Individual Details
Edward Sackville 4th Earl of Dorset
(1590 - 1652)
An English courtier, soldier and politician. He sat in the House of Commons from 1621 to 1622 and became Earl of Dorset in 1624. He fought a duel in his early life, and was later involved in colonisation in North America. He supported the Royalist cause in the English Civil War.
He was awarded MA at Cambridge University and was incorporated at Oxford from Cambridge on 9 July 1616. In Aug 1613 he became notorious by killing in a duel Edward Bruce, 2nd Lord Kinloss. The duel concerned Venetia Stanley, a society beauty and a granddaughter of Edward Stanley, 3rd Earl of Derby. The meeting took place on a piece of ground purchased for the purpose two miles from Bergen-op-Zoom, Netherlands, which even in 1814 was known as Bruceland. Sackville was run through the body and lost a finger while attempting to disarm Kinloss, but ultimately dispatched his opponent with two thrusts to the chest. Though gravely wounded, Sackville survived, but Venetia Stanley ultimately married Sir Kenelm Digby who after his marriage maintained friendly relations with Sackville, referring to him as the ‘Mardontius’ in his memoirs. Sackville sent, in self-justification, a long narrative from Louvain, dated 8 September 1613, with copies of Bruce's challenges.
He was awarded MA at Cambridge University and was incorporated at Oxford from Cambridge on 9 July 1616. In Aug 1613 he became notorious by killing in a duel Edward Bruce, 2nd Lord Kinloss. The duel concerned Venetia Stanley, a society beauty and a granddaughter of Edward Stanley, 3rd Earl of Derby. The meeting took place on a piece of ground purchased for the purpose two miles from Bergen-op-Zoom, Netherlands, which even in 1814 was known as Bruceland. Sackville was run through the body and lost a finger while attempting to disarm Kinloss, but ultimately dispatched his opponent with two thrusts to the chest. Though gravely wounded, Sackville survived, but Venetia Stanley ultimately married Sir Kenelm Digby who after his marriage maintained friendly relations with Sackville, referring to him as the ‘Mardontius’ in his memoirs. Sackville sent, in self-justification, a long narrative from Louvain, dated 8 September 1613, with copies of Bruce's challenges.
Events
| Birth | 1590 | ||||
| Death | 1652 | Dorset House |
Families
| Father | Robert Sackville 2nd Earl of Dorset (1561 - 1609) |
| Mother | Margaret Howard ( - 1591) |
| Sibling | Lady Anne Sackville ( - ) |
| Sibling | Lady Cecily Sackville ( - ) |
| Sibling | Richard Sackville 3rd Earl of Dorset (1589 - ) |