Lady Margaret Sackville (1562–1591) facts for kids

Lady Margaret Sackville (1562 – 19 August 1591) was an important noblewoman who lived a long time ago. She was known as Lady Margaret Howard before she married. Her husband was Robert Sackville, 2nd Earl of Dorset.

Thomas Howard, 4th Duke of Norfolk and Margaret Audley, Margaret's parents

Early Life and Family

Margaret was born in 1562. She was the third of four children born to Thomas Howard, 4th Duke of Norfolk. Her mother was Margaret Audley. Margaret had an older sister, Elizabeth, who died young. She also had an older brother, Thomas Howard, who later became the Earl of Suffolk. Her younger brother was Lord William Howard.

Margaret's mother passed away in January 1564 when Margaret was still a small child. Soon after, her father married his third wife, Elizabeth Leyburne.

Margaret's family, the Howards, were very important. They were known for being Roman Catholic during a time when England's official religion was changing.

A Difficult Childhood

Margaret's father, the Duke of Norfolk, faced many challenges. In 1568, he was involved in discussions about Mary, Queen of Scots. There was even a suggestion that Margaret might marry King James VI of Scotland, Mary's son, one day.

However, her father got into trouble with Queen Elizabeth I. He was put in prison in 1569. He was released for a short time but then imprisoned again in 1571. This was because he was part of a secret plan called the Ridolfi Plot.

Sadly, her father was executed in June 1572. Margaret was only nine or ten years old at the time. After his death, Margaret and her brothers were looked after by their uncle, Henry Howard. They lived with him at Audley End, which was one of their family's large estates.

Because of her father's execution, the family lost much of their property. However, Margaret and her brothers were able to get some of it back later.

Marriage and Later Life

In February 1580, Margaret married Robert Sackville. He came from another important noble family. Robert was training to be a lawyer, and he later became a well-known member of Parliament.

In 1585, Margaret visited her sister-in-law, Anne Dacre, Countess of Arundel. Anne was not allowed to travel freely because her husband was in the Tower of London. Margaret was told by the Queen not to stay long. Both women were expecting babies. Margaret actually went into labor during her visit and gave birth successfully.

Margaret's Children

Margaret and Robert Sackville had several children:

• Anne (born 1586) who married twice and had children.
• Richard Sackville, 3rd Earl of Dorset (born 1589).
• Edward Sackville, 4th Earl of Dorset (born 1591).
• Cecily, who married Sir Henry Compton and had children.

Lady Margaret died suddenly on August 19, 1591. She was at Knole, a large house in Kent that belonged to her husband's family. She was only about 28 or 29 years old.

A book called Triumphs over Death was written by Robert Southwell and dedicated to Margaret and her children. It was meant to comfort her half-brother, the Earl of Arundel, who was in prison.

Margaret passed away before her husband became the Earl of Dorset, so she was never officially a countess. The year after she died, her husband married again. He asked in his will to be buried next to Margaret.