Anne Fairfax

Anne Fairfax, born Anne de Vere, was the wife of Parliamentary commander Thomas Fairfax and accompanied him during parts of the Civil War. Her surviving association with Fairfax’s campaigns offers a domestic perspective on the lives surrounding high command.

Born Anne de Vere to the soldier Horace Vere, she married Thomas Fairfax in 1637 and accompanied him during parts of the Civil War; she is also remembered for protesting audibly against proceedings at the trial of Charles I.

In Rosemary Sutcliff’s The Rider of the White Horse, Anne Fairfax follows the Parliamentary commander Thomas Fairfax through years of campaigning, bringing their young daughter into a military world of forced marches, improvised lodgings, sieges and uncertain news.