Elizabeth Spencer, Baroness Hunsdon
| Elizabeth Spencer | |
|---|---|
Miniature portrait of Elizabeth Spencer by Nicholas Hilliard
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| Born | 29 June 1552 Althorp, Northamptonshire, England |
| Died | 25 February 1618 (aged 65) |
| Burial place | Westminster Abbey, London |
| Known for | Aristocrat Patron of the arts Scholar Represented "Phyllis" in Edmund Spenser's poem, Colin Clouts Come Home Againe |
| Title | Baroness Hunsdon |
| Spouse(s) |
George Carey, 2nd Baron Hunsdon Ralph Eure, 3rd Baron Eure |
| Children | Hon. Elizabeth Carey |
| Parent(s) | Sir John Spencer Katherine Kytson |
Elizabeth Spencer, Baroness Hunsdon (29 June 1552 – 25 February 1618) was an English noblewoman, scholar, and patron of the arts. She was the inspiration for Edmund Spenser's Muiopotmos, was commemorated in one of the poet's dedicatory sonnets to the Faerie Queene, and was represented as "Phyllis" in the latter's pastoral poem Colin Clouts Come Home Againe. She herself translated Petrarch. Her first husband was George Carey, 2nd Baron Hunsdon, grandson of Mary Boleyn, elder sister of Anne Boleyn, mother of Queen Elizabeth I.
Elizabeth Spencer was born 29 June 1552 at Althorp, Northamptonshire, the second eldest daughter of Sir John Spencer of Althorp and his wife Katherine Kitson, the daughter of Sir Thomas Kitson of Hengrave, Suffolk. She had three brothers, Sir John Spencer, Sir William Spencer, and Sir Richard Spencer; and three sisters, Anne Spencer, Baroness Mounteagle, Katherine Spencer, and Alice Spencer. In the year of her birth, Elizabeth's father held the office of High Sheriff of Northamptonshire, and the following year was Member of Parliament for Northamptonshire.
On 29 December 1574, by licence from Matthew Parker, Archbishop of Canterbury, Elizabeth married her first husband, George Carey, the eldest son of Henry Carey, 1st Baron Hunsdon and Anne Morgan. As a grandson of Mary Boleyn, sister of Queen Anne Boleyn, George Carey was closely related to Queen Elizabeth I who held the Hunsdons in high favour. From 23 July 1596, when her husband succeeded to the title, Elizabeth was styled Baroness Hunsdon.
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