In late summer 1573 Burghley's servant, Barnard Dewhurst, composed a report to his ‘singuler good Lord and Master’ revealing that Oxford, having expressed his desire as early as 1569 to travel abroad, and having been authorized to travel (whether to Ireland or Scotland) in 1570, now meant to travel to Ireland. Because he carried a title, arrangements had to be made for the control of his estates in his absence, and for its disposition in the event of his death. Dewhurst incidentally and usefully details six days of Oxford's life in his twenty-third year, from Friday 28 August to Thursday 3 September, while the Queen was on progress in Kent. Oxford spent Friday night at the Savoy, Saturday at Theobalds (arriving just at bedtime), Sunday at Burghley House, Monday elsewhere, Tuesday at Burghley House. On Wednesday, after dining at Burghley House, he evidently retired to the Savoy, arising Thursday at 7:00 to catch a favourable morning tide for Gravesend. Though Anne too spent Saturday night at Theobalds, and though Oxford ‘gave order’ that she should be with him in Canterbury, his bedfellow at the Savoy and travelling companion to Canterbury was Charles Arundel.

On the Monday Justice Southcote returned from the country at Oxford's request, while Sir William Cordell, Master of the Rolls, arrived on Tuesday afternoon, similarly summoned from the town of Oxford. Southcote, hoping to find Oxford at the Savoy, had been intercepted by Thomas Gent, esquire, described elsewhere as ‘steward of the manors and lands of the Right Honorable the Earl of Oxford’. Reporting that Oxford was not at home to visitors, Gent conferred with Southcote at Serjeants Inn, one of the Inns of Court. While Dewhurst watched from a distance, Southcote and Gent inspected articles proposed by Burghley, along with Oxford's written reply, which Gent ‘tolde Mr Iustice in secrete was Dr Atslowes device’. Dr Edward Atslowe of Downham, Essex, physician, was a Catholic recusant later subject to indictment and persecution. Atslowe's ‘device’ was to propose John, Lord Darcy of Chiche, son of the Lord Darcy who had been involved with Oxford's father, as Oxford's spokesman, and Gent as Oxford's commissioner.

When Southcote told Gent that he would gladly see Oxford in person, Gent replied that Oxford would communicate only through a go-between.