Elizabeth Raleigh Elizabeth Raleigh Elizabeth, Lady Raleigh ("née" Throckmorton; 16 April 1565 – "circa" 1647) was Sir Walter Raleigh's wife and a Gentlewoman of the Privy Chamber to Queen Elizabeth I of England. Their secret marriage precipitated a long period of royal disfavour for both her and her husband. Elizabeth, known also as "Bess", was the daughter of the diplomat Sir Nicholas Throckmorton and Anne Throckmorton ("née" Carew). Bess and her brother Arthur were courtiers to Elizabeth I. Bess is said to have been intelligent, forthright, passionate, and courageous. In due course, she and Raleigh, at least 11 years her senior, fell
Throckmorton Plot and William Cecil, Lord Burghley, which obliged all signatories to execute anyone who attempted to usurp the throne or to assassinate the Queen. Throckmorton was convicted of high treason and executed in July 1584. There were no more resident Spanish ambassadors for the remainder of Elizabeth's reign. After discovery of the plot, Mary, Queen of Scots was placed under strict confinement at Chartley Hall in Staffordshire. Throckmorton Plot The Throckmorton Plot was an attempt, in 1583, by English Roman Catholics to murder Queen Elizabeth I of England and replace her with her first cousin once removed, Mary, Queen of Scots.