Margery Golding, Countess of Oxford (c. 1526 – 2 December 1568) was the second wife of John de Vere, 16th Earl of Oxford, the mother of

Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford (; 12 April 155024 June 1604) was an English peer and courtier of the Elizabethan era. Oxford was heir to the second oldest earldom in the kingdom, a court favourite for a time, a sought-after patron of ...

, and the half-sister of

Arthur Golding Arthur Golding (May 1606) was an English translator of more than 30 works from Latin into English. While primarily remembered today for his translation of Ovid's ''Metamorphoses'' because of its influence on William Shakespeare's works, in his ...

, the English translator.

Early life and family

She was born circa 1526, in

Belchamp St Paul Belchamp St Paul is a village and civil parish in the Braintree district of Essex, England. The village is west of Sudbury, Suffolk, and northeast of the county town, Chelmsford. The parish is northwest of Belchamp Otten and Belchamp Walter, ...

, the third child and the first daughter to Sir John Golding and his first wife, Elizabeth Tonge/Hammond, the daughter of Thomas Tonge and the widow of Reginald Hammond. Her mother died on 27 November 1527, and her father remarried Ursula Marston (d. 1564), the daughter of William Marston of Horton,

Epsom Epsom is the principal town of the Borough of Epsom and Ewell in Surrey, England, about south of central London. The town is first recorded as ''Ebesham'' in the 10th century and its name probably derives from that of a Saxon landowner. The ...

Surrey Surrey () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South East England, bordering Greater London to the south west. Surrey has a large rural area, and several significant urban areas which form part of the Greater London Built-up Area. ...

, leading to seven younger half-siblings. Among these was

, a translator of the late

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history marking the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and covering the 15th and 16th centuries, characterized by an effort to revive and surpass ideas ...

of otherwise Latin-only Classical texts.

Marriage and issue

On 1 August 1548, in

, Margery married John de Vere, 16th Earl of Oxford. The couple had two children: *

; married firstly Anne Cecil, daughter

William Cecil, 1st Baron Burghley William Cecil, 1st Baron Burghley (13 September 15204 August 1598) was an English statesman, the chief adviser of Queen Elizabeth I for most of her reign, twice Secretary of State (1550–1553 and 1558–1572) and Lord High Treasurer from 1 ...

, and

Mildred Cooke Mildred Cecil, Baroness Burghley (née Cooke; 1526 – 4 April 1589) was an English noblewoman and translator in the sixteenth century. She was the wife of William Cecil, 1st Baron Burghley, the most trusted adviser of Elizabeth I, and the mother ...

. He married secondly

Elizabeth Trentham Elizabeth de Vere, Countess of Oxford, formerly Elizabeth Trentham (d. c. December 1612), was the second wife of the Elizabethan courtier and poet Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford. Family and early years Elizabeth Trentham was born at Roce ...

, daughter of

Thomas Trentham Thomas Trentham (1538–1587) was an English politician. He was the son of Richard Trentham of Rocester Abbey, who died in 1547. In 1571, he became a Knight of the Shire in the House of Commons as one of two members for the County of Stafford ...

. He had children from both marriages. *

Mary de Vere Mary de Vere (''circa'' 1554-''circa'' 24 June 1624) was a 16th-century English noblewoman who lived a life of extraordinary wealth and privilege. The daughter of John de Vere, 16th Earl of Oxford, and his second wife Margery Golding, she marrie ...

; married firstly

Peregrine Bertie, 13th Baron Willoughby de Eresby Peregrine Bertie, 13th Baron Willoughby de Eresby (12 October 1555 – 25 June 1601) was the son of Catherine Willoughby, 12th Baroness Willoughby de Eresby, and Richard Bertie. Bertie was Lady Willoughby de Eresby's second husband, the first bei ...

, with whom she had one son,

Robert Bertie, 1st Earl of Lindsey Robert Bertie, 1st Earl of Lindsey KG (16 December 1582 – 24 October 1642) was an English peer, soldier and courtier. Early life Robert Bertie was the son of Peregrine Bertie, 13th Baron Willoughby de Eresby (b. 12 October 1555 – d. 25 J ...

. She married secondly Sir Eustace Hart. John also had a child, Katherine, from his previous marriage to Dorothy Neville, daughter of

Ralph Neville, 4th Earl of Westmorland Ralph Neville, 4th Earl of Westmorland KG (21 February 1498 – 24 April 1549), was an English peer and soldier. He was the grandson of Ralph Neville, 3rd Earl of Westmorland, and the father of Henry Neville, 5th Earl of Westmorland. Family ...

. Shortly after the 16th Earl of Oxford's death in 1562, the Countess of Oxford married Sir Charles Tyrrel (d. 1570), the 6th son of Sir Thomas Tyrell (sic) of Heron, Essex and Constance, daughter of John Blount, Lord Mountjoy.Tudorplace.com.ar/Bios/JohnVere (16EOxfor).htm

Footnotes

{{Reflist 1568 deaths Margery 16th-century English women

Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...