Jane Dormer

For her chronicle, see The Life of Jane Dormer, Duchess of Feria.

Portrait thought to be of Jane Dormer, by Antonis Mor.

Jane Dormer, Duchess of Feria (1538–1612) was an English lady-in-waiting to Mary I who went on to serve as the Duchess of Feria.

Biography

Jane Dormer was born during the reign of Henry VIII, when her family was split by the religious controversy caused by the on-going King's break with Rome. On the one side, her father Sir William Dormer's family (moderately prosperous Buckinghamshire landowners and wool merchants)^[1] remained staunchly Catholic. However, her mother Mary Sidney's family embraced the new religion of Protestantism. Jane was raised broadly outside this latter influence from the death of her mother in 1542, but she spent her youth not only in the household of her paternal grandmother but also as a playmate of the young Edward VI, who was very fond of the young Jane and is reported to have said after having beaten her at cards, "Now your king is gone Jane, I shall be good enough for you."^{[cite this quote]} (By extension, Jane would have been acquainted with Elizabeth I when she lodged with her half brother).

Jane's faith and royal connections would take her to the heart of power. Despite an age gap of over twenty years and at the age of just sixteen, Jane became one of Queen Mary's closest friends and confidantes.

Despite interest from several English grandees she made her own Spanish match by marrying Don Gomez Suarez de Figueroa of Cordova, Duke of Feria, a close confidante of Philip II and his first ambassador to Elizabeth I's court.^[2] Jane and Don Gomez had first met on Philip's arrival in England in 1554; Mary had strongly encouraged the match, but it had been postponed to await Philip's return to the country after campaigns abroad. This never occurred, and the two were not married until after Mary's death in 1558. The union produced two sons: Lorenzo (born in 1559), who succeeded his father as Duke of Feria, and Pedro (born in 1565; lived only three months).

Feria was quick to perceive how Elizabeth's accession would change the religious tide in England and, despite his formal role as Spanish ambassador, refused to attend Elizabeth's coronation in a public rejection of expected Protestant elements in the service. When he was replaced in 1559, he and Jane returned to the continent with a mixed retinue of monks and nuns and another of Mary's former ladies-in-waiting, Susan Clarencieux; there she became a lightning rod for exiled English Catholics. On her husband's death in 1571 she took over the management of his estates.

Jane's interest in the cause of Catholicism in England did not cause her to cease correspondence with Elizabeth, but she also received letters from four Popes and maintained numerous other contacts. Within Spain she was a champion of exiled English fallen on hard times, and in 1592 was a strong candidate to take up the governorship of Flanders.

Her health never recovered from an accident in 1609, and she was bedridden from the start of 1611 - planning ahead she had already prepared a coffin which she kept in the house. At her death, on 13 January 1612, she was attended by seven priests.

In fiction

Jane Dormer is a prominent character in Philippa Gregory's historical fiction The Queen's Fool, which emphasizes her role as a close personal friend and a completely devoted and loyal follower of Queen Mary, both before Mary's accession to the throne and throughout the ups and downs of her reign. The book depicts Jane Dormer as having a dour character, vindictive towards the Queen's enemies even when Mary herself was inclined to show them clemency. Jane also appears briefly in Gregory's sequel The Virgin's Lover. She appears as a supporting character in the fifth installment of Dorothy Dunnett's Lymond Chronicles, The Ringed Castle.

The Duchess is the ancestress of the British actress Natalie Dormer, who portrayed Anne Boleyn in the series The Tudors.

Notes and references

1. ^ Sir William Dorner, Knight
2. ^ Note: "Don", in this article, is used a title, as in "Sir". It is not a first name, and is ordinarily written as "D" or "don"--i.e., D. Gomez Suarez de Figueroa y Cordova, Duke of Feria. Gomez was the Duke's first name. Gomez may also be a surname.

[1] The life of Jane Dormer

Further Reading

• G.Q.B. (2003). "Domer, Jane (1538–1612)". In Hartley, Cathy. A historical dictionary of British women (2 ed.). Routledge. p. 138. ISBN 1857432282. 

Persondata
Name	Dormer, Jane
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	1538
Place of birth
Date of death	1612
Place of death