Allegiances
As well as inheriting property and being raised in rank following the death of her father and husband, she also inherited their political and religious allegiances that would later lead to her downfall in the English Civil War. Both men were closely associated with Charles I, had links with George Villiers, 2nd Duke of Buckingham and both had enforced the king's policies in their respective counties (Essex in the case of Lord Rivers and Lancashire and Cheshire in the case of Lord Savage). Lady Rivers and her husband had both served in Queen Henrietta Maria's court as a Lady of the Bedchamber and Chancellor respectively, and these appointments reflected the family's strong Catholic links. Lady Rivers' father had been suspected of being a Papist, but enjoyed royal protection against recusancy legislation, although he was excluded from the county magistracy.
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