The intriguing life of Ferdinando Stanley, the 5th Earl of Derby. From his birth into the influential Stanley family, his reign as Earl and Lord of Mann, to his untimely and mysterious death, we explore the political intrigue, arts patronage, and legacy of this fascinating figure.
I’m going start talking more about the many, many great and great-grandchildren of Henry VII, cousins to Henry VIII and his line who were often involved in political intrigue, like the Gray Sisters. But many of them went about living quiet lives and doing their very best to keep away from drama and one of them is Fernando Stanley.
 So I first read about Fernando Stanley recently in a book about Alice Spencer.I realized that I had read his name without even knowing it because he was the famous Lord Straunge who funded the company of players in the 1580’s and 1590’s. So anytime you read about Shakespeare, you read about Lord Straunge. I just hadn’t put it together that that was the same person as Fernando Stanley.
So Fernando Stanley was born in 1559. He was the son of Henry Stanley, 4th Earl of Derby. His family was one of power and influence. They played a significant role in the political landscape of the time. Let’s talk about who he comes from.
His mother was Lady Margaret Clifford. She was the daughter of the Earl of Cumberland, but more importantly, she held a claim to the English throne, which would cast a shadow over Fernando’s life. She was the daughter of Eleanor Brandon, who was in turn, the daughter of Mary and Charles Brandon.
So Mary was the daughter of Henry VII, which means Eleanor was the granddaughter of Henry VII. Her daughter, Lady Margaret Clifford was the great-granddaughter of Henry, and then Fernando was the great-great-grandson of Henry VII. But all of this means that he was in the line of succession, something that would lead to political caution, intrigue and speculation.
Raised in the grandeur of Elizabethan England, educated in the ways of court and politics, Fernando Stanley would grow to be a man of influence and mystery. His life, a complex tapestry woven through threads of power, patronage and royal lineage.
Lord of Man
Something else that made his family unique, those of you who know Tudor History will know the Stanley family, the husband of Margaret Beaufort, we’re talking like a hundred years before, who helped turn the tide during the Battle of Bosworth. As a reward for their service and loyalty, Henry VII gave the Isle of Man to the Stanley family.
When he inherited the title of Earl of Darby, a hundred years later in 1593, Fernando Stanley also assumed the title Lord of Man. So the thing that made that title really special, this was no minor gift. It offered the family actually quasi-sovereign rule over the Isle of Man.
Unlike many nobles who govern land as part of a larger kingdom, the Stanley family as Lords of Man enjoyed a level of independence, unusual for the time they could pass laws. They could even mint their own money. And an act of parliament even confirmed that the Isle of Man was not officially part of England during this time. It was officially Stanley land. So when Fernando became the Lord of Man, He actually kind of became a quasi-king of this territory.
Alice Spencer
In 1579, Fernando had married Alice Spencer. She was the daughter of Sir John Spencer, who had a lot of wealth, but not a lot of ancient power. They had made money. They were part of this kind of new rising middle-upper class, this new social mobility that was happening in the 16th century. So he had a lot of money, but he didn’t have the title.
Fernando Stanley had the title and he was very attracted to the money. Alice was also a good catch. So they had three daughters – Anne, Frances, and Elizabeth, and each of them would carry on the family legacy in their own way.
Theatre
So beyond his political and social duties, Fernando was a patron of the arts. He had a particular interest in theater and he speculated to even have sponsored William Shakespeare’s company among his other acting troops. This patronage played a significant role, of course, in the cultural landscape of the Elizabethan era, shaped the growth and development of theater when it was emerging as a popular form of entertainment.
Politics
His life as much as he tried to keep it quiet was not without its share of political intrigue. He was a potential successor to Queen Elizabeth I, which put him in a precarious position in the political landscape of the time. He had to tread quite carefully, steering clear of too much royal attention to avoid potential conflict.
Yet the claim to the throne spurred whispers and speculations throughout the realm, placing a target on his back. There were questions about whether or not he was a Catholic. He did everything he could to prove that he was a loyal subject, a loyal Protestant when he was accidentally implicated in a plot by going to a meeting that he thought was with someone he trusted. He immediately reported it, reported what happened, and acted as a witness against the plot, and he accused people.
And then his life took a very sudden and tragic turn in April of 1594. He died abruptly and unexpectedly leading to rampant speculation and controversy. He was only 34, and his death raised more questions than it answered. It happened, like I said, very quickly. They couldn’t even get a doctor in time.
The prevailing theory even today, is that he was poisoned by a man named Richard Hesketh who was believed to be involved in the conspiracy to promote Stanley to the throne. He was suspected in this plot, but nothing was definitively proven. It might’ve been revenge against him for having reported that plot.
Despite his untimely death, his impact on the Elizabethan era is undeniable. His death through the succession into disarray, helped contribute to the instability of an already uncertain political climate, but also his patronage of the arts and theater and writers left an indelible mark on English culture. His support played a vital role in the rise of theater during this time, possibly aiding the career of playwrights like William Shakespeare.
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Heather Teysko is the creator, writer, and producer of The Renaissance English History Podcast,  one of the longest running indie history podcasts, going since 2009. She's been writing about history online for over 25 years, since her first site on Colonial American history became number one in history on Yahoo in 1998. She writes books, created the original Tudor Planner (a yearly diary filled with Tudor history) and in 2019 created the world's first Tudorcon (you can "attend" online this year!). She has been passionate about Tudor England since she first read Alison Weir's The Six Wives of Henry VIII 20 years ago, and subsequently moved to London after college to spend her time immersed in Tudor history.