The Diaries of Lady Anne Clifford

Book excerpt: Noblewoman, vividly documents both the great and the trivial events of her long life. They cover her life from her childhood days, when she witnessed the funeral of Queen Elizabeth I, to her last months, when she recalled her past from her room in Brougham Castle. Through compiling and transcribing the manuscript records, D.J.H. Clifford here presents in one volume the full range of Lady Anne's life: her active role at court as the Countess of Dorset (residing at Knole in Kent), her turbulent second marriage to the 4th Earl of Pembroke at Wilton Wiltshire, and her final, long-disputed succession to her father's lands in Westmorland and North Yorkshire. The diaries are complemented by explanatory notes, family trees and illustrations. They provide both an important historical record and an intriguing glimpse into the and character of this noble and Christian lady, whose powerful presence is still in evidence today in the monuments and folklore of Westmorland.