Christopher Marlowe or Kit Marlowe...
was he saved at Deptford
by the Lord High Admiral, Lord Howard of Effingham?
A new theory about an age-old mystery?
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Theories abound as to the why and wherefore of what happened
that day in Deptford,
but perhaps there is something that has not been noticed.
That something is the unique place in the
Kit Marlowe story
of the Lord High Admiral, Lord Howard of Effingham.
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The Lord Admiral was an extremely important man.
He was not only cousin to the Queen,
but a trusted servant to her.
He became commander-in-chief of England's first major fleet,
and hero of the battle against the Spanish Armada.
He was known also for his care of the men in his service.
http://www.nmm.ac.uk/site/request/setTemplate:singlecontent/contentTypeA/conWebDoc/contentId/6204/viewPage/5/navId/005001005000000006
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Note
"his care of the men in his service. "
Would not this have extended to his care
of the men in his drama company?
The Lord Admiral's Men
including, of course, their
star playwright,
Kit Marlowe.
It should be noted that Kit Marlowe
is thought to have taken part in the
sailing of the fleet against the Armada...
Lord Howard was of course the hero of the time,
for the victory he gained.
Therefore, there is a very special way
in which Kit may be regarded as
one of "the men in his service",
who would be given
"his care of the men in his service. "
(even a few years later!)
"A.D. Wraight has proven that Edward III contains a scene based on
intelligence young Marlowe gathered during the Armada battle, even
naming the ship upon which he served, the Nonpareil."
http://www2.localaccess.com/marlowe/marloweport.htm
Did Marlowe take part in
the greatest naval campaign of
English history?
"As an important intelligence agent, Marlowe was sent to assess the volatile situation in France, whether the Catholic Holy League was planning to join King Philip's 'Great Enterprise' against England. Picked up off the coast of Brittany at the last minute by Captain Fenner's ship, the Nonpareille, they sailed to join Drake's squadron at Plymouth.The seal of confirmation is contained in the Armada report written for Lord Admiral Howard for presentation to Sir Francis Walsingham. This unique MS is shown to be in Marlowe's hand. An exhaustive calligraphic comparison, letter by letter, with the extant folio leaf of Marlowe's The Massacre of Paris in the Folger Library establishes that the two hands are identical.
Marlowe's Armada experience is dramatically reflected in his 'Armada' play, Edward the Third, with the young Edward Alleyn playing the Black Prince.
This apocryphal play, attributed by some to Shakespeare, is identified as Marlowe's first English history play which launched the tremendous vogue for English historical drama (over 200 plays) dating precisely from 1588."
http://www.author.co.uk/marlowe-armada.htm
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As Lord Admiral, Howard must have had
immense powers and respect in the
naval district
which Deptford was.
You can bet he would be likely
to be obeyed instantly and without
question.
He might even risk Elizabeth's displeasure...
as he constantly did on behalf of the men who fought for her.
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In Mei Trow's book, Who killed Kit Marlowe?, his theory is that Marlowe was a danger
to the reputation and lives of four very important men.
This includes Lord Howard of Effingham.
This theory is somewhat different,
as I am beginning to suspect that
Lord Howard, the Lord Admiral,
who after all was the patron
of the Lord Admiral's Men,
who were performing the Marlowe plays,
did in fact seek to SAVE Marlowe,
whom he had presumably met,
and regarded as a very important
writer for his company.
Remember... As Lord Admiral, Howard must have had
immense powers and respect in the
naval district
which Deptford was.
He would be likely
to be obeyed instantly and without
question.
He had a house at Deptford Green,
thus a near neighbour of Mrs. Bull.
"The Admiral of the Fleet, Lord Howard of Effingham,
had a house on the edge of Deptford Green."
(The Reckoning, Charles Nicholl)
Mrs. Bull's late husband worked for and with
another Howard...
"Richard Bull held the post of sub-bailiff at Sayes Court, the manor-house at Deptford.
His immediate boss, the bailiff,
was Sir George Howard,
probably a kinsman of
the Lord Admiral who lived across
the way on Deptford Green."
(The Reckoning)
It would probably be very easy
for Lord Howard to arrange things
how he liked at Deptford...
for example to call in the Queen's Coroner,
and many other useful things.
Clearly a man who is the patron of a
drama company is a devotee of the drama!...
isn't this enough reason to want to save
his most talented and successful
playwright?
Things have been done for far less reason
than he had.
see how important the lord Admiral is!...
1. a cousin to the Queen
2. a trusted servant of hers.
It seems his wife was *very* important to the Queen as well!
"His wife, Catherine, was a cousin and great favorite of Queen Elizabeth, and when Lady Catherine died in Feb 1602/3
the Queen feel into a great depression and died a few weeks later."
http://www.tudorplace.com.ar/Bios/CharlesHoward(1ENottingham).htm
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but note, there is much more to this story,
and to the connections between the Queen, the Admiral, Mrs. Bull
and some great lords of the court...
see page two!
page two
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(in the extracts quoted from books and websites,
the italics are mine)
(written originally by lyra, edited and rewritten)
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