Mary Fitton was an Elizabethan gentlewoman who became a maid of honour to Queen Elizabeth. She is noted for her scandalous affairs with William Herbert, 3rd Earl of Pembroke, Vice-Admiral Sir Richard Leveson, and others. She is considered by some to be the "Dark Lady" of Shakespeare's sonnets.
Portrait of Mary Fitton circa 1595
Double portrait by unknown artist of her sister Anne Newdigate and Mary Fitton in 1592
William Herbert, 3rd Earl of Pembroke
William Herbert, 3rd Earl of Pembroke, of Wilton House in Wiltshire, was an English nobleman, politician and courtier. He served as Chancellor of the University of Oxford and together with King James I founded Pembroke College, Oxford. In 1608 he was appointed Warden of the Forest of Dean, Constable of St Briavels Castle, Gloucestershire, and in 1609 Governor of Portsmouth, all of which offices he retained until his death. He served as Lord Chamberlain from 1615 to 1625. In 1623 the First Folio of Shakespeare's plays was dedicated to him and his brother and successor Philip Herbert, 1st Earl of Montgomery.
Portrait by Paul van Somer I, 1617
William Herbert, 3rd Earl of Pembroke, portrait by Daniel Mytens. He holds a white staff as a symbol of his office of Lord Chamberlain
Bronze statue of William Herbert, 3rd Earl of Pembroke, in front of the main entrance to the Bodleian Library, Oxford. Sculpted by Hubert Le Sueur (c.1580-1658), formerly at Wilton House, donated to the Bodleian Library in 1723 by the 8th Earl. The baton held in his right hand denotes a military command, possibly Governor of Portsmouth to which office he was appointed in 1609
