Sarah Blount, Countess of Leicester

Robert Sidney, 1st Earl of Leicester (19 November 1563 – 13 July 1626), second son of Sir Henry Sidney, married secondly to Sarah Blount, daughter of William Blount, and widow of Sir Thomas Smythe.

Children by 1st husband

1. Sir John Smythe (1599-1641) married Isabel Rich
2. Thomas, died 1618, not married
3. Robert? 3rd son
4. Margaret, died young

notes

From SMYTHE, Sir Thomas (c.1558-1625), of Philpott Lane, London and Bounds Place, Bidborough, Kent

Married (3) 20 Dec. 1594, Sarah (d. 12 Mar. 1655), da. of William Blount of London, 3s. incl. Sir John III* (2 d.v.p.) 1da. d.v.p.6

From Debrett's complete peerage of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland Pg. 612

Sir Thomas Smythe, the 3d, was ambassador to Russia in 1604 and d- 1625; he m. Sarah, da. and h. of William Blount, esq., (who m., secondly, Robert Sydney, 1st earl of Leicester,) by whom he had 2 sons,

• sir John, the eldest, m, Isabella Rich, youngest da. of Robert, earl of Warwick, and left issue,
  • Robert Smythe, of Bounds, eo. Kent, who m. Dorothy Sydney, eldest da. of Robert, 2nd earl of Leicester.

This branch terminated in sir Sydney-Stafford Smythe, lord chief baron of the exchequer, who d. 1777.

From Tonbridge Historic Society - Sir Thomas Smythe:

Sir Thomas Smythe's life was one of great adventure and responsibility, in his patronage of the great expeditions of the day. His family life however, was rather turbulent. He was married three times and had four children of his third marriage to Sarah Blount. 1618 was an eventful year for his family: his eldest son, Sir John Smythe of Bidborough married in that year as did his third son who married against the wishes of his parents and cut himself off from the family. Still in that same year his second son Thomas died, and his daughter also died young.

From SIDNEY, Robert (1563-1626), of Penshurst, Kent.

In his last years Sidney suffered from poor health. He died at Penshurst on Injury 1626, aged 62, and was buried there three days later. He left no will, and administration of his vast estates went to his second wife and to his fourth, but only surviving son, Robert, who succeeded to his titles and possessions.

From SMYTHE, Sir John III (c.1599-1640), of Sutton-at-Hone, Kent

In April 1627 he and his mother were criticized by the London charity commissioners for failing to convey various properties to the Skinners’ Company as required by his father’s will.15 He went abroad again in 1636,16 after drawing up his own will. Appointing his mother as overseer, he included among his executors his ‘loving brother’ Sir Thomas Cheke*, and directed that his library at Sutton-at-Hone, which he valued at £1,000, be sold to increase his daughter’s portion.

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• http://www.tudorplace.com.ar/BLOUNT1.htm#Sarah%20BLOUNT%20(C.%20Lei...
• The Correspondence (c.1626-1659) of Dorothy Percy Sidney, Countess of Leicester By Dorothy Sidney Countess of Leicester

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GEDCOM Note

2) 1625, Robert/Sidney *

2) 1625, Robert/Sidney *

GEDCOM Note

major problem: some of the supposed children are older than supposed mother,

major problem: some of the supposed children are older than supposed mother, someone has gotten mixed up with the Sarah Blount who married Sir Thomas Smyth on 20 December 1594 at St Michael Bassishaw, London these are DIFFERENT Smythe/Smith families. there are hundreds, if not THOUSANDS of Thomas Smith families in England in the latter part of the 1500's. Please be VERY CAREFUL when doing Smith family research

GEDCOM Note

Ancestral File Number:<AFN> PLDJ-P1

Ancestral File Number:<AFN> PLDJ-P1

GEDCOM Note

Life Sketch

her maiden name is Sarah Blount, there is NO Agnes in her name. it was illegal to have 2 given names in England in the 16th century.