Marriage and Children
On 26 January 1595 he married Elizabeth de Vere, daughter of Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford and Anne Cecil. Elizabeth's maternal grandparents were William Cecil, 1st Baron Burghley and his second wife Mildred Cooke. Mildred was the eldest daughter of Anthony Cooke and his wife Anne Fitzwilliam. It has been suggested that the occasion of their wedding was the inspiration for William Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream, and that the play was first performed at the couple's wedding festivities. In the early years the relationship was stormy, including claims that Elizabeth had had affairs with Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex and Walter Ralegh. The relationship settled down as Derby's financial and social position stabilised. The couple had five children:
- James Stanley, 7th Earl of Derby (31 January 1607 – 15 October 1651).
- Robert Stanley (d. 1632).
- Anne Stanley, Countess of Ancram (d. 1657). Married first Sir Henry Portman and secondly Robert Carr, 1st Earl of Ancram.
- Elizabeth Stanley. Died young.
- Elizabeth Stanley. Named after deceased older sister. Died young.
Read more about this topic: William Stanley, 6th Earl Of Derby
Famous quotes containing the words marriage and/or children:
“But not gold in commercial quantities,
Just enough gold to make the engagement rings
And marriage rings of those who owned the farm.
What gold more innocent could one have asked for?”
—Robert Frost (1874–1963)
“It’s likely that adults from the caveman on have created their own fantasies of what children ought to be like and naturally have been convinced that’s precisely how as children they themselves were.”
—Leontine Young (20th century)