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| William Cecil, 1520 - 1598 |
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| Mildred Cecil, née Cooke, 1526 - 1589 |
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Edward De Vere grew up in the Cecil household from the age of 11. The Cecils had four children of their own, among them Robert, who would grow up to become Queen Elizabeth's spymaster and later Secretary of State. The Earl of Southampton and the Earl of Rutland, lived with the Cecils as well as wards of the Crown, but they were both younger than Edward.
Although the Cecils were not family to young Edward, they became his in-laws after he and their daughter Anne married in 1571.
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| Anne De Vere, née Cecil, 1556-1588 |
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| Anne Cecil was 15 years old when her father had her married to Edward De Vere. At that point it probably seemed like a very good move by William Cecil, powerful but still a commoner. A young, rich nobleman, Lord Great Chamberlain, one of the most influential peers at court, what could go wrong? Queen Elizabeth knighted Cecil shortly before the wedding and he became Lord Burghley. |
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| Elizabeth Stanley, née De Vere, 1575 - 1627 |
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| William Stanley, 1561 - 1642 |
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| Elizabeth De Vere, Edward and Anne's eldest daughter, married William Stanley, the 6th Earl of Derby in 1595. During their wedding festivities at court, lasting for days, the play 'A Midsummer Night's Dream', was performed for the first time. |
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| William Norris, 1579 - 1622 |
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| Bridget De Vere married William Norris, 1st Earl of Berkshire. The couple separated in 1606, Bridget was then only 22 years old. Norris does not seem to have been a dream husband, and was accused of treating his wife badly. Norris had an ongoing fight with the Bertie family (Bridget's uncle and aunt), and killed one of their servants in a fight. One can wonder why. Unfortunately we have not found a portrait of Bridget. |
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| Susan De Vere, 1587 - 1628 |
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| Philip Herbert, 1584 - 1650 |
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The power couple! Susan De Vere married Philip Herbert, the Earl of Montgomery in 1604. Philip was the son of Mary Sidney and Henry Herbert. Mary Sidney, was the sister of poet and courtier Philip Sidney and a poet in her own right. She was a literary patron and turned her home at Wilton House into a meeting place for a salon-type literary group.
Both Susan and her husband Philip performed in masques at Court. Susan is said to have acted in more of Ben Jonson's masques than anyone else at the time.
Philip Herbert and his brother William are the dedicatees - "incomparable pair of brethren"- of Shakespeare's First Folio, published in 1623. |
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| Henry De Vere, 1593 - 1625 |
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| Diana Cecil, abt. 1595 - 1658 |
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Henry De Vere was the only son and heir to Edward. His mother was Elizabeth Trentham, Edward's second wife, a maid of honour to the Queen and considered a beauty. Elizabeth Trentham seems to have been a sharp-minded, independent woman at ease with legal and business matters and cleared up much of the mess Edward De Vere had put himself in.
Henry married Diana Cecil, great grand daughter to William Cecil. The portrait above shows Diana posing as Anne Cecil, Edward De Vere's first wife (see above for likeness). Henry De Vere died childless in the Netherlands in 1524, and the Earldom was passed on to his second cousin Robert De Vere.
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| Mary De Vere, abt. 1555 - 1624 |
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| Peregrine Bertie, 1555 - 1601 |
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Mary De Vere, was Edward's little sister. At first he opposed the proposed marriage between his sister and Peregrine Bertie, 13th Baron Willoughby de Eresby, but ended up becoming very good friends with Peregrine. It is rumoured that their marriage was quite boisterous. Peregrine was born in Germany, while his parents were exiled during the reign of Mary I. The name 'Peregrine', means wanderer.
Peregrine Bertie was Envoy (diplomatic negotiator) to Denmark in 1582 and 1585, where he visited the Danish king's Court at Helsinor. The role of Sir Toby in Twelfth Night, is thought by many to be based upon him. |
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| Frances De Vere, 1516 - 1577 |
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| Henry Howard, 1517 - 1547 |
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Frances De Vere, was the sister of Edward's father. Her husband Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey, is regarded as the inventor of the English Sonnet, a verse form perfectioned by the man writing under the name Shake-speare. Henry Howard was tried and executed for treason 1547.
Both these stunning portraits are drawn/painted by Hans Holbein the younger, a German and Swiss artist, who emigrated to England and was one of the most important portrait painters of his time. |
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| Thomas Howard, 1536 - 1572 |
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| Thomas Howard, the 4th Duke of Norfolk, was Edward De Vere's first cousin. Like his father Thomas Howard would be executed for treason. He was accused of being part of the Ridolfi-plot, a scheme to put Queen Mary, Queen of Scots, on the English throne. Edward tried influence the Queen to save his cousin's life through a royal pardon, but it was all in vain. |
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| Horace Vere, 1565 - 1635 |
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| Francis Vere, 1560 - 1609 |
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| Horatio and Francis Vere, were Edward's cousins through his uncle Geoffrey, a younger brother to his father John. They grew up close to Castel Hedingham in Essex, and Edward De Vere seems to have had a rather close relationship with them. Both Horatio and Francis had long military careers, mainly in the Netherlands. |
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