Lady Blanche Arundell

Lady Blanche Arundell nèe Somerset (1583 – 28 October, 1649) was born to Edward Somerset, 4th Earl of Worcester and Lady Elizabeth Hastings. On 11 May, 1607 she married Thomas Arundell, 2nd Baron Arundell of Wardour son of Thomas Arundell, 1st Baron Arundell of Wardour and Lady Mary Wriothesley.

On 2 May, 1643, during the absence of her husband she bravely defended Wardour Castle for nine days with only herself, her children, a few maid-servants, and twenty-five men against thirteen hundred men and artillery commanded by two Parliamentary officers, Sir Edward Hungerford and Colonel Edmund Ludlow. She finally was forced to surrender but on her husband's return the parliament forces were soon dislodged.

References

*Cooper, Thompson. "Arundell, Blanche, Lady." "A New Biographical Dictionary: Containing Concise Notices of Eminent Persons of All Ages and Countries: and More Particularly of Distinguished Natives of Great Britain and Ireland." London: Bell, 1873. [http://books.google.com/books?id=PfIMAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA86&dq=Blanche+Somerset&as_brr=1&ei=B2l6R-7qKYWoiQGlvqhy googlebooks] Accessed January 1, 2006
*Goddard, Edward Hungerford. "The Wiltshire Archaeological and Natural History Magazine." (p. 41) Devizes, Eng: The Society] , 1854. [http://books.google.com/books?id=zTYGAAAAQAAJ&pg=RA2-PA41&dq=blanche+arundell&lr=&as_brr=1 googlebooks] Retrieved March 16, 2008