Theodosia Harington
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Theodosia Harington, Lady Dudley (died 1649) was an English aristocrat who was abandoned by her husband, but maintained connections at court through her extensive family networks.


Early life

She was the eighth daughter of Sir James Harington of
Exton, Rutland Exton is a village and former civil parish, now in the parish of Exton and Horn, in the county of Rutland, England. The population of the parish was 607 at the 2011 census. On 1 April 2016 the parish was abolished and merged with Horn, Rutland, ...
, a lawyer and long-serving MP, and Lucy Sidney of Penshurst. The Haringtons were the most important landowners in
Rutland Rutland is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands of England. It borders Leicestershire to the north and west, Lincolnshire to the north-east, and Northamptonshire to the south-west. Oakham is the largest town and county town. Rutland has a ...
and her eldest brother,
John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second E ...
, was created Baron Harington of Exton in 1603. Harington had several sisters who married and increased their social network. According to the inscription on her father's tomb at
Exton, Rutland Exton is a village and former civil parish, now in the parish of Exton and Horn, in the county of Rutland, England. The population of the parish was 607 at the 2011 census. On 1 April 2016 the parish was abolished and merged with Horn, Rutland, ...
, Harington was the eighth and youngest daughter.


Lady Dudley and Princess Elizabeth

In 1581 she married
Edward Sutton, 5th Baron Dudley Edward Sutton, 5th Baron Dudley (09 September 1567 – 23 June 1643) was an English peer, politician, and landowner. He briefly served in the House of Commons. Sutton became widely known for his intemperate behaviour, which ultimately led to t ...
(1567-1643). She was afterwards usually known as "Lady Dudley" or "Theodosia Dudley". The family surname "Sutton" was only rarely used. They had five children. She attended the funeral of
Mary, Queen of Scots Mary, Queen of Scots (8 December 1542 – 8 February 1587), also known as Mary Stuart or Mary I of Scotland, was List of Scottish monarchs, Queen of Scotland from 14 December 1542 until her forced abdication in 1567. The only surviving legit ...
at Peterborough in 1587.
Lady Anne Clifford Lady Anne Clifford, Countess of Dorset, Pembroke and Montgomery, ''suo jure'' 14th Baroness de Clifford (30 January 1590 – 22 March 1676) was an English peeress. In 1605 she inherited her father's ancient barony by writ and became ''suo jure'' ...
said Harington and her mother
Margaret Clifford, Countess of Cumberland Margaret Clifford (''née'' Russell), Countess of Cumberland (7 July 1560 – 24 May 1616) was an English noblewoman and maid of honor to Elizabeth I. Lady Margaret was born in Exeter, England to Francis Russell, 2nd Earl of Bedford and Margare ...
had been friends. Her husband abandoned her for Elizabeth Tomlinson. According to a bill produced in the
Star Chamber The court of Star Chamber () was an English court that sat at the royal Palace of Westminster, from the late to the mid-17th century (), and was composed of privy counsellors and common-law judges, to supplement the judicial activities of the ...
by his rival in Staffordshire,
Gilbert Lyttelton Gilbert Lyttelton MP (c. 1540 – 1 June 1599) was an English politician and landowner from the Lyttelton family. He was the eldest son of Sir John Lyttelton (died 1590). He was Member of Parliament for Worcestershire in 1570 and in 157 ...
, in 1592 he had "left that virtuous lady his wife in London without sustenance, and took to his home a lewd and infamous woman, a base collier's daughter". In 1597 her son Ferdinando and daughter Anne were lodged in Clerkenwell as wards of her sister Elizabeth Harington and uncle
Edward Montagu of Boughton Sir Edward Montagu (c. 1530 – 26 January 1602) was an English landowner and politician who sat in the House of Commons of England, House of Commons in 1559. Career Montagu was the eldest surviving son of Edward Montagu (judge), Sir Edward Mont ...
. The Privy Council made arrangements for a settlement and payments but Lord Dudley refused to pay her, instead sending an installment of £30 for his debt of £240.. On 23 February 1600
Louis Verreycken Lodewijk Verreycken (in French language sources referred to as Louis Verreycken) (1552 - 23 October 1621), Lord of Impden, Sart, Ruart, Hamme was secretary of the Council of State of the Habsburg Netherlands and audiencier of the Privy Council of t ...
an envoy from the Spanish Netherlands was received by
Elizabeth I of England Elizabeth I (7 September 153324 March 1603) was Queen of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death in 1603. She was the last and longest reigning monarch of the House of Tudor. Her eventful reign, and its effect on history ...
. Several great ladies of the court waited in the presence chamber, dressed all in white. These included her sisters Lady Hastings and Mabel, Lady Noel, with a "Lady Dudley" who was either herself or her mother-in-law Mary, Lady Dudley. In 1600 Sir William Cornwallis younger published his ''Essayes'' with a dedicatory letter by Henry Olney to three of the Harington sisters; "the Lady Sara Hastings, the Lady Theodosia Dudley, the Lady Mary Wingfield", and their friend and cousin Lady Mary Dyer (d. 1601), the wife of Sir Richard Dyer of
Great Staughton Great Staughton is a village and civil parish in Cambridgeshire, England. Great Staughton lies approximately south-west of Huntingdon. Great Staughton is situated within Huntingdonshire which is a non-metropolitan district of Cambridgeshire as ...
.
Robert Cawdrey Robert Cawdrey (ca. 1538 – after 1604) was an English clergyman who produced one of the first dictionaries of the English language, the '' Table Alphabeticall'', in 1604. Career Robert Cawdrey did not attend university, but became a school te ...
dedicated his dictionary, the ''Table Alphabeticall'' (London, 1604) to five daughters of Lucy Sidney, Lady Harington; Sarah, Lady Hastings, Theodosia, Lady Dudley, Elizabeth, Lady Montagu, Frances, Lady Leigh, and Mary, Lady Wingfield. After the
Union of the Crowns The Union of the Crowns (; ) was the accession of James VI of Scotland to the throne of the Kingdom of England as James I and the practical unification of some functions (such as overseas diplomacy) of the two separate realms under a single ...
in 1603, Theodosia Harington's family connections, particularly to her niece the courtier
Lucy Russell, Countess of Bedford Lucy Russell, Countess of Bedford ( Harington; 1581–1627) was a major aristocratic patron of the arts and literature in the Elizabethan and Jacobean eras, the primary non-royal performer in contemporary court masques, a letter-writer, and a ...
, secured positions for her daughter
Anne (Dudley) Sutton Anne Sutton (1589–1615) was an English lady-in-waiting who was a companion of Elizabeth Stuart, Queen of Bohemia. She was the daughter of Edward Sutton, 5th Baron Dudley and Theodosia Harington. Sutton was known as "Mrs Anne Dudley" or "Mistre ...
, usually known as "Mistress Dudley", and her niece Elizabeth Dudley as ladies in waiting to Princess Elizabeth, and probably the marriage of her eldest daughter Mary to the Scottish
Earl of Home Earl of Home ( ) is a title in the Peerage of Scotland. It was created in 1605 for Alexander Home of that Ilk, 6th Lord Home. The Earl of Home holds, among others, the subsidiary titles of Lord Home (created 1473) and Lord Dunglass (1605) in t ...
in 1605. Theodosia Harington seems to have been an important member of Princess Elizabeth's household and before their marriage in London,
Frederick V of the Palatinate Frederick may refer to: People * Frederick (given name), the name Given name Nobility = Anhalt-Harzgerode = * Frederick, Prince of Anhalt-Harzgerode (1613–1670) = Austria = * Frederick I, Duke of Austria (Babenberg), Duke of Austria fr ...
gave her a valuable gift of silver plate. Anne Dudley featured in Henry Peacham's
emblem An emblem is an abstract art, abstract or representational pictorial image that represents a concept, like a moral truth, or an allegory, or a person, like a monarch or saint. Emblems vs. symbols Although the words ''emblem'' and ''symbol'' ...
book ''Minerva Britanna'', compared to the chaste
Diana Diana most commonly refers to: * Diana (name), given name (including a list of people with the name) * Diana (mythology), ancient Roman goddess of the hunt and wild animals; later associated with the Moon * Diana, Princess of Wales (1961–1997), ...
with an Italian anagram of her name, "e l'nuda Diana". Anne with seven other ladies put their names in hat to award kisses to winners at a tournament for Prince Henry in April 1612.


Later life

In 1626 Harington sold a large diamond to
Charles I of England Charles I (19 November 1600 – 30 January 1649) was King of Kingdom of England, England, Kingdom of Scotland, Scotland, and Kingdom of Ireland, Ireland from 27 March 1625 until Execution of Charles I, his execution in 1649. Charles was born ...
for £1,700. In 1628 her friend William Mason of Westminster left her a legacy of £600, "as a pledge of my unfeigned heart, to her unstained honour, wishing every penny of it were a thousand pound". Acknowledging her marital difficulties, Mason asked his executrix, Harington's sister Sarah, Lady Hastings (by now Lady Edmondes), to ensure that she, not Lord Dudley, received the money. Mason left legacies to Theodosia's daughters, and to other members of the Harington/Sidney family, including Anne Dyer, Lady Carr Cromwell and Theodosia, Lady Bodenham. He owned portrait miniatures of Theodosia Harington, Lady Hastings, and Lady Chesterfield, in gold cases enamelled with green. More books were dedicated to her and her sisters, including John Brinsley's ''The Fourth Part of the True Watch'' (London, 1624). She was the patron of a Mr Richard Sherwood, who wrote a short treatise about marriage for her. Patrick Hannay dedicated his ''A Happy Husband, or Directions for a Maide to choose her Mate, as also a Wives behaviour towards her Husband after Marriage'' (Edinburgh, 1619) to her granddaughter, Margaret Home, later Countess of Moray. In February 1639 Lord Arundel of Wardour noted she was living at court, and the
Earl of Arundel Earl of Arundel is a title of nobility in England, and one of the oldest extant in the English peerage. It is currently held by the Duke of Norfolk, and it is used (along with the earldom of Surrey) by his heir apparent as a courtesy title ...
owed her £3,000. In October 1648 she was in London as a guest of her granddaughter
Anne Maitland, Countess of Lauderdale Anne Home, Countess of Lauderdale (1612–1671) was a Scottish aristocrat. Early life Anne Home was a daughter of Mary (Dudley) Sutton, Countess of Home and Alexander Home, 1st Earl of Home. She was born and christened in 1612. Anne of Den ...
. She died at Norwich, the home of her daughter Margaret Hobart, in 1649 or 1650, and was buried at
St Margaret's, Westminster The Church of St Margaret, Westminster Abbey is in the grounds of Westminster Abbey on Parliament Square, London, England. It is dedicated to Margaret the Virgin, Margaret of Antioch, and forms part of a single World Heritage Site with the Pal ...
on 12 January 1650.


Lady Dudley's will

She made her will on 11 September 1649. She had lent £5 to the Scots Army and £150 to Parliament. She left a farm at Playsted Marshall and land at Hemlinton near Norwich to her Hobart grandsons. She left a piece of silver plate to her "noble freinde and loveinge niece the Countisse of Livenstayne". This was her niece Elizabeth Dudley, daughter of
John Dudley John Dudley, 1st Duke of Northumberland (1504Loades 2008 – 22 August 1553) was an English general, admiral, and politician, who led the government of the young King Edward VI from 1550 until 1553, and unsuccessfully tried to install Lady Jane ...
, Countess of Löwenstein, and a lady in waiting to Elizabeth Stuart, Queen of Bohemia, known as the "Wise Widow", or "Dutch Bess Dudly" or "
Dulcinea Dulcinea del Toboso is a fictional character who is unseen in Miguel de Cervantes' novel ''Don Quixote''. Don Quixote believes he must have a lady, under his personal view that chivalry requires it. As he does not have one, he invents her, makin ...
". Further documents and charters relating to Theodosia Dudley's property are held by the
National Library of Scotland The National Library of Scotland (NLS; ; ) is one of Scotland's National Collections. It is one of the largest libraries in the United Kingdom. As well as a public programme of exhibitions, events, workshops, and tours, the National Library of ...
in the Tweeddale papers. A portrait of "Theodosia lady Duddeley", attributed to Cornelius Johnson was formerly at
Castle Donington Castle Donington is a market town and civil parish in Leicestershire, England, on the edge of the National Forest and close to East Midlands Airport. Etymology The name 'Donington' means 'farm/settlement connected with Dunna'. Another su ...
.


Family

Theodosia, Lady Dudley had a son and four daughters: *
Ferdinando Sutton Sir Ferdinando Sutton (1588–1621) was an English aristocrat. Family and early life The son of Edward Sutton, 5th Baron Dudley (1567–1643) and Theodosia Harington (died 1649). The Sutton family used their title "Dudley" as a surname, and s ...
(1588–1621), who married Honora Seymour, a daughter of
Edward Seymour, Viscount Beauchamp Edward Seymour, Lord Beauchamp of Hache (21 September 1561 – July 1612) was an English nobleman who had a theoretically strong claim to the throne of England through his mother, Lady Katherine Grey, but his legitimacy was questioned. He was a ...
. * Mary Sutton (1586–1645), who married
Alexander Home, 1st Earl of Home Alexander Home, 1st Earl of Home and 6th Lord Home (c. 15665 April 1619), was a Scottish nobleman and Lord Warden of the Marches, Lord Warden-general of all the March. He succeeded as the 6th Lord Home, a Lord of Parliament in the Peerage of Scot ...
. * Anne Sutton, known as "Mistress Dudley", (died December 1615), "Mistress Dudley", lady in waiting to Elizabeth Stuart, Queen of Bohemia who married on 23 March 1615
Hans Meinhard von Schönberg Count Hans Meinhard von Schönberg auf Wesel (German: ''Graf Hans Meinhard von Schönberg auf Wesel'') (28 August 1582 – 3 August 1616) was a German nobleman and soldier, who served as '' hofmeister'' of Frederick V, Elector Palatine. Biography H ...
, the
Palatine A palatine or palatinus (Latin; : ''palatini''; cf. derivative spellings below) is a high-level official attached to imperial or royal courts in Europe since Roman Empire, Roman times.
Ambassador to England, she died of a fever after giving birth to
Frederick Schomberg, 1st Duke of Schomberg Frederick Herman de Schomberg, 1st Duke of Schomberg (6 December 1615 – 1 July 1690) was a German-born army officer who served as the English Master-General of the Ordnance from 1689 to 1690. Having fought in the French, Portuguese, Dutc ...
. * Margaret Sutton (1597-1674), who married Sir Miles Hobart of
Fleet Street Fleet Street is a street in Central London, England. It runs west to east from Temple Bar, London, Temple Bar at the boundary of the City of London, Cities of London and City of Westminster, Westminster to Ludgate Circus at the site of the Lo ...
and
Plumstead Plumstead is an area in southeast London, within the Royal Borough of Greenwich, England. It is located east of Woolwich. History Plumstead has been settled since ancient times, and London's earliest timber structure has been found here. ...
, a son of Henry Hobart of Plumstead and Willoughby Hopton, a daughter of Arthur Hopton of
Blythburgh Blythburgh is a village and civil parish in the East Suffolk district of the English county of Suffolk. It is west of Southwold and south-east of Halesworth and lies on the River Blyth. The A12 road runs through the village which is spli ...
and
Witham Witham () is a town and civil parish in the Braintree district, in the county of Essex, England. In the 2011 census, it had a population of 25,353. It is twinned with the town of Waldbröl, Germany. Witham stands on the Roman road between the ...
. They had sons
Miles The mile, sometimes the international mile or statute mile to distinguish it from other miles, is a British imperial unit and United States customary unit of length; both are based on the older English unit of length equal to 5,280 English f ...
, Tom, John and James. She was buried at St Margaret's, Westminster. There were several people called "Miles Hobart" in this period. A letter to Dorothy Hobart from 1626 was discovered at
Lauderdale House Lauderdale House is an historic house, now run as an arts and education centre, based in Waterlow Park, Highgate in north London, England. History Lauderdale House was one of the finest English country house, country houses in Highgate and was ...
in
Highgate Highgate is a suburban area of N postcode area, north London in the London Borough of Camden, London Boroughs of Camden, London Borough of Islington, Islington and London Borough of Haringey, Haringey. The area is at the north-eastern corner ...
, a house that belonged to Theodosia Harington's daughter, Mary.Frederick Prickett, ''History and Antiquities of Highgate'' (London, 1842), pp. 163-5. * Theodosia Sutton.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Harington, Theodosia 1649 deaths 16th-century English women 17th-century English women Burials at St Margaret's, Westminster Theodosia Court of Elizabeth I Household of Elizabeth Stuart, Queen of Bohemia