The correspondence of Bess of Hardwick (c.1521/2 or 1527-1608) – the early modern dynast, matriarch, and builder of Hardwick Hall, among other things – was one of the most fascinating groups of objects Dr Anke Timmermann worked on prior to becoming an antiquarian bookseller and co-founding Type & Forme.
While editing letters to and from Bess for the digital edition at Glasgow University,* Anke had a chance to develop an exhibition inspired by Bess’ correspondence. This exhibition, titled ‘Unsealed: The Letters of Bess of Hardwick’, was mounted at Hardwick Hall, Derbyshire (National Trust, April 2011 to November 2012) and then moved on to The National Archives, Kew (November 2012 to February 2013).
Anke particularly enjoyed working with the National Trust team on site: setting up in Bess’ south-facing bedroom with a team of conservation and heritage specialists was an unforgettable experience.
Anke has recorded her insights into Bess’ life, her interactions with her husbands and her troublesome charge Arbella Stuart, and the things Bess sent and received with her letters in a series of podcasts, which are available on the Bess of Hardwick’s Letters project website. The final episode is a tour through Hardwick Hall – we hope you will enjoy it!
Listen to all podcast episodes here:
Unsealed: The Letters of Bess of Hardwick Podcast
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* Bess of Hardwick’s Letters: The Complete Correspondence, c.1550-1608, ed. by Alison Wiggins, Alan Bryson, Daniel Starza Smith, Anke Timmermann and Graham Williams, University of Glasgow, web development by Katherine Rogers, University of Sheffield Humanities Research Institute (April 2013), accessed 15 December 2023.