| Anne Howard, Countess of Arundel | |
|---|---|
Engraving of Anne Howard (labeled Anna Dacres) by Wenceslas Hollar |
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| Born | Anne Dacre 21 March 1557 Carlisle, Cumbria, England |
| Died | 19 April 1630 (aged 73) Shifnal Manor, Shropshire |
| Title | Countess of Arundel |
| Religion | Roman Catholic (formerly Anglican) |
| Spouse | Philip Howard, 1st Earl of Arundel |
| Children | Thomas Howard, 2nd Earl of Arundel |
| Parents | Thomas Dacre, 4th Baron Dacre Elizabeth Leyburne |
Anne Howard (née Dacre), Countess of Arundel (21 March 1557 – 19 April 1630), was an English poet, noblewoman, and religious conspirator. She lived a life devoted to her husband, Philip Howard, and religion, as she converted to Catholicism in 1582, going against society’s acceptance. She was known to be a “woman of strong character, and of religious desposition…whose influence soon made itself felt upon her husband… the increasing seriousness of his thoughts led him in the direction of Romanism…”.[1] Anne was also known for writing her own poetry and other literary works about her life, husband, and grandmother.
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Anne was born in Carlisle, England, on 21 March 1557,[2] the eldest daughter of Thomas Dacre, 4th Baron Dacre of Gilsland, and Elizabeth Leyburne of Cumbria. Following Anne, her mother gave birth to three more children: a son George (but sometimes called Francis), and two sisters, Elizabeth and Mary.[3] George was born in 1562, followed by Mary in 1563, and Elizabeth in 1564. In 1567, Anne’s father passed away. But soon after, her mother remarried to Thomas Howard, 3rd Duke of Norfolk, becoming his third wife. In September of 1567, when Anne was about 10 years old, her mother passed away during childbirth.[4]
Throughout her childhood, Anne and her siblings were essentially brought up and educated by her grandmother, Lady Mounteagle, who was married to Sir James Leybourn.[5] Both her mother and grandmother were devout Catholics, whom both had a strong influence on Anne’s religious beliefs and actions. Growing up, Anne and her siblings were instructed on religion by a Catholic priest. This was an issue because they were currently under the monarch on Queen Elizabeth 1, the earl and countess of the Protestant monarch.[6]
Since Anne’s mother passed, Thomas Howard had custody of all the Dacre children. Because of this power, he arranged the Dacre children to marry his children, who also happen to be their step-siblings. He arranged that George (Francis) was to marry Margaret, the daughter of his second wife. The three Dacre girls were arranged to marry Thomas’s three sons: Philip, Thomas, and William.[7]
In 1569, Anne was arranged to marry Thomas’s eldest son. At age 12, Anne married her stepbrother, Philip Howard, the Earl of Surrey, the Duke’s oldest son and heir.[8] Since both children were only 12 years old at the time, the ceremony was repeated two years later when both the parties reached the age of consent.[9] Philip eventually becomes the 13th Earl of Arundel. Anne’s sister, Elizabeth, married Lord William Howard. Her other sister, Mary, was arranged to marry Lord Thomas Howard, but passed away before she was “marriageable”.[10]
Initially, Anne and Philip were not very fond of one another. They saw little of each other in the beginning of their marriage, but they eventually learned to love and appreciate their relationship. Following the death of Philips grandfather, Henry FitzAlan, 11th Earl of Arundel, on February 24, 1850, Anne became the Countess of Arundel.[11] Anne gave birth to two children, Elizabeth Howard and Thomas Howard. Elizabeth later became the Duchess of Norfolk.
Throughout the beginning of their marriage, Anne and Philip moved around a lot. They moved from “Audley End to Arundel House, London, to Nonsuch, with occasional visits to the Charterhouse, then known as Howard House”.[12] The constant moving occurred for many years until the early 1580s, where they finally settled in Arundel Castle in Sussex. In this castle is where Anne and Philip decided to convert to Catholicism.
As a child, Anne learned from her grandmother “a high self esteem and affection for Catholik Religion… great compassion of sick, or otherwise afflicted persons… and a great kindness of the Society of Jesus”.[13] During the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, laws against Catholicism increased and resulted in harsh punishment by Queen Elizabeth 1, who ruled the Protestant Monarch. But despite those laws, both Anne converted to Catholicism in 1582. She was converted at the hands of a Marian priest in her Arundel Castle in Sussex. Once word got out about her conversion from Protestantism to Catholicism, Queen Elizabeth 1 showed strong disapproval and Anne was put under house arrest in the home of Sir Thomas Shirley.[14] While under house arrest in Shirley’s home for one whole year, Anne gave birth to her first child, Elizabeth in 1583.
After Anne was released, she reunited with Philip. In 1584, Philip decided to follow in his wife’s footsteps and convert to Roman Catholicism as well. After Queen Elizabeth 1 heard of this information, she ordered Philip to house arrest, just like she did to Anne. However, unlike his wife, Philip tried to escape from his ordered of house arrest and flee to France in 1585. In his attempt to escape, he was caught at sea and held as prisoner in the London Tower. He was condemned to indefinite imprisonment, in addition to a fine of 10,000 pounds. After this, the Queen would not allow Anne to live in London any longer, so she moved to a rental house in Romford, Essex. There, she gave birth to her second child, Thomas Howard, the future 14th Earl of Arundel.[15] Unfortunately, Philip was never able to meet his first and only son because he was executed in the Tower of London on October 19, 1595.[16]
Once declared a widow in 1595, all of Philip’s possessions that were supposed to be Anne’s were withheld from her. She had to pay off debts and secure an income for her family by selling her land. For a long time, Anne and her two children lived in poverty, hardly able to support themselves.
Years later, after struggles of paying off debt and living a hard life, Anne was able to regain the property that was rightfully hers by the inheritance of her passed husband. With these possessions, she was able to give her children, Elizabeth and Thomas, a proper life.
Anne eventually moved back to Carlisle, where she was born and raised. About 15 years before her death, Anne became a Jesuit priest. She took a vow of chastity in 1595 when Philip passed away, and never remarried. She spent her days attending church other religious observances. She had a passion for helping people in need, especially people who were sick.
Anne served the church and the needy up until her death on April 19, 1630. She passed away of natural causes at the age of 73. She was buried at her former home, the Arundel House, in Sussex.
Anne wrote many different literary works throughout her lifetime, consisting of letters, poems, and journal entries. She wrote of accounts of her life and that of the earl, her husband. Lady Anne’s writing was a “compilation of reminiscences, some of which represent her attempts to recall early stages in her life, while others record the day-to-day life in her household, when she practiced a disciplined and practical piety. Events are overlaid with the emotions that remained with the countess, as in the account ‘Of the Queen’s hatred towards her’”.[17]
There is also evidence of poetry that was written by Anne about her imprisoned and deceased husband. They express the sorrow and “submission” of her husband, for whom she refers to as “my sonne.” There is also evidence of writing about Anne’s grandmother that raised her. All of her poetry was published under her own name.