Lady Anne Clifford (1590-1676), Countess of Dorset, Pembroke and Montgomery was one of the great and famous figures of British 17th century history. She was the daughter of George Clifford, 3rd Earl of Cumberland whose estates she eventually inherited on the death of his successor, Henry, the 5th and last Earl in 1643. Thereafter she spent her life like a medieval monarch, making progresses around her vast estates in the north of England and restoring and altering her castles there, and the local churches. In her youth and middle age she had been the chatelaine of Knole in Kent and Wilton House in Wiltshire. The experience she gained there and her court connections enabled her to develop as a significant patron of architecture, painting and sculpture. Highly intelligent, grasping and litigious, she was also kind and generous to those in her power. A vivid picture of her life is provided by her diaries and correspondence. These enable us to get a detailed view of her life and interests in an age when most women, even well-educated ones have faded from view for lack of evidence.
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