Lady Douglas Sheffield
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Lady Douglas (or alternatively, Douglass) Sheffield is most widely known as the mother of Robert Dudley, styled Earl of Warwick, the illegitimate son of Robert Dudley, 1st Earl of Leicester, a favorite of Queen Elizabeth I of England.
Contents |
[edit] Family
She was born Douglas Howard in approximately 1545, the daughter of William Howard, 1st Baron Howard of Effingham, and Margaret Gamage, daughter of Sir Thomas Gamage and Margaret St. John. Her father was brother of Elizabeth Boleyn, Countess of Wiltshire, uncle to Anne Boleyn and great-uncle of Elizabeth I.
Douglas was herself a first cousin to Anne Boleyn, Lady Mary Boleyn and George Boleyn, Viscount Rochford.
[edit] Marriage
Douglas married a wealthy, older peer, John Sheffield, 2nd Baron Sheffield (c. 1538 - 10 December 1568) around 1562. They had two children:
- Elizabeth Sheffield (d. November, 1600). She married Thomas Butler, 3rd Earl of Ormonde.
- Edmund Sheffield, 1st Earl of Mulgrave (7 December 1565 - 6 October 1646).
[edit] Affair
However, Douglas began an affair with Leicester either shortly before the death of John Sheffield or shortly after. One version is that Sheffield died on the way to London to sue for divorce, having found a letter to his wife from Leicester, one she may have left lying around on purpose.
Leicester may, at the same time, have been conducting an affair with Frances Howard, wife of Edward Seymour, 1st Earl of Hertford and sister of Douglas. But Douglas claimed Leicester married her in Esher in secret.
In August 1574, she bore Robert Dudley. Leicester acknowledged paternity but denied the marriage. He married Lettice Knollys, widow of Walter Devereux, 1st Earl of Essex in 1578.
Leicester offered Douglas 1,000 pounds to relinquish the child, which she refused. He then offered her 700 pounds a year to repudiate the claim of marriage, but she refused that as well. Douglas then accused Leicester of attempting to poison her and brought a suit of breach of promise against him in the Star Chamber, but her suit was dismissed.
[edit] Second marriage
On 29 November 1579, Douglas married Edward Stafford, whose mother, Dorothy, served as Mistress of the Robe to the Queen. Stafford was appointed English ambassador to the court of Henry III of France, and Douglas and son Robert Dudley accompanied him to Paris. He and Douglas would have two sons, who are thought to have died young.
Edward Stafford died in 1604. Douglas was left a widow. She died herself in 1608. She is known to have been buried on 11 December 1608.
