Legend
Elizabeth Hatton's often public disagreements with her second husband, together with her refusal to take his name, gave her a reputation as a troublesome woman. That reputation — along with a liberal dose of mistaken identity — led to the association of Elizabeth Hatton with the urban legend of Bleeding Heart Yard.
The legend of Bleeding Heart Yard runs as follows:
Elizabeth Hatton was a 17th century society beauty and daughter of Sir Christopher Hatton. She was murdered in 1626, with her body being found on the morning of 27 January in what became known as Bleeding Heart Yard.
She had spent the evening of 26 January in the company of the Bishop of Ely at a ball in Hatton House. Later in the evening "Senor Gondomar", the Spanish Ambassador, is reported to have arrived at the ball. He had one dance with Hatton and then they both disappeared into the night. The courtyard in which her body was found was located behind the stables of Hatton House.
When found, her body was described as having been "torn limb from limb" and with her heart "still pumping blood onto the cobblestones".
Read more about this topic: Elizabeth Hatton
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