top of page

ON THIS DAY - 03 June 1630

  • thedudleywomen
  • Jun 3
  • 2 min read

Updated: Jun 9

On This Day (03 June) in 1630, prolific diarist and writer Lady Anne Clifford, daughter of Margaret Russell, Countess of Cumberland and niece of Anne Russell, Countess of Warwick, married for the second time. Her husband was the recently-elevated Philip Herbert, 4th Earl of Pembroke and 1st Earl of Montgomery, son of renowned writer and translator Mary Sidney, Countess of Pembroke.

Detail from ‘Philip Herbert, 4th Earl of Pembroke and Family’, depicting Philip Herbert and second wife Lady Anne Clifford; Anthony van Dyck, 1635 ©️Wilton House
Detail from ‘Philip Herbert, 4th Earl of Pembroke and Family’, depicting Philip Herbert and second wife Lady Anne Clifford; Anthony van Dyck, 1635 ©️Wilton House
Anne had first been married to Richard Sackville, 3rd Earl of Dorset in 1609, with whom she had five children, only two daughters surviving to adulthood. Anne’s ongoing quest for her inheritance of her father’s Cumberland lands caused conflict between the pair, which continued until the Earl’s premature death in 1624.

After six years of widowhood, Anne made the decision to enter into another marriage for financial security, her ongoing legal issues in attempting to claim her rightful inheritance appearing to have no resolution.

‘Lady Anne Clifford’ John Bracken, 17thc ©️ Lakeland Arts
‘Lady Anne Clifford’ John Bracken, 17thc ©️ Lakeland Arts
Anne chose Philip Herbert to be her second husband. A previous favourite of James I, he had inherited his older brother William in his role as Lord Chamberlain, and then the Earldom of Pembroke on his death only a few months earlier, in April 1630. Whilst like his older brother and parents, Philip had been a patron of the arts and literature, he lacked the natural talent possessed of by many of his family, including his acclaimed uncle, poet Sir Philip Sidney.

‘Philip Herbert, 4th Earl of Pembroke ‘ Anthony  an Dyck, c.1634 ©️ National Gallery of Victoria
‘Philip Herbert, 4th Earl of Pembroke ‘ Anthony an Dyck, c.1634 ©️ National Gallery of Victoria
Anne and Philip married at the parish church of St Michael, within the manor of Cheynes, traditionally the home of the Russell family, and where Anne had been residing during her widowhood. Following their marriage, the couple, when not residing with the court at Whitehall, made their home at Philip’s recently inherited properties: Baynard’s Castle in London, and Ramsbury House and Wilton House in Wiltshire.

This second marriage was also fraught with difficulties, complicated by the couple’s clash in personalities: Anne’s reported-unyielding nature and Philip’s belligerent and often fiery temperament, which led to aggressive outbursts.

Comments


bottom of page