Margaret Ratcliffe or Radcliffe or Radclyffe (1575-1599) was an English courtier.

Career

She was a maid of honour to Queen Elizabeth. She is sometimes confused with an older courtier, colleague, and cousin Mary Radcliffe, since both were known as "Mistress Ratcliffe". She was a daughter of Sir John Radcliffe (d. 1590) of

Ordsall Hall Ordsall Hall is a large former manor house in the historic parish of Ordsall, Lancashire, England, now part of the City of Salford, in Greater Manchester. It dates back more than 750 years, although the oldest surviving parts of the present hal ...

and Anne Asshawe.

Anthony Munday Anthony Munday (or Monday) (1560?10 August 1633) was an English playwright and miscellaneous writer. He was baptized on 13 October 1560 in St Gregory by St Paul's, London, and was the son of Christopher Munday, a stationer, and Jane Munday. He ...

''alias'' Anthony Gibson dedicated his ''A Womans Woorth, defended against all the men in the world'' (London, 1599) with verses to ladies of the Elizabeth court, including; Elizabeth, Countesse of South-hampton, Mistress Anne Russell, Mistress Margaret Ratcliffe, and Mistress Mary Fitten. Much of the information about the Elizabethan court comes from the letters of

Rowland Whyte Rowland Whyte (died after 1626) was an Elizabethan official and businessman, whose letters provide important evidence about the latter stages of the life of Queen Elizabeth I and the transition to the rule of James I. The letters were first publish ...

Robert Sidney, 1st Earl of Leicester Robert Sidney, 1st Earl of Leicester (19 November 1563 – 13 July 1626), second son of Sir Henry Sidney, was a statesman of Elizabethan era, Elizabethan and James I of England, Jacobean England. He was also a patron of the arts and a poet ...

. Whyte noted that on 27 February 1598 "Mrs Radcliffe" wore a white satin gown, all embroidered, richly cut on good cloth of silver, which cost £180. In August 1599 Whyte heard that Margaret Ratcliffe had stayed in her chamber for four days after

Frances Howard, Countess of Kildare Frances Howard, Countess of Kildare (died 1628), was a courtier and governess of Princess Elizabeth Stuart, Queen of Bohemia, and a member of the House of Howard. Marriages Frances Howard was the daughter of Charles Howard, 1st Earl of Notting ...

had been unkind to her. This was because they were rivals for the affection of

Henry Brooke, 11th Baron Cobham Henry Brooke, 11th Baron Cobham KG (22 November 1564 – 24 January 1618 (Old Style)/3 February 1618 (New Style), lord of the Manor of Cobham, Kent, was an English peer who was implicated in the Main Plot against the rule of James I of England. ...

. Her brother Alexander had died in Ireland, and she did not yet know it. In the same letter Whyte mentions her cousin Mary Radcliffe as "old Mrs Ratcliffe". Margaret Radcliffe died on 10 November 1599 at the house of Mr Kirkham in Richmond, after refusing to eat. Rowland Whyte wrote that now Ratcliffe was dead, Lady Kildare hoped that Lord Cobham would proceed to marry her. According to

Philip Gawdy Philip Gawdy (13 July 1562 – 27 May 1617) was an English landowner and letter writer. Career Philip Gawdy was the son of Bassingbourne Gawdy, senior, and Anne Wotton. In 1588 his father married Margaret Syliard, widow of Thomas Darcy of Tollesh ...

, a Norfolk lawyer with court connections, she had "gone about to starve herself and by the two days together had received no sustenance". He heard that the Queen was present at her death at Richmond. The maidens at court wore black mourning. There was an autopsy. Queen Elizabeth paid for her funeral. She was buried at

St Margaret's, Westminster The Church of St Margaret, Westminster Abbey, is in the grounds of Westminster Abbey on Parliament Square, London, England. It is dedicated to Margaret of Antioch, and forms part of a single World Heritage Site with the Palace of Westminster a ...

on 23 November. Her funeral was of the status accorded a nobleman's daughter. 24 poor women were given gowns to match her age. Anne Russell was the chief mourner. As an epitaph

Ben Jonson Benjamin "Ben" Jonson (c. 11 June 1572 – c. 16 August 1637) was an English playwright and poet. Jonson's artistry exerted a lasting influence upon English poetry and stage comedy. He popularised the comedy of humours; he is best known for t ...

wrote an acrostic epigram. Her place at court was given to the "faire young Mrs Southwell". She was

Elizabeth Southwell Lady Elizabeth Southwell ( née Cromwell), called Lady Cromwell (1674–1709) was an English noblewoman, the only daughter of Vere Essex Cromwell, 4th Earl of Ardglass and wife Catherine Hamilton. Title When her father died in 1687, she claimed ...

, daughter of

Sir Robert Southwell Sir Robert Southwell PRS (31 December 1635 – 11 September 1702) was a diplomat. He was Secretary of State for Ireland and President of the Royal Society from 1690. Background and education Robert Southwell was born near Kinsale in County ...

and Elizabeth Howard. In January 1603 the

Earl of Rutland Earl () is a rank of the nobility in the United Kingdom. The title originates in the Old English word ''eorl'', meaning "a man of noble birth or rank". The word is cognate with the Scandinavian form ''jarl'', and meant "chieftain", particular ...

paid £4 for a portrait of Margaret Ratcliffe. His accounts show that he was a patron of the artists

Nicholas Hilliard Nicholas Hilliard () was an English goldsmith and limner best known for his portrait miniatures of members of the courts of Elizabeth I and James I of England. He mostly painted small oval miniatures, but also some larger cabinet miniatures, ...

and Robert Peake.''HMC Duke of Rutland'', vol. 4 (London, 1905), p. 443
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References

External links

Margaret Radcliffe's lost tomb and inscription
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ratcliffe, Margaret 1575 births 1599 deaths British maids of honour Court of Elizabeth I