Description: Mary Herbert, Countess of Pembroke, (née Mary Talbot) (c. 1594 - March 1649) was the wife of William Herbert, 3rd Earl of Pembroke (see image DCHQ200219).
Mary was the daughter of Gilbert Talbot, 7th Earl of Shrewsbury, by his wife Mary, and was thus a granddaughter of Bess of Hardwick. She married William Herbert on 4 November 1604. They had no children.
On the death of Earl Gilbert in 1616, his great estates in Derbyshire descended to his three daughters and co-heiresses, Mary, wife of William Earl of Pembroke, Elizabeth, wife of Henry Earl of Kent, and Alathea, wife of Thomas Earl of Arundel.
This image is one of a collection by the famous local antiquarian, Thomas Bateman, of Middleton by Youlgreave. (1821-1861). Bateman organized his collection by inserting them into a 4 volume copy of Lysons Magna Britannia, Derbyshire, creating a fascinating and unique illustrated record of the county. The purchase of the collection for Derbyshire Libraries was made possible by the generous bequest of Miss Frances Webb of Whaley Bridge, well known local historian, who died in December 2006.