Jane Shore:
Novels in which she is a side character include:
Edward IV of England
Edward IV was King of England from 4 March 1461 until 3 October 1470, and again from 11 April 1471 until his death. He was the first Yorkist King of England...
, the first of the three whom he described respectively as "the merriest, the wiliest, and the holiest harlots" in his realm. She also became a courtesan
Courtesan
A courtesan was originally a female courtier, which means a person who attends the court of a monarch or other powerful person.In feudal society, the court was the centre of government as well as the residence of the monarch, and social and political life were often completely mixed together...
to other noblemen, including Edward's stepson, Thomas Grey, 1st Marquess of Dorset
Thomas Grey, 1st Marquess of Dorset
Thomas Grey, 7th Baron Ferrers of Groby, 1st Earl of Huntingdon and 1st Marquess of Dorset, KG , was an English nobleman, courtier and a man of mediocre abilities pushed into prominence by his mother Elizabeth Woodville's second marriage to the king, Edward IV.-Family:Thomas was born about 1455,...
, and William Hastings, 1st Baron Hastings
William Hastings, 1st Baron Hastings
William Hastings, 1st Baron Hastings KG was an English nobleman. A follower of the House of York, he became a close friend and the most important courtier of King Edward IV, whom he served as Lord Chamberlain...
, his close friend and advisor.
Early life and first marriage
Born in LondonLondon
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
in about 1445, Jane Shore was the daughter of a prosperous merchant named John Lambert and his wife Amy, who was the daughter of a well-off grocer named Robert Marshall. She was originally christened "Elizabeth" but took up the name "Jane" later on for unknown reasons.
Spending time in her father’s shop at a young age brought her into contact with ladies of high rank. From these customers Jane was able to observe their behaviour and gain an understanding of the manners of those higher ranking than herself. She was thought to have been highly intelligent, and as a result received an education that was not usually associated with a person of her class.
Jane’s beauty was well-known throughout London, earning her the title of “The Rose of London”. She attracted many suitors, among them William Hastings, 1st Baron Hastings
William Hastings, 1st Baron Hastings
William Hastings, 1st Baron Hastings KG was an English nobleman. A follower of the House of York, he became a close friend and the most important courtier of King Edward IV, whom he served as Lord Chamberlain...
, friend and confidant of Edward IV. It is likely Hastings fell in love with Jane before her marriage. His affection for Jane is apparent later in life by his continual protection of her. Jane’s beauty was not the only characteristic that made her appealing for men. She was also admired for her pleasant, warm-hearted personality and her wit.
Such extreme attention made finding his daughter a suitable husband desirous for John Lambert. Such an opportunity presented itself with William Shore (d. 1494), a mercer and common visitor to the Lambert home. He was approximately 14 or 15 years older than Jane. Though handsome and well-to-do, he never really won her affections. Their marriage was annulled in March 1476 after Jane petitioned the annulment of her marriage on the grounds that William was impotent, which prevented her from fulfilling her desire to have children. Pope Sixtus IV
Pope Sixtus IV
Pope Sixtus IV , born Francesco della Rovere, was Pope from 1471 to 1484. His accomplishments as Pope included the establishment of the Sistine Chapel; the group of artists that he brought together introduced the Early Renaissance into Rome with the first masterpiece of the city's new artistic age,...
commissioned three bishops to decide the case, who granted the annulment.
Mistress to a king
According to the Patent RollsPatent Rolls
The Patent Rolls are primary sources for English history, a record of the King of England's correspondence, starting in 1202....
for 4 December 1476, it was during this same year that Jane began her liaison with Edward IV, after his return from France. Edward did not discard her as he did many of his mistresses, and was completely devoted to Jane. She had a large amount of influence over the king, but would not use it for her own personal gain. This was exemplified by her practice of bringing those out of favour before the king to help them gain pardon. Jane, according to the official records, was not showered with gifts, unlike many of Edward’s previous mistresses. Their relationship lasted until Edward's death in 1483.
Prison, second marriage and later life
Jane also had two other lovers: the queen's eldest son Thomas Grey, 1st Marquess of DorsetThomas Grey, 1st Marquess of Dorset
Thomas Grey, 7th Baron Ferrers of Groby, 1st Earl of Huntingdon and 1st Marquess of Dorset, KG , was an English nobleman, courtier and a man of mediocre abilities pushed into prominence by his mother Elizabeth Woodville's second marriage to the king, Edward IV.-Family:Thomas was born about 1455,...
, and William Hastings, 1st Baron Hastings. Grey's wife was the wealthy heiress Cecily Bonville, who also happened to be the stepdaughter of Hastings. Jane was instrumental in bringing about the alliance between Hastings and the Woodvilles which was formed while Richard, Duke of Gloucester
Richard III of England
Richard III was King of England for two years, from 1483 until his death in 1485 during the Battle of Bosworth Field. He was the last king of the House of York and the last of the Plantagenet dynasty...
, was Protector, before he took the throne as King Richard III. She was accused of carrying messages between Hastings and the Queen. It was because of her role in this alliance that Jane was charged with conspiracy, along with Hastings and the Woodvilles, against the Protector's government.
Jane’s punishment included open penance at Paul's Cross for her promiscuous behaviour by Richard, though this may have been motivated by the suspicion that she had harboured Dorset when he was a fugitive or as a result of Richard’s antagonism towards any person who represented his older brother’s court. A clash of personalities between the lighthearted Jane and stern Richard also generated a mutual dislike between the two. Jane accordingly went in her kirtle
Kirtle
A kirtle is a tunic-like garment worn by men and women in the Middle Ages or, later, a one-piece garment worn by women from the later Middle Ages into the Baroque period...
through the streets one Sunday with a taper in her hand, attracting a lot of male attention all along the way.
After her public penitence, Jane resided in Ludgate
Ludgate
Ludgate was the westernmost gate in London Wall. The name survives in Ludgate Hill, an eastward continuation of Fleet Street, and Ludgate Circus.-Etymology:...
prison. While there, she captivated the King's Solicitor General
Solicitor General for England and Wales
Her Majesty's Solicitor General for England and Wales, often known as the Solicitor General, is one of the Law Officers of the Crown, and the deputy of the Attorney General, whose duty is to advise the Crown and Cabinet on the law...
, Thomas Lynom. After he expressed an interest in Jane to the king, Richard tried to dissuade him for his own good. This is evinced by a letter to John Russell
John Russell (bishop)
John Russell was an English Bishop of Rochester and bishop of Lincoln and Lord Chancellor.-Life:Russell was admitted to Winchester College in 1443, and in 1449 went to Oxford as Fellow of New College...
from Richard, where the King asked the chancellor to try and prevent the marriage, but if he was determined on the marriage, to release Jane from prison and put her in the charge of her father until Richard's next arrival in London when the marriage could take place.
They were married and had one daughter. It is believed that Jane lived out the remainder of her life in bourgeois respectability. Lynom lost his position as King's Solicitor when Henry VII
Henry VII of England
Henry VII was King of England and Lord of Ireland from his seizing the crown on 22 August 1485 until his death on 21 April 1509, as the first monarch of the House of Tudor....
defeated Richard III at the Battle of Bosworth in August 1485, but he was able to stay on as a mid-level bureaucrat in the new reign, becoming a gentleman who sat on the commissions in the Welsh Marches
Welsh Marches
The Welsh Marches is a term which, in modern usage, denotes an imprecisely defined area along and around the border between England and Wales in the United Kingdom. The precise meaning of the term has varied at different periods...
and clerk controller to Arthur, Prince of Wales
Arthur, Prince of Wales
Arthur Tudor, Prince of Wales was the first son of King Henry VII of England and Elizabeth of York, and therefore, heir to the throne of England. As he predeceased his father, Arthur never became king...
at Ludlow Castle
Ludlow Castle
Ludlow Castle is a large, partly ruined, non-inhabited castle which dominates the town of Ludlow in Shropshire, England. It stands on a high point overlooking the River Teme...
. Thomas More
Thomas More
Sir Thomas More , also known by Catholics as Saint Thomas More, was an English lawyer, social philosopher, author, statesman and noted Renaissance humanist. He was an important councillor to Henry VIII of England and, for three years toward the end of his life, Lord Chancellor...
, writing when she was still alive, but old, declared that even then an attentive observer might have discerned in her shriveled countenance some traces of its lost charms.
Fiction
In drama:- "Mistress Shore" is frequently mentioned in William ShakespeareWilliam ShakespeareWilliam Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon"...
's play, Richard IIIRichard III (play)Richard III is a history play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in approximately 1591. It depicts the Machiavellian rise to power and subsequent short reign of Richard III of England. The play is grouped among the histories in the First Folio and is most often classified...
. (She actually appears in Laurence OlivierLaurence OlivierLaurence Kerr Olivier, Baron Olivier, OM was an English actor, director, and producer. He was one of the most famous and revered actors of the 20th century. He married three times, to fellow actors Jill Esmond, Vivien Leigh, and Joan Plowright...
's 1955 film version, played by Pamela Brown - she has only one line: "Good morrow, my Lord", which is interpolated into the film. The film shows her as attending to Edward IV, but afterwards having a passionate affair with Lord Hastings.) Edward IV, Thomas Grey, and Lord Hastings are all characters in the play. - The story of Jane Shore's wooing by Edward IV, her influence in court, and her tragic death in the arms of Matthew Shore is the main plot in a play by Thomas HeywoodThomas HeywoodThomas Heywood was a prominent English playwright, actor, and author whose peak period of activity falls between late Elizabethan and early Jacobean theatre.-Early years:...
, Edward IVEdward IV (play)Edward IV, Parts 1 and 2 is a two-part Elizabethan history play, often attributed to Thomas Heywood, perhaps with collaborators.The two parts were entered into the Stationers' Register together on August 28, 1599, and were published together later that year in a quarto issued by the bookseller John...
(printed 1600). The play shows her struggling with the morality of accepting the king's offers, using her influence to grant pardons to those wrongfully punished, and expressing regret for her relationship with Edward. In this version, her first marriage is never annulled, but the two are reconciled right before dying and being buried together in "Shores Ditch, as in the memory of them". - The Tragedy of Jane Shore is a 17141714 in literatureThe year 1714 in literature involved some significant events.-Events:* Sir Samuel Garth, poet and royal physician, is knighted by King George I of Great Britain...
play by Nicholas RoweNicholas Rowe (dramatist)Nicholas Rowe , English dramatist, poet and miscellaneous writer, was appointed Poet Laureate in 1715.-Life:...
. - A performance of Jane Shore was given on Saturday 30 July 1796 at a theatre in SydneySydneySydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
, AustraliaAustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. The pamphlet for the play was printed by a convict in the settlement, George Hughes, who was the operator of Australia's first printing press. The pamphlet for the play is the earliest surviving document printed in Australia. It was presented as a gift to Australia by the Canadian Government and is held at the National Library of AustraliaNational Library of AustraliaThe National Library of Australia is the largest reference library of Australia, responsible under the terms of the National Library Act for "maintaining and developing a national collection of library material, including a comprehensive collection of library material relating to Australia and the...
in the National Treasures collection in Canberra.
In poetry:
- Thomas ChurchyardThomas ChurchyardThomas Churchyard , English author, was born at Shrewsbury, the son of a farmer.-Life:Churchyard received a good education, and, having speedily dissipated at court the money with which his father provided him, he entered the household of Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey...
published a poem about her in Mirror for MagistratesMirror for MagistratesMirror for Magistrates is a collection of English poems from the Tudor period by various authors which retell the lives and the tragic ends of various historical figures.-Background:...
. - Anthony ChuteAnthony ChuteAnthony Chute was an Elizabethan poet and pamphleteer. Very little is known about him.Chute appears to have been a protégé of Gabriel Harvey. Harvey refers to him in his work Pierces Supererogation, saying that Chute was an orator and a herald...
's 1593 poem Beauty Dishonoured, written under the title of Shore's wife is supposed to be the lament of Jane Shore, whose ghost tells her life story and makes moral reflections. - Michael DraytonMichael DraytonMichael Drayton was an English poet who came to prominence in the Elizabethan era.-Early life:He was born at Hartshill, near Nuneaton, Warwickshire, England. Almost nothing is known about his early life, beyond the fact that in 1580 he was in the service of Thomas Goodere of Collingham,...
wrote a poem about her in his Heroical Epistles. - Andrew MarvellAndrew MarvellAndrew Marvell was an English metaphysical poet, Parliamentarian, and the son of a Church of England clergyman . As a metaphysical poet, he is associated with John Donne and George Herbert...
refers to her in The King's Vows, a satire on Charles IICharles II of EnglandCharles II was monarch of the three kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland.Charles II's father, King Charles I, was executed at Whitehall on 30 January 1649, at the climax of the English Civil War...
, in which the king says, "But what ever it cost I will have a fine Whore, /As bold as Alce PierceAlice PerrersAlice Perrers was a royal mistress whose lover and patron was King Edward III of England. She acquired significant land holdings. She served as a lady-in-waiting to Edward's consort, Philippa of Hainault.-Life and Family:...
and as faire as Jane Shore."
Romantic novels about her include:
- The Goldsmith's Wife (1950) by Jean Plaidy
- "Figures in Silk" (2008) by Vanora Bennett, pub. 2008, which also features her sister Isabel
- She appears in Philippa GregoryPhilippa GregoryPhilippa Gregory is an English novelist.-Early life and academic career:Philippa Gregory was born in Kenya. When she was two years old, her family moved to England. She was a "rebel" at school, but managed to attend the University of Sussex...
's The White Queen (2009), a novel about Elizabeth WoodvilleElizabeth WoodvilleElizabeth Woodville was Queen consort of England as the spouse of King Edward IV from 1464 until his death in 1483. Elizabeth was a key figure in the series of dynastic civil wars known as the Wars of the Roses. Her first husband, Sir John Grey of Groby was killed at the Second Battle of St Albans...
, Queen Consort to Edward IV, under her real name, Elizabeth.
The IMDB database
Internet Movie Database
Internet Movie Database is an online database of information related to movies, television shows, actors, production crew personnel, video games and fictional characters featured in visual entertainment media. It is one of the most popular online entertainment destinations, with over 100 million...
lists three films entitled Jane Shore:
- Jane Shore (1911)
- Jane ShoreJane Shore (1915 film)Jane Shore is a 1915 British silent historical film directed by Bert Haldane and F. Martin Thornton and starring Blanche Forsythe, Roy Travers and Robert Purdie...
(1915) (in which she was played by Blanche Forsyth) - Jane Shore (1922) (in which she was played by Sybil ThorndikeSybil ThorndikeDame Agnes Sybil Thorndike CH DBE was a British actress.-Early life:She was born in Gainsborough, Lincolnshire to Arthur Thorndike and Agnes Macdonald. Her father was a Canon of Rochester Cathedral...
)
Novels in which she is a side character include:
- "The Sunne in Splendor" (1982) by Sharon Kay PenmanSharon Kay PenmanSharon Kay Penman is an American historical novelist, published in the UK as Sharon Penman. She is best known for the Welsh Princes trilogy and the Plantagenet series. In addition, she has written four medieval mysteries, the first of which, The Queen's Man, was a finalist in 1996 for the Best...
- "The White Queen" (2009) by Philippa GregoryPhilippa GregoryPhilippa Gregory is an English novelist.-Early life and academic career:Philippa Gregory was born in Kenya. When she was two years old, her family moved to England. She was a "rebel" at school, but managed to attend the University of Sussex...