View source for Margaret Howard, Countess of Nottingham

{{Short description|British noble}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2019}}
{{Use British English|date=August 2019}}
{{ infobox royalty
| issue = [[Charles Howard, 3rd Earl of Nottingham]]
}}
[[File:Portrait of a woman, Dunrobin Castle.jpg|thumb|right|Margaret Howard, Countess of Nottingham, by [[Cornelius Johnson (artist)|Cornelius Johnson]], ([[Dunrobin Castle]])]]
'''Margaret Stuart''' (or '''Stewart''') ({{circa|1591}} – 4 August 1639), Scottish aristocrat and courtier in England. She served as lady-in-waiting to the queen consort of England, [[Anne of Denmark]]. She was the daughter of [[James Stewart, 2nd Earl of Moray]], and [[Elizabeth Stuart, 2nd Countess of Moray]]. The sailor  and patron of [[Ben Jonson]], [[Francis Stuart (sailor)|Sir Frances Stuart]] was her brother.
==Unions==
Margaret Stewart may have become the subject of marriage negotiations in Scotland in July 1602. A committee of "4 Stewarts" to arbitrate in the feuds and disagreements between the [[George Gordon, 1st Marquess of Huntly|Marquess of Huntly]] and the [[James Stuart, 3rd Earl of Moray|Earl of Moray]]. The four Stewarts were [[Andrew Stuart, 1st Baron Castle Stuart|Lord Ochiltree]], [[Walter Stewart, 1st Lord Blantyre|Walter Stewart of Blantyre]], [[Alexander Stewart, 1st Earl of Galloway|Alexander Stewart of Garlies]], and the Tutor of [[Rosyth Castle|Rosyth]].<ref>''Calendar State Papers Scotland: 1597-1603'', vol. 13 (Edinburgh, 1969), pg. 1023 no. 832, 1048 no. 852.</ref>
One solution offered was the marriage of Moray to Huntly's daughter, and Huntly's son to a daughter of the [[Archibald Campbell, 7th Earl of Argyll|Earl of Argyll]]. However, in February 1603 [[Anne of Denmark]] proposed an alternative solution, that Huntly's son, [[George Gordon, 2nd Marquess of Huntly|Lord Gordon]], would marry Moray's sister in a double marriage. Moray's sister, perhaps Margaret Stewart, had recently joined the queen's court.<ref>''Calendar State Papers Scotland: 1597-1603'', vol. 13 (Edinburgh, 1969), pp. 1048, 1111.</ref> The marriage plans were abandoned at this time, but the scheme suggested by the "4 Stewarts" was adopted.
After the [[Union of the Crowns]] in 1603, she was appointed to be a lady of the queen's drawing chamber.<ref>Jemma Field, ''Anna of Denmark: The Material and Visual Culture of the Stuart Courts'' (Manchester, 2020), pg. 134.</ref>
At [[Winchester]] in September the queen ordered fabrics for new clothes for Stewart and other women who had made the journey from Scotland, including [[Anne Livingstone, Countess of Eglinton|Anne Livingstone]], [[Jean Ker, Countess of Roxburghe|Jean Drummond]], and [[Margaret Hartsyde]].<ref>[[Jemma Field]], ''Anna of Denmark: Material and Visual Culture of the Stuart Courts'' (Manchester, 2020), pp. 123, 146 fn. 21.</ref>
In September 1603, she married [[Charles Howard, 1st Earl of Nottingham]].{{sfn|Henderson|1898|p=308}} She attended the trial of Sir [[Walter Raleigh|Walter Ralegh]] and the [[Henry Brooke, 11th Baron Cobham|Earl of Cobham]] in November 1603 with the [[Catherine Howard, Countess of Suffolk|Countess of Suffolk]] and [[Arbella Stuart]].<ref>Thomas Birch (Folkestone Williams), ''The Court and Times of James the First'', vol. 1 (London, 1848), p. 21: [[Philip Yorke, 2nd Earl of Hardwicke]], ''Miscellaneous State Papers'', vol. 1 (London, 1778), pg. 379.</ref>
Nottingham was an older man and the marriage in September attracted comment from [[Anne of Denmark]] and her brother [[Christian IV of Denmark]], [[Arbella Stuart]], [[Thomas Edmondes]] and other letter writers.<ref>[[Susan Doran]], ''From Tudor to Stewart: the regime change from Elizabeth I to James I'' (Oxford, 2024), p. 272.</ref> Anne of Denmark wrote a letter to [[James VI of Scotland|King James]] describing them as a match between Mars and Venus.<ref>''Letters to King James the Sixth from the Queen, Prince Henry, Prince Charles, the Princess Elizabeth and Her Husband, Frederick, King of Bohemia, and from Their Son, Prince Frederick Henry'' (Edinburgh, 1835), pp. xliv-vi: Leeds Barroll, ''Anna of Denmark'' (Philadelphia, 2001), pp. 92-93.</ref>
They had two children:
* [[Charles Howard, 3rd Earl of Nottingham]]
* Anne Howard (born c. 1612), married on 29 December 1627 to Alexander Stewart, Baron Garlies, son of [[Alexander Stewart, 1st Earl of Galloway]] and Grizel Gordon.
Arbella Stuart wrote to the [[George Talbot, 6th Earl of Shrewsbury|Earl of Shrewsbury]] that the Lord Admiral had been to visit [[Henry Frederick, Prince of Wales|Prince Henry]] and [[Elizabeth Stuart, Queen of Bohemia|Princess Elizabeth]] and, "either is or will be my Cousin before incredulous you will believe such incongruities in a Counsellour."<ref>[[Edmund Lodge]], [https://archive.org/details/illustrationsbr02lodggoog/page/n37/mode/2up ''Illustrations of British History'', vol. 3 (London, 1838), pg. 27]: Sara Jayne Steen, ''Letters of Lady Arbella Stuart'' (Oxford, 1994), pg. 183.</ref>
Edmondes described their meeting during dancing organised by the queen at [[Basing House]].<ref>John Nichols, ''Progresses of James the First'', vol. (London, 1828), pg. 258.</ref> The [[Edward Somerset, 4th Earl of Worcester|Earl of Worcester]] wrote of a gallant of 70 years that in one night could dance himself into a fair lady's favour. [[Robert Cecil, 1st Earl of Salisbury|Robert Cecil]] wrote that Nottingham had "begun the union", meaning the union of the kingdoms of England and Scotland.<ref>Edmund Lodge, ''Illustrations of British History'', vol. 3 (Oxford, 1838), pp. 19, 39, 40.</ref> The king gave her [[Chelsea Manor|Chelsea Place]] and a yearly pension of £600.<ref>''HMC Salisbury Hatfield'', vol. 20 (London, 1968), pg. 305.</ref>
In January 1604 she played the part of [[Concordia (mythology)|Concordia]] in the masque ''[[The Vision of the Twelve Goddesses]]'', wearing "crimson and white, the colours of England and Scotland joined".<ref>[https://archive.org/details/visiontwelvegod00danigoog/page/n65 Ernest Law, ''The Vision of the Twelve Goddesses'' (London, 1880), pp. 30, 60]</ref> Her party-colored mantle of crimson and white was embroidered in silver with clasped hands and she carried a bush with red and white roses as an offering in the Temple of Peace.<ref>Berta Cano-Echevarría & Mark Hutchings, 'The Spanish Ambassador and Samuel Daniel's Vision of the Twelve Goddesses: A New Document', in, ''English Literary Renaissance'', 42.2 (2012), pp. 250, 256.</ref><ref>John Pitcher, 'Samuel Daniel's Masque "The Vision of the Twelve Goddesses": Texts and Payments', ''Medieval & Renaissance Drama in England'', 26 (2013), pp. 24–25.</ref> Her role in the masque made an allusion to the union of England and Scotland.<ref>Martin Butler, ''The Stuart Court Masque and Political Culture'' (Cambridge, 2008), pp. 102-103.</ref>
In December 1604 she was excused from performing in the queen's masque, ''[[The Masque of Blackness]]'', because she had a "[[Polyp (medicine)|polypus]]" which was thought to require surgery.<ref>''Memorials of Affairs of State from the papers of Ralph Winwood'', vol. 2 (London, 1725), pp. 39-40, John Packer to Winwood, 12 December 1604.</ref> [[Anne St John|Ann Howard]], her daughter-in-law, appears in the cast list as "[[William Howard, 3rd Baron Howard of Effingham|Lady Effingham]]", in the part of "Psychrote". Margaret did not appear in any further court masques.<ref>Leeds Barroll, ''Anna of Denmark'' (Philadelphia, 2001), pp. 92-93, 101.</ref>
Her husband was involved with the negotiations with Spain known as the [[Treaty of London (1604)|Somerset House Conference]] and the subsequent ratification of the treaty at [[Royal Palace of Valladolid|Valladolid]]. The King of Spain, [[Philip III of Spain|Philip III]] gave him a diamond and gold feather jewel for his hat, and other jewellery and gilt plate. The countess was given a gold chain with diamonds and portraits of Philip III and [[Margaret of Austria, Queen of Spain]], and a casket decorated with diamonds and the Spanish royal portraits, and [[perfumed gloves]] and other perfumed goods.<ref>E. K. Purnell & A. B. Hinds, ''HMC Downshire'', vol. 2 (London, 1936), pp. 423-5.</ref>
===Misunderstanding on the Thames===
In 1606, when Christian IV was preparing to leave London, he had an argument with the Earl of Nottingham aboard ship about time and tide.<ref>[[Susan Doran]], ''From Tudor to Stewart: the regime change from Elizabeth I to James I'' (Oxford, 2024), p. 249.</ref> The Danish king insisted it was two o'clock and waved two fingers at the Earl.<ref>Steven Veerapen, ''The Wisest Fool: The Lavish Life of James VI and I'' (Birlinn, 2023), p. 265.</ref> Nottingham or the countess thought he had made a joke about their age difference.<ref>Courtney Erin Thomas, ''If I lose Mine Honour I Lose Myself'' (Toronto, 2017), pp. 87-89: [[Sarah Gristwood]], ''Arbella: England's Lost Queen'' (London: Bantam, 2004), p. 311.</ref> An angry correspondence ensued.<ref>Lawrence Stone, ''Crisis of the Aristocracy'' (Oxford, 1965), p. 665.</ref>
Arbella Stuart attempted to mediate in the scandal in letters to Christian's chamberlain, [[Andrew Sinclair (privy counsellor)|Sir Andrew Sinclair]].<ref>Sara Jayne Steen, ''The Letters of Lady Arbella Stuart'' (Oxford, 1994), pp. 211-217, 282-284.</ref> Margaret insisted in a letter to Sinclair that Christian IV should know "that I deserve as little that name he gave me as either the mother of himself or his children".<ref>[https://archive.org/details/cabalasivescrini00londiala/page/96/mode/2up ''Cabala: Sive Scrinia Sacra'', vol. 2 (London, 1654), pg. 94]</ref> Sinclair had to pass the letter on to Christian IV. Anne of Denmark asked James to banish her from court.<ref>Agnes Strickland, ''Lives of the Queens of England'' vol. 4 (London, 1869) pp. 93-95, quoting a letter in the [[British Library]], Egerton MSS, printed in J. Payne Collier,''The Egerton Papers'' (Camden Society: London, 1840), pp. 467-470 and [https://archive.org/details/selectcollection01dunciala/page/66 John Duncombe, ''A select Collection of Original Letters'', vol. 1 (London, 1755), pp. 67-68].</ref>
The French ambassador [[Antoine Lefèvre de la Boderie]] was aware of the quarrel, and wrote of the age difference between Lady Nottingham and the Admiral. He describes the argument centering on a clock and the time of departure. Christian IV two or three times indicated the time two o'clock with his fingers. The Countess, who was pregnant, thought Christian IV and Anne of Denmark were laughing at her. Boderie knew that Margaret had written to Sinclair, and Anne of Denmark had expelled her from court, berating her as the grandchild of an illegitimate son of [[James V of Scotland|James V]]. His letter is an important source for our knowledge of the incident.<ref>[https://archive.org/details/ambassadesdemde00unkngoog/page/n357/mode/2up ''Ambassades de M. de La Boderie en Angleterre'', vol. 1 (Paris, 1750), pp. 307-309]</ref> Boderie's version of events was a source of amusement to [[Henry IV of France]].<ref>[[Friedrich Ludwig Georg von Raumer]], ''History of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, illustrated by original documents'', vol. 1 (London, 1835), pp. 215-217.</ref>
[[Dudley Carleton, 1st Viscount Dorchester|Dudley Carleton]] found fault with Christian IV. He heard that Christian IV had written to Anne of Denmark to complain about the Countess of Nottingham's letter to him, which did "some hurt". Carleton thought that Christian IV had shown two fingers to the Earl of Nottingham, who took no offence. The Countess was offended, more so because she was pregnant and anxious of her credit and honour.<ref>Maurice Lee, ''Dudley Carleton to John Chamberlain, 1603-1624'' (Rutgers UP, 1972), pg. 90.</ref>
Another, possibly apocryphal, cause for the quarrel was included in [[Sir Edward Peyton, 2nd Baronet|Edward Peyton's]] ''Catastrophe of the House of Stuarts''. During ''[[The Entertainment of the Kings of Great Britain and Denmark]]'' at [[Theobalds House]]. King James was carried to bed and Christian IV was so "disguised" or drunk that he tried to seduce the Countess of Nottingham, causing a quarrel with the Earl of Nottingham,<ref>Walter Scott, ''Secret History of the Court of James the First'', vol. 2 (Edinburgh, 1811), p. 387.</ref> "And ''Denmark'' was so disguised, as he would have lain with the Countess of ''Nottingham'', making horns in derision at her husband the high Admiral of ''England''; which caused a deep discontent between them".<ref>Edward Peyton, ''The divine catastrophe of the kingly family of the house of Stuarts'' (London, 1652), p. 64.</ref>
==Life at court==
The countess seems to have been quickly returned to royal favour. Like many courtiers she gave Anne of Denmark clothes as New Year's Day gifts. On 1 January 1609, she gave the queen a satin petticoat embroidered round about the hem and up the front with grapes, roses, pansies, birds, clouds, and bats described as "fruits batts or flindermyse".<ref>Jemma Field, 'The Wardrobe Goods of Anna of Denmark', ''Costume'', vol. 51 no. 1 (March, 2017), on-line supplement, pp. 42-43 citing Cambridge University Library MS Dd.I.26, f. 21r.</ref>
There was another incident at the [[wedding of Princess Elizabeth and Frederick V of the Palatinate]] in February 1613, recorded by the master of court ceremony, [[John Finet]]. He noted a confrontation between the French ambassador's wife and the Countess of Nottingham. As the ambassador's wife was directed to a place at dinner deemed inappropriate by the Countess, she grasped her hand and would not let her go all through the meal.<ref>John Nichols, ''Progresses of James the First'', vol. 2 (London, 1828), pg. 605.</ref>
In July 1614, she was a godparent to [[Thomas Ingram (Royalist)|Thomas Ingram]].<ref>John Nichols, ''The progresses, processions, and magnificent festivities, of King James the First, his royal consort, family, and court'', vol. 2 (London, 1828), p. 8.</ref>
When the Earl of Nottingham gave up the admiralty he was declared to be the first earl of England. However, during the planning of the funeral of Anne of Denmark in 1619 other aristocrats including [[Alethea Howard, Countess of Arundel]] and [[Dorothy Percy, Countess of Northumberland]] refused to give her precedence. One solution suggested was to make [[Helena, Marchioness of Northampton]] the chief mourner.<ref>Norman Egbert McClure, ''The Letters of John Chamberlain'' vol. 2 (Philadelphia, 1939), pp. 232-3.</ref>
==Material culture==
An inventory of luxury goods belonging to Margaret and the Earl of Nottingham written by the notary [[David Moysie]] in 1606 gives an idea of the material culture of Jacobean courtiers. There were a large number of buttons set with diamonds and rubies, a flask of amber for musk, two [[bezoar]] stones, a variety of silver plate including a lemon squeezer and dishes for sausages and eggs, a silver sugar box shaped like a scallop shell, and bed curtains of velvet and of "China stuff."<ref>See the Morton papers in the [[National Archives of Scotland]] GD150/2838/3, and [[National Library of Scotland]] MS 78 nos. 96, 97.</ref> A portrait of the countess attributed to [[Paul van Somer I|Paul van Somer]] places her in a rich interior with curtains dressed with bobbin lace and wearing needle lace collar and cuffs.<ref>Annabel Westman, ''Fringe, Frog & Tassel'' (London, 2019), pp. 13-14.</ref>
==William Monson==
After her first husband's death, she married [[William Monson, 1st Viscount Monson]] in October 1625 at [[Reigate]].<ref>William Shaw & G. Dyfnallt Owen, ''HMC 77 Viscount De L'Isle Penshurst'', vol. 5 (London, 1961), p. 441.</ref> She rode with him in the market on the next day and several visits to show off her new husband.<ref>''HMC 4th Report: De La Warre'' (London, 1874), p. 306.</ref> They had no children.
With other Chelsea residents, including [[Katherine Villiers, Duchess of Buckingham]] she was a partner in Lady Lane of [[Horton, Northamptonshire|Horton]]'s Charity.<ref>''The Chelsea Charities: 1862 Report of the Vestry to the British Museum'' (London, 1863), p. 68.</ref><ref>[https://www.westminster-abbey.org/abbey-commemorations/commemorations/sir-robert-lane Sir Robert Lane, Westminster Abbey]</ref> Margaret died in her house at Covent Garden on 4 August 1639 and was buried at Chelsea.<ref>Herald's funeral certificates, The National Archives TNA SP16/360/11.</ref>
==External links==
* [https://www.bridgemanimages.us/en-US/asset/5196928/summary 'Lady called Margaret Stuart, Countess of Nottingham, c.1620' attributed to Paul van Somer, Portland Collection]
==Notes==
{{reflist}}
*{{cite DNB |first=Thomas Finlayson |last=Henderson |wstitle=Stewart, James (d.1592) |volume=54 |pages=307–308}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nottingham, Margaret Howard, Countess of}}
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[[Category:Daughters of Scottish earls]]
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