Margaret Howard, Duchess of Norfolk

Margaret Howard (née Audley), Duchess of Norfolk (1540 – 1564) was the sole surviving child^[1] of Thomas Audley, 1st Baron Audley of Walden and Lady Elizabeth Grey, daughter of Thomas Grey, 2nd Marquess of Dorset and Margaret Wotton. Lady Elizabeth Grey was the aunt of Lady Jane Grey, de facto Queen of England for nine days in 1553 and, therefore, Margaret and Queen Jane were first cousins.

Marriages

Margaret was a wealthy heiress^[2] and married first, without issue, Lord Henry Dudley, the youngest son of John Dudley, 1st Duke of Northumberland. Henry Dudley was killed at the Battle of St. Quentin, 20 August 1557.^[3]

In December 1558, she became the second wife of Thomas Howard, 4th Duke of Norfolk, who was her fifth cousin, through their descent from Jacquetta of Luxembourg and Richard Woodville. Margaret's line of descent came from the marriage of Elizabeth Woodville and John Grey, while Thomas Howard's line of descent came through Elizabeth Woodville's sister, Catherine, who had married Henry Stafford.^[4] They had four children, Elizabeth (who died as a child), Thomas Howard, 1st Earl of Suffolk, William, and Margaret.^[5] She died on 9 January 1564, three weeks after the birth of her last child.^[6] She was buried at St. John the Baptist's church at Norwich.

Notes

References

• Adams, Simon: Leicester and the Court: Essays in Elizabethan Politics Manchester UP 2002 ISBN 0719053250
• Neville Williams: Thomas Howard, Fourth Duke of Norfolk Barrie & Rockliff 1964