Anne Stafford
Anne Stafford, c. 1535, by Ambrosius Benson
Bornc.1483
Died1544
Buried at Stoke Poges, Buckinghamshire
Noble familyStafford (by birth)
Huntingdon (by marriage)
Spouse(s)Sir Walter Herbert
George Hastings, 1st Earl of Huntingdon
IssueFrancis Hastings, 2nd Earl of Huntingdon
Sir Thomas Hastings
Edward Hastings, 1st Baron Hastings of Loughborough
Henry Hastings
William Hastings
Dorothy Hastings
Mary Hastings
Katherine Hastings
FatherHenry Stafford, 2nd Duke of Buckingham
MotherCatherine Woodville

Lady Anne Hastings, Countess of Huntingdon (née Anne Stafford) (c. 1483–1544) was an English noble. She was the daughter of Henry Stafford, 2nd Duke of Buckingham, and Catherine Woodville, sister of queen consort Elizabeth Woodville. She was first the wife of Sir Walter Herbert and then George Hastings, 1st Earl of Huntingdon, and served in the household of King Henry VIII's daughter, the future Queen Mary I.

Life

Born around 1483, Anne Stafford was the daughter of Henry Stafford, 2nd Duke of Buckingham, and Catherine Woodville[1] Catherine was a sister of Elizabeth Woodville, Consort of Edward IV, making Anne a first cousin of Elizabeth of York. Anne had two brothers, Edward Stafford, 3rd Duke of Buckingham,[2] and Henry Stafford, 1st Earl of Wiltshire; and a sister, Elizabeth Stafford, Countess of Sussex.[3]

In 1483, Richard III executed her father for treason, following his part in the uprisings which became known as Buckingham's rebellion. Anne's mother remarried in 1485 to Jasper Tudor, later Duke of Bedford.[4]

In 1503, Anne married Sir Walter Herbert.[citation needed] After Herbert died in 1507, Anne gave control of her jointure, which included Raglan Castle in Wales, to her brother, Edward. Anne went to live in her brother's household at Thornbury, Gloucestershire, until her second marriage to George Hastings in 1509.[5]

In 1510, Anne was the subject of a sex scandal. Her brother had heard rumours that Anne was having an affair with Sir William Compton, who was close to Henry VIII; she may also have been among Henry's mistresses.[6] On one occasion, Stafford found Compton in Anne's room. Compton was forced to take the sacrament to prove that he had not committed adultery. Hastings sent Anne to live in a convent 60 miles (100 km) away from the royal court. There is no evidence that Anne and Compton committed adultery. Nor that she was Henry VIII's mistress, aside from illogical notion that Compton met her to hand her a message from the King, which he could easily have handed to her in less scandalous way. However, in 1523 Compton took the unusual step of bequeathing land to Anne in his will, and directing his executors to include her in the prayers for his kin for which he had made provision in his will.[7]

Despite this scandal, Anne and Hastings apparently enjoyed a close, loving relationship. This was evidenced by a letter written to Anne by Hastings in 1525 which has been described as 'one of the most affectionate and charming letters of the period'.[8]

Marriages and children

Anne Stafford married firstly, in 1503,[citation needed] Sir Walter Herbert (d. 16 September 1507),[9] an illegitimate[10] son of William Herbert, 1st Earl of Pembroke.[11] The marriage was childless.

She married secondly, in December 1509,[citation needed] George Hastings, 1st Earl of Huntingdon. They had five sons and three daughters:[9]

Fictional portrayals

In the second season of the Starz TV show The Spanish Princess she is played by actress Tessa Bonham Jones.

Notes

  1. ^ Cokayne 1959, p. 738; Richardson IV 2011, p. 82; Dockray 2004.
  2. ^ According to Davies she may have had another brother, Humphrey Stafford, who died young.
  3. ^ Richardson IV 2011, p. 82; Davies 2008.
  4. ^ Marius, R. (1999). Thomas More: A Biography. Harvard University Press. p. 119. ISBN 978-0-674-88525-7. Retrieved 21 February 2022.
  5. ^ Harris 2002, pp. 144–5.
  6. ^ Hart, Kelly (2009). The mistresses of Henry VIII. Stroud: History Press. pp. 21–25. ISBN 9780752448350.
  7. ^ Harris 2002, p. 83.
  8. ^ Harris 2002, pp. 83–4.
  9. ^ a b Richardson II 2011, p. 374.
  10. ^ Richardson, however, lists Sir Walter Herbert among the legitimate sons of William Herbert, 1st Earl of Pembroke, and his wife, Anne Devereux; Richardson II 2011, p. 388.
  11. ^ Harris 2002, p. 145.
  12. ^ Richardson II 2011, pp. 374–5.
  13. ^ Richardson III 2011, pp. 377–8.
  14. ^ Howell 2004; McGurk 2004.
  15. ^ Maclean 1883, p. 252.
  16. ^ "Kate Emerson Historicals, novels of the Tudor court". Archived from the original on 20 December 2017. Retrieved 11 November 2012.

References

Categories