Portrait of Sir John Lyttelton (1561-1601), half-length, in a black and gold doublet and cartwheel ruff, holding a sword

Lyttelton served as a Member of Parliament for Worcestershire having studied law at the Inner Temple. He was arrested in 1601 for his part in Robert, 2nd Earl of Essex's rebellion, who was charged with 'conspiring and imagining at London...to depose and slay the Queen, and to subvert the Government.' Though Lyttelton was eventually pardoned, he died of a fever in prison before his release. His brother, Humphrey, took over the use of Hagley Hall, but showed a similarly rebellious streak, and was beheaded in 1606 for his part in the Gunpowder Plot. According to the catalogue of works at Hagley (see op.cit.), the inscription at upper right, when translated, originally read 'Alas, me! who may neither avenge myself, nor even complain'. It has been suggested that this refers not to his complicated political position but, more prosaically, to his complicated relationship with his father.