The Woman Behind the Cobham Family Portrait

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October 16, 2025 • 3 mins

On this day in Tudor history, 17 October 1592, Frances Brooke, Lady Cobham died and was buried at Cobham in Kent. You may already know her face: she appears in the famous Cobham Family Portrait of 1567, that beautiful Elizabethan painting capturing an entire household, from Frances and her husband to six of their children. I’m historian and author Claire Ridgway, and in today’s episode I’ll introduce you to the woman behind the portrait: a loyal attendant who moved through the very heart of Elizabeth I’s court. Frances served as Mistress of the Robes and Lady of the Bedchamber, rose high, briefly fell after her husband’s involvement in the Ridolfi Plot, and was later restored to favour. Her story is one of quiet endurance, family alliances, and a life spent in the Queen’s shadow, from Cobham Hall to the privy chamber itself. Like, subscribe, and ring the bell for more daily Tudor history, and tell me in the comments: Do you love the Cobham Family Portrait as much as I do? Link to portrait - https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5f/William_Brooke%2C_10th_Baron_Cobham_and_family.jpg

#TudorHistory #OnThisDay #ElizabethI #FrancesBrooke #LadyCobham #CobhamHall #TudorCourt #BessOfHardwick #TudorWomen #16thCentury #WomensHistory

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.css-14f5ked{margin:0;word-break:break-word;display:-webkit-box;-webkit-box-orient:vertical;box-orient:vertical;-webkit-line-clamp:2;overflow:hidden;}The Woman Behind the Cobham Family Portrait