Mary Fitton
Encyclopedia
Mary Fitton (Baptised 24 June 1578 – 1647) was the daughter of Sir Edward Fitton of Gawsworth
, Cheshire
and Alice Halcroft, and is considered by some to be the "Dark Lady" of Shakespeare's sonnets
. Her elder sister, Anne, married John Newdigate in 1587, at the age of fourteen. She also had two brothers, about whom not much is known.
. Her father recommended her to the care of Sir William Knollys
, comptroller of the Queen's household. Sir William promised, "I will be as careful of her well doing as if I were her own true father." But Knollys, though fifty and already married, soon became suitor to Mary Fitton, in hope of the speedy death of the actual Lady Knollys. He wrote of his passion to her sister and even named Mary's niece, who he was sponsoring as godfather, "Mary". His infatuation was well known and mocked in court.
In 1599, Mary had to quit the court because of a mixture of physical and mental illnesses that Elizabethans called "the mother" or "suffocation of the mother" (a form of hysteria
). When she returned to court, she refused Knollys.
In June 1600 Mary led a dance in the masque
celebrating the fashionable wedding of Lady Anne Russell, granddaughter of the Earl of Bedford
, with Henry Somerset, later created Marquess of Worcester
, at Lord Cobham's
residence in Blackfriars. Led by Mary, the maids performed an allegorical dance and afterwards chose substitutes from the audience. Mary boldly chose the queen, telling her that she represented Affection (which then meant passionate love), to which the queen replied "Affection? Affection's false."
William Herbert
, later Earl of Pembroke, is known to have been present at this affair. Mary was a couple of years older than he, but she pursued him ardently. She became his mistress, and was soon pregnant. In February 1601 Pembroke was sent to the Fleet Prison
after admitting paternity but refusing to marry his mistress. Mary Fitton was placed with Lady Margaret Hawkins, the widow of Sir John Hopkins, for her confinement. In March 1601 she gave birth to a baby boy who died immediately (perhaps from syphilis, which it is believed Pembroke may have suffered from).
Both Mary and Pembroke were dismissed from court.
in several books, including The Women in Shakespeare and Shakespeare and his Love. His influential biography The Man Shakespeare asserted that Fitton had ruined Shakespeare's life and that he died "broken hearted for love of the Dark Lady."
Later scholars have not pursued these assertions. Paul Edmondson and Stanley Wells
comment that "her star waned when she was discovered to have been fair". There is no hint in her authenticated biography that she was acquainted with Shakespeare. William Kempe
, who was a clown in Shakespeare's company, dedicated his Nine Daies Wonder to Mistress Anne (perhaps an error for Mary) Fitton, Maid of Honor to Elizabeth; and there is a sonnet addressed to her in an anonymous volume, A Womans Woorth defended against all the Men in the World.
After this she had an affair with Captain Wiliam Polwhele and bore a son that was presumably his. Her mother was scandalized, writing to her other, married, daughter, "such shame as never had a Cheshire woman, worse now than ever. Write no more to me of her." Even after marriage to the father of her child, her mother referred to him as "a very knave". When Polwhele died in 1610, Mary had a son and daughter to take care of.
She married again, to a Pembrokeshire captain named Lougher. He died in 1636. She died in 1647 and was buried in Gawsworth
, leaving a little Welsh property to her daughter who had married and had children herself.
Gawsworth
Gawsworth is a civil parish and village in the unitary authority of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. It is one of the eight ancient parishes of Macclesfield Hundred. Twenty acres of the civil parish were transferred to Macclesfield civil parish in 1936The country houses...
, Cheshire
Cheshire
Cheshire is a ceremonial county in North West England. Cheshire's county town is the city of Chester, although its largest town is Warrington. Other major towns include Widnes, Congleton, Crewe, Ellesmere Port, Runcorn, Macclesfield, Winsford, Northwich, and Wilmslow...
and Alice Halcroft, and is considered by some to be the "Dark Lady" of Shakespeare's sonnets
Shakespeare's sonnets
Shakespeare's sonnets are 154 poems in sonnet form written by William Shakespeare, dealing with themes such as the passage of time, love, beauty and mortality. All but two of the poems were first published in a 1609 quarto entitled SHAKE-SPEARES SONNETS.: Never before imprinted. Sonnets 138 and 144...
. Her elder sister, Anne, married John Newdigate in 1587, at the age of fourteen. She also had two brothers, about whom not much is known.
Life at court
About 1595 Mary Fitton became a maid of honour to Queen ElizabethElizabeth I of England
Elizabeth I was queen regnant of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death. Sometimes called The Virgin Queen, Gloriana, or Good Queen Bess, Elizabeth was the fifth and last monarch of the Tudor dynasty...
. Her father recommended her to the care of Sir William Knollys
William Knollys, 1st Earl of Banbury
Sir William Knollys, 1st Earl of Banbury, KG, PC was an English nobleman at the court of Queen Elizabeth I and King James...
, comptroller of the Queen's household. Sir William promised, "I will be as careful of her well doing as if I were her own true father." But Knollys, though fifty and already married, soon became suitor to Mary Fitton, in hope of the speedy death of the actual Lady Knollys. He wrote of his passion to her sister and even named Mary's niece, who he was sponsoring as godfather, "Mary". His infatuation was well known and mocked in court.
In 1599, Mary had to quit the court because of a mixture of physical and mental illnesses that Elizabethans called "the mother" or "suffocation of the mother" (a form of hysteria
Hysteria
Hysteria, in its colloquial use, describes unmanageable emotional excesses. People who are "hysterical" often lose self-control due to an overwhelming fear that may be caused by multiple events in one's past that involved some sort of severe conflict; the fear can be centered on a body part, or,...
). When she returned to court, she refused Knollys.
In June 1600 Mary led a dance in the masque
Masque
The masque was a form of festive courtly entertainment which flourished in 16th and early 17th century Europe, though it was developed earlier in Italy, in forms including the intermedio...
celebrating the fashionable wedding of Lady Anne Russell, granddaughter of the Earl of Bedford
Earl of Bedford
Earl of Bedford is a title that has been created three times in the Peerage of England. The first creation came in 1138 in favour Hugh de Beaumont. He appears to have been degraded from the title three or four years after its creation. However, the existence of the title altogether has been...
, with Henry Somerset, later created Marquess of Worcester
Henry Somerset, 1st Marquess of Worcester
Henry Somerset, 1st Marquess of Worcester was an English aristocrat, inheriting the title Earl of Worcester from his father Edward Somerset, 4th Earl of Worcester, in 1628. He was a prominent and financially important royalist....
, at Lord Cobham's
Henry Brooke, 11th Baron Cobham
Henry Brooke, 11th Baron Cobham was an English peer who was implicated in the Main Plot against the rule of James I of England.- Life :...
residence in Blackfriars. Led by Mary, the maids performed an allegorical dance and afterwards chose substitutes from the audience. Mary boldly chose the queen, telling her that she represented Affection (which then meant passionate love), to which the queen replied "Affection? Affection's false."
William Herbert
William Herbert, 3rd Earl of Pembroke
William Herbert, 3rd Earl of Pembroke, KG, PC was the son of Henry Herbert, 2nd Earl of Pembroke and his third wife Mary Sidney. Chancellor of the University of Oxford, he founded Pembroke College, Oxford with King James. He was warden of the Forest of Dean, and constable of St Briavels from 1608...
, later Earl of Pembroke, is known to have been present at this affair. Mary was a couple of years older than he, but she pursued him ardently. She became his mistress, and was soon pregnant. In February 1601 Pembroke was sent to the Fleet Prison
Fleet Prison
Fleet Prison was a notorious London prison by the side of the Fleet River in London. The prison was built in 1197 and was in use until 1844. It was demolished in 1846.- History :...
after admitting paternity but refusing to marry his mistress. Mary Fitton was placed with Lady Margaret Hawkins, the widow of Sir John Hopkins, for her confinement. In March 1601 she gave birth to a baby boy who died immediately (perhaps from syphilis, which it is believed Pembroke may have suffered from).
Both Mary and Pembroke were dismissed from court.
Shakespeare
The relationship with Herbert is the basis for the claim that Fitton was the "dark lady" of Shakespeare's sonnets. Herbert is one of the main candidates for the identity of the Fair Youth, a character who betrays the poet by having an affair with the Dark Lady, hence the claim that Fitton might be the lady. The suggestion was first made by Thomas Tyler in his 1890 edition of the sonnets. It was taken up by Frank HarrisFrank Harris
Frank Harris was a Irish-born, naturalized-American author, editor, journalist and publisher, who was friendly with many well-known figures of his day...
in several books, including The Women in Shakespeare and Shakespeare and his Love. His influential biography The Man Shakespeare asserted that Fitton had ruined Shakespeare's life and that he died "broken hearted for love of the Dark Lady."
Later scholars have not pursued these assertions. Paul Edmondson and Stanley Wells
Stanley Wells
Stanley William Wells, CBE, is a Shakespeare scholar and Chairman of the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust.Wells took his first degree at University College, London, and was awarded an honorary DLitt by the University of Warwick in 2008...
comment that "her star waned when she was discovered to have been fair". There is no hint in her authenticated biography that she was acquainted with Shakespeare. William Kempe
William Kempe
William Kempe , also spelt Kemp, was an English actor and dancer specializing in comic roles and best known for having been one of the original players in early dramas by William Shakespeare...
, who was a clown in Shakespeare's company, dedicated his Nine Daies Wonder to Mistress Anne (perhaps an error for Mary) Fitton, Maid of Honor to Elizabeth; and there is a sonnet addressed to her in an anonymous volume, A Womans Woorth defended against all the Men in the World.
Life after Court
Mary did not seem as abashed by the business as her father, who considered it to be social ruin. Knollys tried to woo her once again, but Mary was firm. She had an affair with the married Vice-Admiral Sir Richard Leveson, who left her £100 after his death in 1605 (his wife had to be committed to the care of her father).After this she had an affair with Captain Wiliam Polwhele and bore a son that was presumably his. Her mother was scandalized, writing to her other, married, daughter, "such shame as never had a Cheshire woman, worse now than ever. Write no more to me of her." Even after marriage to the father of her child, her mother referred to him as "a very knave". When Polwhele died in 1610, Mary had a son and daughter to take care of.
She married again, to a Pembrokeshire captain named Lougher. He died in 1636. She died in 1647 and was buried in Gawsworth
Gawsworth
Gawsworth is a civil parish and village in the unitary authority of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. It is one of the eight ancient parishes of Macclesfield Hundred. Twenty acres of the civil parish were transferred to Macclesfield civil parish in 1936The country houses...
, leaving a little Welsh property to her daughter who had married and had children herself.