(later 1st Earl of Suffolk) and his wife, the former Catherine Knyvet. Frances's father was the second son of Thomas, the 4th Duke of Norfolk, a wealthy and powerful nobleman during the late 16th and early 17th centuries, and Margaret Audley, Duchess of Norfolk. Frances' maternal grandparents were Sir Henry Knyvet, of Charlton, Wiltshire, and Elizabeth Stumpe.

Failed marriage