ABSTRACT
After their marriage in 1 606 Frances Howard and Robert Devereux were separated. She returned to her family, he continued his education, which was completed by the increasingly obligatory tour abroad between 1607 and early 1 609. The marriage quickly deteriorated after Essex's return to claim his bride, and early in 1 6 13 moves were set on foot for its annulment. There are very few documented facts concerning Frances 's conduct during these intervening years . They can briefly be summarised.
