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Loomings1
Ferdinando Stanley had everything in the early spring of 1594. He was a youthful thirty-five, he was handsome, and he was married to the beautiful daughter of the wealthiest commoner in England. He had three lovely daughters of his own. As the fifth earl of Derby, he held the ancient title of Lord Strange (pronounced to rhyme with sang) and he had inherited from his father the largest and most splendid court in England after the Queen’s own, plus the three brilliant palaces that went with it: Lathom Hall, Knowsley Hall,2 and New Park, which were known collectively throughout the realm as the “Northern Court.”3 (Until recently considered lost to history, images of Lathom Hall have now been rediscovered.)4
First as Lord Strange during the 1580s and then as earl of Derby after inheriting the title upon the death of his father in 1593, Ferdinando served as patron of the theater company which was fortunate enough to include Shakespeare. He was its patron during his many years as Lord Strange, and then, during the brief period in which he held the earldom (from September 1593 until his death in April 1594), he served as the company’s patron for at least two separate productions.5 He was also