about Madylyne Sparkes

My persona within the SCA is Lady Madylyne Sparkes. I am still working on developing my persona, but here is the story so far.

My name is Lady Madylyne Sparkes and I am a lady of English birth, born in the year of our Lord 1544. As a loyal subject of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth, I am a devout Protestant.

I am the only daughter of a merchant, William Sparkes, and his wife Mary. I have been told that shortly before my birth, my father travelled to France, where he heard of a woman named Madeleine, and so liking this name, decided to bestow it upon me upon his return.

I have two younger brothers, Richard and Henry, who are 5 and 6 years younger than I, respectively. Because I was an only child for so long, I was greatly indulged by my father, as it was thought for some time that I would be his only child. As a result, I learned to read, write, work figures, and speak some French.

When I was 6 years old, my mother died shortly after giving birth to my youngest brother. As a result, I learned to manage the household very well, to aid my father.

At the age of nineteen, I was married to my first husband. He was many years older than I, and seeking an heir to his lands. Unfortunately, after some three years of marriage, during which time I had not yet bore any children, he was stricken with a sickness and passed on. As he was an only child and there were no other heirs to his family, I was left with his lands and hall.

After my husband passed on, my father was content to let me keep my hall and lands, but I eventually met a gentleman whom I developed a great affection for, and we eventually married. He also had lands and I closed up my hall and came to live with him. After a couple of years of marriage to him, he developed a wandering eye and took up with a lady of not-so-gentle breeding, much to my displeasure. While this might have been acceptable in Her Majesty's court, my father was greatly displeased by my husband's actions.

At the age of twenty-seven, I became a widow for the second time, and own two halls within this great land of England. Between the two of them, I live quite comfortably, with an income of several hundred pounds per year. I have a staff that runs my estate, which allows me to fill my days with reading, writing, the gentle arts of needlework and such. I also take great delight in the playing of my harpsichord.