The Countess of Pembroke's husband died in 1600. Her husband's will required that she did not remarry. Thereafter, her time was spent managing Wilton House and the other Pembroke estates, on behalf of her son, William Herbert, 3rd Earl of Pembroke, who followed in his mother's footsteps as a literary patron. After James I visited her at Wilton in 1603 and was entertained by Shakespeare's company, The King's Men, Mary moved out of Wilton as Dowager Countess and rented homes in London.
![Wilton House ~ double cube room - Wilton House is a place steeped in history and culture. The 2nd Earl was even a sponsor of Shakespeare, and the first performances of "Twelfth Night" and "As You Like It" were likely at Wilton House [2]. Ben Jonson, Edmund Spencer, Christopher Marlowe, and John Donne all visited on various occasions, and the art collection rivals that of major museums. Neoclassical Architecture, Google Street View, Pall Mall, Galerie D'art, Expositions, Stairs](https://i.pinimg.com/236x/4e/ad/f4/4eadf46074ddbefef7c10bc5916b0aa9--luxury-rooms-english-country-houses.jpg)
