The Second Earl of Castlehaven

The Second Earl of Castlehaven

A tale of sex and scandal, the story of the 2nd Earl of Castlehaven

has been retold for almost four centuries. In an aristocratic society

that placed order and honor as a top priority, rumors of rape and

sodomy emerging from a noble household would not only be humiliating

for the family, but also insulting to the entire aristocracy. Whether

the Earl was guilty or innocent, such perverse accusations could only

emerge from an environment of intolerable disorder. It was a disorder

with the power to taint the nobility and to affront the power of the

monarch. It was a disorder that disrupted the expected patriarchal

relationship within noble households. The legacy of the disorder

remained even after Castlehaven's conviction and execution. Although

she does not resolve the details of the trial, Cynthia B. Herrup has

successfully used the case of the 2nd Earl of Castlehaven to portray

the social and political environment of early modern England in her

book A House in Gross Disorder.

The fascination surrounding Castlehaven's case has produced a wealth

of sources from which Herrup could draw from: letters, pamphlets,

verses, and various books and legal documents. Letters and

correspondence were especially beneficial to Herrup because their

authors often discussed and questioned the details and contradictions

of the case itself, possibly helping her remain agnostic regarding the

verdict. Longer manuscripts contained more information but sacrificed

"ambiguity for closure" (125). For example, The Arraignment and

Conviction of Mervin, Lord Audley presented the Earl's guilt as cut

and dry, just like the prosecut...

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...f Castlehaven's guilt, Cynthia

B. Herrup looks beyond the accusations of rape and sodomy to "see the

enforcement of law for what it is - a forum for cultural interaction"

(6). In doing this, she has presented the reader with a social and

political environment in which both the aristocracy and monarchy have

something to lose through Castlehaven's acquittal, making his

ambiguous guilt seem certain. The aristocracy refuses to forfeit their

honor or give in to the terrifying disorder that plagued the Earl.

They can further display their repulsion for Irishness and

Catholicism. The king can symbolically prove that one bad apple

doesn't ruin a harvest; he is still effectively ruling by example.

Herrup has successfully used a trial of sexual scandal to provide

insight into a tumultuous segment of early modern English history.