Mary Talbot, Countess of Shrewsbury
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Mary Talbot (née Mary Cavendish) (1556-1632) was the wife of Gilbert Talbot, 7th Earl of Shrewsbury.
The daughter of Bess of Hardwick, Mary by all accounts inherited her mother's strong will and colourful character. Her father, Sir William Cavendish, died when she was about a year old. In 1568, her mother re-married, and, at the age of twelve, Mary herself was married off to Gilbert Talbot, the son of her new stepfather.
Their children were:
- George Talbot (1575-1577)
- Mary Talbot Herbert, later Countess of Pembroke
- Elizabeth Talbot, later Countess of Kent
- John Talbot (born and died 1583)
- Alethea Talbot, Countess of Arundel
Although her family were Protestant, Mary converted to Catholicism in adulthood. This may have been one of the reasons why she gave financial assistance to her niece Arbella Stuart in 1610, knowing that the latter was planning to elope to the Continent. For this she was imprisoned in the Tower of London. She was tried for her role in the escape, and was heavily fined, but not released. Later, Arbella accused Mary of being involved in a Catholic plot.
In 1615, after Arbella's death, Mary was released from the Tower, partly in recognition of her role in detecting the murder of Sir Thomas Overbury. However, a few years later, in 1618, she was called to give evidence in the course of an inquiry into the rumours that Arbella had secretly given birth to a child. Mary refused to testify, and was returned to the Tower, where she remained until 1623.
