Elizabeth Wriothesley (''née'' Vernon), Countess of Southampton (11 January 1572 – 23 November 1655) was one of the chief ladies-in-waiting to

Elizabeth I of England Elizabeth I (7 September 153324 March 1603) was Queen of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death in 1603. Elizabeth was the last of the five House of Tudor monarchs and is sometimes referred to as the "Virgin Queen". Eli ...

in the later years of her reign.

Family

Elizabeth Vernon was the granddaughter of George Vernon (d. 1555), and the daughter of John Vernon (d. 1592) of

Hodnet, Shropshire Hodnet is a village and civil parish in Shropshire, England. The town of Market Drayton lies 5.7 miles (9.2 km) north-east of the village. History Evidence of a Bronze Age burial site was discovered during construction of the bypass in ...

, by Elizabeth Devereux (c. 1541-c. 1583) the daughter of Sir Richard Devereux (d. 13 October 1547) of

Weobley Weobley ( ) is an ancient settlement and civil parish in Herefordshire, England. Formerly a market town, the market is long defunct and the settlement is today promoted as one of the county's black and white villages owing to its abundance o ...

by his wife, Dorothy Hastings, daughter of

George Hastings, 1st Earl of Huntingdon George Hastings, 1st Earl of Huntingdon, KB (148824 March 1544) was an English nobleman. Family George Hastings, born in 1488 at Ashby-de-la-Zouch, was the son of Edward Hastings, 2nd Baron Hastings, and Mary Hungerford, daughter and heiress o ...

(1487–1544). She was the sister of Sir Robert Vernon,

Comptroller of the Household The Comptroller of the Household is an ancient position in the British royal household, nominally the second-ranking member of the Lord Steward's department after the Treasurer of the Household. The Comptroller was an ''ex officio'' member of ...

Queen Elizabeth I Elizabeth I (7 September 153324 March 1603) was Queen of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death in 1603. Elizabeth was the last of the five House of Tudor monarchs and is sometimes referred to as the "Virgin Queen". Eli ...

, and of Susan Vernon, second wife of Sir Walter Leveson, and a first cousin of

Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex, KG, PC (; 10 November 1565 – 25 February 1601) was an English nobleman and a favourite of Queen Elizabeth I. Politically ambitious, and a committed general, he was placed under house arrest following ...

. Her paternal great-grandfather, Humphrey Vernon, was the grandson of

John Talbot, 2nd Earl of Shrewsbury John Talbot, 2nd Earl of Shrewsbury, 2nd Earl of Waterford, 8th Baron Talbot, KG (12 DEC 1413 – 10 July 1460) was an English nobleman and soldier. He was the son of John Talbot, 1st Earl of Shrewsbury, 1st Earl of Waterford, 7th Baron Talbot ...

and his wife, Lady Elizabeth Butler, the daughter of

James Butler, 4th Earl of Ormond James Butler, 4th Earl of Ormond (23 May 1393 – 23 August 1452) was the son of James Butler, 3rd Earl of Ormond. He was called 'The White Earl', and was esteemed for his learning. He was the patron of the Irish literary work, 'The Book of the ...

. Humphrey's wife, Alice Ludlow, was the great-great-great-granddaughter of

Henry IV of England Henry IV ( April 1367 – 20 March 1413), also known as Henry Bolingbroke, was King of England from 1399 to 1413. He asserted the claim of his grandfather King Edward III, a maternal grandson of Philip IV of France, to the Kingdom of F ...

through his son Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester. By her mother, Elizabeth was the great-granddaughter of

Walter Devereux, 1st Viscount Hereford Walter Devereux, 10th Baron Ferrers of Chartley, created 1st Viscount Hereford, KG (1488 – 17 September 1558) was an English courtier and parliamentarian. Baron Ferrers Walter was the son and heir of John Devereux, 9th Baron Ferrers a ...

and his wife Lady Mary Grey, daughter of

Thomas Grey, 1st Marquess of Dorset Thomas Grey, 1st Marquess of Dorset, 1st Earl of Huntingdon, 7th Baron Ferrers of Groby, (145520 September 1501) was an English nobleman, courtier and the eldest son of Elizabeth Woodville and her first husband Sir John Grey of Groby. Her secon ...

and his wife Cecily Bonville. By her mother, Elizabeth was also a great-granddaughter of

and Lady Anne Stafford, daughter of

Henry Stafford, 2nd Duke of Buckingham Henry Stafford, 2nd Duke of Buckingham, KG (4 September 1455 – 2 November 1483) was an English nobleman known as the namesake of Buckingham's rebellion, a failed but significant collection of uprisings in England and parts of Wales again ...

and his wife Lady Katherine Woodville.

Marriage and children

On 30 August 1598, Elizabeth married

Henry Wriothesley, 3rd Earl of Southampton Henry Wriothesley, 3rd Earl of Southampton, (pronunciation uncertain: "Rezley", "Rizely" (archaic), (present-day) and have been suggested; 6 October 1573 – 10 November 1624) was the only son of Henry Wriothesley, 2nd Earl of So ...

, who has been suggested as the dedicatee of Shakespeare's sonnets. The marriage occurred after Elizabeth discovered she was pregnant. Upon discovering this, the Queen had both Elizabeth and her husband locked in Fleet Prison and, after their release, the pair were never again received into her favour. Later, when Elizabeth was pregnant she wrote to her husband asking him to buy her a

stomacher A stomacher is a decorated triangular panel that fills in the front opening of a woman's gown or bodice. The stomacher may be boned, as part of a corset, or may cover the triangular front of a corset. If simply decorative, the stomacher lies ...

of scarlet cloth lined with plush to keep her warm while riding, and bring his portrait 'very finely done'. Elizabeth and Henry had several children, including: #Lady Penelope Wriothesley (18 November 1598 – 16 July 1667) who married

William Spencer, 2nd Baron Spencer William Spencer, 2nd Baron Spencer of Wormleighton (christened 4 January 1591 – 19 December 1636) was an English nobleman, politician, and peer from the Spencer family. Life Spencer was the son of Robert Spencer, 1st Baron Spencer of Worml ...

, by whom she had issue. #Lady Anne Wriothesley (born 1600) who married

Robert Wallop Robert Wallop (20 July 1601 – 19 November 1667) was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons at various times from 1621 to 1660. He supported the Parliamentary cause in the English Civil War and was one of the regicides of King Char ...

of Farley Wallop. #

James Wriothesley, Lord Wriothesley James Wriothesley, Lord Wriothesley KB (1 March 1605 – 5 November 1624) was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1621 and 1624. Life Wriothesley was the eldest son of Henry Wriothesley, 3rd Earl of Southampton and ...

(1605–1624) #

Thomas Wriothesley Sir Thomas Wriothesley ( ; died 24 November 1534) was a long serving officer of arms at the College of Arms in London. He was the son of Garter King of Arms, John Writhe, and he succeeded his father in this office. Personal life Wriothesley was ...

(10 March 1607 – 16 May 1667) who became the 4th Earl of Southampton and married firstly Rachel de Massue, daughter of Daniel de Massue, Seigneur de Ruvigny, by whom he had two daughters, Elizabeth (died 1679), who married Edward Noel (later created Earl of Gainsborough), and

Rachel, Lady Russell Rachel, Lady Russell ( Wriothesley ; – 29 September 1723) was an English noblewoman, heiress, and author. Her second husband was William, Lord Russell, who was implicated in the Rye House Plot and later executed. A collection of the many ...

. Both her husband and eldest son died in November 1624 from illnesses which struck them while they were on a military expedition in the Netherlands. She died, aged 83, in 1655.

Shakespeare connection theory

A German professor of

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ...

, Hildegard Hammerschmidt-Hummel, has proposed a theory, mainly based on an apocryphal

sonnet A sonnet is a poetic form that originated in the poetry composed at the Court of the Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II in the Sicilian city of Palermo. The 13th-century poet and notary Giacomo da Lentini is credited with the sonnet's inventio ...

that she claims was written by

William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

, and evidence from portraits, that Elizabeth Wriothesley was a lover of the poet. Her eldest daughter Penelope is, according to this theory, a child of Shakespeare. The author stresses that in this way, Lady Diana Spencer would be a descendant of William Shakespeare.(In German) Hildegard Hammerschmidt-Hummel: ''Das Geheimnis um Shakespeares 'Dark Lady'. Dokumentation einer Enthüllung'' Darmstadt: Primus-Verlag 1999 Questions have been raised about this theory, namely why the Earl of Southampton would have risked certain royal displeasure from the Queen by marrying Elizabeth if she was pregnant with somebody else's illegitimate child. File:Elizabeth (Vernon), Countess of Southampton from NPG.jpg, Elizabeth, Countess of Southampton c. 1620 File:Elizabeth Vernon Countess of Southampton c 1618.jpg, Elizabeth, Countess of Southampton, c. 1618

Notes

References

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External links