Was she wrongly named as the “Wicked Lady”?
This is the extant painting of Lady Ferrers, supposedly at the age of 14, which now sits at the Valence House Museum.
Katherine was born in 1634 in Bayford, Hertfordshire, to Knighton Ferrers and Katherine Walters. The Ferrers family enjoyed favor from Henry VIII and Edward VI, receiving vast estates in Hertfordshire, which allowed them to thrive and influence their community. Growing up in this privileged environment, Katherine was shaped by her family’s royal connections.
The novel Life and Death of the Wicked Lady Skelton by Magdalen King-Hall, written in the 1940s, is based on an old English legend and explores the life of the intriguing Lady Skelton. It was adapted into the successful film The Wicked Lady, featuring performances by Margaret Lockwood, Patricia Roc, and James Mason, which captivated audiences and became one of the top British films of its era.
After the death of all male family members, Katherine became the sole heir to her family’s estates, facing both power and responsibility. Her situation grew more complex when her mother remarried Sir Simon Fanshawe, a staunch supporter of King Charles I, forcing Katherine to navigate the implications of this new alliance during the tensions of the English Civil War.
In 1643, the Parliamentary Sequestration Committee assigned Royalist estates to local commissioners, affecting families like the Fanshawes. To consolidate power, the Fanshawe family arranged for Katherine to marry Thomas Fanshawe, Sir Simon Fanshawe’s nephew, enabling them to gain control of the Ferrers family holdings and maintain influence during the turmoil of the Civil War. Such strategic marriages were common and important in shaping the political landscape of 17th-century England.
Thomas disposed of many of her inherited assets, which included various valuable properties and personal belongings, with the diarist Samuel Pepys describing him as “a witty but rascally fellow, without a penny in his purse.” This phrase reflects not only Thomas’s financial situation but also hints at his sharp tongue and charming yet dubious character. Pepys, having observed Thomas’s actions in society, noted how he often navigated through life with a clever wit that somehow endeared him to those around him, despite his apparent lack of wealth, leading many to question the true nature of his dealings and character.
Katherine died in 1660 at 26 and was buried at St Mary’s church in Ware. Her death marked the end of the Ferrers line and left a void in the local aristocracy. Her relative Thomas had to sell her estates to pay his debts, complicating the aftermath of her passing.
According to local legend, Katherine became the “Wicked Lady,” an infamous outlaw who turned to crime to escape her bad luck with her husband. Driven by a desire for freedom and revenge, her daring exploits of highway robbery, arson, and murder made her a figure of fear and intrigue, ultimately transforming her misfortunes into a dark legacy that highlighted the struggles of women in a harsh world.
The exploits attributed to Katherine are largely speculative, with historian J.E. Cussens noting a lack of contemporary records linking her to these acts, which questions her villainous portrayal. The nickname “Wicked Lady” arose long after her death, suggesting that her notoriety may have been shaped by exaggerated stories. Moreover, her absence in Alexander Smith’s Complete History of the Lives of the Most Notorious Highwaymen indicates that her infamous reputation likely developed over time without solid evidence, illustrating how myths can influence historical understanding.
She was likely confused with Laurence Shirley, the “Wicked” Lord Ferrers, the last peer hanged in 1760 for murdering his steward. Ferrers’ trial and execution attracted public attention, leaving a legacy that generates curiosity about aristocracy’s darker aspects.
The figure is one from Wargames Foundry range.
The “Wicked Lady” is known for wearing highwayman’s clothes, including a three-cornered hat, a black mask, and a flowing cloak, while riding a black horse with white markings. At night, she secretly changes into this feared outfit, transforming from a respectable woman into a ruthless outlaw. She targets wealthy coachmen and unsuspecting passengers, attacking suddenly from the shadows and instilling fear. Surprisingly, no one, not even her servants, suspects her double life filled with dark secrets, allowing her to maintain her innocent facade while wreaking havoc.
Stories also persist of ghostly sightings of a woman at Markyate Cell, and of a figure on a black horse galloping across Nomansland Common in the darkness. With the nights closing in and mists swirling through the shadows it would take a brave person to venture alone across Nomansland even today.