Alice Leigh was a daughter of
Sir Thomas Leigh, 1st Baronet (died 1625), of
Stoneleigh Abbey, Warwickshire, who was created a baronet in 1611, by his marriage to Catherine, a daughter of
Sir John Spencer of
Wormleighton. Her father was the third son of
Sir Thomas Leigh and his wife Alice née Barker (an heiress of
Sir Rowland Hill) who was
Lord Mayor of London for 1549/50. In 1643 her nephew
Thomas (1595–1672) was created the first
Baron Leigh. On 11 September 1596, at
Ashow, Warwickshire, Alice Leigh married
Sir Robert Dudley, the natural son of
Robert Dudley, 1st Earl of Leicester, Queen
Elizabeth I's favourite, by
Lady Sheffield. A daughter of this marriage, who was to be the first of seven, was baptised on 25 September 1597. Five of their daughters reached adulthood: In 1605, Robert Dudley left England and fled to Florence, accompanied by his first cousin once removed,
Elizabeth Southwell. That winter, he and Southwell announced their conversion to
Roman Catholicism and intention to marry. To repudiate his existing marriage, Robert claimed that in 1591 he had entered into a marriage contract with Frances Vavasour, one of Queen Elizabeth's
maids of honour. His third marriage was never recognised in England. Robert Dudley owned estates which included
Kenilworth Castle which were valued at £50,000. In 1612, these were sold for £14,500 to
Henry Frederick, Prince of Wales, although he paid only a fraction of even that price, and after his death the property devolved upon the new Prince of Wales, the future King Charles. In 1622 Charles obtained a special
act of parliament to enable Alice Dudley "to alien her estate from her children as a
feme sole", so that she could then sell her interest in the properties for £4,000, plus further payments to be made in later years. == Duchess of Dudley ==