George Clifford, 3rd Earl of Cumberland

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Portrait of George Clifford by Nicholas Hilliard, c. 1590. This portrait commemorates his appointment as the Queen's champion, showing Clifford in tilting attire with the Queen's glove as her favor pinned to his hat.

Portrait of the family of Anne Clifford, artist unknown. This portrait includes the sons of George Clifford. Sir Robert Clifford and Francis Lord Clifford, both of whom died before age 5.

George Clifford, 3rd Earl of Cumberland (8 August 1558 – 30 October 1605) was an English peer, as well as a naval commander and courtier in the court of Queen Elizabeth I.

Clifford was born at Brougham Castle in Westmorland. Son of the second Earl of Cumberland, Henry Clifford, he was orphaned by his father's death in 1570. Clifford subsequently succeeded to his father's titles. His guardianship was granted to the second Earl of Bedford, who married the young Clifford to his daughter Margaret in 1577.

Arms of George Clifford, 3rd Earl of Cumberland

Clifford rose in the world as an accomplished jouster, becoming Queen Elizabeth's second champion on the retirement of Sir Henry Lee. She made him a Knight of the Garter and he sat as a peer in the trial of Mary Queen of Scots. He turned to sailing as a career at some point, commanding a ship in the Anglo-Spanish War. He had little success during the war but was later renowned for his naval battles against the Spanish fleet, and particularly Spanish shipping, in the Caribbean. He is famous for his short lived 1598 capture of Fort San Felipe del Morro, the citadel protecting San Juan, Puerto Rico. He arrived in Puerto Rico in June 15, 1598, but by November of that year, Clifford and his men had fled the island due to harsh civilian resistance.

His buccaneering earned him quite a lot of money, but it seems that he lost so much at jousting and horse racing that he was eventually obligated to sell his inherited lands. Clifford died at The Savoy in Middlesex. Although he had two sons, Robert and Francis, they deceased before reaching the age of 5. He had only one surviving child, his daughter Anne Clifford, to whom he left £15,000 at his death, while passing his titles to brother Francis Clifford.

[edit] References

• George Clifford - at Tudor Place Accessed October 28, 2007
• vieuxpont.co.uk Accessed October 28, 2007