Catherine Cecil, Countess of Salisbury (c.1590 – January 1673), formerly Lady Catherine Howard, granddaughter of

Thomas Howard, 4th Duke of Norfolk Thomas Howard, 4th Duke of Norfolk, (Kenninghall, Norfolk, 10 March 1536Tower Hill, London, 2 June 1572) was an English nobleman and politician. Although from a family with strong Roman Catholic leanings, he was raised a Protestant. He was a ...

, member of the

House of Howard The House of Howard is an English noble house founded by John Howard, who was created Duke of Norfolk (third creation) by King Richard III of England in 1483. However, John was also the eldest grandson (although maternal) of the 1st Duke of the ...

and was the wife of

William Cecil, 2nd Earl of Salisbury William Cecil, 2nd Earl of Salisbury, (28 March 1591 – 3 December 1668), known as Viscount Cranborne from 1605 to 1612, was an English peer, nobleman, and politician. Early years, 1591–1612 Cecil was the son of Robert Cecil, 1st Earl of ...

Hatfield House Hatfield House is a country house set in a large park, the Great Park, on the eastern side of the town of Hatfield, Hertfordshire, England. The present Jacobean house, a leading example of the prodigy house, was built in 1611 by Robert Ceci ...

. She was a daughter of

Thomas Howard, 1st Earl of Suffolk Thomas Howard, 1st Earl of Suffolk, (24 August 156128 May 1626) of Audley End House in the parish of Saffron Walden in Essex, and of Suffolk House near Westminster, a member of the House of Howard, was the second son of Thomas Howard, 4th ...

Audley End House Audley End House is a largely early 17th-century country house outside Saffron Walden, Essex, England. It is a prodigy house, known as one of the finest Jacobean houses in England. Audley End is now one-third of its original size, but is sti ...

, and his second wife, the former Catherine Knyvett. She married the future Earl of Salisbury on 1 December 1608, and became countess when he inherited the earldom on his father's death in 1612. Their children, several of whom died in infancy, were: *Hon. Robert Cecil *Hon. Philip Cecil *Hon. William Cecil *Hon. Edward Cecil *Lady Anne Cecil (1612-1637), who married

Algernon Percy, 10th Earl of Northumberland Algernon Percy, 10th Earl of Northumberland, 4th Baron Percy, KG, JP (29 September 160213 October 1668) was an English aristocrat, and supporter of the Parliamentary cause in the First English Civil War. The Percies had been the leading famil ...

, and had children *James Cecil, Viscount Cranborne (born and died 1616) * Lady Elizabeth Cecil (1619-1689), who married

William Cavendish, 3rd Earl of Devonshire William Cavendish, 3rd Earl of Devonshire, KB, FRS (c. 10 October 161723 November 1684) was an English nobleman and politician, known as a royalist supporter. Life The eldest son of William Cavendish, 2nd Earl of Devonshire and his wife Christi ...

, and had children * Charles Cecil, Viscount Cranborne (1619-1660), who married Lady Diana Maxwell; their son became the 3rd Earl. *Lady Diana Cecil (1622-1633) *Lady Catherine Cecil (c.1628-1652), who married Philip Sydney, 3rd Earl of Leicester, and had children *Lady Mary Cecil (c.1631-c.1676), who married William Sandys, 1st/6th Baron Sandys, but had no children *Hon. Algernon Cecil (died 1676), who married Dorothy Nevile and had children In 1615, the countess was present at

Trinity College, Cambridge Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Founded in 1546 by Henry VIII, King Henry VIII, Trinity is one of the largest Cambridge colleges, with the largest financial endowment of any college at either Cambridge ...

, for the performance of ''Aemilia'' by students, in the presence of King

James I of England James VI and I (James Charles Stuart; 19 June 1566 – 27 March 1625) was King of Scotland as James VI from 24 July 1567 and King of England and King of Ireland, Ireland as James I from the Union of the Crowns, union of the Scottish and Eng ...

. In 1617, the countess acted as godmother to James Murray, 2nd Earl of Tullibardine, the eldest son of Patrick Murray, 1st Earl of Tullibardine. After Salisbury's retirement from public life, they made their home at

. The countess's portrait was painted by Sir

Peter Lely Sir Peter Lely (14 September 1618 – 7 December 1680) was a painter of Dutch origin whose career was nearly all spent in England, where he became the dominant portrait painter to the court. Life Lely was born Pieter van der Faes to Dutch ...

(some time after his arrival in England in 1641), and is held at

Burghley House Burghley House () is a grand sixteenth-century English country house near Stamford, Lincolnshire. It is a leading example of the Elizabethan prodigy house, built and still lived in by the Cecil family. The exterior largely retains its Elizabet ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Salisbury, Catherine Cecil, Countess of 1590s births 1673 deaths English countesses Daughters of British earls