No records exist for the date or place of birth of Mary, second child of John de Vere and his second wife, Margery Golding.
[1] Mary's birthplace might thus be Hedingham Castle, Veer House in London, or one of her father's ten additional vast Essex estates.
Two powerful women initially prevented the marriage: Queen Elizabeth and Bertie's mother, Katherine Brandon, Duchess of Suffolk.
On his return in 1575, he publicly accused her of adultery, refused to live with her for five years, demanded she be banished from court, and declared their daughter a bastard.
Writing to Mary from Willoughby House, Peregrine Bertie describes how "uncurteously" he is "delte with" by her brother: "I heare [he has] bandeth against me and sweareth my death, which I feare nor force not, but lest his displeasure should withdraw your affection towardes me."
The archive dates the draft 1580, but adds a question mark to the year because the archivists assume the letter was written before the couple married.
In December of that year, he "informed on three of his former dining companions, who in turn accused Oxford of murder, pederasty, necromancy, atheism, lying, drunkenness, and sedition."
1580 was also the year de Vere began an illicit affair with one of Elizabeth's maids of honor, who managed to conceal not just their sexual relationship, but her pregnancy.
Edward de Vere was paid 1,000 pounds annually by the queen (a very significant amount at that time) probably for his literary contributions.