Anne Cornwallis or Anne, countess of Argyll (1590 – 12 January 1635) was an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national id ...

Roman Catholic benefactor and one time supposed author.

Life

Cornwallis was probably born in Suffolk where her parents Lady Lucy and

Sir William Cornwallis Admiral of the Red Sir William Cornwallis, (10 February 17445 July 1819) was a Royal Navy officer. He was the brother of Charles Cornwallis, the 1st Marquess Cornwallis, British commander at the siege of Yorktown. Cornwallis took part in a n ...

lived at Brome. She was the cousin of the essayist

William Cornwallis Admiral of the Red Sir William Cornwallis, (10 February 17445 July 1819) was a Royal Navy officer. He was the brother of Charles Cornwallis, the 1st Marquess Cornwallis, British commander at the siege of Yorktown. Cornwallis took part in a ...

. Her name appears on an extant anthology of poems that includes poetry by

Edward de Vere Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford (; 12 April 155024 June 1604) was an English peer and courtier of the Elizabethan era. Oxford was heir to the second oldest earldom in the kingdom, a court favourite for a time, a sought-after patron o ...

and

William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's natio ...

. Opinion once thought that she had created the anthology but it is now thought to be the work of another and her role was minor. She married Archibald Campbell, the 7th Earl of Argyll, in 1610.E. K. Purnell & A. B. Hinds, ''HMC Downshire'', vol. 2 (London, 1936), p. 216. She was his second wife and he already had one son (and heir) and six daughters. In January 1610 Argyll argued with the

Earl of Pembroke Earl of Pembroke is a title in the Peerage of England that was first created in the 12th century by King Stephen of England. The title, which is associated with Pembroke, Pembrokeshire in West Wales, has been recreated ten times from its orig ...

over the precedency of her seating at a dinner hosted by Lady Hatton. They left Britain allegedly to "take the waters" at

Spa A spa is a location where mineral-rich spring water (and sometimes seawater) is used to give medicinal baths. Spa towns or spa resorts (including hot springs resorts) typically offer various health treatments, which are also known as balneothe ...

but in 1618 Archibald Campbell converted from Presbyterianism to Anne's religion of Roman Catholicism.Marshall, R. (2005-09-22). Cornwallis, Anne, countess of Argyll (d. 1635), Roman Catholic benefactor and supposed author. Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. Retrieved 8 Dec. 2017, fro
link
/ref> Archibald had surrendered his estates to his son,

Archibald Campbell Archibald Campbell may refer to: Peerage * Archibald Campbell of Lochawe (died before 1394), Scottish peer * Archibald Campbell, 2nd Earl of Argyll (died 1513), Lord Chancellor of Scotland * Archibald Campbell, 4th Earl of Argyll (c. 1507–1558) ...

.Callow, J. (2004-09-23). Campbell, Archibald, seventh earl of Argyll (1575/6–1638), magnate and politician. Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. Retrieved 8 Dec. 2017, fro
link
/ref> As a consequence her husband was declared a traitor in Edinburgh on 16 February 1619 and banned from returning to his country. Her converted husband was very supportive of his new religion even after he could have returned without penalty in 1621. He was interested in military solutions in Ireland in 1622, but he was unable to raise an army. They had three sons and five daughters. All but one of the daughters (Mary) became a nun. She and her husband returned to Britain and lived at Drury Lane in London having abandoned everything apart from his title to his heir. The English author

William Habington William Habington (4 November 1605 – 30 November 1654) was an English poet. Life Habington was born at Hindlip Hall, Worcestershire, and belonged to a well-known Catholic family. His father, Sir Thomas Habington, an antiquary and historical sch ...

addressed a poem to her in his collection titled ''Castara''.

Edward Arber Edward Arber (4 December 183623 November 1912) was an English scholar, writer, and editor. Background and professional work Arber was born in London. From 1854 he 1878 he worked as a clerk in the Admiralty, and began evening classes at Ki ...

''Castara (London, 1870), p. 25
/ref>

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cornwallis, Anne 1590 births 1635 deaths

Argyll Argyll (; archaically Argyle, in modern Gaelic, ), sometimes called Argyllshire, is a historic county and registration county of western Scotland. Argyll is of ancient origin, and corresponds to most of the part of the ancient kingdom of ...