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

ladies-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 ...

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 by his wife, Dorothy Hastings, daughter of George Hastings, 1st Earl of Huntingdon (1487–1544). She was the sister of Sir Robert Vernon, Comptroller of the Household to

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". El ...

, 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 and his wife, Lady Elizabeth Butler, the daughter of James Butler, 4th Earl of Ormond. Humphrey's wife, Alice Ludlow, was the great-great-great-granddaughter of Henry IV of England through his son

Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester Humphrey of Lancaster, Duke of Gloucester (3 October 139023 February 1447) was an English prince, soldier, and literary patron. He was (as he styled himself) "son, brother and uncle of kings", being the fourth and youngest son of Henry IV of E ...

. 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 George Hastings, 1st Earl of Huntingdon 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 S ...

, 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, by whom she had issue. #Lady Anne Wriothesley (born 1600) who married Robert Wallop of Farley Wallop. # James Wriothesley, Lord Wriothesley (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 wa ...

(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. 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,

Hildegard Hammerschmidt-Hummel Hildegard Hammerschmidt-Hummel (born January 21, 1944) is a German professor of English, literary critic, Shakespeare scholar and writer who claims to have found conclusive answers to many of the unresolved problems of Shakespeare's life and literar ...

, has proposed a theory, mainly based on an apocryphal sonnet 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 Diana, Princess of Wales (born Diana Frances Spencer; 1 July 1961 – 31 August 1997) was a member of the British royal family. She was the first wife of King Charles III (then Prince of Wales) and mother of Princes William and Harry. Her ac ...

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