Susan Stonard Wroth (1549-1607)

"The Quiet Voice of Enfield" is an imagined diary of Susan Stonard Wroth, My 12th Paternal Great Grandmother, Author Paul Elms Bacardi. April 6, 1565 Enfield, Middlesex England. Today, I am 16 years old, and my father, Master Stonard, has informed me that the arrangements have been made. I am to marry Sir Robert Wroth. I am not sure what to think of it, for though I have known his family all my life, Sir Robert is much older than I, nearer 25 summers to my 16. Still, Father says this union will elevate our family name and secure my future. Robert’s family holds great influence in Middlesex, and he himself is rising in the Queen’s court. I do not yet know the man well, but I have been raised to obey. Mother says he is a serious man, but also kind and devoted to his estates. She assures me that this marriage will bring me honor, and I will soon learn to love him. I hope her words prove true.