Lady Anne Clifford: A Peeress, Patron, and Pioneer of Architectural Documentation Lady Anne Clifford, Countess of Dorset, Pembroke and Montgomery (1590-1676), was a remarkable figure in 17th-century England. Born into privilege as the daughter of George Clifford, 3rd Earl of Cumberland, she inherited her father's ancient barony at the age of fifteen, becoming suo jure 14th Baroness de Clifford. Beyond her noble title and hereditary role as High Sheriff of Westmorland (a position she held from 1653 to 1676), Lady Anne distinguished herself as a literary personage and, crucially, as an early p…