A Woman of Influence: The Spectacular Rise of Alice Spencer in Tudor England

Debut author Wilkie, curator of medieval manuscripts and British history at the Huntington Library, has written a captivating book that chronicles the life of Alice Stanley, the Countess of Derby. She was the daughter of Sir John Spencer, a knight, and an ancestor of Diana, Princess of Wales. As part of the wealthy gentry, her family aspired to nobility. It was vital that the Spencer children, especially the daughters, married men that furthered the family’s fortunes. The book details Alice’s marriage to Ferdinando Stanley, heir to the fourth Earl of Derby. There’s also coverage of her widowhood, other events, and some scandals that affected her family, especially her daughters. When Alice died in 1637, she was extremely wealthy and surrounded by a carefully cultivated network of powerful and influential contacts. She relentlessly protected the interests of herself and her family, and her litigiousness makes fascinating reading. The book’s strength lies in its clear explanations of legal concepts that affected women in the Tudor era, especially the intricacies of marriage contracts, being a co-heiress, and jointures.