Anne Howard, Countess of Arundel
A defiant Catholic noblewoman in Protestant England who turned her home into a fortress of faith and composed passionate religious verse.
1557–1630 (age 73)·English noblewoman and poet·Birthday: March 21
Biography
Anne Dacre was born into a staunchly Catholic family during the turbulent reign of Queen Elizabeth I. Her marriage to Philip Howard, the Earl of Arundel, linked her to one of England's most prominent—and persecuted—Catholic dynasties. After her husband's imprisonment for his faith, Anne converted openly to Catholicism, an act of profound political and personal risk. She transformed Arundel House in London into a central hub for underground Catholic activity, sheltering priests and maintaining the forbidden rituals. Her life was one of relentless pressure, facing fines, surveillance, and the constant threat of arrest. Beyond her conspiracies, Anne was a poet of deep feeling, writing sonnets and verses that channeled her spiritual anguish and devotion. She lived to see the Stuart dynasty take the throne, which brought a measure of relief, and spent her final years as a matriarchal figure for England's embattled Catholic community, her legacy one of steel-willed resilience.
#1 When Anne Was Born
The biggest hits of 1557
Anne's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1557Born
1562Started school
1570Became a teenager
1573Could drive
1575Could vote
1578Turned 21
1587Turned 30
1597Turned 40
1607Turned 50
1617Turned 60
1627Turned 70
1630Died at 73
Key Achievements
- Authored a body of religious poetry, including sonnets, that expressed her deep Catholic faith and personal trials.
- Managed a major safe house for Jesuit priests in London, defying Elizabethan anti-Catholic laws for decades.
- Successfully petitioned King James I for the return of her family's estates, which had been confiscated by the Crown.
- Played a crucial role in preserving and advancing the Howard family's Catholic lineage during intense persecution.
Did You Know?
She was the grandmother of Thomas Howard, the 14th Earl of Arundel, a famous art collector known as the 'Collector Earl'.
Her husband, Philip Howard, died in the Tower of London and was later canonized as a Catholic saint.
Much of her poetry was discovered and published long after her death, in the 19th century.
She was painted by the Flemish artist Peter Paul Rubens in a portrait that now hangs in the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C.
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