Alice Arden facts for kids

Alice Arden (1516–1551) was an English woman involved in a famous historical event. She was the daughter of John Brigantine and Alice Squire. Alice was part of a plan to harm her husband, Thomas Arden of Faversham. This happened because she wanted to be with another man, Richard Mosbye. The event took place on February 14, 1551. She was later punished for her part in the plot.

The Story of Alice Arden

The story of Alice Arden and her husband was written down by Raphael Holinshed in his book, Chronicles. Later, it also appeared in The Newgate Calendar and the Chambers Book of Days. Alice Brigantine married Thomas Arden at an unknown time. They lived in Faversham Abbey, which was a large building that had been changed from a monastery in 1536. They had at least one daughter named Margaret, born in 1538.

The Plot Begins

According to these old stories, Alice was described as "young, tall, and well favoured." She became close with a tailor named Richard Mosbye. Soon, she started planning to get rid of her husband. Thomas Arden was a "private gentleman." His rival, Mosbye, worked for Edward North, 1st Baron North, before opening his own shop in London.

Mosbye often visited the Ardens' home. Their closeness was quite open. Thomas seemed to ignore it, not wanting to upset Alice's family. Over time, Alice grew to dislike her husband. She began to think about how to remove him from her life.

Her first attempt was to poison him. She mixed milk and poison in a bowl for his breakfast. But she didn't think about the poison's taste. Thomas only took "a spoonful or two" before stopping. He complained about how bad it tasted.

Finding Help

Alice then needed others to help her. Holinshed mentions: "They employed as their confederates one John Green, a Faversham tailor; George Bradshaw, a goldsmith of the same town; and one Black Will, of Calyce (Calais), a murderer." Black Will was secretly called from Calais by Alice and Thomas Mosbye.

The Newgate Calendar gives more details. Alice found help from Mr. Green, a local man. Green had his own reasons to dislike Thomas Arden. Arden had taken a piece of land from Green near Faversham Abbey. The two men had fought and threatened each other before. Green still hated Arden and was willing to help with the plan. Since neither of them knew how to carry out such a deed, they decided to hire someone else. They agreed to pay this person ten pounds.

Green worked for Sir Anthony Agers. Agers had business in London. He asked Green to join him there. Green didn't want to travel alone. So, he hired Mr. Bradshaw to go with him. Bradshaw was a local goldsmith and a former soldier. He had fought under Sir Richard Cavendish.

On their trip, they met an old friend of Bradshaw's, known as "Black Will." Will was also a former soldier. But he had committed "several robberies and horrid murders" in France. He carried a sword and a buckler. Will seemed to be making a living as a highwayman after leaving the army. Green decided that Will was the person they needed. He hired Will for the plan.

Failed Plans

Holinshed describes several times they tried to harm Thomas. "The conspirators watched Master Arden walking in Poule’s (St. Paul’s Cathedral), but could not find an opportunity." They also waited for him on Rainham Down and in the Broomy Close. These were places near Faversham. But each time, they failed to find a chance. Rainham Down is likely Rainham on the North Downs.

The Newgate Calendar adds more to the story. Black Will followed Green to London. They soon met Thomas Arden, who was also there for his own reasons. Green took Will for a walk to Old St Paul's Cathedral. This was so Will could get a good look at Arden. Arden was with a servant named Michael or Marry. This servant was loyal to Alice. Green wanted to use the servant to get into Arden's London home.

Black Will offered to harm both Arden and his servant. Green told the servant about this threat. But this plan didn't work. The servant became very scared of Black Will. He made sure to lock the doors of their home at night. This stopped Will or anyone else from getting in.

They also tried to ambush Arden on his way back home. The servant pretended his horse was hurt, so Arden would travel alone. But Arden convinced other people to travel with him. He was never alone enough for Will to ambush him. Arden returned home safely.

Arden had business with Thomas Cheney, who was the Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports in South-East England. He sent his servant to the Isle of Sheppey to meet Cheney. The servant returned with a letter from Cheney. Alice hid the letter. She had the servant claim he had lost it. This worked as she planned. Thomas decided to travel to the Isle of Sheppey to meet Cheney himself.

Alice told Black Will and George Shakebag, another highwayman, to ambush Arden. They were to wait "in a broom-close between Feversham and the Ferry." But the highwaymen didn't know the area well. They set their ambush in the wrong place. They missed Arden both on his way to the Isle and on his return.

Another idea was considered but never happened. Valentine's Day was coming, and there would be a fair. Mosbye would start a fight with Thomas in public. Then he would try to defeat his rival in a duel. But Thomas was known for not liking to fight. So, the idea of him accepting a challenge was thought to be silly.

The Event at Home

Holinshed continues: "The wicked wife then laid a plot for murdering her husband in his own house." She got help from Mosbye’s sister, Cicely Pounder. She also involved two of Arden’s servants, Michael Saunderson and Elizabeth Stafford. On a chosen Sunday, Black Will hid in a closet in Arden’s living room.

After supper, Arden sat down to play a game with Mosbye. Green stood behind Arden, holding a candle. This was to hide Black Will when he came out. The others involved knew what to do. At a signal during the game, Black Will came out. He had a cloth in his hand. He quickly put the cloth over Arden’s head and face. He then choked him. Mosbye immediately stepped in. He hit Arden with a tailor’s heavy pressing iron on his head. Then he pulled out his dagger, which was large and wide. With it, he cut Arden’s throat.

Alice herself stabbed the body several times. Will helped drag the body into the closet. He then received eight pounds for his help. Cicely Pounder later helped move the body to the Almery Croft. This was a field behind the house. After this, "the doubly wicked Alice and her companions danced, and played on the virginals, and were merrie." All this noise had a purpose. They wanted the neighbors to think Thomas Arden was still alive and entertaining friends. The body, dressed in night-clothes, would make people think he died later.

The Newgate Calendar tells a slightly different story. Finally, Alice and her friends decided to harm Thomas inside their house. She sent most of their servants away on different tasks. Only those who knew about the plan stayed. She had Black Will hide in a closet in the living room. He waited for a special signal to come out.

Around 7 p.m., Thomas came home. He found Mosbye already there. He was told supper wasn't ready yet. The two men agreed to play a game of backgammon while waiting. They were in the living room. Arden had his back to the closet. Mosbye kept him busy until he gave the signal: "Now I may take you, Sir!" Will rushed from the closet. He started choking Arden with a towel. Mosbye hit Arden with a fourteen-pound pressing iron. Arden was knocked out.

The two men then moved Arden to his counting house. There, Will finished the deed. Will took money from the body's pockets and removed its rings. Alice paid him his ten pounds. Green gave him a horse to escape.

Alice, to make sure her husband was truly gone, stabbed him several times. Then she had the living room cleaned. The blood was wiped away with a cloth. The bloody knife and cloth were thrown away. When everything was ready, guests started arriving for a late supper. Mosbye's sister, Cicely, was among them. Alice pretended not to know why her husband was taking so long to return home. "When supper was over, Mrs Arden made her daughter play on the virginals, and they danced, and she amongst them."

Alice made sure her guests stayed as long as possible. She kept mentioning her husband's strange absence. Then she sent most of the servants out to look for him. Meanwhile, Alice, her daughter Margaret Arden, Cicely Pounder, and the maid Elizabeth Stafford moved the body outside the house. They "carried it out into a field adjoining to the churchyard, and to his own garden wall." They placed it "about ten paces from the door of that garden." This was to make it seem like Thomas was harmed outside.

The Discovery

According to Holinshed, Alice waited until the next morning. Then she told the town that her husband was missing. The townspeople searched, and the body was found. "Some of the people saw a 'long rushe or two from the parlour floor... stuck between one of his slippers and his foot." This made them suspicious. The house was searched. It was soon found that Arden had been harmed in his own living room. Alice's behavior as a wife had likely already drawn attention. So, she was immediately accused.

The Newgate Calendar gives a different account. That night, Alice pretended to be very worried about her husband. She had her servants search late into the night. She cried and complained. She told the neighbors. Finally, the local mayor was told. A town-wide search began.

When the body was found, people started to doubt Alice's innocence. It was a cold winter night. There was fresh snow on the ground. But the body was only dressed in "its night-gown and slippers." This made it seem unlikely he was out in town when he was harmed. The fresh snow showed footprints of several people. These prints led from the house to where the body was found. This made it clear the body had been moved.

Suspicions immediately fell on Alice. The mayor questioned her very strictly about her husband's death. She first denied knowing anything. But people searched more near the house. They found hair and blood from the victim. They also found the bloody knife and cloth, which were poorly hidden. Alice was finally forced to admit what happened. She also named the others involved.

Alice, her daughter Margaret, the servant, and the maid were arrested and sent to prison. Mosbye was not there. He was found sleeping at the "Flower-de-Luce," the house of Adam Fowle, where he often stayed. Blood was found on his stockings and coin purse. So, he was also arrested.

The arrest of Bradshaw was a bit more debated. He was mentioned in letters between Alice and Green as the person who introduced them to Black Will. He was not otherwise connected to the event. The other accused people claimed they had never even met him. But his claims of innocence did not convince the court.

What Happened Next

Alice Arden was found responsible for the crime. She was punished in Canterbury. Her helpers were all caught and punished in different ways and places. Michael Saunderson was punished in Faversham. Elizabeth Stafford, the maid, was punished in Faversham. Richard Mosbye and Cicely Pounder, who were brother and sister, were punished in Smithfield. George Bradshaw was punished in Canterbury.

There are two stories about what happened to John Green. Holinshed simply says Green was punished in Faversham. The Newgate Calendar says he avoided arrest for some years. He was eventually caught and punished on the highway between Ospringe and Boughton. Before he died, Green tried to clear Bradshaw's name. He said the goldsmith, who had died long ago, was innocent.

Black Will also faced punishment. Holinshed says Will "escaped for many years, but was at length taken, and 'brent on a scaffolde at Flushing'." This could be Flushing, Cornwall. The Newgate Calendar agrees on how he died. But it places the punishment in Flushing, Zeeland. Adam Fowle was also involved and held in the Marshalsea prison for some time. He was the only one found innocent and set free.

The Legend Lives On

Chambers Book of Days mentions that this event became a local legend. "It was long said that no grass would grow on the spot where Arden’s dead body was found." Some people, believing in the superstitions of the time, thought this was because of the event. Others said that "the field he hadde cruelly taken from a widow woman, who had curst him most bitterly, even to his face, wishing that all the world might wonder on him."

In 1592, the events were turned into a play called Arden of Faversham. For a long time, people argued about who wrote the play. William Shakespeare was one of the most famous people thought to be the author. In 2020, Thomas Watson was said to be the main writer. The play was later changed by George Lillo into a domestic tragedy. Alice Arden's story was also made into a broadside ballad, called "The complaint and lamentation of Mistresse Arden of Feversham in Kent".