Family
Elizabeth Stafford was the daughter of Sir William Stafford (c.1500 – 5 May 1556) of Chebsey, Staffordshire, and Rochford Hall, Essex, second son of Sir Humphrey Stafford of Blatherwycke, Northamptonshire, by Margaret Fogge, the daughter of Sir John Fogge of Ashford, Kent.
Elizabeth Stafford's parents were second cousins. Her mother was Dorothy Stafford (1 October 1526 – September 1604), the daughter of Henry Stafford, 10th Baron Stafford (1501–1563), son and heir of Edward Stafford, 3rd Duke of Buckingham, by Ursula Pole (d.1570). Through her mother, Elizabeth Stafford and her siblings were of royal blood.
Dorothy Stafford was Sir William Stafford's second wife. In 1534 he had secretly wed, as her second husband, Mary Boleyn (c.1499–1543), sister of King Henry VIII's second wife, Anne Boleyn. Mary Boleyn is said to have been pregnant at the time of her marriage to Sir William Stafford; however if there were children of the marriage, nothing further is known of them.
Elizabeth Stafford had three brothers and two sisters of the whole blood:
- Sir Edward Stafford (1552–1604) of Grafton, who married firstly, Roberta Chapman (d.1578), the daughter of Alexander Chapman of Rainthorpe Hall, Norfolk, by whom he had a son and two daughters, and secondly, on 29 November 1597, Douglas Sheffield (1547–1608), daughter of William Howard, 1st Baron Howard of Effingham, and sister of Charles Howard, 1st Earl of Nottingham.
- William Stafford (1554–1612), conspirator, who about 1593 married Anne Gryme (d.1612), daughter of Thomas Gryme of Antingham, Norfolk, by whom he had a daughter, Dorothy Stafford, and a son, William Stafford (1593–1684).
- Sir John Stafford of Marlwood Park (January 1556 – 28 September 1624), Thornbury, Gloucestershire, who married Millicent Gresham (buried 24 December 1602), the daughter of Edmund Gresham (buried 31 August 1586) and Joan Hynde, by whom he had no issue.
- Ursula Stafford (b.1553), who married Richard Drake (d. 11 July 1603) of Esher, Surrey, equerry to Elizabeth I, third son of John Drake (d.1558), esquire, of Ashe in Musbury, Devonshire, and brother of Bernard Drake, by whom she had a son, Francis Drake (d.1633).
- Dorothy Stafford, who likely died in infancy.
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Famous quotes containing the word family:
“In the years of the Roman Republic, before the Christian era, Roman education was meant to produce those character traits that would make the ideal family man. Children were taught primarily to be good to their families. To revere gods, one’s parents, and the laws of the state were the primary lessons for Roman boys. Cicero described the goal of their child rearing as “self- control, combined with dutiful affection to parents, and kindliness to kindred.””
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