The Alchemical Patronage of Sir William Cecil, Lord Burghley
The Alchemical Patronage of Sir William Cecil, Lord Burghley
The Alchemical Patronage of Sir William Cecil, Lord Burghley
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England‘s dependence on imports from Catholic Europe. That Medley‘s process was<br />
alchemical, allowing him to make ―nature ripe by art‖, did not trouble the <strong>Lord</strong> Treasurer<br />
because Medley‘s process conformed to <strong>Cecil</strong>‘s alchemical understanding <strong>of</strong> the world. 71<br />
Throughout the project <strong>Cecil</strong> actively pressed for royal support for the scheme, and he<br />
retained confidence in Medley‘s potential, even as others lost patience. Medley‘s links to<br />
<strong>Cecil</strong>, both before and after their participation in the Society <strong>of</strong> the New Art also<br />
necessitate a thorough examination <strong>of</strong> their relationship. Medley, who clearly tied his<br />
fortunes to <strong>Cecil</strong>‘s, provides an almost completely unexamined example <strong>of</strong> the alchemical<br />
and metallurgical interests amongst <strong>Cecil</strong>‘s closely allied clients.<br />
<strong>William</strong> Medley was no marginal charlatan, for his family background explains his<br />
links to <strong>Cecil</strong>. Medley was born into a wealthy Essex family, probably in the mid 1540s. 72<br />
<strong>The</strong> Medleys <strong>of</strong> Tilty Abbey, Essex, had strong links to many noble families, including<br />
<strong>Cecil</strong>‘s. <strong>William</strong>‘s father, George Medley (d. 1562) was the half brother <strong>of</strong> Henry Grey,<br />
Duke <strong>of</strong> Suffolk, and the second cousin once removed <strong>of</strong> <strong>Cecil</strong>‘s second wife Mildred<br />
Cooke. He strongly supported the Protestant faction in England, having received lucrative<br />
leases during Henry VIII‘s dissolution <strong>of</strong> the monasteries. 73 Upon Edward VI‘s death,<br />
George supported the cause <strong>of</strong> his niece, Lady Jane Grey against Mary, and was one <strong>of</strong> only<br />
nine indicted with Suffolk. Unlike Suffolk, he was spared execution or even<br />
imprisonment. 74 George failed to learn from his mistake, and spent two months in prison<br />
for his involvement in the Wyatt rebellion <strong>of</strong> 1554. 75 Despite the problems it caused him<br />
under Queen Mary, George Medley‘s ―detestation <strong>of</strong> papistrie‖ positioned him and his<br />
family well for the return <strong>of</strong> a Protestant monarch. 76<br />
71 <strong>William</strong> Medley to <strong>Cecil</strong>, 19 April 1572, TNA, SP 12/86/14.<br />
72 Whilst we have no definitive birth date for <strong>William</strong> Medley, he was under 21 when under when his father‘s<br />
made out his will in 1561. ‗Will <strong>of</strong> George Medley <strong>of</strong> Titly, Essex‘, TNA, PROB 11/46, proved 3 February<br />
1563.<br />
73 Henry Grey to Michael Stanhope, 19 April 1551, in Scargill Bird (ed.), CMS, Vol. 1, p. 85.<br />
74 Henry Churchill Maxwell-Lyte (ed.), CPR: 1553-1554, London, 1937, pp. 381-2.<br />
75 David Loades, Two Tudor Conspiracies, London, 1965, p. 28.<br />
76 George Medley to Nicholas Throckmorton, 23 September 1561, SP 70/30/84.<br />
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