A Duchess in the Dungeon.
Queens weren’t the only ones being accused of witchcraft, Duchesses were also accused, arrested, and imprisoned.
Eleanor Cobham was a powerful woman in fifteenth-century England. She was the wife of Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester, and the uncle of King Henry VI.
In 1441, Eleanor was accused of using witchcraft to kill the king. The accusations were based on the testimony of a witch named Margery Jourdemayne, who claimed that Eleanor had tried to use a wax effigy to kill the king. Eleanor was also accused of consulting with astrologers and other practitioners of magic. Her main crime was that it was rumored that the queen made a poppet, a wax effigy of the king. It is said that she burned the wax figure and chanted a spell as it melted down to nothing. She chanted spells to curse the king. What she was really doing was holding a candle as she headed into the chapel for service, praying the whole way. She was imprisoned in the Tower of London, awaiting her trial. Because of the lies of Margery Jourdemayne, which were of course taken as fact. Sounds like the internet these days.
Her husband Humphrey was a powerful figure who had fallen out of favor with the king. It is possible that the accusations against Eleanor were a way of discrediting her husband and removing him from power. Most likely.
Eleanor was born in 1400. Her parents were Sir Reginald Cobham and Margaret Beauchamp. She became the Duchess of Gloucester in 1428 when she married Humphrey. There were no children between them.
She was a wealthy and powerful woman. She owned several estates and was involved in the running of the Duchy of Gloucester. She was also a patron of the arts and literature. She did her job as a duchess and died an innocent death in the Tower of London. She was exonerated only after her death.
If you want to read more about her, I have provided my sources below.
- The Life and Times of Eleanor Cobham by Christine Carpenter
- Eleanor Cobham: The Witch of Eye by Anne O’Brien
- The Duchess of Gloucester: A Study in Political Witchcraft by Alison Weir
I hope you enjoyed this blog post about Eleanor Cobham and her witchcraft. Stay tuned for our next blog post about Jacquetta of Luxembourg.