ON THIS DAY - 09 February 1604

On This Day (09 February) in 1604, Anne Russell, Countess of Warwick, died at her home North Hall, in Northaw, Hertfordshire, aged 55.

Anne, Countess of Warwick, c..1569 ©Woburn Abbey

The Manor House of Northaw had been granted to Anne's late husband Ambrose Dudley, 3rd Earl of Warwick, in 1575; the couple subsequently hosted Elizabeth I here on multiple occasions. This property became the couple's primary residence in their later years, with Ambrose's failing health and reduced attendance at court and the Privy Council. Following his death in 1590, Ambrose granted to Anne "all the Mannors, Lands, Tenements, and Hereditaments", including North Hall. Anne continued to reside between Northaw and court, where she continued to serve Elizabeth I as a gentlewoman of her privy chamber, until her death.

Following Elizabeth I's death in March 1603, Anne, as a Dowager Countess, was one of several members of the aristocracy who greeted the new king James I, and his queen consort, Anna of Denmark, to England. Anna of Denmark soon appointed younger ladies to her household, leading older ladies who had been in the service of the late queen, including Anne, to retire from court.

Anne's niece, Lady Anne Clifford, the daughter of her youngest sister Margaret, Countess of Cumberland, who was close to her aunt, wrote how they spent time at North Hall, along with other extended family members; Lady Anne later reflected how Anne, having no children of her own, acted in a mothering role to her younger siblings, and their children (her nieces and nephews).

In late 1603, Anne's health appeared to decline, being described as "ill and melancholy because of the plague"; it was estimated that a fifth of London's population died during this epidemic. She was visited by family members, including sister Margaret and niece Anne Clifford, who were struggling financially, following their estrangement from husband and father George Clifford, 3rd Earl of Cumberland. Anne died on 09 February 1604, aged 55, having written her own will on 11 October 1603.

St Michael's Church, Chenies © Chenies Manor House & Gardens

In accordance with her will, Anne was interred in the Bedford Chapel within St Michael's Church, Chenies: a private family chapel commissioned by her paternal grandmother Anne Sapcote, following the death of her husband John Russell, 1st Earl of Bedford in 1555. Her marble and alabaster tomb, topped with a coloured effigy, depicting Anne in her countess's robes and coronet, is decorated with shields celebrating both Russell and Dudley heritages.

Tomb effigy of Anne, Countess of Warwick, Bedford Chapel, St Michael's Church, Chenies © barryslemmings [Flickr]