‘Controversial’ Earl the focus of new exhibition at Leamington Art Gallery and Museum

A favourite of Queen Elizabeth I, Dudley is one of the most controversial and glamorous characters in English history.

The exhibition will feature major events such as the visits of Queen Elizabeth to Robert at Warwick Castle in 1572 and Kenilworth Castle in 1575.

The Dudley family’s social connections in the county and Robert Dudley’s impact on its art and architecture, particularly in Kenilworth and Warwick, will also be revealed

At Kenilworth, the castle was extensively refurbished by him in the 1560s and ’70s to create a Renaissance palace.

In 1571 he founded, in Warwick, the home for retired serviceman which still survives in its original picturesque medieval buildings as the Lord Leycester Hospital.

Robert and others of his family were buried in elaborate tombs which can be seen in St Mary‘s church.

Robert Dudley has also flourished as a character in fiction, beginning with Sir Walter Scott’s novel Kenilworth, first published in 1821. This set the death of Dudley’s first wife, Amy Robsart, against the background of the ‘Princelye Pleasures’.

In the interests of spinning a romantic yarn, Scott introduced many inaccuracies into his novel, setting the murder of Amy against the background of the Princelye Pleasures of 1575. In reality she died in unknown circumstances 15 years earlier.

Unfortunately for Dudley’s reputation, the popularity of Kenilworth ensured that the legend of the earl as a ruthlessly ambitious villain became widely believed.

The novel also had an impact on the performing arts, inspiring over the course of the 19th century several plays, operas and ballets dealing with the death of Amy.

Even today, this characterisation of Dudley still frequently figures in historical novels and dramas.

The exhibition will showcase the Dudley heritage of Warwickshire, with displays of paintings, print documents and other works from local collections.

Entry to the exhibition, which runs from Saturday June 25 to Sunday September 18, is free and there is a linked programme of activities.

Call 742700 or visit www.warwickdc.gov.uk/wdc/royalpumprooms