Barbara Sidney, Countess of Leicester (1563–1621) was a Welsh heiress, and the first wife of Robert Sidney, 1st Earl of Leicester.
Barbara Gamage inherited Coity Castle, Glamorgan, on the death of her father, John Gamage, in 1584, and became the ward of Sir Edward Stradling of St Donat's Castle, Glamorgan, until her marriage. On 23 September 1584, she married Robert Sidney at St Donat's, the home of her guardian. Although Sidney was MP for Glamorgan, the couple lived chiefly at Baynard's Castle in London and Penshurst Place in Kent. They had eleven children.
- Sir William Sidney
- Henry Sidney
- Philip Sidney
- Mary
- Robert Sidney, 2nd Earl of Leicester
- Catherine
- Philippa
- Barbara
- Dorothy
- Elizabeth
- Bridget
Famous quotes containing the words barbara and/or countess:
“Children are extraordinarily precious members of society; they are exquisitely alert, sensitive, and conscious of their surroundings; and they are extraordinarily vulnerable to maltreatment or emotional abuse by adults who refuse to give them the profound respect and affection to which they are unconditionally entitled.”
—Wisdom of the Elders, quoted in Kids Are Worth It, by Barbara Coloroso, ch. 1 (1994)
“And tell so readily, he knoweth well
How ev’ry star by proper name to call?”
—Bible: Hebrew Psalm CXLVII (Paraphrased by The Countess of Pembroke)