Anne Clifford

Lady Anne Clifford, Countess of Dorset, Pembroke, and Montgomery, suo jure 14th Baroness de Clifford, was born on January 30, 1590, at Skipton Castle and was baptized on February 22, 1590, at Holy Trinity Church in Skipton, West Riding of Yorkshire. She was the only surviving child and heiress of George Clifford, 3rd Earl of Cumberland, and Lady Margaret Russell, daughter of Francis Russell, 2nd Earl of Bedford.

Her early childhood was marked by her parents' separation, following the deaths of her two elder brothers before the age of five. Her father held a significant court position under Elizabeth I, while her mother managed the household and maintained a prominent matriarchal role. Lady Anne was raised predominantly in a female household and received education from the poet Samuel Daniel. During her childhood, she was present at court and engaged in cultural activities such as playing the virginals, dancing, and participating in court masques, including those by Ben Jonson.

In May 1603, she traveled to Northaw manor and visited Theobalds to meet King James VI and I, and later traveled to Coventry to meet Anne of Denmark. She did not attend her coronation due to fears related to the plague and documented these events in her memoir.

Upon her father’s death on October 30, 1605, Lady Anne inherited the barony of de Clifford, established in 1299 by writ, in her own right (suo jure). However, her father's earldom was inherited by her uncle, Francis Clifford, 4th Earl of Cumberland. The estate was subject to a complex legal dispute, as her father had left her £15,000 in his will, but the earldom and estate traditionally passed to the male heir. Supported by Queen Anne of Denmark, Lady Anne opposed King James I’s support of her familial rival. It was not until 1643 that her distant relative, Henry Clifford, 5th Earl of Cumberland, died without an heir, allowing her to regain the family estates, which she did in 1649.

Lady Anne was active at court but never served as a lady in waiting or lady of the privy chamber. She participated in court masques, playing roles in Samuel Daniel’s "Tethys’s Festival" and masques by Ben Jonson, and traveled with Anne of Denmark during royal progresses.

She was married twice. Her first marriage was on February 27, 1609, to Richard Sackville, 3rd Earl of Dorset. This union produced five children, three sons (all of whom died young) and two daughters, Lady Margaret Sackville and Lady Isabella Sackville. Lady Margaret married John Tufton, 2nd Earl of Thanet, and Lady Isabella married James Compton, 3rd Earl of Northampton. Her husband's extravagance and infidelity, along with her own determination to pursue her inheritance claims, led to marital difficulties.

In 1630, she married Philip Herbert, 4th Earl of Pembroke and 1st Earl of Montgomery, whose first wife had died the previous year. Their marriage was also described as challenging, partly due to her insistence on allowing her daughter to choose her own husband.

Lady Anne maintained influence and favor at court through ongoing correspondence and gift exchanges with key figures in the queen’s household, including Anne of Denmark. She was involved in courtesies, presenting embroidered gifts and royal souvenirs, and attended court events until at least January 1620.

As a patron of literature and the arts, Lady Anne contributed to the cultural life of her time. She kept a diary and composed letters, establishing herself as a literary personage. She was depicted by Jan van Belcamp in a triptych portrait titled "The Great Picture," which shows her at three life stages. The painting, which also features her conception date, is housed at the Abbot Hall Art Gallery in Kendal, Cumbria.

In 1656, she erected the Countess Pillar near Brougham, Cumbria, as a memorial to her mother, where an annual memorial is observed. She also restored several churches in the region. Lady Anne Clifford died on March 22, 1676.