 douglas sheffield (also spelt douglass), baroness sheffield, maiden name douglas howard (1542/1543&nbsp;â 1608), was an english noblewoman and the mother of the explorer and cartographer sir robert dudley, illegitimate son of robert dudley, 1st earl of leicester. seventeen years after leicester's death she claimed in litigation that she had secretly been his wife, even though she had herself remarried while leicester was still alive. ==family and first marriage== douglas howard was the eldest daughter of william howard, 1st baron howard of effingham, by his second wife, margaret gamage. douglas howard was probably named in honour of her godmother margaret douglas, countess of lennox. one of her brothers was lord admiral charles howard of effingham. douglas howard was at court by about 1559, probably as a maid of honour.rickman 2008 p. 49 in 1560 she married a rich peer, john sheffield, 2nd baron sheffield. they had a son and a daughter: edmund sheffield, 1st earl of mulgrave, who was born in 1565, and elizabeth sheffield, who later married thomas butler, 10th earl of ormonde, and died in november 1600. == love affair ==  not long after the death of john, lord sheffield, in december 1568, his widow began an affair with robert dudley, 1st earl of leicester, queen elizabeth's favourite, rickman 2008 p. 51 at some point in the following years, leicester wrote her a remarkable letter,read 1936 pp. 15â16; jenkins 2002 p. 186 pondering on the history of their love, and explaining to her the reasons why he could not marry, not even to beget a legitimate heir; it would result in his "utter overthrow":read 1936 p. 25 you must think it is some marvellous cause, and toucheth my present state very near, that forceth me thus to be cause almost of the ruin of mine own house ... my brother you see long married and not like to have children, it resteth so now in myself; and yet such occasions is there ... as if i should marry i am sure never to have [the queen's] favour.read 1936 pp. 25, 24 he continues, proposing that she accept one of the
1540s_births 1608_deaths 16th-century_English_people 16th-century_women 17th-century_English_people 17th-century_women British_baronesses English_women Howard_family_(English_aristocracy) Women_of_the_Stuart_period Women_of_the_Tudor_period