Mary Dudley facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Lady Mary Dudley
Mary Sidney by Hans Eworth, c. 1550–1555
Born	c. 1530–1535
Died	9 August 1586 London, England
Buried	Penshurst Place, Kent
Noble family	Dudley
Issue	Sir Philip Sidney Mary Margaret Sidney Elizabeth Sidney Mary Herbert, Countess of Pembroke Robert Sidney, 1st Earl of Leicester Ambrosia Sidney Sir Thomas Sidney
Father	John Dudley, 1st Duke of Northumberland
Mother	Jane Guildford
Occupation	Lady-in-Waiting

Lady Mary Sidney (born Dudley) lived from about 1530 to 1586. She was a lady-in-waiting for Elizabeth I, the Queen of England. Mary was married to Sir Henry Sidney. She was also the mother of the famous poet Sir Philip Sidney and Mary Sidney Herbert, Countess of Pembroke. Her father was John Dudley, 1st Duke of Northumberland. Her brother, Robert Dudley, was a close friend of Queen Elizabeth.

Mary Dudley was one of Queen Elizabeth's trusted friends. This was especially true during the early years of Elizabeth's rule. Mary helped the Queen when she was sick with smallpox in 1563. She also helped the Queen talk to important visitors from other countries. Mary had seven children. She traveled with her husband, Sir Henry Sidney, to Ireland and the Welsh Marches. From the 1570s, Mary and her husband felt that the Queen was not treating them fairly. Mary Dudley left the royal court in 1579 because she was not well. She suffered from poor health in her last years.

Mary Dudley's Early Life and Family

Mary Dudley was the oldest daughter of John Dudley, 1st Duke of Northumberland and Jane Guildford. She had twelve younger brothers and sisters. Mary Dudley received a very good education. She could speak Italian, French, and Latin fluently. She was also interested in alchemy, which was an early form of chemistry. Mary enjoyed reading adventure stories and writing poems. She even wrote notes in French in her copy of a history book. Mary was also a friend of the scientist John Dee.

On March 29, 1551, Mary Dudley married Henry Sidney in Esher, Surrey. They may have married for love. They had a public wedding on May 17, 1551, at her parents' home in London. A few months later, Henry Sidney became a Chief Gentleman for Edward VI. He was made a knight by the young King. This happened on the same day Mary's father, who was in charge of the government, became the Duke of Northumberland.

In May 1553, Mary's younger brother, Guildford Dudley, married Lady Jane Grey. Lady Jane was a cousin of King Edward. Lady Jane said that Mary Dudley came to get her on July 9, 1553. Mary took her to Syon House. There, Lady Jane was told she would be Queen of England. This was according to King Edward's will.

After Queen Mary I took the throne, Mary Dudley's family faced problems. Her father was arrested and executed. Mary Dudley, like other members of her family, lost some of her legal rights. This was called being "attainted." However, Henry Sidney's three sisters were favorites of Queen Mary. This might have helped his career. In 1554, Henry Sidney went to Spain. He asked Philip, who would become England's king, to pardon his brothers-in-law. These were John, Ambrose, Robert, and Henry.

John Dudley, the oldest brother, died in October 1554. This was just days after he was released. He died at Penshurst Place in Kent. This was the Sidney family's home. King Edward VI had given it to them in 1552. Philip Sidney, Mary Dudley's first child, was born there in November 1554. He was named after King Philip, his godfather. Mary's mother, the Duchess of Northumberland, died in January 1555. She left Mary 200 marks and a special clock. It was her father's clock, and she asked Mary to keep it as a treasure.

In 1556, Mary Dudley went with her husband to Ireland. They mostly lived at Athlone Castle. Their first daughter, Mary Margaret, was born there. Queen Mary was her godmother. But the child died when she was less than two years old. Philip stayed at Penshurst until his mother returned from Ireland in September 1558. Mary's legal rights had been given back to her earlier that year. This happened when Queen Mary I's last parliament removed the "attainder" from the Dudley family.

Serving Queen Elizabeth I

When Elizabeth I became Queen in November 1558, Mary Dudley became a Gentlewoman of the Privy Chamber. This was a position without pay. So, she depended on her husband for money. Mary and her brother Robert were among the Queen's closest friends.

In 1562, Queen Elizabeth became very sick with smallpox. Mary Dudley took care of her. Then Mary caught the illness herself. Her husband said it greatly changed her beauty. The Queen, who only had a few marks, started to keep her distance from Mary. It is a myth that Mary wore a mask after this. She continued to serve at court. She would leave only when she went with her husband to Wales and Ireland.

In late 1565, Mary and her husband traveled to Ireland. Sir Henry was going to start his job as Lord Lieutenant of Ireland. During the trip, one of their ships sank. All of Mary Dudley's jewels and nice clothes were lost. In 1567, Sir Henry went back to England for a few weeks. His wife stayed in Drogheda, which was attacked by rebels. Mary Dudley bravely asked the Mayor of Dublin for troops to help the town. He sent them. Later that year, Sir Henry sent her back to England because she was sick. Her illness was caused by the Queen's criticism of his work in Ireland. A harsh letter from Elizabeth made Mary "grievously sick." She even fell into a trance for over 52 hours.

The four Dudley siblings who lived into Elizabeth's reign were Mary, Ambrose, Robert, and their younger sister Katherine. They stayed very close. Henry Sidney and Robert Dudley had been friends since they were boys. Mary Dudley's third child, Elizabeth, was born at her brother Robert's house in Kew in late 1560. By 1569, Mary had four more children. These included Mary Herbert, who became a famous poet, and Robert, who became the first Earl of Leicester in the Sidney family. When her nine-year-old daughter Ambrosia died in 1575, Queen Elizabeth sent a letter of sympathy.

In January 1570, Robert Dudley hosted his brother Ambrose and his sisters Mary and Katherine at Kenilworth Castle. This same castle was the site of a big festival in 1575. The whole Sidney family was there as guests. Mary Dudley was very good at stag hunting. In 1577, Robert Dudley helped arrange the marriage of his 15-year-old niece Mary. She married his friend, the Earl of Pembroke, who was 40. Mary's mother organized the wedding parties at Wilton House.

By the 1570s, Sir Henry Sidney and his wife felt a bit disappointed. They thought the Queen had not given them enough money or rewards for their long service. In 1572, Mary Dudley even had to turn down a noble title for her husband. She wrote to William Cecil that the costs of such a title were too high. Sir Henry was upset because he had to choose between financial ruin and making the Queen unhappy. Two years later, in 1574, she argued about her rooms at court. She refused to trade her usual rooms for a cold room that had been "but the place for my servants." She joked that "old Lord Harry and his old Moll" would accept "the small portion allotted our long service in court."

Queen Elizabeth still cared for her old friend. Mary Dudley left the court in July 1579. This was because of her poor health. It may also have been to support her brother Robert, who was in trouble for getting married. She joined her husband in Ludlow in 1582. He was serving his third term as President of the Council of Wales and the Marches. A year later, her health was so bad that Henry Sidney thought he might soon marry again. Mary Dudley died on August 9, 1586. This was three months after her husband. She had taken part in his grand funeral. She was buried next to him at Penshurst.

Mary Dudley's Children

• Sir Philip Sidney (1554–1586); he married Frances Walsingham in 1583 and had children.
• Mary Margaret Sidney (died as a child)
• Elizabeth Sidney (died as a child)
• Mary Sidney (1561–1621); she married Henry Herbert, 2nd Earl of Pembroke, in 1577 and had children.
• Robert Sidney, 1st Earl of Leicester (1563–1626); he first married Barbara Gamage and had children. He later married Sarah Blount.
• Ambrosia Sidney (died as a child)
• Sir Thomas Sidney