Anne Bacon - Early Life

Early Life

Whether it be Ann or Anne Bacon, one cannot be sure, as sources debate; however, she was an English translator and lady of the British court. Though Anne’s exact date of birth is not known, it is presumed she was born in or around 1528. Anne Bacon was born in Essex, England, one of the five daughters of Anthony Cooke, tutor to Henry VIII’s only son Edward. Being an educator, Anthony ensured that all of his four sons and five daughters received a humanist educations, with in-depth studies in languages and the classics. From the success of not just Anne, but Anthony’s other daughters, this thorough education is quite evident. Anne was trained in Latin, Italian, French, Greek, and possibly even Hebrew. Her sister the Lady Elizabeth Hoby was trained in languages and is also well known for similar translations and texts. Her family's social status was high, in part because her father worked so closely with the Tudor royal family, and were large landowners as a result. They had an association of some sort with Stratford though what precisely this association was remains unspecified.