Frances Radclyffe, Countess of Sussex ( Sidney; 1531–1589) was a

Lady of the Bedchamber Lady of the Bedchamber is the title of a lady-in-waiting holding the official position of personal attendant on a British queen regnant or queen consort. The position is traditionally held by the wife of a peer. A lady of the bedchamber would gi ...

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. She was the last and longest reigning monarch of the House of Tudor. Her eventful reign, and its effect on history ...

and the founder of

Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge Sidney Sussex College (historically known as "Sussex College" and today referred to informally as "Sidney") is a Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge in England. The College was founded in 1 ...

. She was the daughter of Sir William Sidney,Chisholm, 1911, pp. 164–165 of

Penshurst Place Penshurst Place is a historic building near Penshurst, Kent, south east of London, England. It is the ancestral home of the Sidney family, and was the birthplace of the great Elizabethan poets and courtiers, siblings Mary Sidney and Philip ...

Kent Kent is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Essex across the Thames Estuary to the north, the Strait of Dover to the south-east, East Sussex to the south-west, Surrey to the west, and Gr ...

, a prominent courtier during the reign of

King Henry VIII Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is known for his six marriages and his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. His disagreement w ...

, and his wife, the former Anne Packenham. She was the sister of

Sir Henry Sidney Sir Henry Sidney (20 July 1529 – 5 May 1586) was an English soldier, politician and Lord Deputy of Ireland. Background He was the eldest son of Sir William Sidney of Penshurst (1482 – 11 February 1553) and Anne Pakenham (1511 – 22 Oc ...

, and aunt to both the poet

Sir Philip Sidney Sir Philip Sidney (30 November 1554 – 17 October 1586) was an English poet, courtier, scholar and soldier who is remembered as one of the most prominent figures of the Elizabethan age. His works include a sonnet sequence, '' Astrophil and ...

and the first Sidney Earl of Leicester. In 1555, she married (as his second wife) Thomas Radclyffe, Viscount FitzWalter, who was appointed

Lord Deputy of Ireland The Lord Deputy was the representative of the monarch and head of the Irish executive (government), executive under English rule, during the Lordship of Ireland and then the Kingdom of Ireland. He deputised prior to 1523 for the Viceroy of Ireland ...

in April 1556, and who succeeded his father as 3rd

Earl of Sussex Earl of Sussex is a title that has been created several times in the Peerages of England, Great Britain, and the United Kingdom. The early Earls of Arundel (up to 1243) were often also called Earls of Sussex. The fifth creation came in the Pee ...

in 1557. They left no children. In her will, Lady Sussex left the sum of £5,000 together with some plate to found a new college at

Cambridge University The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209, the University of Cambridge is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, wo ...

'to be called the Lady Frances Sidney Sussex College'.Levin ''et al.'', 2016, p. 212 Her

executors An executor is someone who is responsible for executing, or following through on, an assigned task or duty. The feminine form, executrix, is sometimes used. Executor of will An executor is a legal term referring to a person named by the maker o ...

, Sir John Harington and

Henry Grey, 6th Earl of Kent Henry Grey, 6th Earl of Kent (1541 – 31 January 1615) was an English peer. He was a son of Henry Grey (1520–1545) and Margaret St. John and grandson of Henry Grey, 4th Earl of Kent. He was a younger brother of Reginald Grey, 5th Earl of ...

, supervised by Archbishop

John Whitgift John Whitgift (c. 1530 – 29 February 1604) was the Archbishop of Canterbury from 1583 to his death. Noted for his hospitality, he was somewhat ostentatious in his habits, sometimes visiting Canterbury and other towns attended by a retinue of 8 ...

, founded the college seven years after her death."College History", 2020 Her arms are used by

, and a mascot of the college is a blue and gold porcupine, taken from a crest of the Sidney family.

Early life

Frances Sidney was born in or around 1531 at

Penshurst Palace Penshurst Place is a historic building near Penshurst, Kent, south east of London, England. It is the ancestral home of the Sidney family, and was the birthplace of the great Elizabethan poets and courtiers, siblings Mary Sidney and Philip S ...

in Kent to Sir William Sidney and Anne Pagenham.Prior, 2004 She was their fourth and youngest daughter and thus had a number of siblings including Mary Margaret Sidney, Lucy Sidney, Anne Sidney, and

. The Sidneys became wealthy in the mid-fifteenth century as landowners in the Sussex-Surrey region. Frances' father, Sir William Sidney, lived between 1482 and 1554 and was a Courtier to Henry VII and Henry VIII.MacCaffrey, 2008 Consequently, the Sidneys were well known by the Royals.

Marriage

Frances married Thomas Radclyffe, Lord Fitzwalter, at Hampton Court between 26 and 29 April 1555. The marriage was celebrated by a tournament in which the ''jure uxoris'' King Of England, King Felipe, participated in the jousts. By this point, Fitzwalter was in favour with the King as he had been summoned to sit in the House of Lords and had been appointed a member of King Felipe's Privy Council. Frances was not his first wife; Radclyffe's first wife, Elizabeth Wriothesley, died childless after ten years of marriage.Holland, 2011, pp. 1-2 Thus, it was essential he find a new suitor to produce an heir to his patronage, so much so that he expeditiously married Frances three months after the death of his wife in January 1555. Eager to produce an heir, in 1556 Lady Sidney travelled to Ireland with her husband as he had just been appointed

. This union, however, was also childless. Lady Sussex was therefore motivated to devote her estate towards her passion for education and the development a new eponymous college at the

University of Cambridge The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209, the University of Cambridge is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, wo ...

English administration in Ireland

Residence

A 24-year-old Lady Sidney accompanied the 30-year-old Lord Fitzwalter to Ireland, arriving “upon the quay of Dublin on Whit Sunday” in 1556. Thomas Radclyffe, Lord Fitzwalter, served as the Lord Deputy of Ireland from 1556 to 1560, earning the title of 3rd Earl of Sussex in 1557 (thus stylising Frances Sidney as Lady Sidney, Countess of Sussex), and later as Lord Lieutenant from 1560 to 1564.

When they arrived they were expected to be accommodated in the thirteenth century, vice-regal residence that was

Dublin Castle Dublin Castle () is a major Government of Ireland, Irish government complex, conference centre, and tourist attraction. It is located off Dame Street in central Dublin. It is a former motte-and-bailey castle and was chosen for its position at ...

, however, it was immediately determined to be unsuitable.Hooker, 1586 cited in Holinshed and Harrison, 1965, p. 403 Alternatively, and following in the example of Lord Deputy Anthony St Leger before them, Lord Fitzwalter and Lady Sidney occupied the priory of

Kilmainham Kilmainham (, meaning " St Maighneann's church") is a south inner suburb of Dublin, Ireland, south of the River Liffey and west of the city centre. It is in the city's Dublin 8 postal district. History Origins Kilmainham's foundation dates ...

. While this property was four kilometres outside of Dublin, it avoided the awful living conditions of Dublin and had been renovated at the price of £100 some years prior. It served the Lord Deputy Sussex well until Sir Henry Sidney later renovated Dublin Castle in order to return the seat of English Government to its traditional position in Ireland.

Absence

The Sussex's spent a great deal of time away from Ireland, spending nearly 3 years of their 8-year tenure abroad. The Earl and Lady Sussex would often spend half the year in Ireland and the other half in England. The longest period of continuous stay in Ireland was towards the end of the Earl of Sussex's tenure as Lord Lieutenant, where they spent twenty-two consecutive months in Ireland. Frances remained by the Earl of Sussex's side for much of this time. Their absence was due to the complete reluctance of English

viceroy A viceroy () is an official who reigns over a polity in the name of and as the representative of the monarch of the territory. The term derives from the Latin prefix ''vice-'', meaning "in the place of" and the Anglo-Norman ''roy'' (Old Frenc ...

s, such as the Earl of Sussex, to rule over Ireland. They were absent so frequently, they failed to form in Irish Court at any stage in their tenure. The wives of the viceroys of Ireland throughout this period, including Frances, failed to make a meaningful connection between Ireland and England due to their frequent absence and difficulty assimilating.

Life in Ireland

Life was difficult for Lady Sidney in Ireland, her lack of children impacted her status in the Irish public eye. The changing monarchs, from Edward IV to Mary to Elizabeth, meant there significant changes in religious practice over the years that were the cause of some controversy. This also made daily life difficult for Lady Sidney as the wives of the viceroys of Ireland were expected to be pious examples of faith.

Diplomacy

The Earl of Sussex was widely reputable for his martial governance. The Leicesters were firm critics of the Sussexes contemporaneously, and retrospectively, Brady criticises Lady Sidney's efforts. When Frances arrived in Ireland she was young and inexperienced. The frequent absence of the Earl and Lady of Sussex significantly impacted their ability to cultivate the relationships fostered with Maguire and O’Neill, two significant powers in Ireland at the time.

Diplomatic relations with Maguire

Upon arrival in Ireland in 1556, the Earl of Sussex was met with a number of militant factions, including from the Scots. Notwithstanding, the Earl of Sussex developed a good relationship with Sean Maguire, Lord of Fermanagh, and would go on to form a strong alliance with him. While the specifics are unclear, it is understood that Maguire presented Lady Sidney with two of his finest hawks, a symbolic gift often offered in Anglo-Irish diplomacy. Why he chose Lady Sidney as the recipient is unclear, nor is it clear how this impacted Lady Sidney's favour of Maguire when petitioning to her husband, but it is a symbolic gesture of solidarity.

Diplomatic relations with O'Neill

In 1557 Shane O’Neill, a Gaelic lord, asserted that his half-brother's claim to succeed the title of Earl of Tyrone was illegitimate. The Earl of Sussex repressed this claim, however, in 1559, upon the death of the incumbent Earl of Tyrone, O’Neill reasserted his claim. The Earl of Sussex protested against the intent of Queen Elizabeth I to grant O’Neill the Earldom and instead militated against him. After much conflict, O’Neill was victorious and recognised as the Earl of Tyrone. O’Neill then wrote to Elizabeth and requested to marry the Earl of Sussex's sister, Lady Frances Radclyffe.

Court of Elizabeth I

The Earl of Sussex and the Earl of Leicester were said to be rivals for the favour of Elizabeth. Lady Sidney's brother, Sir Henry Sidney, married Mary Dudley, the eldest daughter of the

Duke of Northumberland Duke of Northumberland is a noble title that has been created three times in English and British history, twice in the Peerage of England and once in the Peerage of Great Britain. The current holder of this title is Ralph Percy, 12th Duke of N ...

and sister of the Queen's favourite, Robert Dudley, 1st

Earl of Leicester Earl of Leicester is a title that has been created seven times. The first title was granted during the 12th century in the Peerage of England. The current title is in the Peerage of the United Kingdom and was created in 1837. History Earl ...

There is no reference of Frances fulfilling any role in the Courts of

Edward VI Edward VI (12 October 1537 – 6 July 1553) was King of England and King of Ireland, Ireland from 28 January 1547 until his death in 1553. He was crowned on 20 February 1547 at the age of nine. The only surviving son of Henry VIII by his thi ...

or Mary 1. In 1571 however, Frances fell into favour of Queen Elizabeth as her sister in law, Mary, was a chambermaid. Elizabeth visited the Earl and Countess of Sussex at their home in Bermondsey on two occasions in 1571. In this year both Mary and Frances contracted

smallpox Smallpox was an infectious disease caused by Variola virus (often called Smallpox virus), which belongs to the genus '' Orthopoxvirus''. The last naturally occurring case was diagnosed in October 1977, and the World Health Organization (W ...

, an infection that disfigured Mary significantly, although the Queen and Frances recovered well. In 1578 Lady Sussex received her first appointments as a lady of the chamber of the queen. On his deathbed, the Earl of Sussex warned Lady Sidney of the Earl of Leicester:Edwards, 1899, p. 9.

''‘I am now passing into another world, and must leave you to your fortunes and the Queen's graces; but beware of the ‘Gypsy’; for he will be hard for you all. You know not the beast as well as I do’''

In the last year of the Earl and Countess of Sussex's marriage, before his death, their relationship was frustrated by “malicious speeches and unconscionable extremities”;Sidney, 1583. it is thought the Leicesters interfered with the ill Earl of Sussex to deprive Lady Sidney of his affection. The state of the Earl and Lady Sussex's relationship infuriated Elizabeth. In response, Lady Sidney wrote the Queen a desperate letter detailing the external forces that broke the “love of twenty-eight years continuance” even after she followed her husband “in health and in sickness, in wealth and woe”. Later, Lady Sidney also thanked Lord Burleigh for testifying her case to Elizabeth. The Queen did not accept Lady Sidney's letter; in 1585, Lady Sidney wrote to Her Majesty once again offering to substantiate her assertion that she shared a loving marriage with the Earl of Sussex.

Death and legacy

The Earl of Sussex died on 9 June 1583. On his death, his will is said to have been “equitable, chilling, and legalistic” and he bequeathed Frances “all his jewels, valued at £3,169; 4,000 ounces of gilt plate; and the income from manors in Essex and estates in Norfolk”. Following her husband's death, Lady Sidney became very bitter and increasingly supportive of

Protestantism Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...

, adopting the motto “Dieu me garde de calomnie” (middle French for “God preserve me from calumny”). Her prudent management of the late Earl of Sussex's manors mean she became reputably wealthy in this time. In this period, Lady Sidney continued to be persecuted as the MP Arthur Hall, notoriously disreputable, published a vexatious pamphlet about her after she rejected his advances. Lady Sidney died in her Bermondsey home on 9 March 1589. She was buried in the Chapel of St Paul,

Westminster Abbey Westminster Abbey, formally titled the Collegiate Church of Saint Peter at Westminster, is an Anglican church in the City of Westminster, London, England. Since 1066, it has been the location of the coronations of 40 English and British m ...

on 15 April 1589.Westminster Abbey, 2020

Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge

Lady Sidney had maintained passion for education throughout her time in the Court of Elizabeth. In Thomas Rogers' translation of

Niels Hemmingsen Niels Hemmingsen (May/June 1513 – 23 May 1600), Latinized Nicolaus Hemmingius, was a Danish Lutheran theologian. He was pastor of the Church of the Holy Ghost, Copenhagen and professor at the University of Copenhagen. The street Niels Hemmin ...

's ''The Faith of the Church Militant'', a powerful and scholarly Protestant work, Rogers included a dedication to Lady Sidney's support of education. In her will dated 6 December 1588 Lady Sidney stated she wished to use the estate she had inherited from her husband “to erect some good and godly monument for the maintenance of good learning”. Henry Gray, the Earl of Kent, was the chief executor of her will and the Lord Archbishop of Canterbury was the supervisor. Lady Sidney made arrangements to pay a perpetual annuity of £20 for the appointment of a biweekly lecturer at Westminster Abbey for ever, £100 to be distributed amongst the “godly ministers” of London, and £5000 for the erection and foundation of a new college at the University of Cambridge. The college would be founded as “Lady Frances Sidney Sussex College” with enough money sparing for the maintenance of one master, ten fellows, and twenty scholars. Sidney Sussex College mascot 1991

The Earl of Kent and Sir John Harrington encountered considerable fiscal strain when establishing the college, in the event the funds were insufficient for the foundation of a college, Lady Sidney had also allowed the funds to go to the improvement of the existing

Clare College, Cambridge Clare College is a Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge in Cambridge, England. The college was founded in 1326 as University Hall, making it the second-oldest surviving college of the Unive ...

.Edwards, 1899, p. 15. Were the latter the case, the college were to be renamed “Clare and Lady Frances Sidney Sussex College”. Although the will was contested by relatives of Lady Sidney, all were unsuccessful and the college was founded in 1596, seven years after the reading of the will and after the personal intervention of Elizabeth, despite her dislike for Lady Sidney immediately prior to her death.Edwards, 1899, p. 12 The

porcupine Porcupines are large rodents with coats of sharp Spine (zoology), spines, or quills, that protect them against predation. The term covers two Family (biology), families of animals: the Old World porcupines of the family Hystricidae, and the New ...

appears on her 24 foot high marble and alabaster funerary monument in the chapel of St Paul, Westminster Abbey. In this monument, suspected to have been designed by Ralph Symons and sculpted by Richard Stevens, she is depicted in the

coronet In British heraldry, a coronet is a type of crown that is a mark of rank of non-reigning members of the royal family and peers. In other languages, this distinction is not made, and usually the same word for ''crown'' is used irrespective of ra ...

of a countess.

Notes

References

*Brady, C. (1996). ''Shane O’Neill'' (1st ed.). Dundalgan Press Ltd. *Brewer, J., & Bullen, W. (1868). ''Calendar of the Carew manuscripts''. Longman. * * *Ciaran Brady, “Political Women and Reform in Tudor Ireland,” in Women in Early Modern Ireland, ed. Margaret MacCurtain and Mary O’Dowd (Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 1991), 82. *''College history''. Sid.cam.ac.uk. (2020). Retrieved 27 May 2020, from https://www.sid.cam.ac.uk/about-sidney/college-history. *Edwards, G. (1899). ''Sidney Sussex College'' (1st ed.). F.E. Robinson and co. *Hearn, K. (1995). ''Dynasties: Painting in Tudor and Jacobean England''. Rizzoli. *Holland, K., 2011. ''The Sidney Women in Ireland, c. 1556-1594''. Sidney Journal, 29(1-2). *John Hooker, “The Supplie of this Irish Chronicle, Continued from the Death of King Henry VIII, 1546, until this Present Yeare 1586,” in Holinshed, R., & Harrison, W. (1965). ''Holinshed's Chronicles of England, Scotland and Ireland'' (6th ed.). Ams Press Inc. *Levin, C., Bertolet, A., & Carney, J. (2016). ''A Biographical Encyclopedia Of Early Modern Englishwomen'' (1st ed., p. 212). Routledge. *MacCaffrey, W. (2008). ''Sidney, Sir Henry (1529–1586), lord deputy of Ireland and courtier''. Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. Retrieved 23 April 2020, from https://www.oxforddnb.com/view/10.1093/ref:odnb/9780198614128.001.0001/odnb-9780198614128-e-25520#odnb-9780198614128-e-25520. *MacCurtain, M., & O'Dowd, M. (1992). ''Women in Early Modern Ireland, 1500-1800'' (1st ed.). Edinburgh U.P. *Montague-Smith, P. (1970). ''Debrett's peerage, baronetage, knightage, and companionage'' (1st ed.). Kelly's Directories Ltd. *O’Neill, S. Received by Queen Elizabeth I, 18 November 1563. *Prior, M. (2004). ''Radcliffe ée Sidney Frances, countess of Sussex''. Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. Retrieved 23 April 2020, from https://www.oxforddnb.com/view/10.1093/ref:odnb/9780198614128.001.0001/odnb-9780198614128-e-66355. *Scott, W. (1821). ''Kenilworth'' (1st ed., ch. 16). Hurst, Robinson and Co. *Sidney, F. Received by Queen Elizabeth I, 18 September 1583. *Westminster Abbey. 2020. Frances Sidney, Countess Of Sussex. nlineAvailable at: <https://www.westminster-abbey.org/abbey-commemorations/commemorations/frances-sidney-countess-of-sussex> ccessed 16 March 2020

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sussex, Frances Sidney, Countess of 1531 births 1589 deaths

Frances Frances is an English given name or last name of Latin origin. In Latin the meaning of the name Frances is 'from France' or 'the French.' The male version of the name in English is Francis (given name), Francis. The original Franciscus, meaning "F ...

Wives of knights 16th-century English women English countesses 16th-century English nobility English ladies-in-waiting Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge Court of Elizabeth I Founders of colleges of the University of Cambridge