Elizabeth Cavendish, later Elizabeth Talbot, Countess of Shrewsbury, known as Bess of Hardwick, of Hardwick Hall, Derbyshire, was a notable figure of Elizabethan English society. By a series of well-made marriages, she rose to the highest levels of English nobility and became enormously wealthy. Bess was reportedly a shrewd businesswoman, increasing her assets with business interests including mines and glass-making workshops.
Bess of Hardwick, Countess of Shrewsbury, by Rowland Lockey, 1592 in the collection of the National Portrait Gallery, London
Arms of Elizabeth Hardwick displayed on parapet above main entrance of Hardwick Hall. The supporters two stags are those of the Cavendish family
Bess of Hardwick, 1550s
Effigy of Elizabeth Hardwick wearing a coronet of a countess. Derby Cathedral
Hardwick Hall in Derbyshire is an architecturally significant country house from the Elizabethan era, a leading example of the Elizabethan prodigy house. Built between 1590 and 1597 for Bess of Hardwick, it was designed by the architect Robert Smythson, an exponent of the Renaissance style. Hardwick Hall is one of the earliest examples of the English interpretation of this style, which came into fashion having slowly spread from Florence. Its arrival in Britain coincided with the period when it was no longer necessary or legal to fortify a domestic dwelling.
"More glass than wall"
Hardwick's skyline features six rooftop banqueting house pavilions with Bess of Hardwick's initials "ES" (Elizabeth Shrewsbury) in openwork.
Chimneypiece in High Great Chamber
Hardwick's long gallery in the 1890s