Margaret Clifford (''née'' Russell), Countess of Cumberland (7 July 1560 – 24 May 1616) was an English

noblewoman A noblewoman is a female member of the nobility. Noblewomen form a disparate group, which has evolved over time. Ennoblement of women has traditionally been a rare occurrence; the majority of noblewomen were linked to the nobility by either their ...

and

maid of honor Bridesmaids are members of the bride's party at some Western traditional wedding ceremonies. A bridesmaid is typically a young woman and often the bride's close friend or relative. She attends to the bride on the day of a wedding or marriage ce ...

Elizabeth I Elizabeth I (7 September 153324 March 1603) was List of English monarchs, Queen of England and List of Irish monarchs, Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death in 1603. She was the last and longest reigning monarch of the House of Tudo ...

. Lady Margaret was born in

Exeter, England Exeter ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and the county town of Devon in South West England. It is situated on the River Exe, approximately northeast of Plymouth and southwest of Bristol. In Roman Britain, Exeter w ...

Francis Russell, 2nd Earl of Bedford Francis Russell, 2nd Earl of Bedford ( – 28 July 1585) of Chenies in Buckinghamshire and of Bedford House in Exeter, Devon, was an English nobleman, soldier, and politician. He was a godfather to the Devon-born sailor Sir Francis Drake. He ...

and Margaret St John. On 24 June 1577 she married

George Clifford, 3rd Earl of Cumberland Sir George Clifford, 3rd Earl of Cumberland, 13th Baron de Clifford, 13th Lord of Skipton (8 August 155830 October 1605), was an English peer, naval commander, and courtier of Queen Elizabeth I of England. He was notable at court for his jousti ...

the son of

Henry Clifford, 2nd Earl of Cumberland Henry Clifford, 2nd Earl of Cumberland (1517 – January 1570) was a member of the Clifford family, seated at Skipton Castle from 1310 to 1676.Charles Mosley, editor. Burke's Peerage, Baronetage & Knightage, 107th edition, 3 volumes (Wilmington ...

and Anne Dacre. Her sister, Anne Russell, Countess of Warwick, was married to Ambrose Dudley, brother of Robert Dudley, the

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 ...

, and Anne too was a great literary patron and a close friend 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. She was the last and longest reigning monarch of the House of Tudor. Her eventful reign, and its effect on history ...

, attending her on her death bed. In 1603 she travelled from London with her daughter

Lady Anne Clifford Lady Anne Clifford, Countess of Dorset, Pembroke and Montgomery, ''suo jure'' 14th Baroness de Clifford (30 January 1590 – 22 March 1676) was an English peeress. In 1605 she inherited her father's ancient barony by writ and became ''suo jure'' ...

and the Countess of Warwick to join others greeting

Anne of Denmark Anne of Denmark (; 12 December 1574 – 2 March 1619) was the wife of King James VI and I. She was List of Scottish royal consorts, Queen of Scotland from their marriage on 20 August 1589 and List of English royal consorts, Queen of Engl ...

and Prince Henry at Dingley, the house of Thomas Griffin on 24 June. Afterwards they rode with Anne Vavasour (later Lady Warburton) through Coventry to see Princess Elizabeth at

Coombe Abbey Coombe Abbey (also Combe Abbey) is a former Cistercian abbey at Combe Fields in the Borough of Rugby, in the countryside of Warwickshire, England. The abbey was converted to a country house in the 16th century and now operates as a hotel. It i ...

. At this time her husband was not maintaining her, and she wrote to

Sir Robert Cecil Robert Cecil, 1st Earl of Salisbury, (1 June 156324 May 1612) was an English statesman noted for his direction of the government during the Union of the Crowns, as Tudor England gave way to Stuart period, Stuart rule (1603). Lord Salisbury ser ...

asking for his intervention so that she could buy suitable clothes to "furnish her self" to attend the new queen. The royal couple were entertained at

Grafton Regis Grafton Regis is a village and civil parish in West Northamptonshire, England, on the border with Buckinghamshire. The village is east of the A508 road, on which it has a short frontage and two bus stops, and is around south of Northampton and ...

by her husband. Although the Countess was present, according to her daughter, she was marginalised, "not held as mistress of the house". She was a patron of the poet

Emilia Lanier Emilia Lanier (; 1569–1645) was the first woman in England to assert herself as a professional poet, through her volume '' Salve Deus Rex Judaeorum'' (''Hail, God, King of the Jews'', 1611). Attempts have been made to equate her with Shakesp ...

. In 1593, Lady Margaret Russell founded Beamsley Hospital, an almshouse for local widows. She was interested in physic and alchemy, and had an alchemical recipe book compiled for her. She died at

Brougham Castle Brougham Castle (pronounced ) is a medieval building about south-east of Penrith, Cumbria, England. The castle was founded by Robert I de Vieuxpont in the early 13th century. The site, near the confluence of the rivers Eamont and Lowther, ha ...

, on 24 May 1616. The tomb of the Countess is at

St Lawrence's Church, Appleby St Lawrence's Church is in Boroughgate, Appleby-in-Westmorland, Cumbria, England. It is an active Anglican parish church in the deanery of Appleby, the archdeaconry of Carlisle, and the diocese of Carlisle. The parish is one of ten parishes whi ...

along with that of her daughter, Lady Anne Clifford. Lady Anne Clifford built the Countess Pillar to commemorate her.

Children

* Francis Clifford (1584 – 8 December 1589) * Robert Clifford (21 September 1585 – 24 May 1591) *

(30 January 1590 – 22 March 1676), who married

Richard Sackville, 3rd Earl of Dorset Richard Sackville, 3rd Earl of Dorset (18 March 1589 – 28 March 1624) was the eldest surviving son of Robert Sackville, 2nd Earl of Dorset, by his first wife, Lady Margaret Howard, daughter of Thomas Howard, 4th Duke of Norfolk and Margaret ...

, and secondly

Philip Herbert, 4th Earl of Pembroke Philip Herbert, 4th Earl of Pembroke and 1st Earl of Montgomery, (10 October 158423 January 1650) was an English courtier, nobleman, and politician active during the reigns of James I of England, James I and Charles I of England, Charles I. ...

* Lady Margaret Clifford (29 March 1594 - 4 February 1647)

References

*Bell, J. ''Belle Assemblée: Or, Court and Fashionable Magazine; Containing Interesting and Original Literature, and Records of the Beau-monde.'' Ser. 3, vol. 8, J. Bell, 1828. (p. 238
googlebooks
Retrieved 11 September 2008 *Walpole, Horace, and Thomas Park. ''A Catalogue of the Royal and Noble Authors of England, Scotland, and Ireland; With Lists of Their Works.'' London: Printed for J. Scott, 1806.
googlebooks
Retrieved 31 August 2008

External links

The Correspondence of Margaret Clifford
i
EMLO
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cumberland, Margaret Clifford, Countess of 1560 births 1616 deaths

Cumberland Cumberland ( ) is an area of North West England which was historically a county. The county was bordered by Northumberland to the north-east, County Durham to the east, Westmorland to the south-east, Lancashire to the south, and the Scottish ...

Daughters of English earls English maids of honour

Margaret Margaret is a feminine given name, which means "pearl". It is of Latin origin, via Ancient Greek and ultimately from Iranian languages, Old Iranian. It has been an English language, English name since the 11th century, and remained popular thro ...

16th-century English women 16th-century English nobility 17th-century English women 17th-century English nobility 16th-century alchemists 17th-century alchemists Court of Elizabeth I