Richard Sackville, 3rd Earl Of Dorset

Richard Sackville, 3rd Earl of Dorset (born 18 March 1589, died 28 March 1624), was the eldest surviving son of Robert Sackville, 2nd Earl of Dorset, and Lady Margaret Howard, daughter of Thomas Howard, 4th Duke of Norfolk, and Margaret Audley. He was born at Charterhouse in London.

From 1608 until 1609, he held the courtesy title of Lord Buckhurst. In 1609, upon the death of his father, he succeeded to the earldom and inherited Knole House, the family estate. Between 1612 and 1624, Sackville served as a Lord Lieutenant of Sussex.

He married Lady Anne Clifford on 27 February 1609. Lady Anne was the daughter of George Clifford, 3rd Earl of Cumberland, and Margaret Russell, daughter of Francis Russell, 2nd Earl of Bedford. The marriage was reportedly unsuccessful; allegations from partisan sources cite Lady Anne's strong personality, while others blame Sackville's repeated infidelities, financial extravagance, and gambling habits. He was noted as an accomplished gambler and wastrel. Rumors, later noted by the antiquary John Aubrey, suggested that one of Sackville's "concubines" was Venetia Stanley, with whom he was purportedly said to have had children, and to whom he allegedly settled an annuity of £500 per year. Another mistress was Martha Penistone, the wife of Sir Thomas Penistone, who was part of Sackville's retinue.

At the time of their marriage, Lady Anne was engaged in a lengthy legal dispute over her inheritance rights. In 1617, Sackville signed away her claim on certain ancestral lands to King James I of England in exchange for a cash payment, which he used to settle gambling debts.

A detailed household list from Knole House, dating from 1613 to 1624, survives. It records servants' names, their roles, and their seating arrangements during meals. Among the household staff were two individuals described as "Blackamoors": Grace Robinson, a maid in the laundry, and John Morockoe, a kitchen worker.

Richard Sackville and Lady Anne had five children between 1612 and 1621. None of their three sons, born in 1616, 1618, and 1621, survived beyond childhood. Their two daughters were Isabella (born 6 October 1622, died 22 August 1661) and Margaret (born 2 July 1614, died May 1676). Margaret married John Tufton, 2nd Earl of Thanet.

Richard Sackville died at Dorset House in London on Easter Sunday, 1624, without a male heir. He was succeeded by his younger brother, Edward Sackville. He was buried on 7 April 1624 at St. Michael's Parish Church in Withyham, Sussex.

In terms of cultural legacy, his portrait by William Larkin (c. 1585–1619) was donated by Mrs. Greville Howard in 1974 and is now housed at Kenwood House. Kenwood was notably the residence of his great-great-granddaughter, Lady Elizabeth Finch, later Countess of Mansfield, who married William Murray, 1st Earl of Mansfield.