The life of legendary noblewoman Lady Anne Clifford is the subject of a lecture at her former home, Knole in Sevenoaks.

Lady Anne, who was the wealthiest woman in Britain when she died, was married to Richard, 3rd Earl Sackville and lived at Knole in the early 17th century.

Renowned for her strong character, she spent much of her life in a long and complex legal battle to obtain the rights of her inheritance.

A painting of her by William Larkin was bought by the National Portrait Gallery for £275,000 last week and University College London scholar Yasmin Arshad will analyse its meaning in a one-off lecture.

She will also discuss Lady Anne’s role in cabinet drama The Tragedie of Cleopatra, written by her former tutor Samuel Daniel and performed at the house. Scenes from the play, which predated Shakespeare’s Antony and Cleopatra, will be performed by actors from UCL.

Knole spokesman Jane Maltby said: “There are some extremely interesting portraits of Lady Anne which scholars believe prove that she took the title role when this play was performed.

“She was such a strong character, who defied her husband and the king to reclaim her inheritance. We hope this lecture will be the start of our work to bring Lady Anne’s story at Knole to life.”

Lady Anne: Was She Cleopatra? is taking place from 5pm to 7pm in the Great Hall at Knole on Saturday, November 9.

Tickets are £15, including refreshments. For details contact 0844 249 1895.