Anne, Lady Hungerford (née Dormer; 1525–1603) was an English lady of the royal court during the reign of
Queen Mary I
Mary I (18 February 1516 – 17 November 1558), also known as Mary Tudor, and as "Bloody Mary" by her Protestant opponents, was Queen of England and Ireland from July 1553 and Queen of Spain from January 1556 until her death in 1558. Sh ...
, and poet.
Biography
Anne was a daughter of Sir
William Dormer
Sir William Dormer, KB (died 17 May 1575) was a Tudor knight, captain and politician.
Biography
William Dormer was born before 1514, the only child of Sir Robert Dormer of West Wycombe and of Wing, Buckinghamshire, and London (died 2 or 8 July ...
by his first wife, Mary, daughter of
Sir William Sidney
Sir William Sidney (1482?–1554) was an English courtier under Henry VIII and Edward VI.
Life
He was eldest son of Nicholas Sidney, by Anne, sister of Sir William Brandon. In 1511 he accompanied Thomas Darcy, 1st Baron Darcy de Darcy into Spa ...
and Anne (née Pakenham). She was the sister of
Jane Dormer
Jane Dormer, Duchess of Feria (6 January 1538 – 13 January 1612) was an English lady-in-waiting to Mary I who, after the Queen's death, married Gómez Suárez de Figueroa y Córdoba, 1st Duke of Feria and went to live in Spain, where she wou ...
, a
lady in waiting
A lady-in-waiting or court lady is a female personal assistant at a court, attending on a royal woman or a high-ranking noblewoman. Historically, in Europe, a lady-in-waiting was often a noblewoman but of lower rank than the woman to whom sh ...
to
Queen Mary I
Mary I (18 February 1516 – 17 November 1558), also known as Mary Tudor, and as "Bloody Mary" by her Protestant opponents, was Queen of England and Ireland from July 1553 and Queen of Spain from January 1556 until her death in 1558. Sh ...
, and later wife of the
Duke of Feria. Both Anne and Jane were prominent
recusant
Recusancy (from la, recusare, translation=to refuse) was the state of those who remained loyal to the Catholic Church and refused to attend Church of England services after the English Reformation.
The 1558 Recusancy Acts passed in the reign ...
s.
In 1558 Queen Mary gave permission for Sir
Walter Hungerford, who had earlier been married to the Queen's
Maid of Honour
A maid of honour is a junior attendant of a queen in royal households. The position was and is junior to the lady-in-waiting. The equivalent title and office has historically been used in most European royal courts.
Role
Traditionally, a queen ...
,
Anne Basset, to marry Anne Dormer as his second wife. In 1568 Hungerford sued for divorce, alleging that his wife had tried to poison him some years earlier, and that she had committed adultery with
William Darrell (of Littlecote, Wiltshire), and had had a child by him.
Hungerford failed to prove the allegations in court, and subsequently spent three years in
Fleet Prison for his refusal to support his wife or to pay the £250 in costs awarded against him in the divorce suit. Two letters from Lady Hungerford, written in 1570, speak of her impoverished circumstances. Through the offices of the
Earl of Leicester
Earl of Leicester is a title that has been created seven times. The first title was granted during the 12th century in the Peerage of England. The current title is in the Peerage of the United Kingdom and was created in 1837.
Early creatio ...
, Lady Hungerford obtained licence in 1571 to visit her dying grandmother, Jane Dormer (née Newdigate), who was living in the English Catholic expatriate community at
Louvain
Leuven (, ) or Louvain (, , ; german: link=no, Löwen ) is the capital and largest city of the province of Flemish Brabant in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is located about east of Brussels. The municipality itself comprises the historic c ...
. She never returned to England, choosing to remain in
Belgium
Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...
herself. On 29 March 1586,
[Hardy dates the letter to 1589.] she wrote from
Namur to Sir
Francis Walsingham
Sir Francis Walsingham ( – 6 April 1590) was principal secretary to Queen Elizabeth I of England from 20 December 1573 until his death and is popularly remembered as her "spymaster".
Born to a well-connected family of gentry, Wals ...
, requesting that he protect her daughters from her husband's attempts to disinherit them.
In his will, dated 14 November 1595, Hungerford left two farms to his mistress, Margery Bright, and the residue of his estate to his half brother, Sir
Edward Hungerford, with remainder to the
aleheirs ... of 'any woman' he
dwardshould 'afterwards marry'. After making his will, having heard rumours that his wife was dead, Hungerford married Margery Bright.
Sir Walter Hungerford died in December 1596 in Farleigh Hungerford Somerset, and was succeeded by his half brother, who was sued by both Lady Anne Hungerford and Margery Bright, for
dower
Dower is a provision accorded traditionally by a husband or his family, to a wife for her support should she become widowed. It was settled on the bride (being gifted into trust) by agreement at the time of the wedding, or as provided by law. ...
. Lady Hungerford was granted
'generous' dower', and died at Louvain in 1603. It is unclear if Bright received a dower.
Marriage and issue
Sir Walter and Lady Anne Hungerford had a son and three daughters:
* Edmund Hungerford, who died in December 1585 without issue.
* Susan Hungerford, who married firstly Michael Ernley of Cannings,
Wiltshire
Wiltshire (; abbreviated Wilts) is a historic and ceremonial county in South West England with an area of . It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset to the southwest, Somerset to the west, Hampshire to the southeast, Gloucestershire ...
, and, secondly, John Moring, and, thirdly, Sir Carew Reynolds, MP for
Callington
Callington ( kw, Kelliwik) is a civil parish and town in east Cornwall, England, United Kingdom about north of Saltash and south of Launceston.
Callington parish had a population of 4,783 in 2001, according to the 2001 census. This had inc ...
* Lucy Hungerford, who married firstly Sir John St. John of
Lydiard Tregoze
Lydiard Tregoze is a small village and civil parish on the western edge of Swindon in the county of Wiltshire, in the south-west of England. It has in the past been spelt as Liddiard Tregooze and in many other ways.
The parish includes the smal ...
, and, secondly, Sir
Anthony Hungerford of Black Bourton
Sir Anthony Hungerford (1567–1627) of Black Bourton in Oxfordshire, Deputy Lieutenant of Wiltshire until 1624, was a member of parliament and a religious controversialist.
Origins
Hungerford was born in 1567 at Great Bedwyn in Wiltshire, the ...
.
* Jane Hungerford, who married Sir John Carne of
Ewenny, Glamorganshire, Wales.
Notes
References
*
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*
*
*
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*
*
* cites Charles Mosley, editor, ''Burke's Peerage, Baronetage & Knightage'', 107th edition, 3 volumes (Wilmington, Delaware, USA: Burke's Peerage (Genealogical Books) Ltd, 2003), volume 1, page 1168.
*
*
*
;Attribution
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hungerford, Anne
1525 births
1603 deaths
English Roman Catholics
English women poets
English expatriates in Belgium
Court of Mary I of England
Wives of knights